My inspiration for this series of boxes is the beach, specifically the waves and sand dunes.
The contours invoke fond memories of nature and invite touching.

Double Chocolate comes to mind when viewing this box. The body of Brazilian Rosewood is capped off with an insert of Cocobolo Rosewood, which are shaped in free form waves or perhaps frosting. The handle is Cocobolo with a little sap wood in a creamy white adding a little light to the rich setting.
The divider is made up of walnut wrapped around a spalted maple cube, it all sets on black velvet.

This is my first project using Brazilian Rosewood and I really like it. It smells similar to Cocobolo but not as pungent.
It is hard but carves nicely. It has a few worm holes here and there made by a pretty tough worm.

Tell me what you think.
Andy

I posted this on my Etsy site.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/129541190/cocobolo-wooden-box?

This is my entry in the wooden jewelry contest. Its a brooch that is also a magnetic key to open the box. The box is locked when the brooch is in the face of the box.Turn the brooch and it releases the magnet from the spring loaded catch and allows you to pop it off and wear it.

How it works:
The brooch has a 1/4” super magnet on the back and is covered by thin maple veneer. The edge of the lid has a steel pin that pops into a recess in the body when the brooch is in place and turned to the proper location, the tip of the pointer aimed at about 4 o’clock. Turn to 5 o’clock and the magnet slides past the recess in the body thus losing its attraction to the pin which is inside a spring that retracts it. This also raises the wide part of the bloodwood arrow above the body allowing it to be removed easily. Once its unlocked you simply press on the back of the lid and the front edge pivots upwards. The second picture shows the brooch after removal and also the backer which has a concealed magnet which goes inside the coat, the two super magnets easily support weight, and no pins to contend with. The first picture shows it attached to my wife’s coat using the magnetic backer.She declined to be included in the picture. She didn’t want her beauty to sway any votes.

How I did it:
I made a mock up box the exact size to practice on.
I made the steel pin using a small bolt with the head ground down and the spring from a ball point pin. I played with several version until I got the action working consitantly. I slid this into an aluminum tube about 5/16” diameter and super glued the pin to the bolt at one end and the spring to the tube at the other and then glued the unit into a proper sized hole making sure that the face of the bolt was flush with the edge of the lid. The tube ensures that the spring slides smoothly in and out. This was slow and tedious! This hole was bored through the body at the same time with the lid closed and taped in place.
I then bored the larger recess for the brooch using a 1 3/4” forstener bit and went almost all the way through the body leaving about 1/8’’. These magnets are strong but I still needed to cover the recess with veneer and also the back of the brooch with the same to hide everything, and needed to be certain that the magnet would overpower the spring._
I next made the round part of the jewelry by cutting the paduak base using a hole saw that was a little too big and ran a bolt through it and chucked it in the drill press and got it down to size slowly with a sanding block. The arrow would be in the way of turning so I then glued on the palmwood and strips of maple and wenge, carefully spacing it all with the arrow covered in tape. I then spun that all together by glueing it to another block with the bolt attached to it so I could cut it apart on the bandsaw and not trap the bolt.
I then shaped and fitted the arrow and glued it in. Simple :-)
Now you all know that I dont own a lathe.

I used:
Body-Maple

Lid panel- figured myrtlewood, black palm edge grain, bloodwood, wenge and maple stripes, brass,copper,aluminum tubing inserts.

Corner splines- cherry, bloodwood, walnut

Brooch- black palm end grain, bloodwood arrow bordered with maple and wenge,
Mounted on a base of paduak

I painted the recess for the brooch black because I couldnt clean up the cut without getting it out of round.

Finish-Deft lacquer

I am adding additional photos to clarify some details.

Lid with pin

Recess in body to receive pin. The lid with the spring and pin is in the foreground.

This shows how the pin is pulled out of the lid by the brooch, you can see the spring.

The back of the brooch, the magnet is covered by maple veneer.

This is the backer for the brooch to be worn on a sweater, coat, etc. This goes on the inside and sticks to the back of the brooch. This bloodwood is a very thin slice to hide the magnet.

Locked

Unlocked

Tutorial is here http://lumberjocks.com/Argyllshire/blog/32388#first-new

Another wing box based on a design by Dave Freedman.
This is my Art Deco version.

SORRY about the photos! These are from my phone since my lens is still awaiting repair.

The top is one piece of cocobolo rosewood cut in a serpentine fashion and each edge is faced with thin bloodwood. It reminds me of the pattern seen on a boa constrictor.
The body is leopardwood.
The corner pins are wenge.
The button and handles are black palm.
The feet are leopardwood with walnut slats dyed with india ink.
The hinges are 1/8” brass rod.
Finish is lacquer.

I made my own corner pins/dowels ( as shown in photo #4 ) by cutting wenge into a stick of square stock about 3/16” and chucking it in my drill and spinning it through a steel plate I made from a hinge. The hinge has a 1/8” hole and I cut a notch in one edge with a small triangle file to act as the cutter. I tested it with maple because its more durable and it worked slick.

I made the button by cutting a disc with a small hole saw and glueing it to a dowel with CA.
I then turned it against a drum sander. I made a rest with some scraps in a few minutes and just shaped the button by eye. I angled the button into the sandpaper by pivoting the dowel in the slot.

Tell me what you think.
Thanks,
Andy

This box was commissioned by BLM as a goodbye gift for an employee.
It was a rush job and I got it done within an hour of the presentation. Whew!
The box was designed around the size of the medallion which was a predermined size in order to fit the name and other pertinent info along with a slice of train track.

I made the medallion from a slice of figured big leaf western maple and it was sent to a laser engraver for the artwork. It was returned to me a few days later and I then routed the recess in the lid for it to fit into.

The box is 3/4 claro walnut with maple splines and I taper cut all four side on the bandsaw to lighten the weight both physically and visually.

The lid is matching walnut and pivots on brass pins. The track was attached by drilling and inserting pins in the back and attached it through holes in the madallion with epoxy.
Because of time constraints and the budget I was given I opted to set the lid into the box on the square, meaning I didnt route my typical 3/8 lip and the corner pockets, which is a much nicer look but also much more exacting work.

The handle is a piece of two color ziricote which nestles into a mating seat. The front of the box is shaped inward creating a cove in order to lift the handle.

The interior has no dividers, the bottom is lined with black velvet.

The shaping is very subtle on this box, just enough to soften the look and feel.

The finish is Minwax Wipe on Poly, 2 coats. One of my favorites.

Train track Here is the story copied from here. http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/roseburg/overview.php

The checkerboard pattern of private and public lands throughout western Oregon resulted from events stemming from the Oregon & California (O&C) Railroad Land Grant shortly after the Civil War.

BLM began to manage these forested lands in 1946 when it was formed by a merger of the General Land Office and the Grazing Service. The Roseburg BLM manages approximately 420,000 acres of O&C lands and revested lands from the Coos Bay Wagon Road grant under similar conditions.
A section of the original narrow gauge track was washed into Cow Creek in the late 1800’s and was uncovered by gold miners decades later. This location is south of Roseburg.
At some point years ago, it became a common practice upon retirement, to incorporate a section of this rail in a gift recognizing a persons service with the Roseburg BLM District. It’s a reminder of how the Roseburg office came into existence.

You can read more here if you are so inclined.
http://www.oregonwild.org/oregon_forests/old_growth_protection/westside-forests/western-oregon-s-patchwork-public-lands/O-C%20History.pdf

Thanks for looking,
Andy

Sorry about the photos, they were quick snaps with my Iphone just before it was delivered.

Two cheese boards with the centers switched.
I stacked to different style boards and secured them with double side tape and free hand cut the hiway shape. Then switched the parts but lined the curves with a thin strip of walnut.
These are prototypes, I will be more careful with how the lines converge next time.
8” x 16”
Mineral oil

Mahogany, walnut, maple, and cherry. Various woods were used for the plugs.

Thanks for looking,
Andy

This is something I have been thinking about for sometime, taking bits of scrap wood and insetting them using epoxy. I think it has potential in other projects, the medallion for one of my boxes is next on the list.

I used a 1.5” Forstener bit to bore a recess about 1/2” deep and filled the cups part way with clear epoxy and added small random bits of cast off wood. I let it dry overnight and ran it through the planer, taking many small passes. A good progressive sanding and a coat of mineral oil and its done.

The body is maple and the stripes are walnut. The cork is spalted maple. The bits are maple, wenge, purpleheart, paduak, cherry, bloodwood, walnut and mahogany.
Give this a try.
Andy

Boardeau…get it? ha
A serving board that is shaped like a wine bottle.

I will be making a selection of these to display at various wineries that have gift shops.
The business end of this is run by my wife and her sister who also have there own wares to offer and have more on their website…Winefinity.

Walnut bottle with purpleheart, maple, walnut and bubinga accents.

Thanks for looking,
Andy

It wasnt intentional, but this design came out looking like a ladder.
It will be used to serve cheese, perhaps Ladderkrantz :-) Its very similar to Liederkranz.
This took several glue ups to incorporate the different laminations.
I enjoy the puzzle of how to work in subtle details using either color or opposing lines or both in each board.
In a way its like painting in wood.

Walnut with accents of maple,bubinga,walnut,wenge and purpleheart.
Mineral oil finish.

This is for the ladies website Winefinity.

Thanks for looking,
Andy

The graceful curving strip of bubinga lends an Art Nouveau feel to this board.
I like how this one came out and will make a few more with different woods to see how the contrasts work.

This will be posted on Winefinity, a specialty wine accented website owned by my wife and her sister. They make some really cool pieces and needed some boards to fill out there offering.

Its about 7 1/2” x 17 1/2×1/2” thick with a full round edge.
The closeups show a more accurate view of the colors and the irritating inclusions and gaps. Arghhh!!

Maple,walnut,bubinga and purpleheart.
Coated with Ben-Gay sport creme :)

Thanks for looking,
Andy

I just wanted to show another style of serving/cheese board that my wife will post on her website.
www.winefinity.net
This board is a combination of edge, face and end grains.
The maple is edge grain
The purpleheart, lyptus, and the small inset pieces of walnut are end grain
The end pieces of walnut as well as both side pieces of walnut are face grain.

The claro walnut is from Oregon and has a beautiful marbling throughout. I will be making a box from it soon.

Its about 10 1/2” long x 8” wide x 3/4” thick.

Mystery oil is the coating.

Thanks for looking.
Andy

Tutorial is here http://lumberjocks.com/Argyllshire/blog/32388#first-new

A new style for me based on a box designed by Dave Freedman. I first made one of his flip lid boxes in 1997.

I took liberties with his design to suit my taste. Instead of butt joints I mitered the corners and then plowed out for the lid. I am making another one with a few more mods and will post it along with more build pictures a little later on.

Made from scraps of everykind I have been keeping for a project like this.
I thought it would be interesting to use bamboo, which is a grass, and tie it in with the lid panel which is a grass also. The cost for a 3/8” x 48” x 96” cost us about $1200.00. Here is the website http://www.lumicor.com/pampasreed/#

The body is bamboo
Splines are bloodwood
Handles and feet are paduak
Aluminum inlay on the handles and medallion
End caps on the lid are mahogany
The lid is a clear acrylic with real grasses inside. It came from a bank we did cabinets in and I kept a few scraps.
I will post more info on this material a little later.
Lacquer finish by Deft
Black velvet liner
Dividers are maple with bloodwood and wenge

It is about 12” long x 5 1/2” x 3” high

Thanks for looking.
Andy

An Art Deco style board using a common design element of the 1930’s. The skyline of buildings is often repeated in one form or another.

The close up shows the various angles cut at the top of the laminations, about 15, 22.5 and 45 degrees.

The last picture shows a simple way to work with staggered pieces like this:
This layup requires care so as not to get glue on the exposed sides and to keep all the pieces from slipping out of alignment when clamping. I placed all the parts in their exact locations and clamped them together, then I bored a 1/8” hole into each side at the bottom and pinned all the pieces together with a bamboo skewer, but a brass pin, roofing nail will work too. When all the pieces were coated with glue I slid the skewer in each side and added clamps. It worked very well. I trimmed the bottom off where the pins were, but you could add a few more for decoration along the sides if you wanted. (This was done before the sides were tapered, which made it easier to clamp, thats why the cutoff is wider than the finished board.)

The woods are maple for the center, bloodwood for the stripe and the first two strips followed by mahogany and walnut on the outside which has a taper cut into it. The tapered shoulders is another element used in various ways in Art Deco, it adds a little action to the piece.

I am trying out Yak Butter for the coating, I will let you know how that works out.

This will be going in my wifes shop or on her website at Winefinity.
Thanks for looking.
Andy

More serving boards for my wifes business, Winefinity.net
Her sister and her make wine themed gift items and wanted to augment that with a some cheese/serving boards that tie in nicely.

These give me a playground to try new designs and sometimes make me scratch my head on how to cut and assemble the pieces.

#1- Cherry with maple center and walnut borders, plugs of wenge, bloodwood, purpleheart.

#2- Deco style that is an improvement on the one I posted about a week ago. It took me awhile to perfect the cuts and angles. Its maple with bloodwood shoulders and strips with a wenge plug.

#3- Cherry,maple, two kinds of mahogany, walnut.

I coated these with an old formula handed down through our family. Its fermented hamster milk, Pinesol, bacon grease, and a dash of nutmeg, and its aged in bleach jugs until it thickens. Its a Green product…literally.

A couple of new designs I came up with.
Both are prototypes and have small flaws. But I typically go ahead and complete a new design just to find its weak spots, either in the design or my proceedure.
Both of these are a little tricky to glue up but they are pretty basic, just a bit of head scratching here and there.

As I have said before, boards are a good way to try out new ideas and wood combinations, they are fairly fast to make and use very little wood.

The first one is maple with mahogany strips, walnut shoulders and a bloodwood disc. This is a more formal design and one I will play with more.

The second one is bookmatched cherry with a maple/walnut stripe and walnut sides. The city skyline design is common in art deco.

They are coated in badger sweat and beeswax.
Thanks for looking.
Andy

I had a piece of laminated bamboo left from a job we did a few years ago and decided to make another serving board.
Bamboo is pretty nice to work with, kind of waxxy fealing, fairly hard, burns a little but not hard to sand out, slivers a little but not a problem, sands very nice, stinks like someone is frying cow pies when you rip it on the table saw…whew doggy!
It make great boards and spoons, I love this stuff, it has the perfect weight, density and feeling.
The inlays are bloodwood, walnut, wenge, maple.
I did my bent inlays by very smoothly making a sweeping cut on the bandsaw without slowing or correcting. Then I slipped in a thin strip of bloodwood.
Make sure the strips are longer than the board because the bends add to the length needed.
Its about 9×15
Mineral oil.

I enjoy making boards for various uses, it lets me unwind and play around with different ideas that pop into my head.
This one is cherry with bloodwood and walnut and a wenge plug.
I routed a 1/2” radius on the top edge and eased the bottom edge.
Its about 8” x 17”
I coat all of my boards with brake fluid.

JUST KIDDING! I use mineral oil.

Everyone has their reasons for what they use, I like this because its cheap, available, doesnt turn rancid, and doesnt change the color of the wood.

This is the commisioned box I made to hold 8 wrist watches.
It is bloodwood with a triptych panel of figuerd western maple bordered with wenge.
The splines are wenge and maple.
The handle is black palm.
The dividers are maple with leopard wood caps.
The finish is lacquer.
The bottom is lined with black suedecloth.

Go here to read the blog on its build and all the problems along the way.

Its not real…its just a prop :-)

I designed this propellor after wanting one for years. I made it for my son as an anniversary gift.

The overall shape and proportions are based on general details found in books, pictures and online sources.
I learned that the pitch can be a variety of angles and the direction either a right or left all depending on its purpose. Props can be for pulling as in a front mounted application or a pusher if its behind the cockpit. It turns out that most any wood was used at one time or another depending on the factory making them and the available timber. Since I wasnt trying to make a replica, the details were up to me. The only real criterion for me was proportion. I knew I wanted a large one, so I started off with length and balanced everything off that. This one is 83” x 6” wide x 3” thick.

I glued up some pretty clear pine into a billet 8’ long x 8’’ wide x 4’’ thick.
Starting with the hub, I marked center and made two circle jigs for a router to scribe both the outside and then the inside profile. I had to mark stopping points for the blades and blended them in later.

I bored the 8 mounting holes, just made something up that looked logical.
The brass bolt is just a std carriage bolt painted with an antique color and clear coated. It connects to a wall bracket to hang the prop sideways on the wall. The bracket is mounted first to the wall and then the prop is bolted to it. This lets it stand off the wall a couple of inches.

For the blades I made two masonite templates to the exact size and shape. One will do but I found it easier to get everything layed out correctly by using two. Its easy to get mixed up because the ends of the propellor are opposites. One tip is pointing up and one down.

Then there is the angle of sweep, the pitch of the blades to layout.

I bought a model airplane prop, made from wood, to use as a model but it didnt look like pictures of ones for full size planes, so I gave it to my grandson.
I just eyeballed the pitch from pictures, knowing that they vary anyway and found something that worked with the thickness of the billet and looked good to my eye. I cut this on the bandsaw by tilting the table and feeding in from one end for one blade and cutting out the other by pulling it through from the back of the blade. I cleaned it all up and blended it smooth with a drawknife, handplanes, and a palm sander.

The finish is several colors, layered and then glazed with a darker color all to give the effect of an antique.
I have it at my house for a bit to store it, but I dont want to let it go.
I guess I will have to make one for me…maybe white oak..hmmmm
Thanks for looking,
Andy

I made this box for Alison, a friend that gives much of her time to helping others.
The name came about from the patterns, grain and crevices in the ziricote medallion and handle has a picture of a mesa off in the distance. It was pretty punky so I dug out all the loose material and using CA, I secured the rest in place.
The body is quarter sawn white oak and various woods were used for the corner splines.
The interior was made with forstener bits in more of the ziricote and maple strips run fore and aft. It all sits on black velvet.
The finish is Deft lacquer from a spray can, is semi-gloss.
The hinge is my standard brass pin.

Another bamboo serving board. The picture is pretty poor, a quick grab shot before we took it to a friend, Anna.
I started off with a piece of laminated bamboo panel left over from a kitchen cabinet job we did recently.
(The doors and drawer fronts were bamboo giving the kitchen a simple elegant look.)

I took the panel ( about 12” x 16” ) and cut in two up the middle in a sweeping ‘S’ shape, moving quickly, but smoothly. Just keep the blade moving, dont try and correct for the line or you will get little jags in the cut which will show up later.
Next I placed a thin strip of mahogany between the halves and clamped it together making sure the ends lined up and that the board remained very flat or else you get a twisted board when dry and no amount of planing will level that out.
Then I recut the entire board into strips of varying widths and flipped them around to suit my eye and reglued it all back together. On the edges I added a few strips of wenge and mahogany alternating with the bamboo rips.
I then took a large forstener bit a punched a finger hole in one corner. I used a smaller forstener bit for the plugs and only drilled in about half the thickness of the board, about 3/8”. The sweeping arc for the plugs as well as the arched ends and sides was done by simply bending a thin strip of wood and marking the line with a pencil. I then ran the board back through the planer to smooth out all the inlays and plugs, hand sanded and rubbed on some food grade oil.
Here is a link to who made this panel stock.
http://www.plyboo.com/contact-us.html
Thats about it, very easy.
Now go make a few and give them to someone that needs a lift,
Andy