| Project by KnickKnack | posted 284 days ago | 1822 views | 17 times favorited | 34 comments |  |
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...or “Finger Joints Reloaded”
I’ve had this idea for a while – basically to “work on” the joins of a basic finger joint box and see what happens.
To tell the truth it took a bit of nerve to start hacking away at what was a pretty well made, all be it simple, box, but I figured that that was the plan. In any event – what was I going to do? Wait until I’d built a “bad” box and hack at that? I’d also picked the woods (I’m very much enjoying the ash/jatoba combination) with the specific idea that the end-grain ash tends to “muddy up” and not contrast very much with the jatoba – as you move around the thing the stripes sort of fade into one another as the ash darkens and the jatoba lightens with the grain changing.
Aside from the circular ends, I didn’t have much idea what I was going to do with the sides, or the top, or the handle – I have this tendency to get focused on the one concept and not think things through – I think perhaps my vision isn’t what it might be. I even took the (for me) unprecedented step of putting oil on before it was finished in order to see how it was going to come out. All those complex ideas of horizontal contrasting stripes and rebates and contours went out the window in favour of the simplicity you see. The top was originally going to have a horizontal stripy handle, but I think that would have been a bit too much and I’m pretty happy with what I went with in the end – a handle that somewhat “mirrors” the box.
The sharp eyed amongst you might notice that the top doesn’t really match the ash sides as well as it might. I did have a top from the same plank, but I messed up the cutting on that one. I’d run out of ash from that original batch of 2 years ago, so I had to wait for the new delivery, hoping I’d get something similar. This top is probably not from the same tree, possibly not even the same forest, let alone from the same board. Still, I’d overcut the first top and I give myself (a little) credit for not “just pressing on” regardless.
I call it “Camelot” because it sort of reminded me of those tents you see in King Arthur films. A stretch, OK, but I find names tend to stick once I start using them.
It all looks a bit complicated and difficult, but in fact it isn’t – steps were as follows…
Start with finger-jointed box…
I didn’t need this step, but I was going to lose this wood anyway, and straight 10mm bits (of which I have several), are very cheap in comparison to the (unique) bit I used in the next step…
Now the ovolo bit to round the internal corners, sneaking up on the join…
I think a 45° might have worked, and I toyed with doing that and insetting a vertical strip, but in the end I stuck with rounded using a roundover bit…
I’m fairly pleased with how it came out. I tried oh so very hard to pay attention to the details, and to make everything smooth and just-so. I think the demons and I drew 2-2 on this one.
The wife’s comment: “It looks alright actually.”
Ash and Jatoba. 16cm x 23cm x 10cm. Linseed oil finish.
All criticisms welcome – that’s how I’m going to improve.
-- "Do not speak – unless it improves on silence."
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34 comments so far
TopamaxSurvivor
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13192 posts in 1844 days
#1 posted 284 days ago
Turned out very well. Too good for a litter box! ;-))
-- "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence Wake Up America!! Please read; http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/26-0
Oldtool
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940 posts in 359 days
#2 posted 284 days ago
Nice, very nice. Excellent work. Thanks for showing.
-- "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The point is to bring them the real facts." - Abraham Lincoln
GlennM
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26 posts in 446 days
#3 posted 284 days ago
Only goes to show that a plain piece can be enhanced and be a totally different and artful item. Well done. It also shows that the expression “Thinking outside the box” applies here.
-- Glenn, Nova Scotia
EMVarona
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393 posts in 1004 days
#4 posted 284 days ago
Love it. Great design and excellent execution.
-- Ed "Real happiness is one that you share."
Ken90712
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12660 posts in 1357 days
#5 posted 284 days ago
Great project and some cleaver thinking. What size thickness did you start with 1 inch? what athe dado size and depth you used? And the size of round overbit?
Great looking box you have made here! Nice post!
-- Ken, "Everyday above ground is a good day!"
Roger
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9191 posts in 972 days
#6 posted 284 days ago
Wow! Really came out nicely.
-- Roger from KY. Work/Play/Travel Safe. Kentuk55@bellsouth.net
KnickKnack
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805 posts in 1735 days
#7 posted 284 days ago
What size thickness did you start with 1 inch? what athe dado size and depth you used? And the size of round overbit?
The planks started at 19mm (3/4”) thick.
The beading/ovolo bit is ~6mm radius with ~6mm flat spot (1/4”).
The round over bit is 9.5mm (3/8”). For the handle I used the same ovolo and a 6.4mm (17/64”) roundover.
-- "Do not speak – unless it improves on silence."
Tom Godfrey
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388 posts in 344 days
#8 posted 284 days ago
Just the other day I sketched out a drawing of something that looks like that you have created. I knew I wanted round corners but just couldn’t get it in my head how to make that work. You have done a great job on this and I hope maybe I can come up with something even close to this.
Thanks for the post. Another project to add to my favorite list.
-- Tom Godfrey Landrum South Carolina (tom@thcww.com) 864-384-4938
woodshaver
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2001 posts in 1521 days
#9 posted 284 days ago
I love projects that make you think! When I saw this my brain went right to work trying to figure out how you did it. I gave up and read your post! Nice job, I like it and nice job on the pictorial!
-- Tony C , My high school shop teacher said "You can do it"... Now I can't stop!
Kookaburra
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744 posts in 392 days
#10 posted 284 days ago
The work-in-process pictures really surprized me – I never would have guessed this is how you accomplished this. Thank you for sharing those.
Camelot is a fine name – I can see the pennants waving over the jousting match right now. The color contrast is very jaunty and supports the overall sense of a festival.
I am not 100% sure about the handle – I will have to ponder that a little more.
I am about to head out on a 6 hour drive home , so I shall be dreaming of chivalrous knights, knights errant, and a princess’s right to bestow tokens of her esteem on the tournament competitors. . . . .sorry, I wandered off there.
A final comment though – I do hope the critter does not have squatter’s rights on this box! She looks much too young to appreciate it.
-- Kay - Just a girl who loves wood.
Joe Lyddon
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6392 posts in 2220 days
#11 posted 284 days ago
You have been watching the lead-ins to the London Olympics!
COOL Castle Box!
NICE!
Thank you!
-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Alta Loma, CA USA - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?ppuser=1389&cat=500"
KnotCurser
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1409 posts in 1237 days
#12 posted 284 days ago
Wow – you would think with this many boxes and this many lumberjocks that everything to be done with a box would already have been, however…...........
This is really cool – I think it will inspire others to come up with their own ways of doing this.
Great job!
-bob
-- Man is a tool-using Animal. Nowhere do you find him without tools; without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all. - Thomas Carlyle http://www.ffrf.org
helluvawreck
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10413 posts in 1035 days
#13 posted 284 days ago
It looks like it turned out to be a good experiment. It’s very different and unusual. Congratulations.
helluvawreck
https://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com
-- If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. Henry David Thoreau
balidoug
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333 posts in 647 days
#14 posted 284 days ago
A really original, and effective, approach which worked out wonderfully. Now, just try and get the kitten out.
-- From such crooked wood as that which man is made of, nothing straight can be fashioned. Immanuel Kant
abie
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433 posts in 1939 days
#15 posted 284 days ago
Nicely done and explained..
Iv’e added it to my favorites
TNX
thought you might have used a different type of router bit.
again TNX
-- Bruce. a mind is like a book it is only useful when open.
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