The Joiner Made Oil Stone Box and Other Bench Stuff Thread

[Adam W.]

Here's another which I'll make a copy of in boxwood for an old yellow stone without a home that I have......

Very fancy, oooh err!

I wonder who made that one?

 

[raffo]

I made this for a friend, out of Bubinga.

 

[kinverkid]

I wonder who made that one?

I wonder if it was a coffin/casket maker.

 

[Adam W.]

It does look very coffin like.

I found another picture of one like a coffin yesterday.

 

[okeydokey]

Just a slightly off the topic comment and I know that diamond stones are only a few mm thick but people don't seem to use a wooden box to hold them or do they?

 

[paulrbarnard]

Just a slightly off the topic comment and I know that diamond stones are only a few mm thick but people don't seem to use a wooden box to hold them or do they?

Natural stones can crack if knocked so need the box

 

[Morag Jones]

Here's a nice one.
I'm impressed by the parquetry box....I wonder what the stone is?


View attachment 129308View attachment 129309

The bird's eye is very pretty, now I'm wondering about having a go at one myself. As if I was at a loose end!!

 

[Eric R]

Just a slightly off the topic comment and I know that diamond stones are only a few mm thick but people don't seem to use a wooden box to hold them or do they?

Boxes also prevent contamination from airborne particles. The particles "stick" in the oil and are hard to clean off.

 

[Adam W.]

Had a rummage in the nether regions of the boxes that I have and found a couple of homeless stones and a bit of treewood.


Some slate...

I'm guessing that this is a Washita..

Mystery tropical hardwood, which is very heavy and goes nice with the Washita stone.

Some teak

A lump of rosewood

And some 1" boxwood.

I'll have a go at a couple of the coffin type boxes with the teak and the rosewood or the boxwood or the mystery hardwood.

 

[D_W]

Boxes also prevent contamination from airborne particles. The particles "stick" in the oil and are hard to clean off.

I'm guessing this is the primary preference. even stray wood dust can deflect an edge. BTDT. It takes almost nothing to keep it from occurring (even a sheet of paper is enough, or even a paper towel - but no need for that stuff with a box top.

Folks here may be thinking "just how much could possibly settle on a stone in a hand tool shop.

A lot - resawing by hand and other sawing, especially, will put a lot of dust in the air. Enough to leave a visible film.

 

[IWW]

Now you've started something, Adam!

Until this thread, I've always had & seen rather plain stone boxes, but they are certainly another avenue for those as likes to tart the old toolbox up a bit. I have to confess, I'm definitely in that camp, so can't understand why I haven't made a fancy stone box or two before - p'raps the practical side of my nature has always kicked in when I needed containers for the tool cupboard...

But as chance would have it, I have just finished making a small tool chest filled with small tools for a competition.




I needed some provision for sharpening the tools (all of which are functional, though some are a bit too tiny to be practical) so I bought a small slip of white Arkansas from a knife supply place & made it a box:



I chose a nice bit of silvery Casuarina, to pretty it up a bit, but dammit, after seeing some of the examples here, I think it looks pretty unimaginative!

Hmm, let's see - I rather like the one with the diamond inlay.......

 

[Adam W.]

Should I re-name it The Box Tart Thread ?

 

[toolsntat]

Should I re-name it The Box Tart Thread ?

Incoming.... but you'll have to wait until I find it again.
Cheers Andy

 

[IWW]

I think you’re giving joiners and cabinetmakers a disservice by saying their oil stone boxes only needed to be functional. When you’re in the trade you’re judged by everything you make, big or small and those oil stone boxes were a representation of your ability.
We were certainly encouraged to be as elaborate as possible when making ours as apprentices, and would have been marked down for anything utilitarian.

I certainly didn't mean to bag cabinetmakers for tarting up their tool boxes, hlvd! I'm as susceptible as anyone when it comes to blinged tools. In my case it's not even to impress potential customers, just pure self-gratification.....

Cheers,

 

[TRITON]

I'd an odd oilstone/box a number of years ago, sold it on ebay(Stupidly)
It was a narrow stone, maybe only 30mm wide. Possible quite an old stone.

Anyone ever seen anything like that.

 

[D_W]

I'd an odd oilstone/box a number of years ago, sold it on ebay(Stupidly)
It was a narrow stone, maybe only 30mm wide. Possible quite an old stone.

Anyone ever seen anything like that.

It depends on what it is - what color was it? There are some stones that are more easily found in narrow bits than wide, and also the chance that someone had turned a stone on its side.

I have a piece of what's probably Water of Ayr that's about 30mm wide, but it's also only about 125mm long. Those are typically razor stones (for the frugal - but realistically, someone who knows what they're doing shaving with a straight razor will be honing once or twice a year for about five minutes, so if the finisher is small, it doesn't matter much.

Those narrow stones are often slate - the green novaculite stones can be anything, but I'm asking you about color because there are some characteristic colors.

 

[TRITON]

It depends on what it is - what color was it? There are some stones that are more easily found in narrow bits than wide, and also the chance that someone had turned a stone on its side.

I have a piece of what's probably Water of Ayr that's about 30mm wide, but it's also only about 125mm long. Those are typically razor stones (for the frugal - but realistically, someone who knows what they're doing shaving with a straight razor will be honing once or twice a year for about five minutes, so if the finisher is small, it doesn't matter much.

Those narrow stones are often slate - the green novaculite stones can be anything, but I'm asking you about color because there are some characteristic colors.

The stone was grey. The box mahogany. 30mm wide approximate by about 7 or 8" long.

 

[D_W]

If it was light gray, llyn idwal. A smooth very fine novaculite stone.

I'll post a picture of one later. It's uncommon for them to be 2" wide like Arkansas stones.

 

[IWW]

Orright, Adam, this is all your fault....

I thought I had a chunk of mahogany, but couldn't find it (you would not be surprised by that if you saw the current state of my wood stash!). But I found this chunk of "scented rosewood" (Dysoxylum fraserinum), cut from the decaying remains of an old fencepost:



This species is actually in the same family as mahogany, and it's (usually) quite nice to work with, too. I couldn't get a very wide piece from it, so decided to forgo the bombe shape of some of the examples that have come up. I dug out the recesses for the stone in base & lid (I'll confess to using a drill press & forstner bit to remove the bulk of the waste, but removed all evidence with hand-tools... ).

I inlaid some gum leaves in the top (more challenging than silly old diamonds), and my tiny router was very helpful for that job:


I fielded the top with slightly curved shoulders (done with a small shoulder-plane & judged by eye), and put a bead around the base with a scratch-stock:


So that's my new stone box - I think it looks a bit more journeyman-like than the previous attempt. Maybe the elves I'm hoping to attract into my shed to finish all the unfinished projects will approve and keep the little tools sharp & busy...


Thanks, Adam, I'm actually pleased you started this thread when you did, very fortuitous!
Cheers,
Ian

 

[D_W]

Triton- here's a picture of an idwal. Is it this shade of gray?