Now before I get started on this little demonstration of how I do it, let me caution you on a couple things. IF you try anything like this, take the plate that your saw blade comes up through and close that hole completely up with a thin piece of wood. Make sure it is even with the top, with no gaps and no lips to catch the pieces. You want it smooth. Then with a “Hollow ground plywood blade” come up from the bottom so you have no gap between the blade and the wood. You may have to do this a couple times so the blade does not rub on the wood. You don’t want to use a blade with any set to the teeth or you will be throwing pieces all over the place.

You will be working close to the blade in some steps so you don’t want a big gap next to the blade. I started off using an old power saw and progressed up to a foot powered table saw. This gives me the advantage that IF I hit my fingers, my feet stop (I never have). You may not have that feature on your particular saw, so if you don’t have common since around power tools, stick to knitting.

Now if you want a closer look at anything in any of these pictures, you can click on the picture, it will take you right to the picture on my Flickr site, then click on the “All Sizes” at the top of the picture in the “Actions” box, it will make it bigger and bigger, or smaller if you want.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #1

I needed to make some more of my Tumbling Block Cribbage Boards and I needed more strips of different kinds of wood that I cut the pieces from. I put a short block of wood on the fence so if the board has any curve to it, the longer fence would make the strip have a thin part to it, the short block will let the strip keep that curve. When I cut the pieces, that slight curve will not be a factor. I want the whole strip to be .200 end to end. The pieces will then all be of a uniform thickness and I can know that I can get 4 strips of wood for every inch the starting board is wide. If I have a board 6” wide I will end up with 24 strips from that board. I will cut my boards close to 24” long and for my regular diamonds and triangles; I will get 20 diamonds and 28 triangles.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #2

After getting the strips cut from the type of wood I will be needing, I move them over to one side of the table saw that I use to narrow the strip down to within .005 of .734. I have several different old table saws that I got at different flea markets for $10.00 to $20.00. I power them with old furnace fan motors and v-belts. This saves in some set-up time and fits my price range for the tool.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #3

This picture shows the strip as it is part way through the cut. I use a hollow ground plywood blade in trimming the strips and in cutting the pieces. The blade will make a satin smooth cut. When the blade needs sharpening, I do that then in putting it back on the spindle I tighten the nut and spin the blade by hand a few turns. You will see the blade has a little wobble. I loosen the nut and turn the blade a bit on the spindle and then tighten the nut. I do this until I find the place where the wobble is taken out. It doesn’t take much of a wobble to be over .005.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #4

When I have the strips trimmed down to size, I take the kinds of wood that I need to my foot powered table saw and as I am making a Tumbling block pattern I use my jig that is set at a 30°. I have 6 jigs for the 6 shapes that I use in making my product; 3 jigs for diamonds and 3 jigs for triangles. (You can see more on my foot powered table saw in one of my earlier Projects.)

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #5

I use the jig for making the triangles and cut as many triangles, as I will be needing for the project that I will be making.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #6

Most wood will leave a fuzzy edge which I will scrape off using a knife, piece by piece.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #7

I take a blank piece of Baltic Birch plywood, 5/8th to ¾” thick and mark the center. As you look at this diamond that I have glued on, you will see that the grain of the wood goes up and out of the diamond at the top right and the bottom left. It will be the same on each diamond that I glue on the Cribbage Board. If you turn it so that the point is up, on each type of wood, the grain will go out of the diamond to the right, at the top. To me this is more uniform and more pleasing to the eye when the whole thing is done.

I use hot glue to glue the diamonds and triangles on to the base. I use “Super Amber” Hot glue sticks from Supergrit (or Red Hill Corporation) at;
http://www.supergrit.com/products/products_glue-hotmelt.asp

The glue that squishes out I trim off with a chisel if it cools and hardens up before I can put another diamond in next to it.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #8

To help things go faster I will lay out some diamonds, the right way they are to go on, before I start to glue them on. For this picture I have the blank turned 90° from how I will be working by gluing the diamonds on.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #9

When I get it this far, I will trim off the glue.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #10

At this stage the glue will be hard enough that it won’t be sticky.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #11

After the glue is trimmed off I then mark out from the diamonds ½”, all around. At the ends I will lay a diamond in the point and measure from it, then draw connecting lines all the way around.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #12

The blank will then be trimmed and marked as to how I will cut it to shape.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #13

In cutting it, I cut on the outside of the line.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #14

I then finish gluing the pieces on the top of the Cribbage Board.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #15

Then trim off the glue that has squeezed out.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #16

This leaves a clean square corner to glue the side pieces on.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #17

I get all of the side pieces glued on, keeping the pattern on the top going on over the side, as you will see in later pictures. The corner pieces will have to be individually cut to fit.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #18

I cut the diamonds for the corners by marking where I think the line should be. I tilt the table of the Foot Powered table saw to a 30° angle, and make the cut. You have to get your fingers kind of close to the blade at this point. If you keep your finger away from the blade 1/16th of an inch the blade will never cut you. I do figure that I have an advantage here in that IF I hit my finger,—my feet will stop. (Although that theory has never been tested.)

I do want to point out something here; you can see that I have closed up the gap that is on each side of the saw blade. I did this by making a thin piece of wood the size of the hole, the same thickness as the top plate and then gluing another thin piece over that to the bottom of the plate. Then you just turn on the saw and raise the blade with the table flat and at any angle that you will be using, like 22 ½° and 30°. This way there will not be a gap for the piece to be sucked down into, pulling your finger along with it.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #19

The cut pieces should fit together like this.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #20

They should fit in the corner like this.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #21

They should make the corner look like this.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #22

They should make the corner look like this. You will also notice that the cribbage board is “rough as a cob”. This will be taken care of by sanding.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #23

To get it to look like this. But there is one more step that I do.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #24

I sand a 45° angle on the top and bottom and slightly round the side corners.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #25

I scribble on it with a pencil at this stage. The reason for this is to get the pencil marks below the sawdust and glue that I will be rubbing over the whole thing, with a putty knife, to fill the cracks. Then in final sanding, when the pencil marks are gone, I know that I’m down below the glue, and the finish will go on ok.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #26

This is after the cracks are filled. (I used to use the white glue but then in humid weather the glue joint would rise. I now use powdered resin, mix it with water, then that with the saw dust. It will stay smooth then and you won’t be having the glue joint rising on you.)

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #27

I took a piece of ¼” clear plastic and marked and drilled the holes then countersunk the edges of each hole a little. I use a self-centering bit to get the holes where I want them. I place the plastic where I want it and hold it in place with the 3 hold-down straps. I leave 2 straps holding the plastic when I am drilling the holes under the one I move aside. With the self-centering bit, you need to clean out the holes after you take the plastic off but you have them uniform at least.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #28

I end up with the holes looking like this.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #29

I make my “peg storage holes” in the side, making two holes with one opening. I use this jig to hold the cribbage board at this angle, and drill one hole. Then I turn the cribbage board around and going in the same hole I drill another hole.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #30

A close look at the hole will look like this. You are looking at two ¼” holes.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #31

During the final sanding of each board I round all of the edges, I just sand them round. Rounded edges feel much better in my hands than square corners and are much harder to damage. I think God liked round edges also is why he made most women with round edges. I say most, because I’ve been around some that somehow have sharp edges, and they are not fun to be around.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #32

It is now ready to write on the bottom and start putting the finish on it.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #33

These have the first coat of varnish on them.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #34

This is the finished cribbage board.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #35

On the bottom I put my name, the type of wood that is used, the date and the “Foot Cut” lets them know I cut the pieces on my foot powered table saw.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #36

When you look close at the hackberry triangle that buts up against the hackberry triangle on top, you will see that the grain goes out of the triangle to the left. This gives more of the illusion it is one diamond like the ones on top.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #37

This shows the finished “peg storage holes”.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #38

This shows the finished “peg storage holes” with one stainless steel peg going into the left hole.

Making a Tumbling Block Cribbage Board #39

This shows the finished “peg storage holes” with one brass peg in the right hole.

Some concluding thoughts on making the tumbling block pattern. I have always liked it because it makes you see a lot of blocks,—- but there are as many stars as there blocks. On each diamond, if you go to the side you are in the middle of a block. At each point of the diamond you are in the middle of a star that has 6 points.

I put a line most of the way around one star. Maybe that will help. Each diamond will have a different star at each end of the diamond; you will be in the middle of the star.

When I make the tumbling block pattern or any other pattern with my pieces, I let the piece dictate the size and shape. I never like to cut off the piece in an unnatural place, like in the following picture. If I cut it I want to be able to have it follow on over the side of the object that I am making with the rest of the piece.

Thank you for coming this far,
Robin

Now before I get started on this little demonstration of how I do it, let me caution you on a couple things. IF you try anything like this, take the plate that your saw blade comes up through and close that hole completely up with a thin piece of wood. Make sure it is even with the top, with no gaps and no lips to catch the pieces. You want it smooth. Then with a “Hollow ground plywood blade” come up from the bottom so you have no gap between the blade and the wood. You may have to do this a couple times so the blade does not rub on the wood. You don’t want to use a blade with any set to the teeth or you will be throwing pieces all over the place.

You will be working close to the blade in some steps so you don’t want a big gap next to the blade. I started off using an old power saw and progressed up to a foot powered table saw. This gives me the advantage that IF I hit my fingers, my feet stop (I never have). You may not have that feature on your particular saw, so if you don’t have common since around power tools, stick to knitting.

Now if you want a closer look at anything in any of these pictures, you can click on the picture, it will take you right to the picture on my Flickr site, then click on the “All Sizes” at the top of the picture, it will make it bigger and bigger, or smaller if you want.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #1

I recently started using some Brazilian Satinwood that has perfect satinwood markings on the surface of the wood, so I thought I had to make several tiny boxes with some of it. All of my boxes are put together basically the same. The larger boxes I do lay out the pieces on the top out to the last row that goes over the edge. On the larger boxes I then measure out and cut it to shape then, they are not always the same.

On this box I wanted the same coloring as on my other Sri Lanka Satinwood box, the only difference is that I’ll start this one off with Wenge in the center. I would then use Pink Ivory, Black Palm (cut on an angle to give the dots of the end grain an elongated look to make it more interesting), Purpleheart and then Satinwood. I will use the Aunt Sukeys Choice quilt pattern on the top. It will have a mixture of half size pieces on the top and full size pieces on the sides. This first picture shows the different woods in the different size of strips that I will be using, along with the jig I use to cut the full size triangle. I have 3 other jigs I will use to cut the other 3 type of pieces on the box. (You can find more on the jigs and cutting my pieces on my “How I Make a Lazy Susan” set (or Blog))

Making a Tiny Sq Box #2

After cutting the pieces and going over each one to make sure the fuzzy edge is scraped off I have them separated out ready to be put to use.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #3

Knowing the exact size the design will end up I have the base pieces of the box already cut out, four sides and the top and bottom. Before I start gluing the sides of the base onto the top or bottom I make a mark on what will be the front or the back of the top and the bottom and put a number also on what will be the inside. This way I will know what top will go with which bottom when I cut them apart. With the larger boxes they will even be a little different shape because the pieces will go on a little different on each box so on the bigger boxes I cut the side pieces after I know what shape the box will end up. To look at the larger boxes they look the same but they are a little different. The top of one will not fit the bottom of another.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #4

I use hot glue to glue the box togather as well as glueing the diamonds and triangles on to the base. I use “Super Amber” Hot glue sticks from Supergrit (or Red Hill Corporation) at;
http://www.supergrit.com/products/products_glue-hotmelt.asp

It has worked very well for my as I need a glue that sets up fast and holds.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #5

I always shave off the glue that squeezes out as I put the sides on.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #6

I use the long side pieces as the front and back of the box, and the short pieces as the ends or sides of the box. The over-lay also adds strength to the box as you can see in picture #32 the over-lay crosses the side joint and then the front and back over-lay crosses the side over-lay. This all adds strength to the simple butt joints that I use (time is money but to the buying public your time is worth nothing).

Making a Tiny Sq Box #7

After I get the base together I draw some guide lines on the top and down the sides.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #8

The first pieces I glue on this box are two triangles on the end, lined up on the marks, then shave off the glue.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #9

Next I glue the diamonds on making sure the grain of the wood is going the way I want it to. I will use the grain of the wood to always make a uniform pattern on the box. To me the grain always has a right and wrong way to lay on each piece.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #10

In gluing the pieces to the sides or ends of the box, they will hang over front and back. When I glue the pieces onto the front and back, they will go over the edges of the pieces on the ends and the pieces on the top will overhang on all sides.

The glue you see here will need to be shaved off

Making a Tiny Sq Box #11

After the glue is shaved off it will look like this.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #12

The end of the box will then look like this.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #13

I will do the same thing to the other end of the box to make it like this.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #14

Then taking it to the saw, I will cut off the overhanging pieces even with the edge.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #15

So that the box is now like this.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #16

I will then glue the pieces onto the front and back, using some of the other types of wood that I will have on the top to help tie the sides to the top.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #17

After trimming off the glue and the overhanging pieces on top, the box will look like this, ready to put the design onto the top.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #18

If I were to continue to use the full size pieces that I used on the sides, I would only have room for 8 diamonds and 12 triangles. Not enough room for the design that I want on the top. So I will use half size pieces and have 16 diamonds and 24 triangles to make my “Aunt Sukeys Choice” quilt pattern. After laying the pieces out I glue on the first two as a unit.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #19

I will build the bigger square in the center, then go on out to the edge on one corner at a time

Making a Tiny Sq Box #20

Following on around the box

Making a Tiny Sq Box #21

To the last corner

Making a Tiny Sq Box #22

Then shave off the glue.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #23

You can see on this picture how the pieces are uneven with each other and rough as a cob.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #24

I then take it to the belt sander and sand it even, starting with 80 grit and going on down to 120 grit.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #25

At the last of this sanding step I will sand a 45° bevel on all of the corners to make rounding all the corners easier.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #26

Now I mark all over it with a pencil, I do this as a final sanding gauge to make sure I get down below the glue I will be spreading all over it.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #27

After it is sanded even and scribbled all over it with a pencil, I do this because I am going to mix fine sawdust and glue together and force it down into the cracks you can see in the close up if you look good at it. Then when I final sand the box so it is real smooth I will be sure and get below the glue by sanding off the pencil marks. Otherwise the glue will show up when you put the finish on, and you will have a real problem then. (I used to use the white glue but then in humid weather the glue joint would rise. I now use powdered resin, mix it with water, then that with the saw dust. It will stay smooth then and you won’t be having the glue joint rising on you.) (I have seen rolling pins from glued up wood that were smooth but after going through some damp weather you could feel every glue joint on the thing.)

Making a Tiny Sq Box #28

After letting the glue dry it will be ready to final sand

Making a Tiny Sq Box #29

These are the two sanders I use. I use the random orbit sander for the flat parts and the other to round all of the corners. A round corner is much more pleasing to feel than a square corner (that’s why GOD made woman round) and a round corner is much harder to damage than a square corner.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #30

To me the rounded corners are more pleasing to the eye also.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #31

I then take them to the band saw to cut them open.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #32

I take out the glue on the inside and sand and round the saw cut

Making a Tiny Sq Box #33

So it will then look like this.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #34

I decide which side I like for the front and then mark for the hinges on the back.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #35

I use a hollow ground plywood blade to first cut on the inside of the lines then sliding the box side to side a little at a time, I take out the rest, leaving a place for the hinge.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #36

So, top and bottom the hinge will be inset.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #37

I drill the screw holes and screw the hinge onto the bottom

Making a Tiny Sq Box #38

I use a tiny bit of glue on some little sticks I have to glue onto the hinge to hold it open like it needs to be, then using a little glue on the lid where the hinge will go I put the lid on the box where it needs to be and let the glue cool. I then dig the bead of glue out of the screw hole and put the screws in and the lid is in place where it should be.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #39

This will get the hinges onto the box.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #40

This is what the box looks like at this stage.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #41

Before putting any finish on I write this on the bottom, always listing the wood from the center out. I have sold trivets, 200 miles from home and had people contact me 10 or 12 years later after they have moved half way across the country, asking if I still make my items, and then had them buy 3 or 4 boxes from where I sell on the internet. It helps to be from a small town but they can still find you if they have a town.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #42

I use varnish as my finish, I thin it about 20% and rub it in by hand. I will put a coat on each of these boxes and then go back to the first one and start rubbing it until it is kind of tacky, set it down and go to the next.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #43

These have one coat on and I will put 5 or 6 coats on before they are done.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #44

The next step is to take black velveteen and on all of the edges that will show I run a bead of glue along it and fold over about 1/8” as you see here. The long pieces will go around the sides of the box.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #45

I will take a square piece and fold and glue it over a piece of porter board that I will glue onto the bottom and the top.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #46

This picture shows all 5 pieces before I glue them into the box. The 5th pieces will cover the hinge when the lid is up, it will also keep the lid from falling back. It acts like a stop.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #47

This picture shows the top side strip half glued in and the hinge cover glued to the top but not the bottom yet.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #48

Top, Front and Side

Brazilian Satinwood is a naturally yellow wood that comes from South America. The Satinwood, when it is cut right, you can see the light move in the grain pattern as you move the box side to side just as on satin fabric. There are no stains on any of the wood that you see on this box. GOD did not limit himself to the brown tones when he made wood.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #49

Top

Brazilian Satinwood is a naturally yellow wood that comes from South America. The Satinwood, when it is cut right, you can see the light move in the grain pattern as you move the box side to side just as on satin fabric. There are no stains on any of the wood that you see on this box. GOD did not limit himself to the brown tones when he made wood.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #50

Top and Front

Brazilian Satinwood is a naturally yellow wood that comes from South America. The Satinwood, when it is cut right, you can see the light move in the grain pattern as you move the box side to side just as on satin fabric. There are no stains on any of the wood that you see on this box. GOD did not limit himself to the brown tones when he made wood.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #51

Top and Back

Brazilian Satinwood is a naturally yellow wood that comes from South America. The Satinwood, when it is cut right, you can see the light move in the grain pattern as you move the box side to side just as on satin fabric. There are no stains on any of the wood that you see on this box. GOD did not limit himself to the brown tones when he made wood.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #52

Side

Brazilian Satinwood is a naturally yellow wood that comes from South America. The Satinwood, when it is cut right, you can see the light move in the grain pattern as you move the box side to side just as on satin fabric. There are no stains on any of the wood that you see on this box. GOD did not limit himself to the brown tones when he made wood.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #53

Box Open

Brazilian Satinwood is a naturally yellow wood that comes from South America. The Satinwood, when it is cut right, you can see the light move in the grain pattern as you move the box side to side just as on satin fabric. There are no stains on any of the wood that you see on this box. GOD did not limit himself to the brown tones when he made wood.

Making a Tiny Sq Box #54

The box on the left here has the Brazilian Satinwood; it is a more bright yellow than the golden color of the Satinwood from Sri Lanka that is shown on the right.

Thank you for looking,
Robin Tucker

This is how it invariably turned out.

I now use a set-up such as this. (Now isn’t that pretty?) (Don’t mind the junk)

This is how it turns out now.

So,——What made the difference? What is up over it is the difference. You want the day light for good color but you don’t want the sky over it, it will reflect on the item and give you what I call “sky shine”. Having it just inside of a doorway, the roof of the shed,—trailer, or what ever it is you use is dark and don’t reflect back at you. Think of the item as a mirror, so you don’t want to be able to see light.

Now with my setup some people might think that the surrounding clutter detracts from the item, (can you imagine such a thing happening?) Even the cart top itself is not the prettiest, but it serves it purpose of holding the item. I get around that problem by cutting it out, so all that is seen is the object I made.

Is it prettier now without the clutter around it? Or do you still see the clutter in your mind?

I hope this helps when you are trying to take some of your pictures of your shinny woodwork.

Thank You for looking,
Robin Tucker

About 30 years ago I made part of my goat barn completely out of pallets (walls and roof). I made stalls out of scrap wood also; I used small skids for the gates. I drilled holes for the nails to be used as hinge pins and used the bottom boards as the hinge. 30 years latter I am still using that hinge a couple times a day. It doesn’t have to be fancy for a goat. Here are two of the gates,

Three bottom boards;

And four bottom boards;

It has always kind of surprised me that they have lasted so long.

This past summer I redone a small enclosure to put the few sheep we have into at night. With the old setup the gate swung 90° back against a building I could hook it to, but now it had to swing 180° back against the fence to hook. I needed a hook to hold the sheep gate open when I let them out in the morning. And I needed to be able to stand in the opening when I shut it so if the sheep got spooked they maybe couldn’t run out the opening before I got the gate shut. I wanted it to be fast and easy to hook and release so I came up with this and it fits the bill. If I were to make it over I would make the bottom slot for the swivel about an inch further back toward the tail end, but it works fine as it is so it will stay. I made it out of Hedge (Osage Orange, Bois D’Arc, Bo dock, Bow wood) so it will outlast me out in the weather. (I keep a supply of hedge around that I have slabbed up with a chain saw. I use it for my jigs and things like this, not for my pieces as it changes color to much and to fast.)

Back side;

Front side;

I can just push the gate open and it catches it fine. It is placed close to the hinge side of the gate so I have no trouble standing in the opening and reaching it to release the gate.

Thank you for looking,
Robin Tucker

(Now on any of these pictures if you want to see something closer just click on the picture and it will take you to my Flickr site at that picture. You can then click on the “ALL SIZES” that is at the top of the picture, then you can, at the top, click on the size you want the picture to be. Also I added “notes” to the picture on Flickr so when you hold the cursor over the box on the picture it will tell what that is. You can also make a note asking what something is, if you have an account with Flickr).

Now you can make something to go on your miter gauge that comes with your table saw and get it adjusted to cut a particular piece. You will just have to do it all over when you change to a different piece, but it will work. Or some Quilt Patterns can be made with only one type of shape.

Let’s start off with that. The basic piece for the Tumbling Block is a diamond that only takes 6 to complete the circle instead of the 8 that I normally use on most items, like my 8 pointed stars. This will entail setting the miter gauge to 60° instead of the 45° as on my other jigs. You will need a stop on the jig so all the pieces will be uniform, similar to the stop on this Jig;

After you have the angle set on the miter gauge exactly you will need to set the stop so the piece will be as long as it is wide, whatever you decide those measurements to be. In setting up the jig to cut right I always use some scrap wood and plan to discard the first few pieces until you get it set right. You will need 12 pieces for the basic first piece.

To cut the diamond, you just keep sliding the strip right on in to the stop each time you make a cut.

They can all be the same kind of wood or 4 pieces of 3 different kinds of wood. You may think differently but I almost always want the grain of the wood to be uniform in the direction it is going as you lay each piece down. When you look at each piece on the following picture, when the points of the piece are up and down, I have the end grain coming out of the piece at the top right and the bottom left. To me it has a more pleasing look to it; you may think differently which is your choice.

As you turn the piece it will look different;

Now on this small Tumbling Block pattern it is maybe easier to see the star in the center that has 6 points. And turned again;

Now to make a bigger Tumbling Block pattern you have two choices. You can plan on cutting off half of a diamond on each side or you can make a jig to make a triangle. I make the stop for the triangle like in this picture;

The jig in this picture is for my regular triangle which is set on a 45° angle. For the tumbling block pattern you will want the jig set on a 60° angle, otherwise it will be the same as in the picture.

To cut the triangle after each cut, you turn the strip of wood over and slide it into the stop for the next cut. When you hold two of these triangles together you will want them both to measure the same length as the diamond.

Now whether you make the triangle or just cut off half of the diamond on the outside edge you can make something like this;

Again in gluing in the triangle I make sure the grain is going the right direction. You can see the triangle on the top is like the bottom half of the diamond below it just as the bottom triangle is like the top half of the diamond above it. To me this keeps it all uniform.

In checking to see if you have the pieces in right, an easy way is to run your eye along each row of diamonds, point to point, and see if there is no brake in the line. Hold the board up at a slant if nothing else, and sight down the line, there should be an unbroken line of diamonds point to point on all 3 lines. One thing I watch for is having ALL of the wood grain going the same direction on each type of wood; this will give the finished product a woven look.

Below is the same pattern turned 4 different ways to make it appear different;

2

3

4

5

Another quilt pattern you can make with one shape is the Tree of Life. It is made with a triangle cut on a 45° angle. It will be like this;

Now to make most other quilt patterns you will need to make both a diamond and a triangle. Depending on the wood you use, they can have completely different looks.

This;

Compared to this;

Or this;

Compared to this;

You can even make people wonder if they are seeing an X with red ends, or a plus sign with white ends, like this;

Or an Aunt Sukeys Choice Quilt Pattern;

These last 6 items are all the same size across.

These next two are a bit bigger, the Morning Star;

And the Carpenters Wheel;

I even extended the Carpenters Wheel on out to Two sizes of Lazy Susans

My Small Carpenters Wheel Lazy Susan;

And my Medium Carpenters Wheel Lazy Susan;

On this next item, the Sampler itself is all triangles but the border incorporates the diamond to give it a feathered look around it, so again the diamond has to fit the triangle.

My Sampler Quilt Block;

Maybe this will give you some ideas and some help if you would want to give it a try.

Thank you for looking,
Robin Tucker

The reason I go with .734 or 47/64” is some of the boards I was getting were just under ¾”. I cut the strips off the edge of a board and from those strips, I cut my pieces, so I want to be able to then get the strip to the right width, and if it starts out to narrow, I can’t. Now when I use the half size pieces with the regular size pieces they all have to be the right sizes. As you can see the star on this box has 8 diamonds and it has 8 triangles tucked in between the points;

NOTE – On any of the pictures, if you want to read the description of that item, just click on the picture and it will take you to that picture on my Flickr site where it will give the description under the picture.

Where on this box, in the same sized area I have 16 diamonds and 16 triangles. You will notice that one diamond length wise and one diamond cross wise is the same length as one regular diamond, and takes up the same area just as 2 half size triangles is the same area as one regular triangle;

The same with these two boxes, the first has 40 pieces on the top;

This next one has 60 pieces on the top and is the same size. In the middle it has 40 pieces in the same area that I have 20 pieces on the first box;

And on this Lazy Susan I have both sizes shown;

Video

Here is a video made by Tara (weirdwolf) from Etsy.com on this same Lazy Susan; (again I have a slip of the tongue here and I say Pattern when I should have said star,(I seem to be good at that) so don’t let that mix you up)

On this table top you can see the stars in the Oak all over it if you look close, as I mention in the video;

Now when I say the Triangle has to match up with the Diamond. Like on this box I have 2 triangles back to back and they stop right at the tip of the diamond;

Where on this table top I have 12 diamonds out on a point and 24 triangles (12 back to back) and they stop right at the tip going out both ways;

So the size only matters in relation to the pieces that are used with it. It all depends on how many jigs you want to make to cut your pieces.

Also as you go from one size of finished product to the next, the size of piece you have will make a difference in the next size larger you can make. My small oak Lazy Susan will be 12” across, as here;

My medium Oak Lazy Susan will be 15 ½” across, as here;

And my Large Oak Lazy Susan will be 19” across, as here;

By this comparison it shows I can only make this design in 3 ½” size differences. The bigger your piece is the more limited you are on how close you can make different size objects of the same kind.

This all might be helpful if anyone wants to try this using different size pieces. I’m set up to use the size piece I am using. It works for me but other sizes would work also, as long as all the pieces fit together.

Thank you for looking,
Robin Tucker

You will be working close to the blade in some steps so you don’t want a big gap next to the blade. I started off using an old power saw and progressed up to a foot powered table saw. This gives me the advantage that IF I hit my fingers, my feet stop (I never have). You may not have that feature on your particular saw, so if you don’t have common since around power tools, stick to knitting.

Now if you want a closer look at anything in any of these pictures, you can click on the picture, it will take you right to the picture on my Flickr site, then click on the “All Sizes” at the top of the picture, it will make it bigger and bigger, or smaller if you want.

#1 & #2

Take a piece of ½” Baltic Birch Plywood and drew 8 lines clear across it, intersecting in the middle, equally spaced. They will be used to help guide the inner and outer points of the star, to try and keep them on the line. In the picture I have the lines drawn and the first 8 diamonds glued on forming the center of the star.

#2

#3 &4

These next two pictures show the jig I made to make the large diamond .734 across each way. I cut them from a strip of wood .200” thick; I ripped off the edge of a board then narrowed down to .734” wide. The diamonds have to all be uniform or it will through the whole design off, and multiply any error.

#4

#5

This picture shows how I check the size of the pieces. The angle has to be exact too. You don’t want any gaps multiplying either.

#6

Some types of wood like this Philippine Mahogany will leave a fizzy edge when it is cut. This will have to be scrapped off with a knife on each piece.

#7 & #8

Once the pieces are cut and ready I glue them on the plywood, bringing one point at a time out to the tip. After I glue each row on, the glue that squeezes out the bottom of the piece needs to be shaved off using a chisel so the next row can fit up tight against it.

I use hot glue to glue the diamonds and triangles on to the base. I use “Super Amber” Hot glue sticks from Supergrit (or Red Hill Corporation) at;
http://www.supergrit.com/products/products_glue-hotmelt.asp

#8

#9

Before I glue the pieces on each point I lay them out in the order they will be glued on to the point. I always make sure the grain of the wood is going the right way. The grain on points # 1, 2, 5, and 6 all go the same way. The grain on points #3, 4, 7 and 8 are 90 degrees off from the other 4 points of the star. Wood reflects light according to the way the grain runs. Making the star this way will, in some lighting conditions, give the points of the star different colors compared to each other.

#10, 11, 12 & 13

I continue this process one point at a time on around the star to the last two points.

#11

#12

#13

#14, 15 & 16

The last two points I lay out the pieces and glue them on one row at a time, on both points clear out to the tip, in this way completing the star.

#15

#16

#17 & 18

This picture shows the jig I made to make the large triangle. It has to be adjusted to the right angle so four pieces fit and make a square with no gaps. The size has to be adjusted so it fills the space between the tips of the diamonds.

#18

#19

Again the fuzzy edge has to be scrapped off so the pieces will fit close together.

#20

I have found that when the angle is right, the size is right when measuring the points at 1.455 + or – .005.

#21 & 22

After getting the pieces ready I lay them out back to back ready to glue on and then after they are all laid out, glue them on out to this point and stop.

#22

#23

I then scrape off the glue that has squeezed out from under the pieces.

#24

I then lay a triangle in the space and measure out ½” all the way around the star. The short line you see here is the cutoff line. The longer line is the line the pieces will come out to when the top is all laid out.

#25

I have just laid these 5 pieces in position so you can see how they come out over the cutoff line. This is so I can bring another piece up under the piece on the top. It will give the illusion of being bent over the edge

#26, 27 & 28

After I cut it to shape I measure in 3/8” at each end of each side, drill it and counter sink the drill hole all the way around the edge of the lazy susan.

#27

#28

#29 & 30

I now tilt the table on the foot powered table saw and cut the boards, one at a time, that will be glued and screwed around the edge of the lazy susan.

#30

#31

After I get all of the boards glued and screwed on I then drive a finishing nail from the end of one board into the end of the adjoining board to help hold it in place.

#32 & 33

The lazy susan then looks like this.

#33

#34

I then finish gluing the pieces on to the top to bring the design on out to the edge.

#35

I turn it over and take off the excess glue. Notice the top pieces over hanging the sides.

#36

The top will look like this at this point.

#37, 38 & 39

I again tilt the table to a 22 ½ degree angle and bevel one edge of the triangle so it will fit tight together as it fits together at the corners. I have an untested theory on this close cutting process that if I hit my fingers my feet will stop.

#38

#39

#40

The pieces should fit tight together as is shown in this picture.

#41 & 42

I then glue the Hackberry pieces that I beveled onto the corner, at the same time gluing them to the overhanging top piece also. I fill in between the corners with Walnut triangles glued to the top pieces and the sides.

#42

#43

I then scrap off the excess glue that has squeezed out from these pieces.

#44

The next thing to do is to fill in to the bottom of the side pieces.

#45 & 46

The last two pieces by each corner has to be cut to fit with each other on the foot powered table saw. I tilt the saw; hold the lazy susan in my lap while peddling the saw, and mark and cut the two pieces so they will fit together when put into place.

#46

#47

After getting the last two pieces glued on each corner, and the glue trimmed off it is ready to be sanded down even.

#48

This picture shows the unevenness of the pieces and the squared edges

#49

This picture shows how the initial sanding will even the pieces and how I start to round all the edges by sanding a 45 onto each corner. A rounded object has a much more pleasing feel in your hand than a square cornered object, and is not so easily damaged. I figure this is why GOD made women kind of rounded, with no sharp corners.

In sanding the projects I use a belt sander with an 80 grit belt, and then go with a 120 grit belt.

#50, 51 & 52

After it is sanded even I scribble all over it with a pencil, I do this because I am going to mix fine sawdust and glue together and force it down into the cracks you can see in the close up if you look good at it. Then when I final sand the lazy susan so it is real smooth I will be sure and get below the glue by sanding off the pencil marks. Otherwise the glue will show up when you put the finish on, and you will have a real problem then. (I used to use the white glue but then in humid weather the glue joint would rise. I now use powdered resin, mix it with water, then that with the saw dust. It will stay smooth then and you won’t be having the glue joint rising on you.)

#51

#52

#53 & 54

When the Lazy Susan is finished it will be setting on a piece of 5/8” Baltic Birch plywood with rubber bumpers on the bottom of that. After filling the cracks I take the bottom blank I have prepared beforehand and cut it to shape, and rough sand the edges. When it is done the bottom will be as rounded and smooth as the top. I don’t care for fuzzy wood.

#54

#55

After the glue dries, I finish sanding it with 80 grit, 120 grit and sometimes 220 grit on a random orbit sander.

This picture is of the edge of the Lazy Susan after it has been sanded down to 120 grit sandpaper. When you compare it to #48 you con see the difference between the sharp corners and the rounded corners of this. To me it is much more pleasing to look at as well as in handling it.

#56

When you apply the finish, then is when you truly see the beauty of the wood. You can see the difference between the top and the bottom of the Lazy Susan where I have left the top unfinished and have the finish on the bottom part, point to point on the star.

#57

Here the whole Lazy Susan has the first coat of finish on and you can already start to see how some of the wood has a shine to it depending on what direction the grain is going. I still have 4 or 5 coats of finish to get onto it. I use Varathane Floor Finish; I thin the first coat about 20%, the other coats closer to 40 or 50%. I use a little cloth to wipe it on, wait a bit then using my hand I rub it in until it is tacky and let it dry.

#58

When the Lazy Susan has the finish on and is dried I screw the rubber bumpers on the bottom of the base and the lazy susan movement on to the top.

#59

Then I lay the top down upside down and using the holes in the base screw it to the top.

#60 & 61

I laid a package of rubber bumpers on the Lazy Susan, took a picture and then turned it 90 degrees and took another picture so you can see how the pieces reflect light depending how the grain is going.

#61

#62 & 63

These next two pictures are of the finished Lazy Susan out in the sunlight from two different angles.

#63

VIDEO

Now this video again was made by Tara (weirdwolf) from Etsy.com. She can take the credit for the good picture quality of this video.

Thank you for looking,
Robin Tucker, the maker of Wood Mosaics