| Project by MsDebbieP | posted 598 days ago | 468 views | 0 times favorited | 6 comments |  |
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This project was made for my son who is a software developer at EA Games.
I have struggled for the past two weeks to come up with an idea of something that I could make for him. A gift for my daughter is easy: teaching, music, room decor. My son is a little more difficult: computers, um.. computers.. and oh yah.. computers!!
And so this is what I came up with: a desk “thingy”.
I started out with the base: a piece of pine that had been cut for another purpose but has been sitting on the workbench, forgotten. The routered edge mades a nice hand-hold area, making it easy to be picked up. I kinda like that idea and will probably use it again in the future.
I worked really hard on the surface, with my goal of making it really soft. I followed Don's directions as best as I could, using the resources I have on hand and my understanding of the directions. I had to skip the wood sealant step but proceeded with sanding with 120, 220, and 320 sandpaper (I think those are the numbers). I then added a coat of wax and buffed it shiny smooth—oh yah—nice!! I then added a coat of finishing oil and polished that. ( My daughter later spent several minutes just running the surface across her cheek, enjoying the sensory experience).
The EA logo was cut out with a scrollsaw and then I used one of my small $1 store chisels to cut out the areas that are recessed. I was waiting for the wood to snap in two but luckily it didn’t happen. Phew. Then, I thought I’d try some stain, using a sample that I had picked up at the store last week: red chestnut. Put that one and decided immediately that I didn’t like it but alas it was too late and so it stays “red”. A coat of finishing oil was applied.
The paper clip was originally cut out of the thin plywood that I have, as described in the book that the pattern came from. It needs to be thin to provide the flexibility to hold a piece of paper. But now I had three different colours of wood. Now I REALLY didn’t like the red chestnut. I was tempted to just send it like this anyway and note the 3 colours and why it was so. But then I stayed focused on my “life lesson” of taking my time and working towards quality and I came up with some options of how to fix this without starting over.
The solution that I chose was to cut the paperclip out of the pine and try to make it as thin as possible while still being functional. I realize that the pine is fragile and have tried to give it as much strength as possible in the base. (I will also be sending the backup paperclip just in case).
From here, I used the chisels to cut out a hole for the paperclip stand to fit into. It didn’t turn out too badly. I’m quite pleased with it actually. I didn’t glue it in, for 2 reasons: 1) the fear of it snapping and the provision of the backup plan makes it important for my son to be able to exchange the pieces and/or remove the paperclip all together if he so wishes..
2) for mailing purposes, I can now send it in pieces without risk of it being broken.
I then wanted to add a place to hold a pen. The pen holder mechanism from Lee Valley is too expensive for this piece (perhaps for my next and more professional attempt) and so I elected to just put a hole in the wood. I used a Dremel bit to carve a hole, at an angle, that is large enough for a pen to be propped up in. It works. It is interesting; and empty, it makes a good conversation item: “what’s the hole for??”
The final step was to glue the EA logo to the base. I had thought about having it stand up but I thought that it would get in the way of the paper clip and the pen. I also thought that having 3 items vertical was too much, too distracting, and too chaotic and so I chose to late the logo flat.
And with the gluing complete, all that is left is to mail it across the country!
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
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6 comments so far
Dick, & Barb Cain
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5039 posts in 780 days
posted 598 days ago
Very nice Debbie,
Your son’s boss will like this one.
I was going to mention. Stain should be applied before any other finish, otherwise it won’t penetrate, but I think this one looks good natural.
-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1
Shawn
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226 posts in 634 days
posted 598 days ago
WAIT A MINUTE, YOUR SON WORKS FOR EA…I HAVE TO BEFRIEND HIM!!!, also nice work…I”M ADDICTED TO EA SPORTS…THE MAIN REASON I DONT GET MY PROJECTS FINISHED>>>
-- Cheers
MsDebbieP
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11909 posts in 641 days
posted 597 days ago
Dick, the “EA” is the only part that I stained and I did that before I added anything to that part of the project.
Shawn, yup, that’s where he works (as of this past July). One of those mixed blessings—my son and family move across the country (ouch, that one hurts the ol’ mother’s heart!!) but it is his dream job, doing what he has wanted to do since high school (and that one makes the old mom really really happy)
So I guess it is now all my son’s fault (and thus MY fault) that your creations are sitting there waiting for you to finish them.
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Don
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2586 posts in 657 days
posted 597 days ago
Hi, Debbie, I like this piece – it shows originality of design and a steady improvement in your woodworking skills – nice work.
Debbie I highly recommend the Polishers Handbook by Neil Ellis. It’s know here as the finisher’s bible.
The order of applying finishes is somewhat critical. It might help you to think about what is meant to penetrate the wood, and what is meant to seal and protect the wood.
I know that I’ve gone on about sanding sealer. It might be a confusing term. It’s primary purpose is to make the loose long grain fibers in the wood brittle and stand erect so that they can be ‘knocked off’ with a very light sanding, or with a scraper (the later method is preferable). It’s secondary purpose is to introduce a level of absorbency consistency to the wood. You will find that some finishes, particularly stains, absorb more quickly into some portions of the wood than another. This can result in a blotchy appearance.
So sanding sealer is alway the first ‘liquid’ that is applied to the wood. The next would be stain. The purpose of staining is to change the color of the wood. I don’t stain often, because the wood I use has its own beauty and I don’t want to hide it by changing the color. Stain is meant to penetrate and is usually either alcohol based or water based. The carrier (water or alcohol) evaporates leaving behind the color pigmentation of the stain thus changing the color of the wood.
Some stains have an oil base where the oil is meant to treat the wood. Personally, I have stayed away from combination staining/oiling finishes that are intended to combine two steps, i.e. coloring and protecting. I feel I have better control if I manage one step at a time.
If you are going to apply oil to the wood, it is normally done after staining. Oil is also a penetrating finish. Tung Oil is amongst my favorite oils. It’s application accomplishes an number of purposes. Think of it like hair conditioner. It gives wood a natural luster and protects it from dying out and splitting. It also accents the grain bringing out its beauty. Some oils never seem to dry. Linseed Oil is one such oil, and frankly I stay away from it for this reason. It’s important to apply the oil somewhat sparingly allowing each coat to penetrate and dry before applying subsequent coats.
Some oils dry leaving a fairly hard protective surface, so it is possible to leave the finishing process at this stage. Or you can apply a combination oil/polyurethane preparation. In this case, you are applying at one and the same time a solution that both penetrates and sits on the surface. The oil penetrates whilst the poly dries on the surface of the wood. The oil conditions – the poly protects. I really like using this combination of oil and poly. There are a number of recipes out there where you mix your own oil and polyurethane. This might be somewhat of a purists approach and seems to me to be a waste of time when there are exceptional commercial preparations readily available. My recommendations, in order of preference are, MinWax Wipe-on Poly and Rustin’s Danish Oil.
If you are not using a combo oil/poly finish, you may choose to apply a polyurethane or varnish finish, or perhaps a more natural finish – shellac. French polish is a particular method of applying shellac. Shellac, being a natural product, does not have the same degree of protection, but avoids the plastic look of polyurethane. These finishes sit on the surface and dry to a protective coat. It’s a matter of personal taste, but many wood artists reject the concept of a plastic looking finish. But at the same time may appreciate the need for a higher level of protection than just an oil finish. One way to dull down the shinny plastic surface of any finish is to apply a polish to the finish. I use a polish that has tripoli embedded in it. This compound is made up of a general purpose wax paste made from a unique blend of animal, vegetable and mineral waxes including Carnauba (the hardest of all waxes) for a hard bright shine and durability, Ozocerite and Ceresin (high melt waxes) for extra hardness, shine and water resistance, Microcrystalline for added water resistance, and a hint of beeswax for smoothness.
Nothing should be applied after you wax or polish the wood’s surface – this is the final step. However, you can apply this coat earlier. You could apply it directly after you have sanded the wood, but I never skip the sanding sealer stage which you would do before applying this coat. Or you can apply wax after oiling. But the point is, it’s always the last step because it sits on the surface. I think you can see that to apply anything that penetrates after you have applied a surface sealing finish is not going to yield the right results.
So to re-cap:
1. Surface preparation, ie. planing, sanding & scraping
2. Sanding sealer, final light sanding or scraping
3. Staining if required
4. Oiling if desired
5. Surface protection
6. Buffing with wax
-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/
MsDebbieP
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11909 posts in 641 days
posted 595 days ago
Once again, oh wise one (said with true reverence), I am grateful for your support and sharing of your knowledge.
I will have to get to the store to get some of that meth. spirits that you recommended for the sealing solution. I can’t wait to see the difference that it makes.
I don’t like staining either but I wanted the “EA” to stand out in this project and so I thought it was the way to go.
I can see that my shelf for the finishing supplies is going to have to get bigger since I’m going to run out of room!!! :)
thanks again (and I’ll be re-reading this several times)
Thanks again.
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
MsDebbieP
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11909 posts in 641 days
posted 588 days ago
My son received his “EA” gift and he says that it is pretty cool. When I told him about the fragile paperclip (and why it was fragile) he said, “it’s already broken”. My 4-year old granddaughter enjoys playing with the paperclip. Hmm wonder how it broke???
And just to share a special moment with my LJ friends, we had a family get-together on Saturday: 5 o’clock BC time and 8:00 Ontario time, we all sat down for pizza. We had the computers on the table and the iChats running and we sat around our tables and chatted as if we were all in the same room. (and thanks to my wonderful new lazy susan we were able to swivel the computer in order to have 1:1 conversations with someone).
Following our meal “together” we enjoyed a hilarious game of Cranium. Some members of the family didn’t think that the “cross country” game would work but it was priceless. We could watch the cherades happen in our own room as well as in the household across the country. What a hoot.
What a blessing this internet is. It is a miracle, plain and simple.
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)