second box

[lanternerouge]

thanks for all the encouragement i received from my first post, I was inspired to make a second one.

Same timber as last time, which Sgian Dubh thinks is silky oak rather than she oak. lined with satin this time, and no hinges. i routed a dado on the insides on the box prior to assembly, and then routed another on the outside post-glue-up. through the wonders of the incra ls, it only needed a scalpel to seperate top from bottom and a quick swipe with a shoulder plane for a perfect fit

the lines were made from .6mm coloured veneer. i had some trouble getting them top stay stuck, after slicing strips off. is it the cold damp weather stopping the watered down pva from sticking? or am i doing something wrong? help appreciated with this!

watching the wafer thin scrapings come off the lines is the bit that gives me most pleasure!

 

[MikeW]

Very nice! I like the banding around the top.

Well done. Mike

 

[Chris Knight]

Getting the hang of this box thing aren't you? :wink:

Why use watered down PVA for the inlay or bandings? Regular PVA or preferably animal glue (reversible etc.) won't come unstuck.

 

[Gill]

That's super. Well done.

Gill

 

[PowerTool]

Excellent job - looks great!

Andrew

 

[humanfish]

that looks really nice =D>
the oak you have used looks great
supa dupa

 

[lanternerouge]

Why use watered down PVA for the inlay or bandings? Regular PVA or preferably animal glue (reversible etc.) won't come unstuck.

Chris,

sorry should have been clearer. i used regular PVA to stick the bandings in the grooves and had no problem with that. i used watered down pva to make the bandings from 8 sheets of veneer. Andrew Crawford suggested this method (i think to avoid visible glue lines between the 0.6mm veneers). i wonder if with 8 leaves of veneer crushed in a press all with watered down pva between them has created a sponge that will never dry properly. i used the same pva mix to veneer the lid and base (to 4mm ply) and didn't have a problem. is ther just too much water in there?

cheers

Dave

 

[Chris Knight]

Dave,

I wouldn't presume to criticise Andrew Crawford when it comes to technique, however, it is possible as you suggest that you may have too much water around. Hand veneering methods often do involve wet or at least moisture containing veneer and dealing with shrinkage can be a real problem.

Personally, I doubt a lamination would show an unacceptable glue line with PVA but if so, you could try a different glue. Polyurethane glue and particularly my favourite, Balcotan, is frequently used for laminating and has the merit that it involves no water, indeed, poly sets in the presence of water. Having said this I have never made up a banding with poly and cannot speak from experience.

I guess just leaving the banding long enough before using it to be sure it is dry is an answer too? The thin section should ensure it dries fairly readily.

 

[dedee]

Only your second box? I can't image what they will look like when you get to numbers 10 or 20.

The inlay looks very effective.

Andy

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Dave

That's one excellent box. Well done.

Cheers
Neil

 

[JFC]

Very nice ! Where did you get the banding for the top ?

 

[lanternerouge]

Very nice ! Where did you get the banding for the top ?

jfc - the banding is home-made dyed-veneer 'sandwich'.

 

[JFC]

8-[ How did you do that then 8-[

 

[lanternerouge]

8-[ How did you do that then 8-[

JFC - not altogether successfully :-( - see posts above!

the method i used was to cut 8 sheets of veneer the same size.
stick the first at each end with masking tape to a piece of paper. spread 10% watered down pva over the veneer, place the second piece of veneer on top of the first (use masking tape at the ends to hold in place) and repeat until you have a (club) sandwich. put a piece of paper on top and press in a veneer press until the glue has dried (or not in my case :-( )
you then end up with a block that looks like a liquorice allsort. slice 1.5mm pieces off the end of the block with a scalpel and straight edge or a bandsaw (lots more waste this way).

this is much better explained in Andrew Crawfords books ;-)

cheers

Dave

 

[Miles968]

Dave, would I be right to think that 'she oak' is the australian name for what we might call Holm Oak (evergreen oak) ?

I have some logs of this from a firewood pile, long seasoned, which I would like to convert into something nice... your box is the only example of something made from this wood that I've come across, so I'd like to ask what it was like to work with. My stuff planes to a nice smooth finish, but the grain is rather complex and I could imagine that it's not much fun to work with hand tools (but I will try!) It's very dense, hard, and a lovely colour - just a shame that all my bits are so short.

Has anyone come across Holm oak being used for anything?

cheers

Miles (who likes gathering odd woods - mulberry, laurel, holm oak, alder and Judas Tree in the stash, waiting to be played with)

 

[Anonymous]

I love boxes and that one is lovely, particularly the banding which works really well

 

[Alf]

Judas Tree

Word of advice. Don't trust it. :wink:

 

[Miles968]

even if I turn the other cheek ;-)

Actually it's looking quite promising - a small slice I sawed from the outside of the log, left to dry unceremoniously in my living room, behaved very well - The sapwood has curled up dramatically, but the heartwood shows almost no distortion So if it is treated nicely, I should get some nice well behaved little boards out of the logs I have, even though they are only a couple of feet long, and 15" diameter. I think these are quite a good size for this tree. Just need someone to help bandsaw it up.

The colour is lovely - a golden yellow with strong dark grain markings, I can't wait to use it in anger. Hard to decide how best to use it, though.

I love the idea of taking unusual 'found' wood and making use of it - somehow more so than bought exotics. Not much of it about, though. I can recommend small bits of laurel, for fine textured/detailed things - very fine grain, and nice fleck on the quarter. Very pale when first planed, darkens somewhat. Very common of course, and you could probably get some by asking around. Mulberry is better known, and very nice, but I have little. I did make probably the world's only mulberry patress cover (electrical pattress, like a switch, but with no gubbins) - maybe illegal but I care much more for the amusement value of this little whimsy!

I'll try to make something worth posting about, one of these days! A bench might be a good start...

best

Miles

 

[lanternerouge]

Hi Miles,

i don't really know if it has other names - sorry. I worked it primarily with machines, but used a cabinet scraper to finish. it has a tendency to chip very easily - i had a crack at dovetails on a piece but it was just too brittle.

give it a try - sorry i couldn't be more help

cheers

Dave