| Project by daltxguy | posted 2061 days ago | 3000 views | 9 times favorited | 9 comments |  |
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I’ve made several of these now, always as gifts for others as a token of Kiwiana using the indigenous woods of New Zealand. This one is made of recycled Rimu. As such the color of the wood varies greatly and occasionally you see nail holes which I think just adds to the interest. Rimu ( Dacrydium Cupressinum ) – though technically a podocarp and therefore a hardwood, was also called Red Pine and was the favored wood for structural framing ie: house construction because it grew long and straight. A shame really. That practice has since been stopped and the tree is now protected but recycled Rimu abounds from old house demolitions.
You’ll often see these wooden books around the Backpackers (hostels) or information centers as guest sign-in books.
The scrapbook can hold either US 81/2”x11” paper or metric A4 sheets up to about 80 pages depending on the thickness of paper used. The hinges are just leather strips from the local sheep industry.
I make minor improvements with each version. This time my breadboard ends have now also received a dowel in the center instead of just being glued in the center.
The construction is fairly quick and requires a minimum amount of material, just two flat boards and the breadboard ends.
There is a yin yang irony to this piece as it is a wooden holder of paper. The rimu tree now captured in permanance and made to hold its more fleeting and temporary paper cousin. The other interesting thing is that both light and dark woods are the same kind of wood possibly even from the same tree. Nature produces opposites even in the same species.
The finish is a standard raw linseed oil ( 3 applications) and 2 applications of a natural wax (Briwax 2000).
-- If you can't joint it, bead it!
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9 comments so far
scottb
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#1 posted 2061 days ago
Another great gift idea! Beautiful woods.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Van Gogh -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
Buckskin
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#2 posted 2061 days ago
Those are to cool. A great gift idea for the person who has everything!
MsDebbieP
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#3 posted 2060 days ago
gorgeous!!!
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
MsDebbieP
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#4 posted 2060 days ago
are the pages held in with the three loops of leather?
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
miles125
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#5 posted 2060 days ago
neat idea!
-- "The way to make a small fortune in woodworking- start with a large one"
YorkshireStewart
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#6 posted 2060 days ago
Oh yes, I like that a lot.
-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business. http://www.folksy.com/shops/TreeGems
Karson
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#7 posted 2060 days ago
Nice idea. Great job.
i’m sure that a case for photo pages could also be done.
-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
daltxguy
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#8 posted 2060 days ago
Hey MsDebbie,
There are 3 holes that I bind with short pieces of the leather to work as hinges, then there are 2 holes spaced a bit further back which go through the front and the back and through matching holes in the paper. The holes in the paper are drilled – I back the paper front and back with scraps of wood and then bore through the entire stack ). A long piece of leather is then used to bind the pages to the front and back. That’s the bow you see on the far left.
The size can obviously be varied to take whatever size paper is required.
The leather hinges can also be replaced with any other kind of metal hinge – or I suppose even a wooden hinge wood be interesting but more challenging.
Thanks for all your comments!
-- If you can't joint it, bead it!
MsDebbieP
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18334 posts in 2357 days
#9 posted 2060 days ago
i have made a little notepad in similar manner (and love it).
I put 2 screw thingies through the wood/paper to hold it together.
but I really like the leather idea!
Some time this week, I’m going to make another note pad and use the leather idea.
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
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