Project Information
I made this box for my neighbor Tom as a reward for the "too-many-to-count" times he has saved my bacon. The backstory is this. Tom has a background in engineering, with an immense technical knowledge. He is about my age (50-ish). Since moving into our neighborhood he and his wife Jeannie (who I suspect is somewhat younger than Tom) have had 3 girls (now about ages 11-3). He went back to law school and became a Patent Attorney. Rather than move out west to the ritsy newer suburbs, he and his family have added geothermal heating and are planning an addition to their Craftsman-style 2-story bungalow. He has even ordered salvaged stained glass windows from a dismantled Victorian somewhere off eBay, and is fixin' to case and hang them in the new addition. I respect this man immensely.
In addition, when I couldn't figure out how to: change my chopsaw blade without a spanner, pull my car battery when it was deeply corroded to the cabling, fix my sputtering chain saw, rehabilitate the mower that I destroyed while attempting to mow iron gardening implements left in the grass… I called on my good neighbor. He has alway rolled up his sleeves and saved the day for me.
So here it is. I found this incredible piece of Sapele with figure I have never seen before in this species. It's almost a birdseye figure, but there are no true knots in the middle of the eyes. It's not quilted exactly and there is the difference of color around the eyes. I had planed it to close to finished thickness +.125" and left it to acclimatize to the shop. Two days later it was a cupped nightmare. I shaved off a veneer piece and glued the thicker piece to a backer board of spanish cedar to try and tame the cupping. The sapele won. End result: exotic cupped plywood. Next I left the sapele thicker than original specified, split it on the long axis, flipped one piece end-over-end and glued up a slip-match, then created a 3/16 thick 3/8 wide tenon and made breadboard ends from a bit of leftover Lyptus® (Weyerhauser Eucalytus Plantation-Grown in Brazil). Suitably flat, the project continued.
Tray is spanish cedar with dividers and lining plus ring holders which are new to this project. Lining ideas courtesy of Emily Palm of Blue Heron Woodworks via FWW#185. Tray is finished with MS/BLO/Pratt & Lambert #38 Alykd varnish (homebrew danish oil with a high resin titration).
Box materials: Sapele (straight and wavy), Walnut, Lyptus® and a dash of fiddleback maple veneer edgebanding on the lid. Box has a "cloud drop" cutaway for finger access below the lid. Lid is simply hinged on pins through the "carcase" into the lid, with the back, underneath edge of the lid radiused to allow "staying" action at 90°. The outer box is finished with a de-waxed shellac sealcoat, Oxford Ultima Spray Acrylic Lacquer (waterborn), rubbed out to P4000 grit with Mirka Abralon pads and a RO sander.
In addition, when I couldn't figure out how to: change my chopsaw blade without a spanner, pull my car battery when it was deeply corroded to the cabling, fix my sputtering chain saw, rehabilitate the mower that I destroyed while attempting to mow iron gardening implements left in the grass… I called on my good neighbor. He has alway rolled up his sleeves and saved the day for me.
So here it is. I found this incredible piece of Sapele with figure I have never seen before in this species. It's almost a birdseye figure, but there are no true knots in the middle of the eyes. It's not quilted exactly and there is the difference of color around the eyes. I had planed it to close to finished thickness +.125" and left it to acclimatize to the shop. Two days later it was a cupped nightmare. I shaved off a veneer piece and glued the thicker piece to a backer board of spanish cedar to try and tame the cupping. The sapele won. End result: exotic cupped plywood. Next I left the sapele thicker than original specified, split it on the long axis, flipped one piece end-over-end and glued up a slip-match, then created a 3/16 thick 3/8 wide tenon and made breadboard ends from a bit of leftover Lyptus® (Weyerhauser Eucalytus Plantation-Grown in Brazil). Suitably flat, the project continued.
Tray is spanish cedar with dividers and lining plus ring holders which are new to this project. Lining ideas courtesy of Emily Palm of Blue Heron Woodworks via FWW#185. Tray is finished with MS/BLO/Pratt & Lambert #38 Alykd varnish (homebrew danish oil with a high resin titration).
Box materials: Sapele (straight and wavy), Walnut, Lyptus® and a dash of fiddleback maple veneer edgebanding on the lid. Box has a "cloud drop" cutaway for finger access below the lid. Lid is simply hinged on pins through the "carcase" into the lid, with the back, underneath edge of the lid radiused to allow "staying" action at 90°. The outer box is finished with a de-waxed shellac sealcoat, Oxford Ultima Spray Acrylic Lacquer (waterborn), rubbed out to P4000 grit with Mirka Abralon pads and a RO sander.
