# A W.I.P. that may take a very long time ...



## Phil Pascoe (24 Aug 2017)

I have two pieces of very nice tiger oak courtesy of Custard to make a box. First job is get a couple of new bandsaw blades and some suede - I'm not sure whether to go for green, blue or red - from a practical point it'll need to be relatively dark because the box is designed to be used.










I need to know the colour of the suede because other decoration will depend upon it. I aim to turn a strip/block or maybe two the length and half the width of the box with four or five turned, lidded bowls (on one) with inset semi precious cabs or possibly dichroic glass in silver bezels in the shallow knobs. I have silversmithing tools, a smith's bench and a kiln for the glass  . I've seen some very nice s/s and brass hinges (Andrew Crawford) but not a good s/s lock. I have plenty of oak, but I might use padauk for the lid (I probably will for the insides) depending on whether or how I inlay it - the oak is a little busy for anything complex.
I will deep the longest piece into three as it won't do four safely and two will leave me a fair bit of planing by hand, and if you look at the picures the medullary rays are more pronounced on one side (nearer the quarter) so I'll use the two matched faces of the slices from that side. The edge of the smaller piece has had a couple of coats of TruOil to get an idea of the final colour. I have some laburnum which is large enough to saw down for the insides, so I might decide to go native and forget the padauk.
I think I'll make the insides first and box last - it'll let the wood stabilise after being sawn, and the insides will be more demanding than the actual box.

All thoughts, ideas and (some) criticisms welcome.


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## Phil Pascoe (24 Aug 2017)

And before some smartarsse suggests it - yes, I know how to make solid silver hinges, but I haven't the inclination. :lol:


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## marcros (24 Aug 2017)

i have some suede. Over the weekend, i will dig out what i have, although I am not sure what colours I have. What dimensions is the box likely to be?


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## Phil Pascoe (24 Aug 2017)

About 12" x 8" x 6" - because of the turned elements inside, I'll need to draw the insides to get the dimensions of the outside, though.


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## marcros (24 Aug 2017)

ok. let me have a look.


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## Bm101 (24 Aug 2017)

Looking good forward to this one Mr P.


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## SteveF (24 Aug 2017)

Bookmarked and watching with interest
I have a few of Custard's "offcuts" and will make use of them eventually

Steve


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## ColeyS1 (24 Aug 2017)

Watching with interest  

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk


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## custard (28 Aug 2017)

phil.p":1hz0uncs said:


> I will deep the longest piece into three as it won't do four safely and two will leave me a fair bit of planing by hand



That's always a tricky decision. On the one hand you want to be as efficient as possible, deep ripping as close to the finished dimensions as you can, saving both time and timber. On the other hand it's a risk, go too far and you end up with unusably thin timber so the entire board gets scrapped.

I seem to recall those particular boards were 50mm thick, If you lose 3mm in the kerf and then another 3mm on each board from cleaning up and re-flattening, that means with _one_ deep rip cut your 50mm board has become two 20.5mm boards. But if you go for _two_ deep rips to make three boards you could easily end up with three 10.7mm thick boards, and that might be a little thin for a dovetailed box. Yes, I know my assumptions for clean-up allowances are generous, but it only takes one little wobble while bandsawing and you'd need every bit of that allowance.

If you're in any doubt then practise your two deep rip cuts on the shorter board first!


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## Phil Pascoe (28 Aug 2017)

Certainly, but I wasn't thinking of the three pieces necessarily being equal - I'll probably get one usable thin piece that I can laminate and two heavier ones. A new thin bandsaw blade will minimise wastage. Hopefully I get a leg in a couple of weeks which will make things easier, so I'm going to hold off til then - although as you suggest I'll probably do a test piece. I have a few ideas that I can't afford to try on the real thing so I may make two anyway.


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## AndyT (28 Aug 2017)

Phil, I can't help but admire the casual way you look forward to your new leg as if it was just for your bench rather than for your body!

I hope it all works out well for you and doesn't delay the woodworking too much.


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## Phil Pascoe (28 Aug 2017)

It makes the difference whether I can work from a perch/stool or a chair. It's difficult to use a bandsaw accurately when the line you're trying to cut is at eye level. I've got the thing on a trolley set up which raises it four or five inches as well, which is far from ideal. I'll have to devise a way of mounting the wheels that they fold out of the way when not needed.


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## marcros (28 Aug 2017)

would the wheels on this get in the way of your chair too much http://www.firstcastors.com/en/new-brit ... y-platform?

it is much lower than the 4-5 inches.


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## custard (28 Aug 2017)

What is the _finished_ thickness of the box sides that you're aiming for?


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## Phil Pascoe (28 Aug 2017)

The thing is a nuisance atm. I might devise something with the wheels inboard of the legs - the thing is only 58kg - and another way of stabilising it.

Custard - I would think about 12mm? I don't want to go too heavy. Possibly a little thinner - it's hard to visualise with having something in my hand.


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## custard (28 Aug 2017)

> I would think about 12mm? I don't want to go too heavy. Possibly a little thinner - it's hard to visualise with having something in my hand.



I seem to recall that you're dovetailing the box? If so I'd say 12mm is the thinnest you want to go. It's a subjective thing but I think dovetails start to look a bit weedy in anything less than 12mm thick stock. Compare these two shots of an Oak drawer, I usually make drawer sides and backs out of 8mm or 9mm stuff, you can see that compared to the bigger, half-lap dovetails at the front, the dovetails at the back just don't have that much visual impact. Incidentally, on really small dovetails I usually bump up the angle a bit, say 1:5 or 1:6 rather than 1:7 or 1:8, otherwise small dovetails end up looking more like finger joints!











I didn't realise you were planing by hand, hang on and I might be able to sort you out some deep ripped, book matched stuff that's finished at around 12-14mm.


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## Phil Pascoe (28 Aug 2017)

I'm thinking I might machine dovetail keys across the corners, so visually it would look heavier anyway. I'll try it on some scrap first, anyway.


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## custard (29 Aug 2017)

I like the dovetail key idea, that could look very cool.

Incidentally, I found a really nice 46mm thick board end of Brown Oak today, dead on the quarter, with a heavy ray figure, and an intriguing band of darker colour at one edge that would look terrific in a box with a wrap around grain design. I deep ripped it, trued it all up, and the two pieces came in at 19mm. So, working in timber that's very similar to the timber you have, I lost 8mm in the deep ripping process. If I'd have taken even more care that might have reduced to 7mm, but I can't honestly see how anyone could have got away with less...and this still doesn't factor in how much residual movement there might be over the coming weeks.






I'll leave them in stick for a week or so, and then take them down in stages to somewhere around 12 to 14mm thick. If your deep ripping goes horribly wrong you can have these.

Good luck!


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## Phil Pascoe (29 Aug 2017)

You are very kind, thank you. I've just got the new bansaw blades, but I'm going to leave it until I get my leg (hopefully next week) before I attempt anything. I've cut accurate slices of 7" stuff before on this saw, so with a new blade it shouldn't be a problem.


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## Phil Pascoe (14 Sep 2017)

A start. First I need some idea of size. I want an insert with four turned bowls, and this basically governs the overall size. This gives me four three inch bowls with a 1/4" overlap on the lids giving a 1/4" between them and a 1/2" at either end. It'll make the box about 16" x 8" x 6" - the insert will be about 14 1/2" x 4" x 2 1/2".




And, no, I'm not making it out of shuttering ply. I've got to pin a fence to the bandsaw, as I can't find the ali extrusion the fence fixes to - that shows how often I use a fence on a bandsaw - then I'll deep the oak.


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## Phil Pascoe (14 Sep 2017)

The jig for holding the piece to be turned -










The hot melt will come into its own.


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## Phil Pascoe (15 Sep 2017)

Nice piece of oak for the turned tray. Slightly oversized, just finished on two sides so far. Cross planed then sanded, it was a pig for ripping planed along the grain. One coat of TruOil to keep it clean for a minute. I could of course finish the other side on the lathe but it might tear the edges out too much - I might run the round over cutter down it first, face it then run the cutter down it again. I've got a brand new Tuffsaws Sabrecut blade and I think if I'm careful with a fence or guide I can probably go straight from the saw to abrasive on the ends - it's an unbelievably clean cut.


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## Phil Pascoe (6 Oct 2017)

Change of plan. A better jig/face plate which will allow more further usage, and make offsetting easier. I'm going for five bowls rather than four. Forgot a basic design element - odd numbers look better. I'll have three offset to one side and two to the other (alternating).

Jig nearly done, the item to be turned will be hot melt glued between the battens, one will be marked to be left fixed (most of the time) and the other may or may not need to be moved - once I get the offset right the piece can be rotated rather than the battens moved. I think a dummy run with softwood is in order.


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## Stanleymonkey (6 Oct 2017)

phil.p":3rje56nc said:


> Certainly, but I wasn't thinking of the three pieces necessarily being equal - I'll probably get one usable thin piece that I can laminate and two heavier ones. A new thin bandsaw blade will minimise wastage. Hopefully I get a leg in a couple of weeks which will make things easier, so I'm going to hold off til then - although as you suggest I'll probably do a test piece. I have a few ideas that I can't afford to try on the real thing so I may make two anyway.




New leg - Custard is generous with his offcuts!


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## Phil Pascoe (6 Oct 2017)

I was outside our club one night when a lady member who happens to be a nurse who works with my vascular surgeon said I've a piece of wood for you in the car - I'll get it later. I sat with another member waiting for my wife to pick me up afterwards and she dropped a lovely log of laburnum in my lap - it about 30" x 8" and my mate said wow, nice bit to be given. Yes, I said, it's from my vascular surgeon - he chopped of my leg and now he gives me a piece of wood to make a new one. He looked at me with uncertainty for a few seconds before he burst out laughing.


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## Bm101 (6 Oct 2017)

Legend. That's _Legend_ no space.


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## Phil Pascoe (12 Oct 2017)

Well, the off centre jig is done.









Abrasive stuck to it to help stop slippage - I don't want to lose a 15" x 4" x 2 3/4" piece of off centre oak. It'll have hot melt on the edge of the adjustable fence, I'll mark one for centre when it's fitted, then mark for the offset bowls. That's a bit of softwood I'll use as a dummy to set it up.


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## Phil Pascoe (13 Oct 2017)

Dunno what the hardwood is, but it'll be nice. It's for the lids of the bowls. Pictured with the 99% silver bezel strip and the stones - tiger's eye. Getting too late to back down now. 













From the left - tiger oak, unknown, and English oak. I think I have everything except the suede - what colour? All the wood except small blackwood knobs are brownish (deliberately). I think I'll go for a darker, bright colour - a light one would be pretty initially but would mark quickly.


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## Phil Pascoe (24 Oct 2017)

Centres of the bowls drilled for depth. I must try to get the turning done this week as the outboard turning rest is the better part of two hundredweight and I struggle to move it and once it's where I need it I can't get past it if anything I need is on the other side.













Not fixed in position yet. The measurements are taken from the rounded edge which will be the back, the front will be shaped afterwards. What could possibly go wrong? It's only a little bit of oak flying around?


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## AndyT (24 Oct 2017)

Would it help to bolt or screw on another bit of similar weight oak on the other side as a balancer?

It will still resemble a propeller but it might have more chance of staying on the ground.


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## Phil Pascoe (24 Oct 2017)

Yes, I might try to counter it with another piece or a lump of lead or something. I'll probably take the three centre bowls out first which will lightenen it a bit. It's over 4 1/2lb at the moment. It's quite proud of the wingnuts so at least I'm in with a chance of keeping my fingers - I could do well without a deficiency in the hand department.


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## Phil Pascoe (3 Jan 2018)

Well. Fixed in place for the first one. Hot melt to the rescue. I cut the oak down a little - which I was going to do afterwards but thought the closer I can get to balancing it (and the lighter it is) the better. I screwed down one fence as I didn't want that reference to move.


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## Phil Pascoe (15 Jan 2018)

Well, the first one went OK. I've now got to make some space so I can get the outboard tool rest in place and the wheelchair up a bit higher(and close enough). Turning at eye level is no fun. This is the only one I can do with a bed mounted rest.


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## Phil Pascoe (17 Jan 2018)

Now I'm sure of the size of the recesses I can get on with some of the smaller parts. Here's the part turned lids - it's the undersides that are turned. Theres's a spigot turned on the end of the wastewood in the chuck that keeps the piece centred, it's hot melt glued on the back. The recesses will have blackwood knobs (slightly proud of the oak so they can be picked up) with inserts of tiger's eye with silver bezels.
Abit of experimental colouring was needed - it's only household ammonia, not the strong stuff. The dark square has been in it for 24 hrs, the half of the other piece for 5 hrs.


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