Zebrawood Trunk

Beautiful, a real treasure chest.

-- mtnwild (Jack), It's not what you see, it's how you see it.

Very nice work Randal!

-- Les, Wichita, Ks. (I'd rather be covered in saw dust!)

Very well done.
Thanks for sharing with us.

-- My woodwork blog : http://www.isetehtud.pri.ee/blog/

nice! I’d like to see more pics of this, perhaps the inside too.

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

It’s like a hydrogen bomb on a dark planet…wow, does that wood stand out.

-- /\/\/\ BarryW /\/\/\ Stay so busy you don't have time to die.

Beautiful job Randy. I like the bent walnut

I’m with Kolwdwrker, I’d like to see more pictures.

Thanks for posting it.

-- Martin, Kansas

I posted two pictures of the inside of the trunk. I made quarter round for the corners and the bottom where the sides meet. Finish is two coats of sanding sealer, then two coats of lacquer, all sprayed.

-- Randal, DeKalb, Illinois

Randal A fantastic post. The chest looks great. How thick did you resaw the Zebrawood.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

The zebrawood comes in 7/8 thickness and I get 4 slices off each piece using the bandsaw. The bandsaw is a 14” Delta with the added riser arm for cutting taller pieces. This is a SLOW process! After cutting the zebrawood at about 1/5 of an inch thick, I drum sand them to get them completely flat. Also keep the pieces in order so you can bookmatch them to get the grain to line up. The zebrawood ends up at about 1/8” thick when all the sanding is done.

-- Randal, DeKalb, Illinois

Thanks for the info Randal. I guess you just bend it over curved form.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Yes. On the top, I start with regular 2×6 pieces, cut into the curve shape, and I hollow them out in the center to reduce the lid’s weight. I put the front and back lid pieces on to hold the 2×6 boards in place, then use 1/8” birch plywood and bend it over the 2×6’s gluing and screwing it in place. Then I put the veneered pieces onto the top. The bent walnut straps are cut thin as well, then laminated back together (usually 3 thin strips to make a 1/4” thick strap) in a curved form (also a 2×6) using plastic resin glue. After they dry overnight, they fit the curve of the lid and I glue the straps in place.

I’ve found the zebrawood doesn’t plane well since it’s so hard and it’ll chip (kinda like maple). So the drum sander is really the best option. It’s a dusty mess, though, even with a dust collector!

-- Randal, DeKalb, Illinois

A very nice job and some great engineering to get it all together.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †