A lifetime of knowledge. A stickler?s eye for detail. Infinite patience. Downright perfection.

These are the ingredients which Robert (Bob) Patterson uses to recreate mostly 18th century Bermuda cedar furniture in miniature. He is, however, no novice hobbyist. Before turning to scale models, the master craftsman spent years of his life making the real thing to order, and today examples of that work are cherished in homes and corporate headquarters around the Island.

It was when Mr. Patterson fully retired 18 months ago, after years in the custom fine furniture-making business as founder of Woodart, and later working at Hubbard?s Fine Furniture and Antique Restoration, that he began to seek other ways to fill his days. With so much talent at his fingertips, and a bottomless well of creativity from which to draw, he knew that sitting around waiting for old age to catch up with him was definitely not the way forward. Besides, he needed to supplement his pension.

So when an opportunity arose to acquire the necessary tools for such fine work he did not hesitate. Thus it was that a new cottage industry was born. Tucked away in the corner of his verdant garden, the hum of the band saw, the whine of the sander, and the whirr of the lathe can be heard emanating from his orderly workshop for many an hour.

Using old Bermuda cedar, Mr. Patterson makes chairs, pedestal tables, corner china closets and more to one-twelfth scale, precisely in the same way the grown-up versions would be made. Legs are carved or turned from a single block of wood, table tops are wafer thin, and all drawers are working drawers.

So fine and delicate is the craftsmanship, in fact, that one marvels at how his sturdy fingers can possibly work with such tiny pieces. That he does it so successfully is, of course, the hallmark of a true artist.

To get each piece exactly right, Mr. Patterson not only draws on his many years experience as both a teacher of woodwork and a businessman/craftsman but also on Bryden B. Hyde?s book, ?Bermuda?s Antique Furniture and Silver?, as an important reference source.

When the dollhouse-sized pieces are finally assembled, they are French polished to perfection and then waxed before any tiny brass fittings are added.

To date his creations include a William and Mary tallboy (also known as a ?highboy? in the US), Queen Anne chairs, cedar chest, Chippendale dining chairs, a double pedestal dining room table, and two-piece corner china closet with fielded panel lower doors.

While Mr. Patterson does not keep a strict accounting of how many hours it takes to complete one piece, he says an armchair took ?longer than ten hours?, while the cabinets were ?very time consuming? (the panes of ?glass? in the china cabinet were inserted with tweezers).

Now months of painstaking work can now be viewed by the public through an exhibition and sale of his work at the Thistle Gallery on Park Street in Hamilton until December 17. Opening hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday.

Perfect for Christmas giving, doll?s house enthusiasts, and just plain collectors, the pieces will be available for sale.

?Furniture in the Bryden Hyde book are valuable antiques, and a lot of people want a piece of Bermuda cedar, but for those who cannot afford the real thing, they can buy a piece at half size,? Mr. Patterson says. ?The miniatures are also a good way of perpetuating the creations of someone else, and using cedar that somebody else might just burn for firewood.?

For further information on the exhibition ( 292-3839.