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sawdust chronicles challenge

28K views 58 replies 23 participants last post by  BigTiny 
#1 ·
need a little advice

Greetings all.

Well, the plans are coming along, but I've hit a bit of a roadblock. To make the Rubik's cube pedestal I will need six different colors, and they must be different enough to stand out against each other. This could be hard to do if I stick with natural wood, so I've been thinking of going with a single species with a light color such as white oak or maple, then dye it. I want the grain to be obvious, so something transparent is in order, plus, to keep with the "green" part of the build, I want to keep with as natural a material as possible,

Anyone got any suggestions as to wood species, dye material and technique? My experience in this area is just about non existent!

Suggestions for the three woods for the "Louis cube" pattern are also welcome.

I hope to have the SketchUp designs to a good enough state to post in the next day or two.
 
#3 ·
Just looking around the shop, the woods that come into view for colors are cherry, maple, walnut, zircote, oak,
juniper, ironwood, purple heart, english walnut, and my stand by beetle killed blue pine, all of these always come
in different shades and tones, that if we had enough money, would make any colored project very simple and
complex at the same time. A quick wipe with a damp cloth will give you an idea of what the finiished color of
the wood will be. I am lucky enough to have two good wood stores close to me, and they do not mind me
coming to look as long as I do not drool on the wood (Superior Hardwoods & Millwork Inc and Buckeye Hardwood & Lumber Co). Aromatic Cedar looks and smells the same as Juniper. If you do not have a wood
store close to you, I know Woodcraft, one of the advertisers here has wood available, their closest store is in
Spokane -200 miles away, so I have not made it over there yet, but I have read good things about them on
this site. Picking out wood for a project is always fun for me, until it bumps up against my budget and makes
me think I may just have to go back to work for money so I can afford more fun. Good luck and have fun.
 
#4 ·
Check out some dye-I have used both WD Lockwood and Trans-tint (bought at rockler), both are good. I have used both mixed with water, a little bit goes a long way, just mix it up and brush it on. If you decide to try this make sure you do some test boards I have found the color varies a bit depending on the top coat and you WILL need a top coat for it to look right. Just using the dye alone looks really ugly but once you put a top coat it really pops the grain and gives a nice shiny translucent finish.
 
#6 ·
In use a lot of water based stains from Home Depot. They can tint it pretty much every color of the rainbow and all shades in between. Of course, being water based, it does raise the grain a bit in certain woods, so you have to deal with that. The stain makes brilliant colors though. If you look at some of my projects, all the reds blues and greens have been done with these stains. As per usual, several thin coats does better than one heavy coat. If you go this route, I highly suggest using some sort of clear topcoat. I have used Minwax oil based poly and Bullseye shellac over this stain with no problems.
 
#7 ·
All good ideas. However, since I'm in Canada, some are out of the question doe to customs and shipping costs. Have to check out Home Depot's stuff. Maybe get a single color and try it out first. Budget is very limited.

Thanks for the input!
 
#8 ·
Well I've used mixol dyes from woodcraft, they work really well. But if you can't ship them, or budget is an issue, I've heard that RIT fabric dye works well. If you seal it with lacquer after. I don't know how much it costs, but I've seen it in department stores.
 
#14 ·
a little clearer now?

Here's the pedestal attached to the base. Should make things a little clearer.

The pedestal and top will be attached by a thick dowel running through the pedestal from the base to the top.

Photobucket

As usual, comments are welcomed.
 
#20 ·
update, September 17

Hi all.

Well, I picked up a 5Ă—5 sheet of 1/2" Baltic birch plywood yesterday for the substrates and to build a table saw cross cut sled, which I'll need to complete the build. Also picked up a 12Ă—72 inch sheet of maple veneer. There goes $75 of my budget, although about $25 of that will be charged to the sled project, so net is about $50 so far. Another $5 or so will end up in my veneer collection as I won't need more than half of the sheet, even with using some to experiment with dye techniques.

Off to make some sawdust!

Wish me luck.
 
#23 ·
I'll try anything once

Greetings all.

In an attempt to get the brilliant colors I want for my Sawdust Chronicles challenge build, I've been trying various methods of coloring wood. One of the more unorthodox ways I've tried worked better than I thought it would. Quite a bit better to be precise.

Believe it or not, I tried Rit cloth dye! Mixed it a little stronger than the directions called for (1 1/2 cups of water per package instead of 2) and tested on some small pieces of maple veneer. Best results came from two coats applied with a small sponge to both sides (in order to minimize the veneer curling up on me). I applied a couple of coats of clear acrylic finish over the dye to seal it and the results were quite good, although not what I was after for my project.

I can see this as a suitable method for special effects where non traditional colors are desired. Another benefit, it's cheap. Here in Winnipeg, it's $2.49 a package, which makes 1 1/2 to 2 cups of solution.

One warning: WEAR RUBBER GLOVES! Otherwise you're going to have hands in colors nature never intended for them.

Sorry there are no pictures, but my wife is away for a family wedding and she took our camera with her.
 
#24 ·
This kind of info is just good for everybody. I have used an alcohol soluble aniline die once with very good results but I have to to order it online. I bet that RIT stuff is available at all the fabric outlets. Pics of your color results would be greatly appreciated.
 
#34 ·
update

Greetings all.

Well, I haven't gotten much of anything done this week as my health has taken a rather nasty turn. My back is so sore that I have trouble with the daily grind, let alone working in the shop.

I've been experimenting with veneering, but that's about it.

Keep your fingers crossed for me, okay?
 
#38 ·
another update

Greetings all.

Well, I've been cutting diamond shapes for the Louis cubes and gluing them onto a piece of paper in preparation for gluing to the substrate for the table top. This is very time consuming, as when you put glue on the veneer it starts to curl up and you have to weight it down until the glue sets, so you only get a dozen or so pieces glued at a time and have to wait an hour or so for the setting process. Boring, but it should be worth it in the end.

This will be my very first marquetry/parquetry ptoject, so I'm anxious to see how it comes out. So far it is taking a lot more time than I thought it would. Such is life, eh?

I hope to have some photos to post tomorrow.

Well, back to the glue pot.
 
#45 ·
still one more update

Greetings all.

Well, finally got the camera back from the wife, only to find I hadn't installed the software to use it on our new computer. Took me ages to find the disk. Oh well. finally back in business.

There are two photos here, one of the completed cubes for the top. The other is of a couple of pieces from the same flitch of cherry veneer, one raw and one about a minute after wiping it with a sponge moistened with a 1 to 50 by volume solution of lye in distilled water. Quite the difference, eh? It gets glued to the substrate along with a narrow ebony trim and an ash border about an inch and a half wide tomorrow.

Brown Property Rectangle Wood Textile


Brown Rectangle Wood Art Material property


Paul
 

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#46 ·
still one more update

Greetings all.

Well, finally got the camera back from the wife, only to find I hadn't installed the software to use it on our new computer. Took me ages to find the disk. Oh well. finally back in business.

There are two photos here, one of the completed cubes for the top. The other is of a couple of pieces from the same flitch of cherry veneer, one raw and one about a minute after wiping it with a sponge moistened with a 1 to 50 by volume solution of lye in distilled water. Quite the difference, eh? It gets glued to the substrate along with a narrow ebony trim and an ash border about an inch and a half wide tomorrow.

Brown Property Rectangle Wood Textile


Brown Rectangle Wood Art Material property


Paul
Beutiful Big Tiny. I wasn't aware that lye and distilled water did anything to wood that you would want. I would like to know more about this process when you have time.
Jack
 

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#54 ·
Oh well, better luck next time.

I didn't get it done in time. The old back was protesting too much.

I'll add a few new pics of what is done so far for you all to check out.

I hope to finish it yet, but will have to let my back rest up first. Stay tuned.

Brown Rectangle Wood Art Font


Top, top view.

Brown Wood Rectangle Indoor games and sports Flooring


Top, side view.

Rectangle Wood Wooden block Hardwood Wood stain


Blank for Rubik's cube.

Rectangle Wood Flooring Hardwood Wood stain


Blank and top together for scale comparison.
 

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#55 ·
Oh well, better luck next time.

I didn't get it done in time. The old back was protesting too much.

I'll add a few new pics of what is done so far for you all to check out.

I hope to finish it yet, but will have to let my back rest up first. Stay tuned.

Brown Rectangle Wood Art Font


Top, top view.

Brown Wood Rectangle Indoor games and sports Flooring


Top, side view.

Rectangle Wood Wooden block Hardwood Wood stain


Blank for Rubik's cube.

Rectangle Wood Flooring Hardwood Wood stain


Blank and top together for scale comparison.
This coming up a treat, Paul…
Hope the back holds up… keep plodding along… can't wait to see it finished..
 

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