Project by Sioranth | posted 01-02-2016 12:36 AM | 1503 views | 0 times favorited | 13 comments | ![]() |
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Another of my ill-fated Christmas gifts (this one for my mother) that sheer stubbornness brought to completion. Even tonight, one day before I have to gift them, I was gluing them back together. I’m not really sure what I might have done wrong to make these so incredibly fragile. I tried gluing with good wood glue and after several breakages switched to epoxy which also hasn’t managed to keep them together. I’ve never had such weak glue joins. If I made these again I would definitely use toothpicks to stabilize the legs, not just the antlers. I’m glad it’ll be out of my hands tomorrow!
Made from curly maple and a Sheila Landry design.
13 comments so far
PaulDoug
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2524 posts in 2759 days
#1 posted 01-02-2016 02:06 AM
Worth all your effort. Those are very nice.
-- “We all die. The goal isn't to live forever; the goal is to create something that will.” - Chuck Palahniuk
BurlyBob
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#2 posted 01-02-2016 02:22 AM
I must tell you that those are totally beautiful. I can fully understand your frustration with glue ups. They can be the most frustrating part of any project. Be that as it may, your reindeer are fantastic! I may very well try to copy them down the road.
Sioranth
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92 posts in 2017 days
#3 posted 01-02-2016 12:38 PM
Thanks!
I had kind of an epiphany last night when I woke up at some ungodly hour. I’m almost positive that I finished these (with mineral oil) BEFORE I tried gluing them the first time, and I’m pretty positive that’s why my glue joins just wouldn’t hold.
WoodNSawdust
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#4 posted 01-02-2016 02:43 PM
Great looking Reindeer!
That would explain the problem.
-- "I love it when a plan comes together" John "Hannibal" Smith
ralbuck
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#5 posted 01-02-2016 05:42 PM
Well Done!
Small glue joints are very tricky! Iuse rubber bands, even just small blocks for weight- andother cheats! Against the table saw fence with tilted blocks leaning to hold thing while the glue cures up etc.
I do but bamboo skewers and use pieces f them for a lot of fragile joints. They sand off and just look like a knot in the wood.
-- Wood rescue is good for the environment and me! just rjR
Green_Hornut
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#6 posted 01-02-2016 11:54 PM
Yes the mineral oil finish is the cause for your problem. If your going to finish pieces before glue up use masking tape on all areas that are going to receive glue before finishing. While I believe that you might have had better luck using epoxy on a fully cured finish, I’m fairly certain mineral oil does not dry to a cured finish.
-- Mother Nature always bats last.
Sioranth
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92 posts in 2017 days
#7 posted 01-03-2016 11:27 AM
You’re right, Green_Hornut, that mineral oil never cures. Next time, I’ll likely just finish at the end with a spray lacquer.
Rubber bands are a great idea, ralbuck! I was using painter tape and small weights.
americancanuck
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#8 posted 01-03-2016 12:20 PM
I have had very good luck using Weldbond white glue for applications just as you describe
-- Retired and lovin it
Ivan
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#9 posted 01-03-2016 08:10 PM
Nevermind the problems this looks great, good job and gift.
-- Ivan, Croatia, Wooddicted
JimInNM
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333 posts in 2272 days
#10 posted 01-04-2016 02:05 AM
The fate of all scrollsaw people is to suffer with one problem after another…......Guess that’s why we love it
-- JimInNM........Space Case
Sioranth
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92 posts in 2017 days
#11 posted 01-04-2016 02:19 PM
Thanks everyone!
I do love my scroll saw and even though I wanted to give up about 100 times doing this project, I finished it in the end because I couldn’t bear to see all the work go to waste.
helluvawreck
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#12 posted 01-04-2016 04:48 PM
Wow! These are great. I love them.
helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com
-- helluvawreck aka Charles, http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com
Druid
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2205 posts in 3851 days
#13 posted 12-10-2016 05:37 AM
Sorry it took me almost a year to come across this project. They look lovely, and I like the extra time that you took to round off the antlers. Nicely done.
As for the glue problem . . . it appears that you have added to your experience, perhaps the hard way, but remember . . . Experience is something you get right after you needed it.
Looking forward to seeing more of your projects.
Have a Merry Yule.
-- John, British Columbia, Canada
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