# String inlaid box



## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

*April fools rabbet joint*

Disclaimer: This blog series is not intended to be instructional! It is for fun. SO… do not take it serisouly. My goal with this build it to challenge myself to do some stuff that I have not done before, or stuff that I am going to try and do better. I have thought this through extensivly, and have spend lots of time planning, drawing and designing this build. Everything I do, how I do it, and why I do it are intentional, and thats just the way I do it.

Hello again. This is the frist part of a new hand tool build I am doing. I named it 'Carzy super awesome cool box!" to try and get more people to follow. Also, because I have intentions for this box that will remain hidden until the very end, so I cannot name it what it is going to be. So Crazy super awesome cool box will just have to do for now.

Like I mentioned before, this is a hand tool build, and so far in my planning, I should not need to use any power tools at all. To start off I did use a thickness planer and table saw to get my material to thickness and sized. And that was only because I wanted to get to step one as fast as I could and I did not want to wait and spend a few days doing it by hand.

Here is my starting material, I am using some sort of mahogany. Dont ask which kind, I dont know.









So because I have everything cut to size, I can start on my joinery. Here are the major tools I am using for this job.









Ok, step one, lay out and mark out my tails. Tails? Wait… tails first? Yup, tails first. Just keep reading…









Now to saw my lines..








Ok, now I have your attention. Two things caught your eye. 1. I cut WAY past my lines. 2. I am sawing herizontal and not vertical. Here is why… 1. Yes, I cut way past my lines, its the inside of the box so no one will care (especially the future owner, ME) it is also period authentic, and not to mention WAY WAY WAY easier to deal with on the next step. 2. This allows me to saw in my normal ergonomically correct sawing position.

Chop out the waste…









Now to transfer my lines








Ok, now I really have you. You think Im not doing anything properly, that I don't know what Im doing. Pins first for half blinds? Crazy man!!! Well, despite that.. I do in fact know exactly what I am doing.

Now I cut my lines….








And chop the waste. Wait, back up. Is that a half blind tail? Whats going on here?

FULL BLIND BABY!!!! And thus the April fools rabbet joint.









But wait… whats up with the exposed corners? Well, that again was intentional. To make the corners covered to look like a rabbet joint, I would have cut the tails to have a little lip, but I do not want that lip, I want the exposed corner. I will be cutting the edges to put in a contrasting border, and doing it the way I did will save me a bunch of time later, as I already have the groove on the vertical corners. See, I thought this through!

Now, last thing… put some mutton on my saw blade to protect it for next time.









Speaking of next time…. wait… its a secret. You have to check back to see. Til next time!!!


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## jap (Oct 10, 2012)

JeremyPringle said:


> *April fools rabbet joint*
> 
> Disclaimer: This blog series is not intended to be instructional! It is for fun. SO… do not take it serisouly. My goal with this build it to challenge myself to do some stuff that I have not done before, or stuff that I am going to try and do better. I have thought this through extensivly, and have spend lots of time planning, drawing and designing this build. Everything I do, how I do it, and why I do it are intentional, and thats just the way I do it.
> 
> ...


cool joint


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## molan (Apr 25, 2012)

JeremyPringle said:


> *April fools rabbet joint*
> 
> Disclaimer: This blog series is not intended to be instructional! It is for fun. SO… do not take it serisouly. My goal with this build it to challenge myself to do some stuff that I have not done before, or stuff that I am going to try and do better. I have thought this through extensivly, and have spend lots of time planning, drawing and designing this build. Everything I do, how I do it, and why I do it are intentional, and thats just the way I do it.
> 
> ...


Is that a bad Axe Saw? that's Bad A$$!


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

JeremyPringle said:


> *April fools rabbet joint*
> 
> Disclaimer: This blog series is not intended to be instructional! It is for fun. SO… do not take it serisouly. My goal with this build it to challenge myself to do some stuff that I have not done before, or stuff that I am going to try and do better. I have thought this through extensivly, and have spend lots of time planning, drawing and designing this build. Everything I do, how I do it, and why I do it are intentional, and thats just the way I do it.
> 
> ...


Yes, that is my new bad axe saw. This is my first project with it, so I wanted it to be special.


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## RussInMichigan (Oct 15, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *April fools rabbet joint*
> 
> Disclaimer: This blog series is not intended to be instructional! It is for fun. SO… do not take it serisouly. My goal with this build it to challenge myself to do some stuff that I have not done before, or stuff that I am going to try and do better. I have thought this through extensivly, and have spend lots of time planning, drawing and designing this build. Everything I do, how I do it, and why I do it are intentional, and thats just the way I do it.
> 
> ...


Nice job. I like mitered full-blind dovetailed joints, too.

But, hey, you cut the pins first, didn't you?

Thanks for sharing.


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

*Stringing the inlay*

Hi again,

Picking up where I left off, I had just finished cutting the full blind dovetails for the box.

With the box dry fitted, I used my planes to true up the tops and bottoms of the sides so they laid perfectly flat. The I used the trusty plow plane to make the groove for the bottom.









Now, the fun begins. Time to play with my inlay tools. 









Starting with drawing out my lines and where the stringing is going to go.









Interestinly enough, there is quite a learning curve with these tools. For starters, you should use the compass point to cut out the radii frist. Because the compass point is centered on the line that will be cut after, the hole that is made gets removed and hidden. BUT… if you cut the straight first and then try to put the point inside that line, the point goes too far and makes a small dimple… see? It should not be an issue though, it will probably come out once the stringing is put in and scraped flush…. hopefully.









Now this one, I cut the radius first, then the line, no dimple.









Now to finish cutting all the grooves and then make the stringing….


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## molan (Apr 25, 2012)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Stringing the inlay*
> 
> Hi again,
> 
> ...


can't wait to see the finished product!


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## doordude (Mar 26, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Stringing the inlay*
> 
> Hi again,
> 
> ...


yes lets see the sring making. are making your own? whats your method for the thicknessing?


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

*Making the stringing*

Welcome again,

I left off last time cutting grooves with the grooving tools. Well I am done cutting half of the grooves. I am going to cut half of them, and then inlay them, then cut the other half. I am doing this, because over the last few months, I have bee playing with this pattern, and I have found that if I cut the crossing grooves at the same time, the chance of mychipping out material is far greater, as well as putting in the stringing is more difficult and requires more cutting. This way, I glue in one peice, and then cut the next groove, cutting into the stringing and then glue in the next stringing. Make sense? Dont worry, you will see soon enough.

Anyways, back to the stringing. My grooves are 0.032". So I took some 3/4 maple, and cut a really thin strip off with my table saw. Its close, but in the world of 0.000" close really means nothing at all…. so thats why I have the thickness tool. I set the depth by putting the tool on a flat surface, and then putting the cutter head under the blade, and setting the blade down right on top of the cutter, thus setting the depth to exactly the width of the cutter. Its basically a scraper with a depth stop. 









In playing with it, I have found (just like any scraper) if it is skewed a little it works much nicer.









Here is the result..









Next I replace the cutter blade with a slicing blade in the groove cutter and tape my work piece to the edge of a board and slice off stringings.









Cut to length, test fit, glue….









Now to scrape them flush









Nasty, a dull, dingey, glued on, icky scraper… so I bought and used a new one instead of cleaning it up. 









I have a very busy week coming a head of me, so I do not know if I will be getting any bending done, but I will post when I do.

Thanks for reading.


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## JR45 (Jan 26, 2012)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Making the stringing*
> 
> Welcome again,
> 
> ...


Very neat! Is your thicknessing tool your own creation?
Jim


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Making the stringing*
> 
> Welcome again,
> 
> ...


Jim, all the string and inlay tools are Veritas.
http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=69873&cat=1,43314&ap=1

I also bought a second cutter head and cutter, so I can have one on the groove cutter and one on the compass point, so I can do all the groove cutting without having to adjust the tools constantly.


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## JR45 (Jan 26, 2012)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Making the stringing*
> 
> Welcome again,
> 
> ...


Nice set of tools! I have a similar set from LN. Haven't used them much, so far!
Jim


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

*Old yeller... no wait, Old Brown*

Right from the on set of this project, I had the intention of using hide glue as my adhesive. (Old Brown Glue is quickly becoming my favorite glue) In my last post, simply because I was short time, I glued in two pieces of stringing with Titebond 3, took my pictures and set everything aside. Since I had a little bit of free time today, I was able to do a few things with this box.

So I grabbed my Old Brown from the fridge, put a pot of water on the stove….









But because I knew I was only going to use a tiny amount, I only heated up the bottle until it just started to warm up, then I poured a small amount into a smaller mixing cup, and put the bottle back into the fridge, and just heated up the small amount in the mixing cup.









Once I had all my stringing test fitted, I used a really thin piece of wood and smeared glue into the groove,









And then I inserted the stringing, and used the butt of a chisel to tap it into place.









Now to just wait for the glue to cure, and then I can scrape it flush. Next up, I need to get some stringing bent and installed, and then I can cut the vertical grooves and radii.


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## JR45 (Jan 26, 2012)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Old yeller... no wait, Old Brown*
> 
> Right from the on set of this project, I had the intention of using hide glue as my adhesive. (Old Brown Glue is quickly becoming my favorite glue) In my last post, simply because I was short time, I glued in two pieces of stringing with Titebond 3, took my pictures and set everything aside. Since I had a little bit of free time today, I was able to do a few things with this box.
> 
> ...


Glad to see you using Hide Glue. A veneer hammer would be a big help when you are setting your stringing in place. I like this blog!
Jim


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Old yeller... no wait, Old Brown*
> 
> Right from the on set of this project, I had the intention of using hide glue as my adhesive. (Old Brown Glue is quickly becoming my favorite glue) In my last post, simply because I was short time, I glued in two pieces of stringing with Titebond 3, took my pictures and set everything aside. Since I had a little bit of free time today, I was able to do a few things with this box.
> 
> ...


OBG is great stuff Jeremy. 
Have you tried hot hide glue? 
All the same advantages plus no clamp rubbed joints and hammer veneering.
Nice work on the stringing.


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Old yeller... no wait, Old Brown*
> 
> Right from the on set of this project, I had the intention of using hide glue as my adhesive. (Old Brown Glue is quickly becoming my favorite glue) In my last post, simply because I was short time, I glued in two pieces of stringing with Titebond 3, took my pictures and set everything aside. Since I had a little bit of free time today, I was able to do a few things with this box.
> 
> ...


Hey Paul, no I have not tried hot hide yet….. yet. To this point, I have not done any large scale veneer work, so I have not really seen the need. But… my next few personal projects will require it, so it is on my list of things to get set up in the near future.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Old yeller... no wait, Old Brown*
> 
> Right from the on set of this project, I had the intention of using hide glue as my adhesive. (Old Brown Glue is quickly becoming my favorite glue)  In my last post, simply because I was short time, I glued in two pieces of stringing with Titebond 3, took my pictures and set everything aside. Since I had a little bit of free time today, I was able to do a few things with this box.
> 
> ...


Have you seen my "Hide glue for beginners" blog?


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## Patricelejeune (Feb 21, 2013)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Old yeller... no wait, Old Brown*
> 
> Right from the on set of this project, I had the intention of using hide glue as my adhesive. (Old Brown Glue is quickly becoming my favorite glue) In my last post, simply because I was short time, I glued in two pieces of stringing with Titebond 3, took my pictures and set everything aside. Since I had a little bit of free time today, I was able to do a few things with this box.
> 
> ...


Thanks to anyone that shows hide glue, liquid or hot, is easy to use.


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

*Bent stringing*

Ok, now that the crazy week is behind me, I now have time to post what I did last week.

First, I had to cut some stringing and bend it so I could glue it into the small curved grooves. Sorry for not taking pictures of the bending process. I basically heated up a 2" pipe with a torch until it was hot. Then I dipped my strining into some water and used a thin piece of metal as a backer and pressed it to the pipe, hold it for a few seconds…. done.









Then I cut them and fit them into place, and again used OBG to glue them in.









Then scraped it flush..









Set up the cutters again and cut the next batch of grooves









Repeat the previous steps… cut, fit and glue into place. Scrape flush.









I also had enough time to cut and fit the bottom.









Now to start working on the lid. I am planning on doing some marquetry, because I do not have a chevalet, I will be using my fret saw and a birdsmouth. But I will be using Boulle method, and I plan to use a variation of some 16-17th century French stuff. I will be looking at and selecting my veneers over the next few days and once I settle on a design, I will start cutting it out. More on that later.

Thanks again for reading.
Jeremy


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Bent stringing*
> 
> Ok, now that the crazy week is behind me, I now have time to post what I did last week.
> 
> ...


You've been studying your Ramond I see Jeremy. 
This is looking very nice.
I know that you have "Marquetry" but for a much wider variety if copyable classic French designs look for Ramond's three volume set "Masterpieces of Marquetry". You can get lost in there for hours.


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## jap (Oct 10, 2012)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Bent stringing*
> 
> Ok, now that the crazy week is behind me, I now have time to post what I did last week.
> 
> ...


very nice work


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Bent stringing*
> 
> Ok, now that the crazy week is behind me, I now have time to post what I did last week.
> 
> ...


Patrick has put me on to the three volume set… its in the near future.


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## molan (Apr 25, 2012)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Bent stringing*
> 
> Ok, now that the crazy week is behind me, I now have time to post what I did last week.
> 
> ...


I hope you show some details on the birds mouth you are going to use for doing marquetry. I am interested to see how you do that!

the inlay looks great so far!


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

*Marquetry fail.*

First, a note on my new favorite tool… a Chisel point brad awl! Where has this been all my life? This makes installing hinges crazy easy. You need one too.









Ok, now back to the marquetry for the top of the box.

1. Selected veneers









2. Draw my pattern, which I tried to copy from a picture in Pierre's book.

















3. Glue newsprint to the fronts of all my sheets

























4. Press in air pump vac, with sheets of newspaper in between









5. Make packet









Picture of my birdsmouth









6. Use fret saw to saw out the individual pieces of the pattern.









7. Reassemble and tape the face side (backside)









The next step would be to use mastic to fill the gaps, and then glue it to a sub. But… I do not like the outcome. I will not be using this panel. For several reasons:
1. The kerf left between the pieces is too big. Even though I used a super tiny 2/0 marquetry blade, the gap is too big.

2. I think my packet was too thick. There was a 1/8 ply on the top and bottom of the packet, and this made the sawing too slow (in my opinion), and I felt that it put quite a bit of stress on the blade (see #3) if I do this again, I will do it with .8mm ply.

3. My free hand fret saw skills are not good enough, they are ok, but not great. My arm got tired after a while and then started to sag, and then I was not cutting at the proper angle, and this puts lots of stress on the blade. This also messed up the layers of veneer so there are slightly different, not noticeable to others, but to Mr. Edwards (that's right, I called him Mister), Paul Shipwright, and Patrice, my errors would be very noticeable.

4. I was frustrated by the whole process. This is one of those places and stages in woodworking where you know what needs to be done, you have the skills to do it, you want to do it really bad, but you just do not have the resources or tools to do it. I have done some really nice double bevel stuff, but those have been small, like little sea shells. It has basically come to the point where I cannot move forward in the techniques and styles that I want unless I make myself a chevalet. I am sure someone somewhere out there will tell me other wise… but that is just what I want.

So my conclusion to this part of the build… the process just got bigger, because now when I am done making my next batch of corporate commissions, I am going to build a chevalet. WOO HOO!!!!

Thanks for reading.
Jeremy


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## molan (Apr 25, 2012)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Marquetry fail.*
> 
> First, a note on my new favorite tool… a Chisel point brad awl! Where has this been all my life? This makes installing hinges crazy easy. You need one too.
> 
> ...


You are to hard on yourself! From the picture above it looks like it turned out very nicely. Especially if this is a first attempt,

your going to build this?
http://www.leevalley.com/en/newsletters/Woodworking/4/5/article2.htm

Thats ambitious


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Marquetry fail.*
> 
> First, a note on my new favorite tool… a Chisel point brad awl! Where has this been all my life? This makes installing hinges crazy easy. You need one too.
> 
> ...


You did very well Jeremy, considering you did it by hand. IMHO it would take a tremendous amount of practice to get to the point where you could maintain 90 degrees well enough for packet cutting. The chevalet will give you that part free … as a given once set up and adjusted, leaving you free to concentrate on following the line.

I applaud your attempt, first for the ambitious choice of motif and second for giving the hand method a try.

This was no failure. It was a step in your development, a learning experience that led to a decision that will make it work better in the future. ............. That's called a success.

(anyone interested in what a chevalet is … visit the chevalet clubhouse.)


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Marquetry fail.*
> 
> First, a note on my new favorite tool… a Chisel point brad awl! Where has this been all my life? This makes installing hinges crazy easy. You need one too.
> 
> ...


I'm really impressed with what a wonderful job you did with this, especially done by hand cutting. Nevertheless, you are right to say it is not good enough because YOU are not satisfied with it. That kind of attitude is good because it can only result in you constantly improving your work, but maybe not your contentment. It may be that you will never be satisfied, but again a great motivator. I agree with Paul though, about considering it a learning experience. Personally, I would glue it up if for no other reason than to document your progress and I'm sure someone else would treasure it even if you don't.


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Marquetry fail.*
> 
> First, a note on my new favorite tool… a Chisel point brad awl! Where has this been all my life? This makes installing hinges crazy easy. You need one too.
> 
> ...


I think mostly, I do not like the colours I picked, or how they are working together.

And I really want to make a Chevalet.


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

*Inlay in the lid*

After going through all the effort to do some Boulle marquetry, I did not like the result. (see last entry) So the project was put on hold until I could 1. Find more time to dedicate to this. 2. Make a decision as to what to do.

I finally made a decision on what to do with the lid. I sand shaded the edge of some maple slices and made fans. I failed to take pictures. But, I do have pictures of them being clamped in after I made the voids for them to sit in.









Of course I used my router plane to make the voids… and I even got to use my brand new 1/16 router bit.









This thing is awesome… gets into the tight corners with ease. This bit is going to get lots of use in my shop.

After removing the clamps and using a thin card scraper to remove the tape and squeeze out…









Using my stringing cutter, I made one light pass with the scoring side to set my lines, then using the compass cutter I cut a radius at the top of the fans.









































Then I made the stringing, steam bent it (I do that at a friends house (so there are no pictures) and I had to change my shirt to look nice so it is the same day, but I have a different shirt on, I cut and glued in the stringing









































End result.










Then this morning, I cut the stringing flush and scraped it smooth. Then I cut the groove for the next batch of stringing.









Then glued in the stringing









Then smoothed the stringing









End result









Up until today I had still not glued the box together. I did that as well… so now I can start on the maple edging that is going to be inlaid into the corners. 









There is still one more element that is going to be inlaid into the lid, but that is still a little surprise. If all goes well tomorrow (Its a holiday in Canada, so I have an extra day to work on this) I should have the lid done. I am going to be working on this until it is done, I am hoping that I will be done in the next 3 or 4 days.. then I can put some finish on it. I cant wait to see what the lid is going to look like with oil and shellac…

Thanks for reading.


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## doordude (Mar 26, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Inlay in the lid*
> 
> After going through all the effort to do some Boulle marquetry, I did not like the result. (see last entry) So the project was put on hold until I could 1. Find more time to dedicate to this. 2. Make a decision as to what to do.
> 
> ...


very cool looking fan design. the lid as a whole looks pretty cool!


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Inlay in the lid*
> 
> After going through all the effort to do some Boulle marquetry, I did not like the result. (see last entry) So the project was put on hold until I could 1. Find more time to dedicate to this. 2. Make a decision as to what to do.
> 
> ...


Looks really nice Jeremy.
Well done on the shading.


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## tomd (Jan 29, 2008)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Inlay in the lid*
> 
> After going through all the effort to do some Boulle marquetry, I did not like the result. (see last entry) So the project was put on hold until I could 1. Find more time to dedicate to this. 2. Make a decision as to what to do.
> 
> ...


Excellent work, looks very good.


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## kenn (Mar 19, 2008)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Inlay in the lid*
> 
> After going through all the effort to do some Boulle marquetry, I did not like the result. (see last entry) So the project was put on hold until I could 1. Find more time to dedicate to this. 2. Make a decision as to what to do.
> 
> ...


That is looking fantastic, the shading looks really good to me. Glad you're solved your issue and got back on track.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Inlay in the lid*
> 
> After going through all the effort to do some Boulle marquetry, I did not like the result. (see last entry) So the project was put on hold until I could 1. Find more time to dedicate to this. 2. Make a decision as to what to do.
> 
> ...


This is looking so good. You do fantastic work.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

*Edging the edges*

My Labour day was a good one. Spent quite a bit of time in the shop, and my son decided to tail me around all day, it was nice having some company in there.

Pick up right where I left off last night….

I cut up some maple strips and glued then into the corners where I left space for them when I made the box.









Then I used a plow plane to make the same size grooves in the top and bottom edges









The I cut and glued in those pieces as well.









Once the glue cured for a while, I removed the tape and used a thin card scraper to smooth everything off.









For the top, I used a beading tool and made a profile on three edges of the lid. Its still a little rough and needs a little more fine tuning.









Then I made the void in the lid for the final inlay









Tomorrow once I get the clamps off, I will scrape it smooth… then I will show what the center inlay is.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Edging the edges*
> 
> My Labour day was a good one. Spent quite a bit of time in the shop, and my son decided to tail me around all day, it was nice having some company in there.
> 
> ...


You're doing a nice job of this Jeremy. You have me in suspense about the central medallion.


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## sscartozzi (Jul 31, 2013)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Edging the edges*
> 
> My Labour day was a good one. Spent quite a bit of time in the shop, and my son decided to tail me around all day, it was nice having some company in there.
> 
> ...


Nice job Jeremy. I too am interested on your final inlay.


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## doordude (Mar 26, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Edging the edges*
> 
> My Labour day was a good one. Spent quite a bit of time in the shop, and my son decided to tail me around all day, it was nice having some company in there.
> 
> ...


great job, very detailed; but very time consuming with the little parts. but rewarding; can't wait to see the center piece!


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

*One coat of Boiled linseed oil*

After letting the centre inlay cure in the OBG over night, I scraped it flush and clean. Then I went over the rest of the box and just cleaned up the little things before adding the coat of boiled linseed oil. I usually let the oil cure for 5-7 days before putting on the shellac.

So without further ado…



























The shell design is one of a picture that I found in google after typing in conch shell. I took the picture and sent it to my dad, who lives a long, long ways away from me. But… he is a civil engineer, and he takes pictures that I send him, and puts them into cad and makes line drawings for me. I then take that drawing and scale it as I want. I then print off a bunch of copies and even make a few copies on clear overhead projector stuff. I used the double bevel method to do this shell. I sand shaded the wood first then cut them. I used figured birdseye maple for the shell, and QS maple for the 'inside' of the shell. The oil has helped highlight some of the figure, but the shellac will really pop it. I really like maple for inlays, as it is really tight grained and cuts really nicely, it also does not chip out like walnut likes to do. I thought if I used something figured, it would help add texture to the shell once it had some finish on it. So far it looks really promising.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *One coat of Boiled linseed oil*
> 
> After letting the centre inlay cure in the OBG over night, I scraped it flush and clean. Then I went over the rest of the box and just cleaned up the little things before adding the coat of boiled linseed oil. I usually let the oil cure for 5-7 days before putting on the shellac.
> 
> ...


Well done Jeremy!
You need to learn Inkscape. It will allow you to do your own photo to pattern transitions with the artistic inflections you want to add. You can't do that over email.
The box looks great and the chosen inlays are real time honoured classics.
Good on ya.


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## WhoMe (Jul 9, 2009)

JeremyPringle said:


> *One coat of Boiled linseed oil*
> 
> After letting the centre inlay cure in the OBG over night, I scraped it flush and clean. Then I went over the rest of the box and just cleaned up the little things before adding the coat of boiled linseed oil. I usually let the oil cure for 5-7 days before putting on the shellac.
> 
> ...


WOW!!!!!!!! That is Extremely impressive. I'm finding any other words hard to come by. You should be very proud of that fine piece.


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## vcooney (Jan 4, 2009)

JeremyPringle said:


> *One coat of Boiled linseed oil*
> 
> After letting the centre inlay cure in the OBG over night, I scraped it flush and clean. Then I went over the rest of the box and just cleaned up the little things before adding the coat of boiled linseed oil. I usually let the oil cure for 5-7 days before putting on the shellac.
> 
> ...


Awesome work


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## woodklutz (Oct 27, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *One coat of Boiled linseed oil*
> 
> After letting the centre inlay cure in the OBG over night, I scraped it flush and clean. Then I went over the rest of the box and just cleaned up the little things before adding the coat of boiled linseed oil. I usually let the oil cure for 5-7 days before putting on the shellac.
> 
> ...


wonderful display of craftsmanship.


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *One coat of Boiled linseed oil*
> 
> After letting the centre inlay cure in the OBG over night, I scraped it flush and clean. Then I went over the rest of the box and just cleaned up the little things before adding the coat of boiled linseed oil. I usually let the oil cure for 5-7 days before putting on the shellac.
> 
> ...


Flat out gorgeous !


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## sscartozzi (Jul 31, 2013)

JeremyPringle said:


> *One coat of Boiled linseed oil*
> 
> After letting the centre inlay cure in the OBG over night, I scraped it flush and clean. Then I went over the rest of the box and just cleaned up the little things before adding the coat of boiled linseed oil. I usually let the oil cure for 5-7 days before putting on the shellac.
> 
> ...


Jeremy. Wow, awsome box. I love the shell inlay. I have been trying to get the time to work on that double bevel technique.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *One coat of Boiled linseed oil*
> 
> After letting the centre inlay cure in the OBG over night, I scraped it flush and clean. Then I went over the rest of the box and just cleaned up the little things before adding the coat of boiled linseed oil. I usually let the oil cure for 5-7 days before putting on the shellac.
> 
> ...


Very impressive. Nicely done


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

*Mixing another batch of shellac*

I had some issues with the last batch of shellac that I mixed up. It did not dissolve very well, it went tacky too quickly, but yet took a really long time to cure. I contacted the person that supplied the shellac and I explained the situation. The response I got back was very interesting. I was told that the solvent I was using: Everclear, which is 95%, has 5% water. And that I should be using (because we live in Canada, we cannot get denatured) something called Bioflame. Which basically is denatured, but labeled and used for fireplaces. 95% ethanol and 5% iso.

Ok I thought, so I made the sacrifice and went to the store that carries it. Disclaimer… I hate that store. For the sake of this blog, I will just call it C-Tire. If you live in Canada, you will know of which I am talking about.










I was surprised how fast the flakes dissolved. Less than 4 hours. So I softened my lac brush and started on the first coat. I have always found that the first coat cures so fast, I pretty much do 2 coats back to back. SO on went the first two coats. This stuff is awesome! I would say less than 30 seconds of open time, but that is enough overlap half a stroke without leaving brush marks. It cured and leveled really evenly. I am very happy.




























It is building really well and I should be ready to install some hinges in the next few days.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Mixing another batch of shellac*
> 
> I had some issues with the last batch of shellac that I mixed up. It did not dissolve very well, it went tacky too quickly, but yet took a really long time to cure. I contacted the person that supplied the shellac and I explained the situation. The response I got back was very interesting. I was told that the solvent I was using: Everclear, which is 95%, has 5% water. And that I should be using (because we live in Canada, we cannot get denatured) something called Bioflame. Which basically is denatured, but labeled and used for fireplaces. 95% ethanol and 5% iso.
> 
> ...


Jeremy, you might also try the feed stores. I buy gallon size isopropyl that they sell for rubbing down horses. It's 99.? pure iso. It works beautifully for shellac. I don't brush shellac but I find that the slightly slower drying time is perfect for French polishing. 
The box is looking great.


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## jap (Oct 10, 2012)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Mixing another batch of shellac*
> 
> I had some issues with the last batch of shellac that I mixed up. It did not dissolve very well, it went tacky too quickly, but yet took a really long time to cure. I contacted the person that supplied the shellac and I explained the situation. The response I got back was very interesting. I was told that the solvent I was using: Everclear, which is 95%, has 5% water. And that I should be using (because we live in Canada, we cannot get denatured) something called Bioflame. Which basically is denatured, but labeled and used for fireplaces. 95% ethanol and 5% iso.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tip on Bioflame, will keep it for future reference, in case I get around to trying shellac.


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Mixing another batch of shellac*
> 
> I had some issues with the last batch of shellac that I mixed up. It did not dissolve very well, it went tacky too quickly, but yet took a really long time to cure. I contacted the person that supplied the shellac and I explained the situation. The response I got back was very interesting. I was told that the solvent I was using: Everclear, which is 95%, has 5% water. And that I should be using (because we live in Canada, we cannot get denatured) something called Bioflame. Which basically is denatured, but labeled and used for fireplaces. 95% ethanol and 5% iso.
> 
> ...


Paul. Last year a friend of mine gave me a small jar of shellac he had mixed up for me to try. He had used iso as the solvent. I used it on the Louis Cube box I made for my wife last Christmas. I actually did not like it very much. It reacted differently than what I was used to and it threw me off. I also asked about this with the supplier, and he did tell me that iso will work, but is noticeable slower at dissolving, and curing.

Some strange stuff I have noticed over the last year as well.
1. I had trouble getting Everclear to dissolve blond flakes, but not the amber flakes from LV. I don't know if this is because the amber flakes are much thinner than the blonde ones?
2. I have found that the amber mixtures dissolve and cure faster than the blonde ones.
This difference may not be major ones, in fact they are subtle, but I did notice them. A good friend of mine is a Luthier, and he has noticed these things as well.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Mixing another batch of shellac*
> 
> I had some issues with the last batch of shellac that I mixed up. It did not dissolve very well, it went tacky too quickly, but yet took a really long time to cure. I contacted the person that supplied the shellac and I explained the situation. The response I got back was very interesting. I was told that the solvent I was using: Everclear, which is 95%, has 5% water. And that I should be using (because we live in Canada, we cannot get denatured) something called Bioflame. Which basically is denatured, but labeled and used for fireplaces. 95% ethanol and 5% iso.
> 
> ...


Can you guys up north still get grain alcohol? Down in the states (some of them) you can get a product called everclear, which is 190 proof neutral grain spirits. I remember in my younger days we used to go to Montreal quite a bit. There was a product sold called "Alcohol 95". I'm not sure if that is still around


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

*Installing the hinges but forgetting to pay attention*

So after several coats of shellac, and lots of time spent doing a bunch of other things, I finally found a few min to grab my camera and take some pictures while installing the hinges.

I have done this several times on this site, so there is not much new and exciting going on…

Mark out the shape of the hinge, small razor saw, knife, chisel and small router plane..


























Like a glove!!!









UUUmmmm… opps. Stupid stupid stupid!!!!! Oh well… client wont care. I can fix that easily, just a small shim of maple that I can glue in and plane to the right size, will be noticeable when the lid is opened, but oh well… that's what I get for not paying attention to what I was doing.

Other than that… looks pretty good to me.

















I love how the oil and shellac have made the figure in the maple pop and gives the shell some real texture.










I will get the hardware in the next few days and install it, and will even try to finish the inside so I can finally call this complete.

Thanks again for reading.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Installing the hinges but forgetting to pay attention*
> 
> So after several coats of shellac, and lots of time spent doing a bunch of other things, I finally found a few min to grab my camera and take some pictures while installing the hinges.
> 
> ...


I like it.
Nice work Jeremy.


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## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Installing the hinges but forgetting to pay attention*
> 
> So after several coats of shellac, and lots of time spent doing a bunch of other things, I finally found a few min to grab my camera and take some pictures while installing the hinges.
> 
> ...


Very nice work. Something to be really proud of.


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Installing the hinges but forgetting to pay attention*
> 
> So after several coats of shellac, and lots of time spent doing a bunch of other things, I finally found a few min to grab my camera and take some pictures while installing the hinges.
> 
> ...


Thanks guys.


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## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Installing the hinges but forgetting to pay attention*
> 
> So after several coats of shellac, and lots of time spent doing a bunch of other things, I finally found a few min to grab my camera and take some pictures while installing the hinges.
> 
> ...


Beautiful, very nice work. I've felt the sinking feeling that comes with not paying attention.


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## robscastle (May 13, 2012)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Installing the hinges but forgetting to pay attention*
> 
> So after several coats of shellac, and lots of time spent doing a bunch of other things, I finally found a few min to grab my camera and take some pictures while installing the hinges.
> 
> ...


Double the width/size of the hinges and the prob is fixed


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## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Installing the hinges but forgetting to pay attention*
> 
> So after several coats of shellac, and lots of time spent doing a bunch of other things, I finally found a few min to grab my camera and take some pictures while installing the hinges.
> 
> ...


...or you could install 4 hinges instead of 2.


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

JeremyPringle said:


> *Installing the hinges but forgetting to pay attention*
> 
> So after several coats of shellac, and lots of time spent doing a bunch of other things, I finally found a few min to grab my camera and take some pictures while installing the hinges.
> 
> ...


Both are good suggestions. But hardware and hinges are both installed. I am going to make a matching patch to hide it as best as possible.


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

*All done... mostly.*

All the hardware has been installed, the finish is great and it is pretty much done.









There are still things to do for the inside, like make the little sliding tray, and get some stock and French fit the things that are going into the box… oh right… I have still not mentioned what is going into the box.

Well a picture will tell it better.









That's right. My inlay tools will be going into this box. The large tools will be French fit in the bottom, and the sliding tray will be home to the small chisels and groove cutters. The tray will slide on the two Spanish cedar runners that I glued onto the inside of the front and back. I should be getting that done some time over the next week or so if I can find time… but probably not. Honestly.. I kind of have it in my mind that I need to make the sliding tray just as crazy as the box it goes into…

Anyways, thanks for following along. This build was so much fun, and I am beyond happy with the final result.

Jeremy


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## Woodwrecker (Aug 11, 2008)

JeremyPringle said:


> *All done... mostly.*
> 
> All the hardware has been installed, the finish is great and it is pretty much done.
> 
> ...


I can't think of a much more fitting place for your inlay tools then an inlaid box !
Really nice job Jeremy.


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## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

JeremyPringle said:


> *All done... mostly.*
> 
> All the hardware has been installed, the finish is great and it is pretty much done.
> 
> ...


Beautiful box. You can be more than happy with your outcome. I wish I could do that.


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## JulianLech (Jan 13, 2011)

JeremyPringle said:


> *All done... mostly.*
> 
> All the hardware has been installed, the finish is great and it is pretty much done.
> 
> ...


Awesome job.


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