Tom Cancelleri Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Thanks for the inspiration Mzdadoc. After seeing your candle holder, it got me thinking. My cousin's boyfriend just built a new entry table for their house. He's been building a bunch of skid based rustic looking stuff with a limited amount of tools. Power planer, miter saw, job site table saw, it's awfully empty and a candle holder would do wonders. Been at it about 2 hours. Hit a wall, I can't drill through the sycamore to seat the glass votives I have a 1 3/4" hole saw and a 2" hole saw. The 1 3/4" is too small and the 2" is too big. I need 1 7/8 forstner bit or something. Looks like tomorrow a trip to the store is needed. Built a quick and dirty bow jig from a scrap piece of 2x4 and a piece of pine scrap to get my curve. Traced it to some MDF, cut on the bandsaw and smoothed the curve with the OSS, and some hand sanding. I didn't snap any during pics because I was using my phone for music and it was plugged in. After making the template I traced the template to the project piece, and roughed it out on the bandsaw. I used my micro pinner to attach it to the bottom of the project piece (no double sided tape). I used a flush trim bit on my router table to clean up the edges even though I got some burning to sand away at the end. I pulled the leftover walnut I had from my cutting boards out and placed it in 1 corner where I thought it looked good. I traced where I wanted the half lap to cover over the sycamore. Made a second template. Cut it out on the scroll saw with the notch that needed to be in sycamore. Flipped it to each of the remaining corners so the positioning was all the same. Cut it out on the scroll saw. Sanded it, now to do the legs. Put on my dado stack, figured out the height of the legs, marked where I wanted the dados. marked the wood, made the cuts. Put my Incra Miter 5000 sled with my Freud ultimate cutoff blade, my my angle cut on the top, flipped it to the stop to trim the bottoms to all match in height. Now to make a through hole in the board for the glass votive holders, Maybe I can make a template and pattern bit it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Slick as a ribbon.... nice job! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 If you do manage to get a Forstner bit of the right size use it to make a routing template. Otherwise if you just use the Forstner to make the recess you will be left with a location hole in the centre. Alternatively you might be able to buy a cheap hole saw to make the routing template. Forstner's of that size are quite expensive. Of course if you are intending to drill all the way through then there is no problem. I like the design and execution of the candle holders. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 David over at the Drunken Woodworker has a neat way to make holes larger than your biggest bit: Drilling Holes Larger than your Largest Bit: http://youtu.be/oHGw5Y2rwxk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 David over at the Drunken Woodworker has a neat way to make holes larger than your biggest bit: Drilling Holes Larger than your Largest Bit: http://youtu.be/oHGw5Y2rwxk That's a killer trick, I might be able to get the size i need and even match the taper of the glass with a chamfer bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 I bought a couple templates from Rockler a long time ago that have a bunch of different hole sizes. It comes in handy quite often. That's a good tip from TDW...but I wouldn't do that on the router table like he did. I'm not judging him, it's just not for me. Too scary. I've done that trick before but I used handheld for both bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Yes I'm with Eric. I would guide the piece with paddles (I value my fingers too much) on the router table only after removing the most waste I could. There is a likelyhood the piece could grab and split along the grain. Worse still it could pull your fingers right into that bit when grabbing. At least with the more preferable handheld method you have the router body between you and that bit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Also you can go in the opposite direction (create a smaller hole) using a bushing, if you have a bit that's a bit larger than the hole you need. I did this to inlay the big ol' honkin' nut for the BC leg vise. Didn't have exactly the right size pattern, but using the correct bit and bushing I was able to find the perfect fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Beautiful lumber in that piece! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Beautiful lumber in that piece! I love quartersawn sycamore. It's got such nice looking grain, as if leopardwood and maple had a baby. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 I'm actually considering building one of these as well.. My wife will let me know if someone needs one Looks like a fun project.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 I tend to build as I go. I never really go by plans when making things. Everything is on the fly and I transfer my thoughts to wood. I sometimes mock up sizes on some pine like hole sizes and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Bailey Posted December 16, 2014 Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 I love this, and agree - the sycamore is beautiful, though the wacky grain is a little intimidating... all I see is "chip out" when I imagine working with it. but really nice job, it's a simple and elegant design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 I love this, and agree - the sycamore is beautiful, though the wacky grain is a little intimidating... all I see is "chip out" when I imagine working with it. but really nice job, it's a simple and elegant design. Thanks. Sycamore is wonderful to work with, it machines easy, never had any tear out. I get it rough sawn. Run it over my helical head jointer and through my 3 knife dewalt planer. Never had any issues. The surface of it however does need a good sanding since you can feel slightly raised fibers on the surface. Maybe that's due to it being quartersawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 I got my 1 7/8 forstner bit. Gonna head to my parents house and use my drill press tonight to put the holes in it to "float" the candles in between the board Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted December 16, 2014 Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 Sycamore is a "fuzzy" wood, for lack of a better word. Kind of like poplar, but harder. Nice looking piece, T! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 Fuzzy is a great way to describe it. The board I picked up at woodcraft was straight for about 4 feet, and then just twisted and warped like crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Bailey Posted December 16, 2014 Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 alas but I have no jointer or planer, so it's hand milling for me (I do have a table saw), and I tore up some figured maple with my smoother so I need to work on my sharpening and planing skills before I start tackling really figured wood for reals. it is encouraging to hear that the sycamore doesn't tear out on the machines, gives me hope for the handtools, but i'd probably still go at it with a scraper rather than a smoother when it comes down to it... it's still beautiful, really nice work. looks like you cut the notches in the sycamore piece for the legs, is that right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 it's still beautiful, really nice work. looks like you cut the notches in the sycamore piece for the legs, is that right? I notched the sycamore using my scroll saw due to the curve, then I notched the walnut using my table saw and dado blade, this creates an interlocking half lap joint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Bailey Posted December 16, 2014 Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 very cool, i'm tempted to try something like this, would be a challenge with hand tools but that won't stop me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mzdadoc Posted December 16, 2014 Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 Very cool! I love the way it looks! This is the first time in my life I've ever inspired someone so thank you very much for the nod! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 very cool, i'm tempted to try something like this, would be a challenge with hand tools but that won't stop me It shouldn't be too bad with hand tools. if you're going for a curve that would be the hardest part in my opinion. Cutting the half lap joints by hand would be fairly easy. Mark the wood, cut the lines, chisel out the waste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Chamferred the holes All sanded and ready for glue up Glue up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 I will say this. The 150/3 has been a game changer for me surfaces are so smooth. 220 grit on the 150/3 feels like 400 grit with my dewalt ROS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 I need to figure out what I'm going to use for the finish. I was thinking BLO and paste wax. I need something I can have done without finishing taking a week and having to wait forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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