Spring has sprung. Get out and shoot your Henry

Christmas Present for my Granddaughter

User avatar
North Country Gal
Firearms Advisor
Posts: 6054
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2016 12:46 pm
Location: northern Wisconsin
United States of America

Re: Christmas Present for my Granddaughter

Post by North Country Gal » Sat Nov 25, 2017 10:35 am

Loving it. Keep 'em coming.
1 x

User avatar
BrokenolMarine
Ranch Foreman
Posts: 5770
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
United States of America

Re: Christmas Present for my Granddaughter

Post by BrokenolMarine » Sun Nov 26, 2017 8:17 am

I worked for a while yesterday afternoon, after searching thru the boathouse barn converted to my wood storage. I found several treasures. I did find a couple nice pieces to make the frame pieces out of, and set up the power planer for the initial run, as this was a rough plank with bark still on the sides and one end about seven and a half feet long.

As I planed off the milling marks from the huge saw blade, and some remnants of bark on the end, the oddest thing occurred. Never seen it before. It appears that the bark has dyed the wood below in a very unique pattern. I cut off that end piece and will make a top for a box from it. I'll probably keep that box for myself. I'll be very careful in finishing the box, wouldn't want to cut thru this pattern while shaping...
unique cutoff.jpg
unique cutoff.jpg (268.61 KiB) Viewed 3426 times
Anyway, processing the board was a long process, and required a number of passes thru the planer. In addition, there was a slight bend in the board toward the end, so I had to cut the long board and process it in two pieces to straighten it, without losing a lot of thickness. I will run this through the bandsaw and cut it into two or three boards then again to bookmatch those boards, as they frames are for aesthetics. They don't have to be really thick.
;)
one board cut.jpg
one board cut.jpg (319.98 KiB) Viewed 3426 times
I did find two other beautiful treasures hiding in the wood storage. (three actually.)
A piece gorgeous Curly Cherry, 4' x 6" one inch thick... (on the far left)
and a piece of Cocobolo 3' x 5-1/2" one in thick. cocobolo is highly prized for gun stocks, pistol grips, and knife scales. This piece is highly figured.
(to the right of the curly cherry board)
curly cherry 4x6.jpg
curly cherry 4x6.jpg (296.8 KiB) Viewed 3426 times
There was also a black cherry board about 6' but I forgot to bring that one back to the shop. Sheesh. (face palm) Memory... I need one. :roll:

I will get back out to the shop today if I can, and finish processing this wood so I can start on the framing of the box. Then comes the fun part, the enhancements. :P

BTW... this is Miss Tina's Curly Cherry Jewelry Box I made for her years ago. The entire box is hand made, including all the trim. Took me weeks, as my job left me only a few hours each day to work on it.
curly cherry jewelry box 1.jpg
curly cherry jewelry box 1.jpg (486.02 KiB) Viewed 3426 times
One of the women I worked with saw the pics and asked how much a box like that would run... I told her that the SINGLE board that I made the box from, a 12" wide, 6' long, one inch thick board cost $85, the hinges were $40 or so... and I couldn't guess how many hours. I figured $250 to $300. :) I thought the woman's sister standing beside her was going to have a stroke. :o
"I can get a beautiful painted jewry box at the Kmart for $35!" she almost screamed.

Her sister, my friend, looked at her.
"Then that is where you should buy YOUR jewelry boxes baby."

She didn't order that box, but she did order one of these made from Australian Lacewood. It wasn't cheap, but I priced it very fair for her.
She wanted it to keep her recently deceased Father's personal items in.
lacewood box front.jpg
lacewood box front.jpg (241.94 KiB) Viewed 3426 times
lacewood box rear.jpg
lacewood box rear.jpg (268.94 KiB) Viewed 3426 times
0 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

User avatar
clovishound
Drover
Posts: 2070
Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2016 4:18 pm
Location: Summerville SC
United States of America

Re: Christmas Present for my Granddaughter

Post by clovishound » Sun Nov 26, 2017 12:06 pm

Be careful with that cocobolo. I turned a piece of it years ago. Ended up with a really, really nasty poison ivy like rash all over my arms, neck and even my chest, where the shavings fell inside my shirt. The rash lasted for a month and a half. Drove me crazy. Fortunately, I was wearing breathing protection.
0 x
There is, I think, humor here which does not translate well from English to sanity. - Sanya

User avatar
BrokenolMarine
Ranch Foreman
Posts: 5770
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
United States of America

Re: Christmas Present for my Granddaughter

Post by BrokenolMarine » Sun Nov 26, 2017 12:18 pm

Spent a couple hours in the shop this morning, working my way thru the two boards I planned to use as framing on the toy box. Once I got out there, I rethought my plan, and drew a line down the side of each board to give me a straight edge, and then ran both across the table saw until I had a collection of 1/2 inch thick boards.

Here is the pile of processed boards.
01 processed.jpg
01 processed.jpg (331.48 KiB) Viewed 3421 times
I sorted through them and tried to match the book matched boards, matching the long boards and the shorter boards so I had good pairs.
02 front.jpg
02 front.jpg (319.27 KiB) Viewed 3421 times
03 side.jpg
03 side.jpg (294.63 KiB) Viewed 3421 times
Yup, there is some bend in those puppies, but when I attach them, they will be flexible enough to pull into alignment and POW, tack into place til the glue dries. :) We adapt and overcome. :twisted:

Next session I will run these thru the planer to take off the roughness.
Decide WHICH side of each will face out.
Use a cabinet scraper to get the front face SMOOOOOTH.
Mark the back sides.
Decide on the alignment - marking where on each over length board will be the center for later installation.
AND which will be the inside edges.
THEN... I'll choose a molding plane, then sharpen the plane iron.
I'll roll the appropriately marked inside edges, which will reinforce the illusion of a picture frame.

All that may take two or three sessions. This is not something I will rush. I am pretty sure I have plenty of this walnut, but I don't think I have enough to make too many mistakes. :roll:

Then, very carefully, I will measure and cut the boards, then begin framing the front and both sides of the box. I will both glue and shoot the frame sections with brads to attach the frames to the box. :P The project is coming along.
1 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

User avatar
BrokenolMarine
Ranch Foreman
Posts: 5770
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
United States of America

Another work session....

Post by BrokenolMarine » Mon Nov 27, 2017 4:22 pm

Went out and got busy again. Waiting for me was the work from yesterday, all lined up on the table saw table, all shined up, sorted and ready to go.
01 dressed and ready.jpg
01 dressed and ready.jpg (266.18 KiB) Viewed 3407 times
Note the cheat marks at the bottom of the pairs. The chalk marks tell me a couple things. The matched pairs and the orientation. They are only on ONE end, so I know which ends go together with the pairs.

Before I could start the "actual" work, I chose my molding plane, pulled the iron and got out the diamond and water stones and got to sharpening. It was a touch up, but I spent about 45 minutes getting it just so. It is my Granddaughter's Toy Box after all. ;)

I put the first frame piece full length in the vice, clamped the loose end to the table for stability, and off we go.
02 working it.jpg
02 working it.jpg (321.42 KiB) Viewed 3407 times
More cheating, see the chalked notes on the back of the long board on the work bench. There is actually a good bit on info here for me. The location of the chalk itself denotes the back of the board, the bad side. The arrow points to the Inside of the frame, and I know this long piece will become the top of the frame for the front of the box. The R stands for right side of the box as I look at it. The slash beside the R reminds me to square the end before making any measurements. The exact same notes appear on the board for the bottom of the frame section.

The molding plane does a nice job reworking the profile of the little boards, turning them into the frame material. It took me a while to figure them out, but even that journey was interesting and a pleasure. :lol:
03 love it.jpg
03 love it.jpg (217.58 KiB) Viewed 3407 times
I use this classic molding plane more than any of the others, and usually in this format, just rolling the edge. However, if I roll it more into the cut, it will add a beaded edge, as we saw on the White Oak and Spalted Maple box I did earlier.
04 classic molding plane.jpg
04 classic molding plane.jpg (275.21 KiB) Viewed 3407 times
After about two hours in the shop, I was done with this phase, and for the day. I think I'll be cutting and fitting tomorrow. We'll get a better idea of the complimentary woods together and a good look as the box is really starting to take shape. (Hopefully.... :roll: ;) ) Knock on wood.... get it.. .wood. :oops:
05 done for now.jpg
05 done for now.jpg (329.12 KiB) Viewed 3407 times
1 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

User avatar
BrokenolMarine
Ranch Foreman
Posts: 5770
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
United States of America

Long Session This Morning...

Post by BrokenolMarine » Wed Nov 29, 2017 2:00 pm

I began this morning's session by staining the "background" areas of the main box with Watco Natural oil.

But before that, as always, I took two scraps, a walnut and Maple Ply and made two test stain pieces, staining both with the Natural, Golden Oak, and Meduim Walnut Stains. My hope was that the Maple Ply would look GREAT with Medium Walnut, or that the Walnut would look Rich and Deep with the Golden Oak. :P No such luck. The Walnut, as expected, looked best with ... Medium Walnut Stain.

The Maple ply looked best with the Natural.

So, I marked the location of the framing pieces and stained inside the markings with a little overlap. I didn't want the oil where I needed to glue. Not a good idea. ;)
Watco Natural for the background.jpg
Watco Natural for the background.jpg (304.04 KiB) Viewed 3400 times
The next hour and a half was spent measuring, cutting, test fitting, trimming, test fitting, trimming, and then attaching - the framing for the front of the box. It turned out fairly well. The next session will be framing the sides.
framed with Watco Medium Walnut Stain.jpg
framed with Watco Medium Walnut Stain.jpg (300.59 KiB) Viewed 3400 times
Then on to the enhancements. :P
1 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

User avatar
BrokenolMarine
Ranch Foreman
Posts: 5770
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
United States of America

Re: Christmas Present for my Granddaughter

Post by BrokenolMarine » Wed Nov 29, 2017 2:03 pm

What? Yup, I could have just bought cheapo, already formed molding for a couple bucks per piece and shot it on and covered it with varnish and called it done. It wouldn't be walnut trim, hand formed by Grumpy in his shop for Christmas for Izzy. I'll make a Disc with all these pics on it and include it as a part of the gift, and years later, when she is old enough... it'll mean something to her. Or not. I know it means something to my daughter. She has a number of Grumpy heirloom pieces in HER home... all are priceless to her. 8-)
1 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

User avatar
BrokenolMarine
Ranch Foreman
Posts: 5770
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
United States of America

Re: Christmas Present for my Granddaughter

Post by BrokenolMarine » Thu Nov 30, 2017 5:05 pm

Back out to the shop to try and finish the framing. :D
Here is a peek before the framing started on the LAST section.. (Whoo Hoo!)
01 work on the other end.jpg
01 work on the other end.jpg (304.13 KiB) Viewed 3394 times
Now, I don't want to slip and accidently push the Toy Box off the bench THIS late in the game, overbalancing and causing it to fall, so Safety first. I stuck a stand under the back side, just in case. I have to turn it crossways on the bench to have the chair fit where I need to be to do my thing. ;)
02 be prepared.jpg
02 be prepared.jpg (305.09 KiB) Viewed 3394 times
I do a lot of my work with hand tools, but ... I still use some of the power tools as the weather has aggravated ARTHUR and he is not friendly. :evil:

This process used the Chop saw a lot. Measure, Cut, trim and test fit, trim and test fit. :lol:
03 chop saw table.jpg
03 chop saw table.jpg (266.51 KiB) Viewed 3394 times
I used the Dewalt Brad Nailer to reinforce the glue til it set and powered it with the oil cooled large compressor in the corner... larger capacity and a LOT quieter than the pancake compressor I used to use in the old shop.
04 Air source.jpg
04 Air source.jpg (282.97 KiB) Viewed 3394 times
After a couple hours rolling back and forth between my stations, staining EACH piece before installation.... they are pretty much done.
05 framing done.jpg
05 framing done.jpg (249.05 KiB) Viewed 3394 times
I did cut the pieces to use to round the corners and tack them in place. Tomorrow morning I'll shape those, and stain them after sanding, tune the fit on the whole works and add a last coat of stain to everything. Then move on to the Enhancements. The Top and Hinges will be the very last step.
1 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

User avatar
BrokenolMarine
Ranch Foreman
Posts: 5770
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
United States of America

Working the Corners....

Post by BrokenolMarine » Fri Dec 01, 2017 11:40 am

When I said it had put the pieces in to round the corners, it probably didn't mean much... but maybe this picture will help.
01.jpg
01.jpg (277.99 KiB) Viewed 3388 times
Since I didn't make some of the framing material overly wide to overlap an edge, there was a gap at the front corners, a half inch or so. After it was all finished, I put a square piece of walnut in the two corners, glued and shot it them place, put a couple band clamps around it and left them til morning to set.

Came out this morning and took the clamps off, and got ready to work 'em.
02.jpg
02.jpg (302.41 KiB) Viewed 3388 times
There was work to do. First the nail sets drove the brads deeper, didn't want to ruin my iron in the plane.
Then I took the plane, cut off the sharp edge of the corner sticking out and proceeded to round off the edges to make a rounded corner of both the added pieces, and then sanded all the frames as best I could.

Once this was done, I touched up all the stain and stood back to admire my work.
03.jpg
03.jpg (317.43 KiB) Viewed 3388 times
04.jpg
04.jpg (298.98 KiB) Viewed 3388 times
Next up is to work the enhancements and the top and hinges, and we'll be done. ;)
Another week?
1 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

User avatar
BrokenolMarine
Ranch Foreman
Posts: 5770
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
United States of America

Then it hit me...

Post by BrokenolMarine » Sat Dec 02, 2017 7:12 pm

I was tossing idea around in my head about what to put in that front panel, what would convey the message we wanted, but let Izzy know that Grumpy built her toybox all these years to come...? Then it hit me.
front enhancement.jpg
front enhancement.jpg (200.93 KiB) Viewed 3376 times
Yup, that should do it. I'll work on the high relief carving over the next few days or so. If it turns out okay, this will certainly do the job. :lol:
"Grumpy Says"
1 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

Post Reply