Padouk box

[Chris_belgium]

Recently renovated my rain gutters using padouk cladding and had some serious offcuts, perfect for some training with the stots dovetail template I recently bought.

Imagine doing this in the UK, the HSE would give you a life sentece :twisted:

About the stots template, very simple thing, you use the plastic template you recieve to make a MDF working template. Wich looks like this:

The idea behind this is, if you route into the working template it's not that bad, you can make as many as you want with the plastic template. Another advantage is, you can make you working template as wide as you want and also make templates with different tails/pins width.

First ever dovetails I've machined, the jig is setup so it leave the pins/tails proud, so this is normal, a quick pass with the sander and their flush.

For the test piece I used aphselia, for the box on the other hand I used the padouk offcuts from the rain gutter cladding. This is a very beatifull wood IMO but a real `$$$$$ to work, it's very very splintery, and the grain direction changes, so it's hard to plane.

First piece was a disaster

Putting the router on maximum speed, and very very carefull routing resulted in this.

As you can see still some break out, but a lot less than the first piece.

All in all a very cheap dovetail system, I've built my working template out of mdf and just screwed everything together, I should've built it out of multiplex and used a comination of glue and screws to keep everything alligned and square.
It takes about an hour to build both the tails and pins working template. Once it's set up, it goes quite quickly, took me about 30mins to route all the dovetails for this box. Don't know how fast the leigh jig and consorts are, but this is plenty quick for me!

Box is an exact copy of someone elses design, found the picture on this site, but cannot remember the original builder, but if he reads this, thanks!

 

[squib]

great ,the lid has very nice grain....as it was so quick to do you must get that bike finished :wink: 8)

 

[WellsWood]

Imagine doing this in the UK, the HSE would give you a life sentece :twisted:

Hmmm... assuming you live long enough for them to catch you of course :roll: :wink:

Love the box though =D>

 

[wizer]

I'm surprised at the use of Padouk on the exterior of a house. I take it Padouk is not as 'Exotic' as I thought it was? i.e Relatively cheap in Belgium?

 

[Chris_belgium]

great ,the lid has very nice grain....as it was so quick to do you must get that bike finished :wink: 8)

Lack of €€€€ brought that project to a standstill after yet another seized engine

 

[Chris_belgium]

I'm surprised at the use of Padouk on the exterior of a house. I take it Padouk is not as 'Exotic' as I thought it was? i.e Relatively cheap in Belgium?

Maybe I'm just very wealthy

It is kinda expensive, but you do not have to treat the wood wich makes it worth it for me, plus when the wood becomes gray with age, you can still see the grain of the wood, have seen rain gutters done in aphselia or cedar and they just turn plain grey, wich I personally don't like. Cost me around 1400 € to clad (hopefully the right word ) 30mtr of raingutters.

 

[Mr Ed]

Imagine doing this in the UK, the HSE would give you a life sentece :twisted:

You're just as likely to fall off and kill yourself regardless of what country you're in. Just have a look at the fatality stats for the construction of the Greek Olympics if you want to see what can happen in a country where regulation is less focussed. You were probably making a joke with your comment, but the only person you're kidding by getting away with working unsafely is yourself.

I like the box by the way.

Ed

 

[Benchwayze]

I was led to understand these towers are legal, as long as you don't stand on the top tier, where there is nothing to stop you falling.
In other words, you need to assemble the tower, higher than your working level.

The guys who repaired my guttering used one, which they hired from a 'tool-hire' firm.

When British Gas fitted my new flue, they used scaffolding. I had to fetch them back to fill the holes they left in the brickwork. To do that they used a tower. Safer than a ladder, when you have only three feet of 'footing' space to work from.

I think the rule is. Don't step back to admire your work!

John :wink: