# Oak knot box, Finished!



## Racers (2 Oct 2016)

I was given this piece of tiger oak with a knot by Custard.

I am making a box lid with it, its been planed down to 15mm thick and the Wenge breadboard ends fitted.
I turned some 4mm Wenge dowels for the breadboard ends then drilled the holes at 5mm!.
I have a nice plank of brown oak for the box.



Oak and Wenge (Panga Panga) by Racers, on Flickr

It has a face!



Oak face by Racers, on Flickr

Pete


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## Max Power (3 Oct 2016)

What are your intentions for the holes ?


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## Racers (3 Oct 2016)

I am going to leave them open, I did think of ripping some off the back the inserting bamboo skewers and angles across the large one then re-joining it, but then I thought I like them how they are.

Pete


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## rafezetter (3 Oct 2016)

The knot is great, I've always thought defects like this should be celebrated - the face a sort of screaming chinaman (or is that just wishful thinking?). If it was me I'd have drilled 2 more holes at the other end to even it up and make it look deliberate - possibly with a small insert of some kind, ebony or some such.

Are you going to leave it open or back it with something contrasting, a bit of coloured fabric?


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## custard (3 Oct 2016)

You're a clever man Pete. I never saw the potential in that off-cut but you've turned it into something pretty special. And I absolutely would never have thought of pairing Wenge with Oak, I tried it with some scrap pieces in my workshop this morning and they complement each other extremely well, the open grained texture is a very good match and the colours really work together. 

=D>


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## Racers (3 Oct 2016)

Thank you custard.

Pete


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## Racers (3 Oct 2016)

rafezetter":3nivyj9i said:


> The knot is great, I've always thought defects like this should be celebrated - the face a sort of screaming chinaman (or is that just wishful thinking?). If it was me I'd have drilled 2 more holes at the other end to even it up and make it look deliberate - possibly with a small insert of some kind, ebony or some such.
> 
> Are you going to leave it open or back it with something contrasting, a bit of coloured fabric?



I am planning a sliding internal tray in maple which will be visible through the knot.

Pete


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## Bm101 (3 Oct 2016)

Just don't make any Hobbit jewelry boxes from it Pete. You'll be getting a visit from Ian Mckellan.


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## Racers (9 Oct 2016)

I made a mistake with the measurements of the box which I didn't spot until it was glued up, I seemed to have added and extra 10mm to the depth of the box which meant the hinge layout I wanted to use wouldn't work, So out with the saw.



Cutting it apart by Racers, on Flickr

And then the shooting board and mitre sledge. 



Shooting the miters by Racers, on Flickr

Nearly clean mitre just one more cut to go, note the maple strip to stop the grove splitting.



Nearly clean miter by Racers, on Flickr

I cut the sides to length and resized the bottom and glued it up with out the biscuits.



Oak Knot box by Racers, on Flickr

I cut the ends off the breadboard ends and gave the lid a coat of Danish oil, wow!



Lid with one coat of Danish oil by Racers, on Flickr

The box came out of the clamps and was fitted with some Wenge feathers and a clean up and oil, next the hinges I have cleaned up some nice brass ones, I will try and fit them in week.

Pete


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## AJB Temple (9 Oct 2016)

It just shows what a good craftsman can do with what most people would put in the log burner. Inspirational.


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## Racers (16 Oct 2016)

More progress on the box.

I decided it needed a base to balance the overhanging lid, so I cut some strips of tiger oak that was an off cut from the lid and mitred it with the aid of my shooting board and an mitre attachment.



Shooting board miter attachment by Racers, on Flickr

I made a jig for my biscuit joiner to cut the feathers.



Biscuit feather jig by Racers, on Flickr

It does a good job.



Feather slot by Racers, on Flickr

Feathers glued in and trimmed flush with my shoulder plane.



Triming feathers by Racers, on Flickr

I pegged and glued the base on.



Wenge peg by Racers, on Flickr

I took a deep breath and cut the hinge recesses with my new Katsu trimmer on an extended base.



Katsu with extended base by Racers, on Flickr

With a quick clean up with the chisels the hinges look good.



Hinge by Racers, on Flickr

I put some masking tape on the inside of the lid and transferred the hinge location.



Transfering hinge location by Racers, on Flickr



Hinge layout by Racers, on Flickr

The hinge recesses where cut with the Katsu and chisels and the lid was screwed on with some temporary steel screws.
And it works!



Oak knot box by Racers, on Flickr



Oak knot box by Racers, on Flickr

Now for some finishing and on to the sliding tray, I have some rippled sycamore and rippled walnut from Custard, I have plained the sycamore down to 4mm and the walnut to 5mm, just need to work out the method of construction mitres with feathers of rebates.
I am leaning towards mitres with contrasting feathers.

Pete


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## Steve Maskery (16 Oct 2016)

Excellent, Pete, just excellent.


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## Racers (16 Oct 2016)

Thank you Steve. 

Pete


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## Woodmonkey (16 Oct 2016)

That looks fantastic, what a cracking piece of oak.
The misses has been asking for a jewellery box, i need to go and see custard!


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## skipdiver (16 Oct 2016)

Me likes much.


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## lurker (16 Oct 2016)

Up to your usual standard Pete.
Some clever techniques on display too


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## Bm101 (16 Oct 2016)

Looks stunning that. I couldn't see the face until this pic. 






With the lid closed it looks a little like the eye of Sauron. In a good way! Hence my daft comment about hobbit jewelry earlier. Learnt a trick or two just from the wip so thanks.
btw Nice to see your plane in the pics, oddly enough I was reading an old thread from years back of Jimi's just now and saw it, then like a bus it turns up again minutes later. 

Cheers
Chris


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## Racers (16 Oct 2016)

Thanks chaps. 

With the lid open it looks like an elephant to me, I think I need a rest!

Pete


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## AndyT (16 Oct 2016)

This is the sort of thing that shows the forum at its best.
Custard generously offers wood that he can't use in his exceptional, high end furniture, and Pete takes up the challenge. With his maverick inventiveness, he sees and makes what will surely be a wonderful, eye catching box.

And a very calm recovery from a measurement error to reassure the rest of us!


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## gregmcateer (16 Oct 2016)

Sweet, sweet job, Mr M!

Love it


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## skipdiver (16 Oct 2016)

Looks like Alfred Hitchcock to me.


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## Racers (16 Oct 2016)

Thanks for the kind words chaps it means a lot. 

Pete


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## Racers (23 Oct 2016)

Here it is chaps.

I made the sliding tray using the router table for the groves mitre shooting board for the corners and chisels for the divider dados.



Oak knot box by Racers, on Flickr



Oak knot box open by Racers, on Flickr

Pete


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## skipdiver (23 Oct 2016)

Really exceptional. Love it.


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## Racers (24 Oct 2016)

Thanks Steve.

Pete


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## custard (24 Oct 2016)

Blimey, that's fantastic!

And topical too as you've finished it just in time for Halloween...it reminds me of a cut out pumpkin! 

Seriously Pete, you've done an amazing job there, it's the sort of thing that you expect to see at the Cheltenham Show with a £700 price ticket and a red dot sticker showing it's already been sold!

=D>


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## John15 (24 Oct 2016)

Very attractive Pete. Congratulations.

John


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## Racers (24 Oct 2016)

Thank you Custard, it was easy starting with a fantastic piece of wood, thank you for sending it to me.

Thanks John

My photo of it on Flickr has made it into Explore and had over 1100 views!

Pete


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## Brian18741 (24 Oct 2016)

Stunning work!


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## xy mosian (24 Oct 2016)

That really is very nice Pete! Am I right in thinking you got a good deal of pleasure making it?

xy


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## n0legs (24 Oct 2016)

Wow Pete, seriously wow! =D> 
That's stunning =D>


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## Racers (25 Oct 2016)

xy mosian":uzvhi2o4 said:


> That really is very nice Pete! Am I right in thinking you got a good deal of pleasure making it?
> 
> xy




Yes it was fun to make it, seemed to take longer than I anticipated but I did have to make a couple of jigs up for the feathers.


Thank you N0legs

Pete


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## bugbear (25 Oct 2016)

With all the internal voids, did you have to take special precautions against internal spelching?

BugBear


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## Racers (25 Oct 2016)

No, I just picked out all the spelching with knives, dental picks etc, it took a couple of hours to do.

Pete


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## Paul200 (25 Oct 2016)

Just had to look up 'spelching' :? :roll: 

Beautiful work Pete. After messing about making nothing in particular for years I discovered the joys of small box making about 5 years ago - but I've not yet attempted a 'warts and all' style box. A lovely thing - and inspirational too  

Paul


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## Racers (27 Oct 2016)

Well I am not keen on the tray so started to prepare some brown oak for a new one, and veneered some thin ply with ripple sycamore veneer.



Brown oak shavings by Racers, on Flickr

Pete


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## wallace (27 Oct 2016)

Really enjoyed all of that, what a lovely piece of wood. Not too keen on being able to see the drawer through the void. I've always wanted to try something like that but fill the hole with a coloured resin.


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