Project Information
This is box number 18 in my box series and box number 4 in my Adventures into Shape (thanks SplinterGroup). I took a few weeks off when I got either bronchitis or wood allergies from making the basic box. (see pic below). A new 3m respirator, a large fan and some more precautions when using powertools are also in place now. Those safety procedures will continue to evolve I am sure.
This box is built from poplar, cedar and the splines are mesquite. I keep trying to push the envelope by thinking "outside of the box" to get some compound curves from these boxes that start out as milled boards. This one is a little different from the others I have recently made in that I've added a second species of wood as a band that I was able to shape with chisels and gouges. This allowed some contrast in color as well as added to the overall thickness I was able to pull some curves from. This is a pic of initial box before any carving took place.
That cedar band brought the total thickness of the box I was able to shape to about 1.25 inches. This box has a couple of dimensions, the box itself is 7 1/2" tall x 7 1/2" deep x 10" wide, the shaped feet and the lift off lid with the pull bring it to about 11 1/2" tall x 8 1/2" deep x 12" wide.
The ornamental carving of the lotus flowers was incidental. I tend to build these boxes without much of a sketch or sometimes even much of an idea and I just let them evolve. I suppose that cute librarian I know with the lotus tattoo might have been a bit of an inspiration. I used chisels and gouges to carve much of the form and all of the flower details. I reshaped the bevels on a few dog leg skew chisels and a few spoon gouges to cut at a shallower angle. Sharpening gouges is a bit different from chisels but I think I finally got it.
The lid and the pull were fun, there is a bead that my stanley 45 was able to shape and the pull was glued together out of cut offs from another project. Using two laminated species is interesting to carve or shape, I visually use the different tones to try and keep the form symmetrical and it really helps but I throw absolutes out the window when I am doing these projects. Approximate is good enough for me and "Perfection" is more of that latin definition I've mentioned before… more along the lines of "complete" and not necessarily without flaw.
The poplar and cedar, especially where I exposed endgrain, are prone to blotching and different rates of absorption of the oil finish I used. I thought about trying to use a sanding sealer (which I have never used) but instead I just kind of embraced it as part of the hand touched look I was achieving along with approximate symmetry.
Finish is a blend of tung oil, boiled linseed oil, oil based fruitwood stain (minwax), oil based satin poly (varathane) cut with mineral spirits… equal amounts of each. Followed with clear shellac and then Johnson's paste wax buffed out.
This is the first box I've made with felt lined trays for the interior. Thanks Brian for that inspiration.
another pic of the interior…
Well thats about it.
I tend to get a bit impatient and start rushing these boxes if they take too long. That is especially true of the finishes. I'm going to try to slow down a bit when it comes to some of the details.
One last pic because the color of the wood shows up differently in my shop under l.e.d. light.
Alright, Thanks for looking.
I actually haven't decided if I like this box yet but it was fun.
Jon
This box is built from poplar, cedar and the splines are mesquite. I keep trying to push the envelope by thinking "outside of the box" to get some compound curves from these boxes that start out as milled boards. This one is a little different from the others I have recently made in that I've added a second species of wood as a band that I was able to shape with chisels and gouges. This allowed some contrast in color as well as added to the overall thickness I was able to pull some curves from. This is a pic of initial box before any carving took place.
That cedar band brought the total thickness of the box I was able to shape to about 1.25 inches. This box has a couple of dimensions, the box itself is 7 1/2" tall x 7 1/2" deep x 10" wide, the shaped feet and the lift off lid with the pull bring it to about 11 1/2" tall x 8 1/2" deep x 12" wide.
The ornamental carving of the lotus flowers was incidental. I tend to build these boxes without much of a sketch or sometimes even much of an idea and I just let them evolve. I suppose that cute librarian I know with the lotus tattoo might have been a bit of an inspiration. I used chisels and gouges to carve much of the form and all of the flower details. I reshaped the bevels on a few dog leg skew chisels and a few spoon gouges to cut at a shallower angle. Sharpening gouges is a bit different from chisels but I think I finally got it.
The lid and the pull were fun, there is a bead that my stanley 45 was able to shape and the pull was glued together out of cut offs from another project. Using two laminated species is interesting to carve or shape, I visually use the different tones to try and keep the form symmetrical and it really helps but I throw absolutes out the window when I am doing these projects. Approximate is good enough for me and "Perfection" is more of that latin definition I've mentioned before… more along the lines of "complete" and not necessarily without flaw.
The poplar and cedar, especially where I exposed endgrain, are prone to blotching and different rates of absorption of the oil finish I used. I thought about trying to use a sanding sealer (which I have never used) but instead I just kind of embraced it as part of the hand touched look I was achieving along with approximate symmetry.
Finish is a blend of tung oil, boiled linseed oil, oil based fruitwood stain (minwax), oil based satin poly (varathane) cut with mineral spirits… equal amounts of each. Followed with clear shellac and then Johnson's paste wax buffed out.
This is the first box I've made with felt lined trays for the interior. Thanks Brian for that inspiration.
another pic of the interior…
Well thats about it.
I tend to get a bit impatient and start rushing these boxes if they take too long. That is especially true of the finishes. I'm going to try to slow down a bit when it comes to some of the details.
One last pic because the color of the wood shows up differently in my shop under l.e.d. light.
Alright, Thanks for looking.
I actually haven't decided if I like this box yet but it was fun.
Jon