another box

[condeesteso]

Hello John - mainly personal preference I think. I just find that the ebony is so hard and burnishes really nicely so I don't feel a finish would be of benefit. I think the same about Lignum too. jimi43 made a few mallets from old bowling balls some time ago and I am sure he just worked down the grades to a virtually mirror finish - lovely stuff, that proper old lignum.

 

[Gerard Scanlan]

Hi Douglas,

Very nice box. I picked up some lacewood from the same supplier last May and it looks totally different to yours. I have just used some of it in combinaton with steamed and unsteamed pear for drawer fronts on a small unit. I was under the impression that the lacewood had come from Austrialia. Yours looks very similar in colour and markings to some Sycamore I have. Timberline really have an astounding selection of timbers. Thanks for the additional finishing info. I think your choice of timber is really good, the overall appearance is light and contemporary yet the ebony drawer pulls lend it a classical look.

Gerard

 

[condeesteso]

Hi Gerard, thanks for the feedback. This London Plane actually came from Alex in Surrey, but the tree grew within the grounds of The Tower of London (nice I think).
I looked into this and it turns out London Plane is actually a French native, and the historical people at the Tower are progressively removing planes (at least some of them) and replacing with oak.
I'm very interested in your LP/pear piece - and would be keen to see your plane/lacewood anyway. I have some steamed pear tucked away somewhere but not decided how to use it. generally I like the colour of unsteamed but the combination sounds good.
On the subject of lacewood it appears the Americans call several woods lacewood, and this can cause some confusion. If you were to get Robert (Timberline) on the subject of proper lacewood (London plane) be prepared for a rant! (Only matched by getting Bill Carter started on 'the ruler trick'... :shock:

Nipping away for a few days so will pick this up on return. Deadline suddenly rather close.

 

[condeesteso]

Deadline been and gone, but all done in time. Jim kindly donated some very fine kid leather for the upper tray liner, the drawers remain bare cedar of L.
I'm happy that so far the top is looking very stable so the patience pre-conditioning it may have paid off.
Had to cheat with Ian's hinges into the lid so the screws are cut short and epoxy does the rest:

I don't anticipate making another box for a while, back on the bigger stuff now (an interesting Asian style lounger at the moment...) but I do enjoy an occasional box, the levels of precision I am trying for are a challenge and I do feel it tunes me up a bit

 

[devonwoody]

Douglas I like your box design and your workmanship looks top class.

I might have a change myself and go back to a jewellery box, we have five granddaughters so no shortage of homes for them.

 

[Harbo]

Very nice - must have a go at one?

I've got some quarter sawn LP in my shop that I bought a few yrs back.

Rod

 

[jimi43]

Having seen the final masterpiece close up....I am impressed by the attention to detail that you have paid to this piece.

Everything is in miniature, so is commensurately more difficult and intricate.

'Tis a thing of beauty to be sure and your daughter is one lucky lady to have such a beautiful heirloom to pass on to her children.

Annie was very impressed too! See what you've started now!!

The grain of the leather matches that of the wood to perfection......what a chance find that was indeed!

Cheers

Jimi

 

[No skills]

I'm not a fan of lacewood but this is a nice bit of work.

 

[markturner]

Very Nice indeed Douglas....

 

[condeesteso]

Thanks for the comments all (and Mr Turner - been a while, and the Corian router table is fantastic, thanks
Re Skills and lacewood... totally understand. When I conceived this I had got the very nice LP and was excited as it had been difficult to find.
I still like it a lot but I'm not sure where it is going. By that I mean how will it all look in 40 years time. I wonder now if LP needs to be really designed around - to a distinctive style that suits it - Nouveau perhaps, more curvy, delicate etc.
I still have a stack but I'm in no rush to use it until I am very clear about how.
That cherry's a bit tasty though, eh??!
Another wood I have issues with - b-b-b-inga. I try to avoid using exotic hardwoods at all, and from now I will be more rigorous in that - but I don't like the smell, and it works lovely on the quarter, but at 90 degrees to that (tangential) it tears every which way, even with the 55 degree Philly. Just finishing an Asian lounger in it and I'll be pleased to see it go.
Back to native hardwoods for me for a while

 

[No skills]

Douglas

I think the LP is a love it or hate it kinda thing, maybe finds its place in 'surprise' areas of good furniture - hidden drawers or inside a writers desk etc.

The cherry is lovely, from the same boards as the butcher block project I assume. I will be trying to track down two large waney slabs of cherry or walnut next year, have a nakashima table in mind and I want to have something stored and drying for when the time is right.

I don't particularly make anything nice or decorative so have no time spent with any exotic woods really, I respect peoples want to work with local timbers but must say from a viewing/buying(?) perspective I'm finding oak quite tedious unless its a brown or burr type.

Wow that's a pretentious thing to say especially from a total butcher such as myself, anybody else on oak overload?

Anyways, lovely piece.