A Valentines present?

What do you get for a lovely lady wots got everything? A box of course, so that she can keep ALL of her jewelry in it



Cedar wood, about 6" long with nice brass fittings



I have had the cedar block for years now and just didn't know what to make with it? The end shows the end grain because it's made from the solid block. All cut on my band saw. I have to admit that both SWMBO and I are reet chuffed with the end result

It isn't very big, but it doesn't need to be

Ah.. but John, you know the old saying, "Diamonds are a girl's best friend". The cedar box is beautiful and very well done, but think how much more she'll love it when you fill it up with the goodies. ;D

Hi John - beautiful work - congrats! Maybe we need a woodworking thread?

Below are 3 pics of a small jewelry box I made for Susan a while back (my wall hanging necklace case is also quite attractive) - modified a plan in a mag and changed the woods - used mahogany, birds-eye maple, and walnut - my latest project was a picture frame w/ ambrosia maple (image of Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, GA from a photographer in the Beaufort, SC area - last image). Dave
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chscag said:

Ah.. but John, you know the old saying, "Diamonds are a girl's best friend". The cedar box is beautiful and very well done, but think how much more she'll love it when you fill it up with the goodies. ;D

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I am in the unfortunate position of SWMBO is not a great fan of diamonds She prefers me

I love the box Dave. A lot of work in there mate and it looks really good. I love your choice of wood, it works really well. The 'finger joints'? Did you do then by hand or with a jig? They are something I usually screw up even with a jig! Yours look the bis! The picture and the frame would look good on our lounge wall

Wow, such talent.

John

Glad that She Who Must Be Obeyed doesn't like diamonds.

Diamonds are just Carbon that handled stress well.

Ian

badshoehabit said:

Wow, such talent.

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My sentiments exactly. You guys should stop this immediately. You're making life hard for the rest of us with no talent.

The only thing saving me right now is that SWMBO insists that I not play with any tools sharper than a spoon. lol

One of the problems I have had here in France has been finding decent wood. There are few turners, no clubs that I can find and the French seem to think that if it's not verticle then it can be used! To turn and not have it go literally pear shaped comme ça



and not crack



It needs to be down to a humidity of about 12%. That's a rhodendium wood bowl about 6" in diameter when turned. It's 6 X 6 3/4" now! I had a shower from the water thrown from it when I was turning it and as it dried it went that shape. I've been offered funny money for it, but SWMBO fell in love with it as it is now and we wouldn't part with it..

As far as 'talent' ? With me it's 23 years of practice and I tend to be quite patient with mechanical things. It gets easier as the years go by, but I still get bitten and the next time a lump of wood flies off my lathe will not be either the first or last! Thank you for the compliment though

IWT said:

John

Glad that She Who Must Be Obeyed doesn't like diamonds.

Diamonds are just Carbon that handled stress well.

Ian

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I wish that I could handle stress well, or any way !!

SD, I can sharpen a spoon for you to practice carving with if you want?? I always needed sharper than yer average spoon with my ex. I always used to say that I thought that me Mum was a bad cook, but at least her gravy moved

Jonzjob said:

I am in the unfortunate position of SWMBO is not a great fan of diamonds She prefers me

I love the box Dave. A lot of work in there mate and it looks really good. I love your choice of wood, it works really well. The 'finger joints'? Did you do then by hand or with a jig? They are something I usually screw up even with a jig! Yours look the bis! The picture and the frame would look good on our lounge wall

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Thanks John - I make finger joints w/ jigs - have one for the table saw (which as I recall correctly was used to make those on the jewelry box) and several for a router, including the Porter-Cable one shown below which I use the most; routs dovetails, fingers, and can do dadoes/rabbets using the template that is on the machine in the image.

Love that ambrosia maple - that was my 4th frame w/ that wood - for those unfamiliar w/ this 'infected' maple - look HERE - basically, the maple is attacked by the ambrosia beetle (little holes are apparent on the surface) which carries a fungus that adds the color changes - I need to make a more substantial project w/ this wood. Dave
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Jonzjob said:

One of the problems I have had here in France has been finding decent wood. There are few turners, no clubs that I can find and the French seem to think that if it's not verticle then it can be used! To turn and not have it go literally pear shaped comme ça



and not crack



It needs to be down to a humidity of about 12%. That's a rhodendium wood bowl about 6" in diameter when turned. It's 6 X 6 3/4" now! I had a shower from the water thrown from it when I was turning it and as it dried it went that shape. I've been offered funny money for it, but SWMBO fell in love with it as it is now and we wouldn't part with it..

As far as 'talent' ? With me it's 23 years of practice and I tend to be quite patient with mechanical things. It gets easier as the years go by, but I still get bitten and the next time a lump of wood flies off my lathe will not be either the first or last! Thank you for the compliment though

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Beautiful work - believe that we've talked about turning before - I have a lot of the usual tools in my basement shop but never added a lathe - just another genre of woodworking (different machine, different tools, etc.) - but we have purchased a bunch of turned art works (mainly vases) over the years. Thanks for sharing - Dave

Well, John got to show his beautiful bowl, and since we're talking about our gals and jewelry, just a couple more pics of a wall hanging necklace case I built for Susan - she had her necklaces all over the place, tangled up, and was frustrated; so, I came up w/ the cabinet shown - made of mahogany & birds-eye maple - out of the way on the bedroom wall - notice that she filled it quickly! Dave
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I have a jig similar and a bit more simle (cheap) than that one you have Dave, but I rarely use it. Great for dovetails though. That Ambrosia maple looks special. I love woods like that and any chance I get I grab spalted timber. One precaution I aleways take with anything spalted is that I don my positive pressure mask. Those fungi spores are not good for you, BIG time!

Turning is commonly called 'the slippery slope' because once you get the bug you're hooked. Buying the lathe is only the tip of the slope and I hate to think just what value there is in turning kit in my workshop? Just a decent spindle gouge can cost £30 and more. Still, all of the kit I have was bought with what I have made and sold over the years. I would hate to try to live on what I've made though?

That slippery slope? I went across to my workshop to lock up about an hour ago. I picked up a peice of leylandii that I have been trying to think what to do with. It's only about 3/4" thick and 6" wide. I scribed a circle on it, cut it to ron=und on my band saw, mounted it on the lathe and now I have the bottom surface of a 6" plate. Just needs some sanding, reversing on the chuck and the top turning, sanding and oiling. It only took about 5 minutes or so to do the bottom, but I just couldn't resist it.

You posted that whilst I was tryping mine in so I've just seen it. That is very nice to say the least Dave!! I have never been a lot of good when it comes to proper joinery, but you have certainly cracked it mate! Congratulations!!

Jonzjob said:

I have a jig similar and a bit more simle (cheap) than that one you have Dave, but I rarely use it. Great for dovetails though. That Ambrosia maple looks special. I love woods like that and any chance I get I grab spalted timber. One precaution I aleways take with anything spalted is that I don my positive pressure mask. Those fungi spores are not good for you, BIG time!

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That's the only 'infected' wood that I have used, but your considerations are certainly warranted! Bought another photo from the same Beaufort, SC photographer and am just finishing the same style frame but this time made w/ quarter-sawn oak - pic of a live oak lined lane and plantation house on St. Helena Island, one the the sea islands near Beaufort.

Turning is commonly called 'the slippery slope' because once you get the bug you're hooked. Buying the lathe is only the tip of the slope and I hate to think just what value there is in turning kit in my workshop? Just a decent spindle gouge can cost £30 and more. Still, all of the kit I have was bought with what I have made and sold over the years. I would hate to try to live on what I've made though?

That slippery slope? I went across to my workshop to lock up about an hour ago. I picked up a peice of leylandii that I have been trying to think what to do with. It's only about 3/4" thick and 6" wide. I scribed a circle on it, cut it to ron=und on my band saw, mounted it on the lathe and now I have the bottom surface of a 6" plate. Just needs some sanding, reversing on the chuck and the top turning, sanding and oiling. It only took about 5 minutes or so to do the bottom, but I just couldn't resist it.

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Not buying a lathe was tough to resist but I knew the challenges and amount of money likely needed to really get into turning - I use to watch the New Yankee Workshop w/ Norm each weekend for ages - he finally added lathing to his show and as you say he was REALLY hooked - seemed he was using turning on most of his projects from then on - Dave

Beautiful cabinet.

This is a good example of spalting. It's a bit of platan from the Canal du Midi. You know it as the plane tree, there was 40,000 of them alomng the canal. They may all have to came down because of a fungal infetion.





At one stage 3 bits came passed my head at high speed!! I had tried to go too thin and the spalting weakens the wood. I found the bits and it all one bit again now.. It's difficult to see the joinns, just as well it was a clean break?

Jonzjob said:

This is a good example of spalting. It's a bit of platan from the Canal du Midi. You know it as the plane tree, there was 40,000 of them alomng the canal. They may all have to came down because of a fungal infetion.





At one stage 3 bits came passed my head at high speed!! I had tried to go too thin and the spalting weakens the wood. I found the bits and it all one bit again now.. It's difficult to see the joinns, just as well it was a clean break?

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John - gorgeous bowl - congrats and glad that you survived the turning! Like the spalting and have seen items made w/ similar wood (possibly related to the American Sycamore)?

Currently reading the book below published in 2016 - divided into 6 sections - excellent review w/ plenty of beautiful pics - Dave
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badshoehabit said:

Beautiful cabinet.

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Thanks, Sue - my Susan has used the cabinet almost on a daily basis for a number of years (can't remember when I made it, probably about 6-8 years ago?). Dave

As far as I know platan is part of the sycamore family and they are beautiful, graceful trees. The unfortunate thing with the trees on the Canal du Midi is that they contracted a desease bought over here on amunition boxes in WW!. The boxes came from the USA. For years the desease was confined to the north of France. That was until a efw years back, only 6 or 8 years back, when a couple of French tree surgeons who had been working in the north then came down here to the south and didn't clean their kit properly. It's water borne and gets into the trees through damaged bark and the holiday boaters who couldn't be bothered to moor the boats with spikes caused damage to the tree roots and allowed the water borne fungus to infect the trees. Now there is a real danger that all 40.000 trees will have to be felled and burnt on site! The Canal du Midi is a world Heritage site and at one stage was in danger of loosing that accolade as the trees play such a huge part in it!

There are other types of trees, but the platan are by far the HUGE majority. We have witnessed long stretches of the canal going from leafy tunnels to open stretches and I have almost been in tears over it. One stretch I called the cathedral, because the hundred foot plus high trees met and formed that cathedral, but not any more!

But back to our wood. One of the curses of many gardens is the leylandii. Fast growing and sometimes uncontrollable, but teh wood is lovely. This is a bit that came from one of our 84 hedge trees. They grew too big to survive in the clay we have and most are down and replaced. One day I decided to have a look at what they were hiding and if I have posted this here before then pleas excuse me, but I was very pleasently surprised by what I found hiding



The marking is my pyrography, but not on this one. It's a 6" diameter job with a natural dip in the side. The wood takes a beautiful finish, like silk



Rather than post all these on here, have a look at my web and photobucket bits. It's a hobby and I have never been a pro at wood. I love to pick an dchoose what I make and love a challenge!!

Thanks for the additional bowl pics - beautiful job! I've looked at your links previously - a LOT of wonderful works - suggest that others take a look!

Also enjoyed your commentary on the trees in your area - indeed, sad to hear. I'm currently reading the book below (always in the middle of a half dozen books - most on my iPad) which discusses these same issues - chestnuts, elms, etc. Loss of the evergreens in the western mountains of North Carolina, a frequent visit for us. For those in the USA interested in trees and forests, consider the read suggested - Dave
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