The bible box on the back of  an antique chapel chair in my  kitchen was the inspiration for this automata. A perfect place to house an axel and some cams. 

It is a tight  fit to get every thing inside but works for simple rotary movement. 

These vintage chairs are  beautifully made, often from elm wood with a shaped seat. They vary in style, but when I come across an open backed design they are perfect for a ‘Wren Chapel Chair Automata’. The first one on the left was created in a day and I made this little film. Since then I’ve made three more.

Finding  vintage enamel numbers for the chair backs are a finishing  touch especially if its customer birthday or a significant number.  The Wrens are cut and shaped from a hard wood ( golden mahogany ) and tiny beaks from ebony. 

I turn the handle on my lathe and spend time colour matching , waxing and making sound the chair. This enables the automata to come together,  as if the birds not bibles were always intended.