Display Case

[BrokenolMarine]

Forgot to mention, I LOVE the smell of that beeswax. Don't get me wrong, it's not like a school flashback when we would sniff the mimeographed tests, or the smell of two part epoxy. The beeswax just smells good. When I smell it, it takes me back to all the various projects I have worked on and completed. It's a fond memory type smell.

[BrokenolMarine]

After a good break, I was back out to remove the clamps, and put that stuff away. Time to reinforce the glue up. My first step was to take a saved scrap from the cutting of the sides and using a 1/4" plug cutter, I cut a dozen plugs and set them aside.

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Next I decided where I wanted to countersink the holes and using a mini square, marked all eight holes. It's likely no one will notice, but I will. I want to be consistent. Miss T says I'm just anal. Using a Forstner bit, I countersunk all eight holes, then with the proper bit, drilled the holes for the finish nails.

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Most would use a hammer to set the nails, but it's hard to remove a hammer dent if you miss. I use my brass mallet, and a punch and a LOT of small taps to seat the nails, which I dip in wood glue first. This helps hold the joints tight. Slowly and carefully I work my way thru all eight holes seating the finish nails.

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Using a nail, I set glue around the inside of the countersink, and then place a plug in each countersink. These are the plugs I cut earlier from the scrap left from the original board the sides were made from. Won't be perfect, but close. I tap the plugs in snug with a rawhide mallet and leave them for the glue to set.

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[BrokenolMarine]

While the glue sets, I use the new Stamp I ordered to make a new maker's mark for the leather panel. I play with the stamp, making three or four new discs to cover the old stamp on the panel. I settle on this one, and dye and antique it. I will cement it over the old one on the panel when a final finish is applied.

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The Glue has dried. Time to flush cut the plugs, first to choose a chisel. I keep things neat and the chisels sharp, by keeping them in their place.

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A wide flat chisel, and my chisel mallet will do the job.

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To insure a flush cut, the chisel rides flat on the side of the case and cuts with the grain of the plug. Prepared to cut..

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A light smooth strike. Too hard and the plug could break. I repeat the process with all eight plugs and BOOM. Flush cuts.

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Touch all eight plugs with Watco Oil and they are close to matching. After waxing they will be closer. If they don't match exactly, they will be ACCENTS. Yeah, I planned it that way... (If asked.)

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[BrokenolMarine]

The corners will be sanded during the final finishing, it will be pretty'd up.
I still have work to do.

[BrokenolMarine]

After the logo was cemented on place, I installed the panel and the quarter round trim. Used the brad nailer to secure it, but didn't glue the trim to the leather, just in case. It was time to install the magnets. I used two three foot rules to insure they were in alignment with one another and lined them up on the marks on the leather and got busy.

I set the case on a pair of 2x2s, knowing there was a chance the screw could come thru the bottom, slightly.
Carefully, one at a time I got to it.

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With patience, and a steady hand, it came out fine. Three of the screws did come out the bottom, about 1/16th inch. Dremel and a cutoff wheel took care of that in a couple minutes.

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The new logo looks good as well.

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Next on the list? Start on the top and the plexi insert.
We are getting close.

[Hatchdog]

Why the new makers mark? Did I miss something?

Wow, just wow! The finished look of the leather is fantastic as is the entire project. The magnets look great, I was wondering how that would come out but it works just fine.

[BrokenolMarine]

Why the new makers mark? Did I miss something?

The old maker's mark was just shy of 1/2 inch in size overall and most couldn't read the "BrokenOlMarine" above the Emblem. I had been planning for some time to get a new stamp. At the suggestion of someone on my leatherworking forum, I checked out Steel Stamps Inc. The new one is 1-3/16". the impression is much cleaner, easier to read, and steel rather than brass. Will outlive me.

Wow, just wow! The finished look of the leather is fantastic as is the entire project. The magnets look great, I was wondering how that would come out but it works just fine.

[BrokenolMarine]

The old maker's mark is about halfway down page four for comparison.

[BrokenolMarine]

Out in the shop today several times. First I worked on Ripping the Black Cherry for the top, and then cut it to match the size of the display case. Once I had it cut, of course I had to insure the cuts fit together and the layout was square.

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Next, I used the new desktop 1 x 30 with the platten to sand it and get rid of those cut burns from the table saw, the chrry is a hard wood and I was ripping a piece seven feet long.

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Once it was sanded up clean, I glued it up and used the band clamps to put 'er together and left it to cure.

[BrokenolMarine]

After she was all glued up, I dipped into the special tools drawer to repeat the setup from the case...

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I pulled out the 1/4" plug cutter and got set up on the drill press with a cutoff from the Black Cherry to cut plugs.

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I cut a number of plugs even though I only needed four this time. There are a number of ways to remove the plugs, you can snap them out, (but some don't break out cleanly,) therefore you cut extras. You can cut the bottom off the scrap, which frees the plugs, but this requires setup on the bandsaw. I went with snapping them out. Good thing I cut extras when I set up.

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Chose the best of the plugs and with a dash of Tite bond II wood glue, set the four plugs.

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Tomorrow I'll take a sharp chisel and cut them flush. Tomorrow is also the day to shape the frame then cut the plexi to fit. That will be a pucker factor cut. $45 a sheet... (sigh)