Popular Post gee-dub Posted November 5, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted November 5, 2021 Lost my wife's oldest brother to COVID a few days ago. Not really what I wanted for a first project but the shop is functional so we offered. Its been a couple of years and my automatic actions and muscle memory are sleepy so I did a mock up in poplar. This let me shake some of the cobwebs loose as well as get a go-ahead on the basic design. With that out of the way I got to go through some material for the first time in too long. Chose some sapele and some birds-eye maple. Those who have an i-box are familiar with the rooster tail of spoil that can get ejected out of the rear. The mock up left a snow drift of spoil behind the saw despite dust collection. I decided to do a field mod on the i-box. Locate one post piece from an old monitor stand (they came with multiple post pieces that stacked for different heights). Bore a matching hole of an appropriate depth. Attach shop vac. Much less spoil on the floor after the same operations with the sapele. . I normally cut the dados for the top and or bottoms of such things by dry fitting the carcass and running it around a bit like this on the router table. I don't want to put the finger joints together and take them apart a lot so I will use this. Since the sides are all the same width the same setup can be used for through and stopped dados. I mill the profiles on the blank for the top. . I failed to use the push block on the first cut. Although I thought I had good control of the material the depth was a little irregular on that cut. Shoulder plane to the rescue. Reminder to self . . . consistent methods yield consistent results. At any rate, three sides are in the clamps. This gives you an idea of the joinery profile of the floating top. The sides will get tapered top and bottom but not quite as much as in the prototype. My target for the reveal around the 'top panel' to 'top of sides' is about 1/16". We'll see how I do with that. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted November 5, 2021 Report Share Posted November 5, 2021 1 hour ago, gee-dub said: Locate one post piece from an old monitor stand (they came with multiple post pieces that stacked for different heights). Bore a matching hole of an appropriate depth. Attach shop vac. Brilliant. I've been saving those same monitor stand parts for probably 15 years. And now my hoarding behavior has been vindicated! (Of course now I have to run out and buy an I-box; as soon as I find out what that is ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted November 5, 2021 Report Share Posted November 5, 2021 Sorry for the loss of you brother-in-law, Glenn. Very nice urn design, though. Did I miss a step where you curved the side walls? I'm very interested in how you managed that so smoothly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted November 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2021 On 11/5/2021 at 1:10 PM, wtnhighlander said: Sorry for the loss of you brother-in-law, Glenn. Very nice urn design, though. Did I miss a step where you curved the side walls? I'm very interested in how you managed that so smoothly. I did not show that for the mock up. I will be sure to include this on the "keeper" that is now in the clamps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted November 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2021 On 11/5/2021 at 12:41 PM, Mark J said: Brilliant. I've been saving those same monitor stand parts for probably 15 years. And now my hoarding behavior has been vindicated! (Of course now I have to run out and buy an I-box; as soon as I find out what that is ). The i-box is handy and when I got one they were not much over $100. At $200 I think they may be pushing it ;-) I still do box joints with a key in a sac fence on the sled which is just as nice; especially for larger fingers. I'm not trying to talk you out of it. Just callin' 'em like I sees 'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted November 5, 2021 Report Share Posted November 5, 2021 Sorry for you and your family's Loss Glenn. Its unfortunate that this is the way the new shop gets christened but at least you got to take things for a test drive. On 11/5/2021 at 1:45 PM, gee-dub said: Did I miss a step where you curved the side walls? I'm very interested in how you managed that so smoothly. I am looking forward to this also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeslayer Posted November 5, 2021 Report Share Posted November 5, 2021 my prayers are with you and your family Glenn, so sorry for your loss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post gee-dub Posted November 6, 2021 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted November 6, 2021 Thanks guys. Just as some fodder for finishing discussions . . . Here's a shot of the top after the first flood of shellac. There are a lot of ways to make figure pop and I use a lot of them. When I want to keep things light but still get some eye candy (like birds-eye and tiger maple) I do a flood-like application of a 1lb cut of shellac. The thinner mix carries the shellac deep into the softer woods and I wipe the excess off quickly. This is after that first step. I then just use what ever the top coat will be for the main project. If you add more coats of shellac, the contrast gets weak as the base coat takes on a more amber tone. Here's another example from a past project. Not quite as in-your-face as some dye techniques but definitely there. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted November 6, 2021 Report Share Posted November 6, 2021 Glenn when I want to get the grain to stand out but not change the color of the wood to much, I have been using blonde shellac. Have you given this a try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post gee-dub Posted November 6, 2021 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted November 6, 2021 @Chet I use clear shellac ;-) Seems odd to be this far along and still not be sure how the base is going to look. I have some cast metal feet that may work well. Regardless I have to make it so that someone else will be able to easily place the ashes inside. When I place the ashes for people I just seal the bottom permanently. In this case there is some degree of unknown so I need to make a serviceable bottom. I use a wheel gauge to score the fibers for a rabbet. I use this small bit for a good reason. The small diameter leaves very little to clean up in the corners. Not trying to make this a Veritas advertisement but, these are what I use to set a consistent reveal around the top panel. It's handy to have a white pencil for working on darker woods. Here is the low down on how I taper the sides. I have to show you the mock up . . . Because Captain "I-haven't-had-a-shop-for-2-years" decided to install the top instead of dry fitting for this step and exceeded his bandsaw capacity . Normally I would cut all four lower faces. Then flip it over and cut the upper faces. You use the off-cuts to fill in between the already cut area and the fence once that becomes necessary. Due to my oversight however, I will be edge sanding this thing into submission. How did I ever live without a wide edge sander!?! The orange tape with the arc on it will explain itself in a minute. I find the path to success often involves me protecting myself from myself so I double wrap the top with tape. The theory being that if I "whoops" I will scuff the tape, not the birds-eye and not have to start from scratch . . . no pun intended. After some initial shaping of one side you can see what the tape is for. Since I am essentially free-handing this I need a constant reference check. This is all four side fresh off the 80 grit. A little finer hand sanding and some card scraper work gets me here. I need to percolate a bit on the base, make a decision, make the base, and get some finish on this guy. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted November 6, 2021 Report Share Posted November 6, 2021 Normally a pic is worth a thousand words but I tend to be slower than most. You said normally you cut the four lower faces then flip and cut the uppers. I don’t understand how you tapered the bottom cuts. Is the angle of your fence adjustable? If you tilted the table, it would cut the upper half. What am I missing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post gee-dub Posted November 6, 2021 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted November 6, 2021 On 11/6/2021 at 3:19 PM, Coop said: If you tilted the table, it would cut the upper half. What am I missing? My table tilts both ways. I'm sorry for not having action shots of this. I figured when I did the mock up that I would take pictures of that process with the real version. I didn't plan on shooting myself in the foot. I tilt the table with the edge nearest the spine dropping down. My saw will tilt 5 degrees to the left and 45 degrees to the right. The tilt for the tapered cuts (made with the blank standing vertically) is about 3 degrees . . . I just went back out to the shop and staged these two shots so they are not the actual process. Once the first two faces are cut and you rotate to cut the third and fourth the reference surface that rides the fence is not true. You can see where I have wedged the off-cuts into the void to add some stability. Once the four lower cuts are made you flip the blank (if you haven't already added the top like a dingbat that is) and make the remaining four cuts. Either with the bandsaw cuts or without a trip to the edge sander is in order. With the taper cuts at the bandsaw there is a lot less to sand and keeping things consistent is a lot easier. Did this all make better sense? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted November 7, 2021 Report Share Posted November 7, 2021 It does indeed make sense now. I appreciate you taking the time to take the extra pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted November 7, 2021 Report Share Posted November 7, 2021 On 11/6/2021 at 6:04 PM, Coop said: It does indeed make sense now. I appreciate you taking the time to take the extra pics! What Coop said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post gee-dub Posted November 7, 2021 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted November 7, 2021 Np prob guys. Not much difference without the finish on. I just wanted to show the metal feet I chose. I will show how the bottom works in some follow up pics after I take it apart for finishing. I am hoping that the finish will bring out the finger joints and accentuate the curved sides a bit more. I feel it is rather plain but, the customer is always right . . . right? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted November 7, 2021 Report Share Posted November 7, 2021 The finish will definitely bring out the end grain of the box joints. The feet are an excellent choice. Very elegant! What blade are you using on your bs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted November 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2021 @Coop It’s a laguna resaw king. Several years old. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post gee-dub Posted November 7, 2021 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted November 7, 2021 First coat of ARS. I want to move toward waterborne products. However, I didn't think a first project with a time sensitivity was the place to practice . 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeslayer Posted November 7, 2021 Report Share Posted November 7, 2021 Very nice Drew ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted November 7, 2021 Report Share Posted November 7, 2021 Very well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted November 8, 2021 Report Share Posted November 8, 2021 I can't think of a water borne product that would have done that justice. Darker woods just glow under an oil base in a way they just don't under water. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted November 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2021 On 11/7/2021 at 5:41 PM, wtnhighlander said: I can't think of a water borne product that would have done that justice. Darker woods just glow under an oil base in a way they just don't under water. I agree and plan to spend some time on that quest after I'm settled in. It may be that I continue to use hand applied oils and spray a waterborne topcoat. Habits can be hard to break . He was a machinist and a fabricator and I wanted the box joints to kind of echo that mechanical career without being too much in your face. I knew from experience that the oils on the face and end grain gave me that look. Sometimes it's good to go with what you know 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted November 8, 2021 Report Share Posted November 8, 2021 On 11/8/2021 at 7:42 AM, gee-dub said: It may be that I continue to use hand applied oils and spray a waterborne topcoat My most of the time go to is a coat of shellac to bring out the grain and then spray a waterborne topcoat. I use different color shellac flakes depending on the wood species and whether the wood will darken or lighten over time. I really like the shape of the urn Glenn, not what you normally see when they are made from wood. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted November 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2021 On 11/8/2021 at 10:23 AM, Chet said: My most of the time go to is a coat of shellac to bring out the grain and then spray a waterborne topcoat. I use different color shellac flakes depending on the wood species and whether the wood will darken or lighten over time. Great info Chet, thanks. Shellac and I have been friends for years so this is encouraging. I rarely use colored flakes and have leaned toward adding dye when I want to tone things. I think I will pick up a few small packs of colored blond, garnet, etc. and test those out while I am dialing in the "new way". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted November 9, 2021 Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 I was eyeing the Ibox jig before your post and searched the site for a few answers and never found good ones. How good does it work for large parts? Also how does it handle the bat ears on the dado blade or do you have to use a dedicated box joint blade? I was thinking of using box joints for a 24" x 36" x 16" cabinet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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