two boxes

[radicalwood]

Hi Everyone,
My first and second attempts at dovetailing. both boxes cut by hand, wood thicknessed by hand. split using the band saw.

First box out of oak with walnut to locate the top. Finish is Patina, quite like the finish, not sure if I should use wax afterwards or not.

Second box is Ash with a walnut tray and an attempt at wooden hinges. The Ash is an off cuts from a 13" x 2" x 9' plank one of 3 bought at the Ledbury Auction last Jan for £22. I have now bought a dovetail saw so with luck the next set of dovetails maybe a bit closer . Finish is also Patina

All comments and pointers greatly received. I have a long way to go to reach the standards you lot set, but enjoying trying to get there :lol: .

Neil

 

[trevtheturner]

They are nice first efforts, Neil. And pretty adventurous with those hinges - well done. :wink:

(There is another auction on 7th January next - less than 4 weeks time!) :roll: :lol:

Cheers,

Trev.

 

[Anonymous]

Lovely job Neil, love the tray and hinges

 

[Gill]

There is another auction on 7th January next - less than 4 weeks time!

Shhhh..... :-$ Neil might buy all the timber and leave none for us 8-[ .

You're bolder than I am, Neil, cutting those dovetails by hand. I reckon they've come out okay. Given time and practice, I'm sure your skills will advance quickly. Well done!

Gill

 

[DaveL]

Neil,

Nice work, I love the ash grain on the top. The contrast of the walnut hinges is nice as well, how about a little more detail on the hinge front?

 

[dedee]

I do not recall seeing too many wooden hinges around here before well done. How were they made?

Andy

 

[radicalwood]

thanks for the kind comments.

Trev, Gill
just starting to wind up to go to the auction, just cut the rest of the wood up to build a couple of units in my lounge. Just love working with the ash.

DaveL, Dedee
bit of a cheat on the hinges :wink: , planed the wood to size drilled a hole through for a stainless steel pin (welding wire). Then cut the top from the bottom using a scroll saw. They are just glued on to the side of the box, seems to work Ok, time and use will tell.

Cheers Neil

 

[Pete W]

Two good-looking boxes, Neil. The dovetails may not be the last work in precision but nothing to be ashamed of either - very brave.

I'm curious about the method you've used to attach the bottoms, particularly the oak one which looks as though it sits down in the shaped trim.

 

[Alf]

Neil,

They're good! Don't sell yourself short; you've picked two really dovetail-unfriendly woods and then gone and shot a close-up! (This boy's a fool... :wink: )

Cheers, Alf

 

[radicalwood]

PeteW,

the bottom of the oak box was cut to size and the profile added, the box was then just but jointed to the bottom. Bit of a fiddle to centre it up.

Thanks Alf if I could reach half your standard I will be happy, too used to working metal, need to slow down and take my time to reduce the errors.

Cheers Neil

 

[Adam]

Great Stuff!

The wood is quite thick - I'd be tempted to plane it even thinner for the sides.

Also, the top/bottom, are they fixed or floating? I was wondering if they may expand/contract and cause problems?

Other than that, those are two great projects which must have taught you loads of skills. I built a oak box and it finally dawned on me that the knowledge of joints/skill requirements are no less than larger projects, just not quite so repetative.

I bet if you made them again it would take half the time!

Adam

 

[Alf]

Thanks Alf if I could reach half your standard

Hah! Ain't the miracle of Photoshop wunnerful? :wink: :lol: I should take a picture of one of my early hand dovetailing attempts - in Ash. They're truly dreadful.

Incidentally, Adam's point about thinner sides is one that struck me too, but I'm never sure if folks really want comments like that, or they're just saying they do. 8-[ The last thing I want to do is put someone off by being a know-it-all. Specially on such a flimsy footing as mine... 8-[ But anyway, now I've started :roll: , as well as looking more in scale, it's also easier to cut dovetails in thinner stock. Also consider planing up some stuff as practice material (something with nice tight grain but reasonably soft - mahogany's good, or poplar for something a little cheaper. I expect others have their favourites) and cut a joint a day. Chop it off, date it, cut another the next day, date it etc. After even 3 or 4 goes you'll be surprised how much you improve - I certainly was, once I'd actually got round to doing it! Look at what you've cut, try to analyze what (if anything!) went wrong so you can concentrate on it for the next joint. F'rinstance, you've overshot your base line with the chisel at one point. It's an easy thing to do, DAMH.... One thing I've found helpful to prevent that is to hold a square bit of offcut against the back of the chisel with my thumb to help guide the chisel straight for the last cut. Others take that further and make a sort of vice to hold the work and guide the chisel in one go, but I've been too darn lazy to make one myself - yet. Anyway, fwiw. And if I don't put out those dovetails of mine for public ridicule, remind me!

Cheers, Alf

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Neil

My first and second attempts at dovetailing. both boxes cut by hand, wood thicknessed by hand.

By hand you say. Now what is that? :roll:

Seriously though, congratulations you're making serious progress in the hand stakes. Well done, I am impressed.

I also liked the walnut hinges. I tried to buy some walnut yesterday, but there was none in stock.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Taking up the point that Adam and Alf have made about dimensions, if you were making a box of 200 x 100 and another 300 x 150 what thickness timber would you suggest?

Thanks
Neil

 

[Philly]

Lovely job, Neil!
Keep up the good work,
Philly

 

[Alf]

Taking up the point that Adam and Alf have made about dimensions, if you were making a box of 200 x 100 and another 300 x 150 what thickness timber would you suggest?

Ack. I'm hopeless at that sort of thing; I go strictly for "that looks about right" measurements. Adam?

Cheers, Alf

 

[radicalwood]

Cheers guys.

I take the point on the thickness of the sides, especially on the oak box. When I did it I also made the top and bottom the same thickness 3/4". Had to plane it down after it was all glued up to make it look anything like acceptable. I think the Ash was 1/2" for the sides and 1/4" for top and bottom.

Adam the bottom and top are butt jointed with glue all round, What do you mean by floating and how would you do that?

Learning all the time. :lol:

Cheers Neil