Woodworking: Amateurs, Craftsmen, & In-Between

[beecee]

4 minutes ago, iNow said:

My latest completed build. Harder than anticipated with all of the curvy shapes and multiple species of wood, but super pleased with how it’s turned out. ✌️
 

 

Impressive.

[zapatos]

3 hours ago, iNow said:

My latest completed build. Harder than anticipated with all of the curvy shapes and multiple species of wood, but super pleased with how it’s turned out. ✌️
 

 

Very nice! Can you provide some construction details please? Wood species, how you built it, and especially how you put in that central vein?!?! I hope there is some tricky technique because it would be hell to make separate cuts match up like that.

[iNow]

51 minutes ago, zapatos said:

it would be hell to make separate cuts match up like that

Lol. Thx. This one was the hardest thing I’ve built to date. It all started with a sketch that I transferred to 1/4” plywood for templates. The templates were then used for my rough cuts.

Base is cherry. The ribbon you see on the exterior is also the interior floor of the box. It’s a species similar to Paduuk. Top is zebrawood. Took a 2-pc template, flipped one piece, and cut the curve into the zebrawood so the grain would form a V shape when squished back together with wood glue. 

Between the curvy zebrawood halves I laminated two super thin strips of maple to form the midrib. Maple had to be thin enough to bend in the clamps. This pic attached should give you the general idea of how I did it.

After that, it was just lots and lots (and lots and lots then lots some more) of hours of sanding, ESPECIALLY trying to get that lid to fit perfectly into the oddly shaped hole I cut into the cherry base. That bit alone took me a solid week before I glued the lid insert and the top together. 

[zapatos]

Really well done sir! I'm duly impressed. 😁

Here is my latest project. A simple bookshelf made of birch. The joinery is primarily biscuits. 

[iNow]

1 hour ago, zapatos said:

Here is my latest project. A simple bookshelf made of birch

That’s wonderful! It looks like you used solid pieces and not just veneer over plywood. I also like the inlay in your floor  

[beecee]

I'll see if I can get a couple of photos of some impressive dovetail joints I made and a couple of housing joints. 😉

 

Well done, both of you!!

[zapatos]

8 hours ago, iNow said:

That’s wonderful! It looks like you used solid pieces and not just veneer over plywood. I also like the inlay in your floor  

Haha, that is a pretty cool inlay in the floor. I love when craftsmen show off a bit.

And yes, it is solid pieces. I seem to have an affinity for making projects that can't be moved without at least two people. 😁

6 hours ago, beecee said:

I'll see if I can get a couple of photos of some impressive dovetail joints I made and a couple of housing joints. 😉

 

I'd love to see them! I cut some dovetails once but only to see if I could do it. I've not yet used them on a project.

[iNow]

6 minutes ago, zapatos said:

I seem to have an affinity for making projects that can't be moved without at least two people

Lol. You and me both, sir  

[Sensei]

"Woodworking Extreme Edition #1"

Edited April 24, 2021 by Sensei

[iNow]

See, now they’re just showing off. Lol. Nice!

[zapatos]

Wow. I think I'd be afraid to put it in the water after all that. 😃

[Sensei]

They also build entire house:

"Woodworking Extreme Edition #2"

You can get some inspiration from their furniture designs.

[iNow]

There’s such an enormous feeling of satisfaction that comes from building something with your own hands... watching it transform from an idea, to raw materials, to final product. You can see in their faces they feel this way, too. 

[Klaynos]

My grandfather was a carpenter, my parents still have a few pieces be made. 

About a week ago I finished my first dovetail joint made out of an old spice rack. I've now started my second one. I don't have great ambitions at the moment. I'd like to get to a point where I can make a reasonable box. 

[iNow]

I haven’t yet mastered the art of hand cut dovetails. Admittedly, I stopped trying for a while when my first 3 attempts turned out so horribly. Good luck!

[Klaynos]

Thanks. It holds together so could be a lot worse. Not terribly pretty though. 

[iNow]

My brother in law makes perfect dovetails. It’s just a bit sad that he paid a ton of money for a fancy jig and a brand spanking new router to enable him to do so. 😂 

[StringJunky]

2 minutes ago, iNow said:

My brother in law makes perfect dovetails. It’s just a bit sad that he paid a ton of money for a fancy jig and a brand spanking new router to enable him to do so. 😂 

Repetitive tasks are best done with jigs imo.

[iNow]

Just now, StringJunky said:

Repetitive tasks are best done with jigs imo.

Absolutely agree. Couldn’t resist taking a shot at my BIL, though. I’d be much more sympathetic if he’d mastered dovetail creation by hand first, or at least made the jig himself. I also acknowledge I’m being needlessly a jerk on this. I’d use the jig too if building drawers or boxes, for example. 

[StringJunky]

15 minutes ago, iNow said:

Absolutely agree. Couldn’t resist taking a shot at my BIL, though. I’d be much more sympathetic if he’d mastered dovetail creation by hand first, or at least made the jig himself. I also acknowledge I’m being needlessly a jerk on this. I’d use the jig too if building drawers or boxes, for example. 

It's nice to have the skill mastered first because you can fix things.

[Moontanman]

In woodworking, if I needed a angle cut in plywood that was accurate to within 2mm how difficult would that be? 

[studiot]

4 hours ago, Moontanman said:

In woodworking, if I needed a angle cut in plywood that was accurate to within 2mm how difficult would that be? 

Hi Moon, glad to see you are keeping yourself busy after your bereavement.

🙄

Depends on the 'plywood'.

Working to 5/64 of an inch means you would normally cut oversize and sand to finsh.

Also depends if you are going with or across the plies as plywood can be 'micro flaky'

MDF is better in that respect.

But if you are cutting concealed fitting joints this may not matter as slight imperfections will not show.

However accurate hand cutting of such joints takes years of practise, jigs help, but sanding to fit is the most dependable method for the occasional woodworker.

 

Edited May 2, 2021 by studiot

[iNow]

6 hours ago, Moontanman said:

In woodworking, if I needed a angle cut in plywood that was accurate to within 2mm how difficult would that be? 

Very difficult, but with a bit of sandpaper or a shooting board (and a metric assload of patience) you can likely get super close.

As studiot mentions, the type of plywood involved matters, too. Avoid OSB, and even some of the cheaper plys found at Lowe’s/Home Depot etc. Get a type made of better wood more commonly used in furniture making from a dedicated wood store, but even then your risk of tear out and splintering is high. 

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/the-genius-of-miter-shooting-boards/

 

[Moontanman]

3 hours ago, iNow said:

Very difficult, but with a bit of sandpaper or a shooting board (and a metric assload of patience) you can likely get super close.

As studiot mentions, the type of plywood involved matters, too. Avoid OSB, and even some of the cheaper plys found at Lowe’s/Home Depot etc. Get a type made of better wood more commonly used in furniture making from a dedicated wood store, but even then your risk of tear out and splintering is high. 

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/the-genius-of-miter-shooting-boards/

 

Would marine plywood be better? I am thinking of making an octagonal aquarium out of plywood. 

 

[Ghideon]

3 hours ago, Moontanman said:

Would marine plywood be better? I am thinking of making an octagonal aquarium out of plywood. 

I have not used marine plywood but when working with materials with high risk of tear out and splintering I normally cut oversize and trim with a router. For long cuts I find it easier to get good precision with the router the with sanding.

In my case I do not have any saw that can cut to good precision and also not splinter plywood or chip board so I have to cut to oversize and then fix.

Edited May 2, 2021 by Ghideon