Asian stripe ebony box

[cornucopia]

hello folks

I have made this box today ( it is part of the batch of wood i was sent) I had a few problems with it as the stripy ebony would not take a thread no matter what i did, CA, wax etc- so i ended up using box wood inserts

i'm wondering wether to carry on with this design in other exotic woods- what do you think?
also what would be the best glue to use bearing in mind the twisting forces of the thread and the exotic oily woods- on this one i've used thick ca without an accelerator- i shall see wether it holds before i send it of to my customer or not

 

[tekno.mage]

Lovely box - I think the boxwood insert works very well.

Not sure about what glue to advise, though. I used medium CA to hold a boxwood insert in a very spalted birch box I made (non-threaded, but the birch was too far gone to make a decent looking small flange) and it didn't work. I left the glue to set overnight and the insert held in under tailstock pressure. All went well (including turning the lid supported by the inserted flange) until I took it off the lathe, finished, and handed it to my partner to look at. He took the lid off and the flange came out with it :-(

My partner recommended PVA woodglue, clamped and left a couple of days to cure for any future attempts - although I don't know if that would hold on an oily wood at all.

tekno.mage

 

[Dalboy]

Cornucopia

Very good piece I too like the boxwood inserts. I think it helps separate the 2 end but at the same time gives it a fantastic appearance as a whole



tekno.mage

Would not wiping it over just prior to gluing with thinners not help the problem

 

[CHJ]

Great concept George, I think a series theme has quite a potential.

On the adhesive front I would think a wipe with cellulose thinners to remove surface oil just prior to bonding should help, CA or Epoxy would be my starters, CA being the easiest, Epoxy prone to surplus build up needing a clean off.

 

[mark sanger]

Great work George

I like the form and the contrast with the box wood very much. Excellent finish, excellent work.

 

[mark sanger]

One more thing folks.

George came to visit me the other day and showed me how to turn threads. The thread that he turned to demonstrate was in box and the quality of fit was amazing.

I still have not tried it as yet George. But will do one day.

 

[wizer]

Fantastic, love it!

CA is not known for it's torsional rigidity. PVA would probably work, epoxy would be better.

 

[cornucopia]

thank you for all of the nice comments

The CA gave me no cause to doubt its strength - i even reversed these box's by making a jam chuck with a corresponding thread and it held fine but it was just a gut feeling that it might not last.

I think i will try epoxy and see how i get on with that

 

[Paul.J]

Excellent George
The Box wood does look good but does divide the piece into two more so now.
I don't know if this is what the intention was or to have it looking as one with the darker wood,but i still looks good. :?:
Keep em going George.

When i was having a natter with John Berkely at one of his demos,his thread chaser would cut almost all woods and ply he said.As i thought it was just used for timbers like Box. :?

 

[Richard Findley]

When i was having a natter with John Berkely at one of his demos,his thread chaser would cut almost all woods and ply

Hi Paul,

There is a difference between cutting a thread for a temporary chuck and a thread for a posh box! You can cut a thread in anything but in most woods it will be so crumbley that, although it may screw up, will look a right mess. There are techniques for strengthening the grain (as George tried for this) but as we see, they don't always work :evil: :evil:

I've never used it but I understand that Ebony is very brittle.

I like the box George, well done. Glue choice is a real issue though....

My personal experience of CA (Superglue) is that it will stick almost anything together, especially when you don't want it to, except the things you really wanted to stick!!!! :evil: :evil: :evil: The amount of things I have tried to stick, just like in the demos, and they give up on me almost immediately!!! I no longer use CA out of principle!! (mutters to myself under my breath for a while.....)

I find Epoxy fantastic for wood to metal joins but less good for wood to wood. My first choice for wood to wood would always be a good quality PVA.... that said I don't have much experience sticking this type of oily wood together. A wipe with thinners or meths may well be worth a try though....

Good luck,

Richard

 

[Setch]

IMO original Titebond will give you the strongest joint, assuming it's tight. CA is rather brittle, and epoxy needs roughened surfaces to really grip, and I hate the way it gets *everywhere* whenever I use it.

As for wiping oily woods, ebony isn't oily, and wiping with solvents is actually counter productive. Users on the MIMF (a luthiery forum) conducted tests on the relative strength of wiped and unwiped joints in oily woods like cocobolo, and found the freshly planed, unwiped joints were strongest.

I think your box is really attractive, and I think the box' insert adds to the piece - the contrast is very nice.

 

[mikec]

Hi George, great work as usual.

I think that the boxwood inserts, apart fom adding strength to the threaded section, add to the overall design. They give a good contrast between the functional and the form sections. If you get my meaning :? :?

regards,

Mike C

 

[loz]

Very nice !

Some Julie Heryet influence there ?

Loz

 

[duncanh]

I really like the box.
My only thought was that it's likely to roll away when put down.

 

[NikNak]

stunning.... as usual.

I really look forward to seeing your pics, and dream that one day......


(back to reality...) what size is the box..? It looks small to me. Any chance of a piccy next to a 'know' object to give a relative sizing?




Nick

 

[Hans]

I think this is a great box. Whatever the reason to put the boxwood in, in my eyes you have a stunning result.

I am not much for copying, but I will make an exception here if you don't mind.

Thanks,

Hans

 

[cornucopia]

I think this is a great box. Whatever the reason to put the boxwood in, in my eyes you have a stunning result.

I am not much for copying, but I will make an exception here if you don't mind.

Thanks,

Hans

I dont mind- thanks

 

[cornucopia]

stunning.... as usual.

I really look forward to seeing your pics, and dream that one day......


(back to reality...) what size is the box..? It looks small to me. Any chance of a piccy next to a 'know' object to give a relative sizing?




Nick

here you go

without flash

with flash

 

[cornucopia]

I have used titebond today to do the other blank i have- I will leave it clamped for a day or so then make another box.

 

[Doug B]

Beautiful George.

Makes me want to get some thread chasers & give it a go myself.