Projects: A quality finish
Peter Oman has worked in construction sites all his life. He’s a building engineer and is now turning his skills and passion in a new direction, creating bespoke pieces of craftsmanship, with crystal clear finishes, from his home in the small village of Kvevlax. He lives 500km from Helsinki, and has his own sawmill, kiln and workshop.
Peter’s a recent convert to the Entropy Resins® range, using Clear Casting Epoxy Resin (CCR) with Slow Hardener (CCS) or Fast Hardener (CCF).
“I’ve used a different epoxies for many years but wanted to try something else that speeds up the process,” Peter explains. “I make a lot of things. That’s why I turned to Entropy Resins as they’re high speed and good quality.
“They’re simple to use and crystal clear when dried, even if you have 4 or 5cm depth,” he says. “The resin and hardener mixes easily, that’s not a problem, and it’s easier to run in the degassing chamber because it releases the bubbles very fast. The cured epoxy layer is mirror-like. This is the most important reason I use it, I don’t have to do any polishing. It’s fast but the finish and clarity is outstanding.”
Although Peter doesn’t have forest on his land, a large proportion of his work is made from wood he collects from neighbours.
“People call me about trees that have come down in storms – people just want them picked up,” he says. “We have wolves of course but they’re not a problem. And we have bears, fox and moose.”
Peter doesn’t let this wildlife distract him from his collecting though, as that forest wood becomes unique projects made from Finnish birch, cherry and pine using Entropy Resins products.
Peter’s latest creations include
“This is a drinks tray for a caravan. The bottom’s filled with ENTROPY RESINS clear casting epoxy which gives it the 3D effect.”
“This company makes gin and whisky. I took this image from the internet and made a 3D model with apple wood.”
“This is made from birch and worked very nicely. Note the twisted leg – this is an upstanding birch branch. That took five layers of Entropy Resins epoxy because of gravity, while the table top took two.” It has a crystal clear finish.
“I made this for a customer in Sweden – they sell lubricants. It’s birch. By adjusting the heat in the kiln drier I can adjust the colour – the higher the temperature the darker it becomes.”
“This is the first thing that I made with ENTROPY RESINS epoxy. It’s a small river table with fish carved in it – it turned out to be gorgeous. It’s a demo table in my shop. People that come here can see what can be done. The 3D effect is amazing. I found the fish image online and modelled it on the CNC machine.”
“This is a table I’ve made to sit beside me at car shows. It’s made with Finnish oak.”
Peter mainly works with birch, pine and cherry. Note the original wood before he works his magic and creates crystal clear finishes (read about how to get rid of air bubble in epoxy here). Find out more about Peter’s work by contacting him. Find other project inspiration