Well guys, a few projects ago I told you of a gorgeous 8’ stick of beeswing aniegre I saw at Clarks Hardwood here in town, and how I couldn’t afford it. This past Saturday, I went back for a 8/4 piece of black walnut for my Walnut Chippendale Chest I plan on building this Fall.
I looked in the stand up bins for something that matched the grain of my walnut, but no luck! So off to the rough lumber warehouse I went. You guys should really take time to visit Clarks if you’re ever here in Houston. Once I found my 8/4 stick of walnut, I have to tell you I started window lumber shopping!!
There, just to the left of the 8/4 rough walnut, was 8/4 rough cherry. In that stack, about 3/4 of the way down was a 8/4 thick piece of cherry that was 17 1/2” wide!! I couldn’t get the timbers moved around enough to get a closer look at it for color/grain/sapwood, but man it sure was an impressive piece of cherry. I bet it was 12’ long!
Tired from my attempt to look at the 17 incher, I grabbed my walnut, and headed back to the front office to pay. On my way there, I passed the stand up bins on the opposite side (they are in alphabetical order) there I found another gorgeous piece of beeswing aniegre! It was over 2 years ago that I saw the first one. I don’t remember seeing any rough aniegre in the rough stock warehouse. Just looking at the grain alone made me want to put the walnut back, and grab the aniegre! Well my buddy Lee at Clarks made me a deal I couldn’t refuse, and now I’m the proud owner of a gorgeous 8’ stick of beeswing aniegre! Looks like I’m going to get me a vacuum bag next month, so I can start veneering. I want to savor this piece of gorgeous lumber!!
I think I could bookmatch 3 slices into a table top, and build a frame in cherry and really set this beauty off!!
-- Matt, Houston Texas
10 comments so far
a1Jim
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16598 posts in 469 days
posted 131 days ago
Darn pretty wood
-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon
DavidH
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123 posts in 635 days
posted 131 days ago
wow! very nice find, i love clarks, so much so that i have yet to make it to houston hardwoods for a tour.. have you?
are you thinking of getting a vacuum press or hand pump bag, these are the one Norm used on his bow front chest .. they come in fairly big sizes
http://www.roarockit.com/rc_wood.php
-- David - Houston, Texas.
dog2bert
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10 posts in 131 days
posted 131 days ago
Looks great…keep up the good work
matt garcia
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716 posts in 564 days
posted 131 days ago
Thanks Jim!!
David,
I went there Friday at lunch. It is only a few minutes away from work. I don’t tend to see pieces like this at Houston Hardwoods. Here is the press I was looking at. I already have a pump from my auto repair days. I think I can adapt it to my a/c gages so I can use the valves on it to close the bag once it is sucked down, and turn the pump off. I’ll have to experiment, though.
http://www.veneersupplies.com/product_info.php?cPath=60_66&products_id=2708
-- Matt, Houston Texas
Billp
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329 posts in 1092 days
posted 131 days ago
Matt go the the web sight joewoodworker he has kits to build your own vacuum press. I did, it’s very easy an a fraction of the price of what they ask for them in stores. I have a 4×6 bag not much I cant handle.
-- Billp
Damian Penney
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1030 posts in 884 days
posted 131 days ago
:) Really nice.
-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso
Todd A. Clippinger
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5632 posts in 992 days
posted 131 days ago
You will love using a vacuum press.
I went for a professional model with the higher grade bags. I spent $1500 for my vacuum pump and two bags, a 4’x4’ and 4’x10’.
-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com
GaryK
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9521 posts in 881 days
posted 131 days ago
Fantastic looking piece of wood.
When you veneer them book match them at an angle making a chevron pattern. It looks great like that.
Here the top of one of the end tables I made like that. This was mahogany though.
I think I spent maybe $300-$350 for a pump and a 4’x8’ bag. Nothing fancy. I don’t use it often enough to justify spending a lot of money.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
RBWoodworker
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215 posts in 244 days
posted 131 days ago
Tom.. Or anyone.. I really want to get into vaccume bags and stuff…but have no clue how they work or how to work them..can you give a blog or something showing step by step how to go about using these things?
-- Randall Child
Beginningwoodworker
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4102 posts in 565 days
posted 131 days ago
Nice wood, Matt.
-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker