Project by Christian Holihan | posted 01-27-2016 06:06 PM | 2747 views | 1 time favorited | 13 comments | ![]() |
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I was commissioned to make this box for a friend who gave me the Osage Orange lumber to use. I had never used Osage before. While the wood turned out very pretty, I hope to never use it again. It tears out, splits, and chips out like nothing I have ever seen, while simultaneously being one of the densest, hardest woods I have used.
A scraper is the ONLY thing that would create smooth finish.
I used pine on the sides of the boxes and cut the half blind pins first because I found the pine could compress a bit to make a tight fit. When practicing on some scrap, I found that when I cut the tails first then transferred them to the drawer fronts, any mistake would leave a big gap so I reversed my normal order.
The knobs are solid antique brass. I found them on Etsy from a dealer in India. I lined the drawers with suede and finished the whole thing with 2 coats or amber shellac and paste wax.
He plans to hide a special surprise for his wife in one of the drawers. Smart man.
Overall dimensions approx: 12” x 10”
Thanks for looking!
-- Nobody deserves particle board | http://artisancare.org
13 comments so far
recycle1943
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#1 posted 01-27-2016 06:38 PM
How neat is that front – retorical of course
good job
-- Dick, Malvern Ohio - my biggest fear is that when I die, my wife sells my toys for what I told her I paid for them
Ivan
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#2 posted 01-27-2016 08:08 PM
Dovetails looks great. I like those ’’Orient style’’ pulls. Front grains looks very interesting.
-- Ivan, Croatia, Wooddicted
Christian Holihan
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#3 posted 01-27-2016 08:22 PM
Thank you both!
-- Nobody deserves particle board | http://artisancare.org
thechipcarver
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#4 posted 01-27-2016 08:31 PM
Very nice. Don’t see many projects done in Osage, other than smoking pipes.
-- While teaching a class, a gentlemen once asked me: "When chip carving an intricate design, what do you do when you are almost finished and the wood breaks off?" I replied "Cover the kids ears."
JayT
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#5 posted 01-27-2016 08:32 PM
Excellent work! Love the grain on the front.
I’ve used Osage a few times and you have described working with it perfectly. The problem is that it is so gorgeous when sanded/polished to a very high level that you forget about the frustrations …....... until the next time.
-- https://www.jtplaneworks.com - In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.
Christian Holihan
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#6 posted 01-27-2016 09:03 PM
JayT I am not sure I will fall for the siren call of osage again…unless I turn it. I have heard it turns well.
-- Nobody deserves particle board | http://artisancare.org
JayT
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#7 posted 01-27-2016 09:12 PM
It turns really well, in my limited experience (I turned some tool handles out of Osage). As I was working up the grits sanding, it just kept getting nicer and nicer as it was polished to a higher level. I have no idea how high you can go to keep refining/polishing—I went to 1500 grit and then waxed it. At that point, it just almost glowed.
-- https://www.jtplaneworks.com - In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.
Bobsboxes
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#8 posted 01-27-2016 10:22 PM
Very nice, great use of the wood.
-- Bob in Montana. Kindness is the Language the blind can see and deaf can hear. - Mark Twain
Christian Holihan
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#9 posted 01-27-2016 11:22 PM
Thanks Bob!
-- Nobody deserves particle board | http://artisancare.org
gfadvm
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#10 posted 01-28-2016 12:57 AM
That turned out very nicely! We call that “Osage Orange” Hedge or Bodark where I live and it is one of my favorite woods. Never tried any hand tools on hedge but it doesn’t play well with the planer (drum sander works great). It will get a LOT darker with exposure to light over time.
If you like the look but not the hassle, try some mulberry. Looks just like hedge (same family) but a lot more user friendly.
-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm
bowtie
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#11 posted 01-28-2016 10:44 AM
Beautiful!
-- bowtie,.....jus passin thru....
Roger
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#12 posted 01-28-2016 01:42 PM
Looks gr8. Osage is a very hard, and dense wood. That should last a lifetime or two
-- Roger from KY. Work/Play/Travel Safe. Keep your dust collector fed. [email protected]
R_Stad
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#13 posted 01-28-2016 04:25 PM
Fine work – quite beautiful.
-- Rod - Oregon
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