Discussion
Custerdome said:
Yes, a great shot and lovely looking chairs.
Some great projects (and workshops) on this thread.
I've been lurking for a while having recently thought I'd try and get into a bit of woodwork. I've also managed some patio chairs as well as an outdoor table but I'm still firmly in the 'rank amateur' category and will no doubt remain there. I'm sure I'm missing a lot of techniques and short cuts, I think they used to call it 'the knack', but it's good fun making things up as I go along, even if there's a bit of industrial language when things don't work out.
Latest job was an artists box for my granddaughter. I drew it up on CAD after a few pencil sketches, - it still looked a bit vague with a few things to iron out once I got into it, but it was a good start and helped with the cutting list. I went for beech, as I remember from schooldays it's a very hard wood, and I'm pretty sure the end product will get a bit of a bashing. I was reasonably pleased with the end result, but I know I made a few mistakes, and would probably do it a little differently if I made another one.
Here's a few pics, hopefully not too many to bore everyone rigid. It took ages, which wasn't a problem, but it did make me wonder 'how does anyone make a profit out of this?'. Probably something to do with the knack...
Carving beech was hard work, about 60-90 mins for each letter, and a sore hand.
Test fitting the box sides together, I routered (sp?) channels on the inside face to take dividing shelves and some drawer runners prior to gluing up.
Sawing the box lid once glued up, a little bit nerve racking, but it went ok, sort of.
Mocking up a test lid and hinge to make sure everything was going to work. TBH I found sourcing quality hardware very difficult, I spent an age googling and have a (fairly large...) box full of bits that are just a bit crap, but it wasn't obvious until the Amazon man had been and gone.
Getting everything aligned before cutting and fitting the hinges. I found it hard to work out how to make any small adjustments once the hinges were fitted, having the hinges on the short side didn't help as any misalignment was amplified. I got there in the end, but not absolutely sure how...
Here's the finished article. I went for a spirit based varnish, and it was a mistake, it was just about impossible to lose the brush marks and the build up was a pain. I'm not really sure what the alternatives are and how they would be any different, but definitely wouldn't go down that route again.
I love this, as would my grand-daughter(s)Some great projects (and workshops) on this thread.
I've been lurking for a while having recently thought I'd try and get into a bit of woodwork. I've also managed some patio chairs as well as an outdoor table but I'm still firmly in the 'rank amateur' category and will no doubt remain there. I'm sure I'm missing a lot of techniques and short cuts, I think they used to call it 'the knack', but it's good fun making things up as I go along, even if there's a bit of industrial language when things don't work out.
Latest job was an artists box for my granddaughter. I drew it up on CAD after a few pencil sketches, - it still looked a bit vague with a few things to iron out once I got into it, but it was a good start and helped with the cutting list. I went for beech, as I remember from schooldays it's a very hard wood, and I'm pretty sure the end product will get a bit of a bashing. I was reasonably pleased with the end result, but I know I made a few mistakes, and would probably do it a little differently if I made another one.
Here's a few pics, hopefully not too many to bore everyone rigid. It took ages, which wasn't a problem, but it did make me wonder 'how does anyone make a profit out of this?'. Probably something to do with the knack...
Carving beech was hard work, about 60-90 mins for each letter, and a sore hand.
Test fitting the box sides together, I routered (sp?) channels on the inside face to take dividing shelves and some drawer runners prior to gluing up.
Sawing the box lid once glued up, a little bit nerve racking, but it went ok, sort of.
Mocking up a test lid and hinge to make sure everything was going to work. TBH I found sourcing quality hardware very difficult, I spent an age googling and have a (fairly large...) box full of bits that are just a bit crap, but it wasn't obvious until the Amazon man had been and gone.
Getting everything aligned before cutting and fitting the hinges. I found it hard to work out how to make any small adjustments once the hinges were fitted, having the hinges on the short side didn't help as any misalignment was amplified. I got there in the end, but not absolutely sure how...
Here's the finished article. I went for a spirit based varnish, and it was a mistake, it was just about impossible to lose the brush marks and the build up was a pain. I'm not really sure what the alternatives are and how they would be any different, but definitely wouldn't go down that route again.
May I copy it? How did you decide on the size? Does she have a particular style/art that it is aimed for? What would you do differently?
Great work, I hope she is proud of it and you.
crmcatee said:
Mr Whippy said:
Hmm I might just use glass and good quality wet and dry then.
The Veritas glass is £15 and 355mm long, so pretty much long enough to do a 5 1/2 plane with short strokes… diagonally
So you just glue the glass up to plyboard? A big blob of silicone?
Can you recommend a good source of wet and dry?
Personally I just put the glass on my granite (as the granite is flatter than my workbench), So less chance of the glass getting a chance to break with a bit of downward pressure. No silicone.The Veritas glass is £15 and 355mm long, so pretty much long enough to do a 5 1/2 plane with short strokes… diagonally
So you just glue the glass up to plyboard? A big blob of silicone?
Can you recommend a good source of wet and dry?
I also just went for a multipack of assorted grits up to 320. And a pack of 1200. Wash rinse, dry up, repeat.
https://www.axminstertools.com/rider-scary-sharpen...
It’s arrived and looks/feels ok, but pretty sure it’s not flat.
You can just hold it up and see the curve in it.
I’m not sure if this is a result on it feeling freezing upon delivery and it’ll flatten out overnight.
Has annyone else bought one of these any had issues with curvature?
"May I copy it? How did you decide on the size? Does she have a particular style/art that it is aimed for? What would you do differently?"
Of course you can. The overall dims are 155x375x270, it just seemed convenient to get a decent art board on and still be approx suitcase size. She's still pretty young, so I think mum will supervising, at least until she can carry it around. The idea is you'd carry it around and use it outside, but I'm sure it'll get many uses. I think it will look better once battered around a bit!
It's pretty heavy, but I think that's unavoidable if you want it to be hard wearing, ply might have been a lighter option? The hinges were difficult to find for an edge that was 10mm. I loved those hinges linked to earlier on a previous page, but the box would need thicker sides to take them. It's easy to get carried away though, it does the job and after all it's meant to be a practical item.
I managed to put together the chopping board I intended to do this weekend, - planing beech and paduak was difficult, maybe I'm just a bit crap at planing. I'll put up a pic once I've oiled it. I also completed a 'cracket' (for a grandson), also waiting to be painted and oiled.
Of course you can. The overall dims are 155x375x270, it just seemed convenient to get a decent art board on and still be approx suitcase size. She's still pretty young, so I think mum will supervising, at least until she can carry it around. The idea is you'd carry it around and use it outside, but I'm sure it'll get many uses. I think it will look better once battered around a bit!
It's pretty heavy, but I think that's unavoidable if you want it to be hard wearing, ply might have been a lighter option? The hinges were difficult to find for an edge that was 10mm. I loved those hinges linked to earlier on a previous page, but the box would need thicker sides to take them. It's easy to get carried away though, it does the job and after all it's meant to be a practical item.
I managed to put together the chopping board I intended to do this weekend, - planing beech and paduak was difficult, maybe I'm just a bit crap at planing. I'll put up a pic once I've oiled it. I also completed a 'cracket' (for a grandson), also waiting to be painted and oiled.
Having finished the curved end table and sideboard (See posts further up in the thread), I moved straight onto something for my youngest.
I am constant user of Pinterest and the biggest folder I have is 'Woodwork Projects' and a constant feature in that folder is bi-plane themed shelves for children's bedrooms or anywhere else for that matter.
I am also a big fan of the Waco YMF-5 bi-plane and think its design perfection. See below
I asked said youngest (Also known as Rhys) who is now 5 if he would like a plane shelf and showed him some pictures and his eyes lit up, so that was project green light. His favourite color is yellow, so we went with an off the shelf B&Q colour called 'checco' and its turned out quite well.
Shelf wings are routered 12mm MDF. Even bought myself a hand router especially for this and I'm pretty pleased with it considering it was only £55 from Amazon.
Fuselage is curved MDF re-enforced with what ever plywood I had lying round.
Wing struts are broom handle timber painted in satin white.
Prop was made from the base of an old drawer that we ripped out of the one of the rooms in the house and it stank of smoke when I cut through it. Varnished with what ever was sat on the shelf.
Piston affect is made up of pieces grooved MDF just stuck on base circle piece.
Wheel struts could be longer as they aren't quite right in terms of scale. However, neither is the height of the top wing compared to the bottom.
However, I'm really quite happy with the overall look and its come out much better than I expected. Even made up some colour coded shelf brackets to support it. Hopefully next photo will be the 'plane' mounted to the wall.
I now have to crack on with the mini chair for the eldest which is what he has asked for, which is fine. Can't drag my heals on that one as its not fair as son 2 has something and son 1 doesn't. Kinda wish I'd just made two plane shelves really
Having shown this to a few colleagues, they are now telling me I should get on Etsy and start selling, but thats just not going to happen
One friend asked if he could have the link to the kit that it was made from. He was surprised to learn there was no kit and then found a kit pointing out it was probably much cheaper to buy that. Thats not point of these things. The kit looked pretty poor and this is more about me building something for the boy and not spending time surfing Auto Trader and trying to fid something on Netflix. Eldest bed time is nightmare and I now spend most of my evenings alone and being in Workshop (Its a mess I know) is a welcome retreat. I image I am not on my own with that view, especially in this thread.
Keep at it everyone. It doesn't have to mm perfect or even cost less than buying one off the shelf. Its about the fact that you can say you made that for someone.,
I am constant user of Pinterest and the biggest folder I have is 'Woodwork Projects' and a constant feature in that folder is bi-plane themed shelves for children's bedrooms or anywhere else for that matter.
I am also a big fan of the Waco YMF-5 bi-plane and think its design perfection. See below
I asked said youngest (Also known as Rhys) who is now 5 if he would like a plane shelf and showed him some pictures and his eyes lit up, so that was project green light. His favourite color is yellow, so we went with an off the shelf B&Q colour called 'checco' and its turned out quite well.
Shelf wings are routered 12mm MDF. Even bought myself a hand router especially for this and I'm pretty pleased with it considering it was only £55 from Amazon.
Fuselage is curved MDF re-enforced with what ever plywood I had lying round.
Wing struts are broom handle timber painted in satin white.
Prop was made from the base of an old drawer that we ripped out of the one of the rooms in the house and it stank of smoke when I cut through it. Varnished with what ever was sat on the shelf.
Piston affect is made up of pieces grooved MDF just stuck on base circle piece.
Wheel struts could be longer as they aren't quite right in terms of scale. However, neither is the height of the top wing compared to the bottom.
However, I'm really quite happy with the overall look and its come out much better than I expected. Even made up some colour coded shelf brackets to support it. Hopefully next photo will be the 'plane' mounted to the wall.
I now have to crack on with the mini chair for the eldest which is what he has asked for, which is fine. Can't drag my heals on that one as its not fair as son 2 has something and son 1 doesn't. Kinda wish I'd just made two plane shelves really
Having shown this to a few colleagues, they are now telling me I should get on Etsy and start selling, but thats just not going to happen
One friend asked if he could have the link to the kit that it was made from. He was surprised to learn there was no kit and then found a kit pointing out it was probably much cheaper to buy that. Thats not point of these things. The kit looked pretty poor and this is more about me building something for the boy and not spending time surfing Auto Trader and trying to fid something on Netflix. Eldest bed time is nightmare and I now spend most of my evenings alone and being in Workshop (Its a mess I know) is a welcome retreat. I image I am not on my own with that view, especially in this thread.
Keep at it everyone. It doesn't have to mm perfect or even cost less than buying one off the shelf. Its about the fact that you can say you made that for someone.,
bakerstreet said:
Keep at it everyone. It doesn't have to mm perfect or even cost less than buying one off the shelf. Its about the fact that you can say you made that for someone.,
couldn't agree more - very inspirational...it seems though that you have a great skill in being able to visualise and then make from that mental picture - a skill of which I am jealous!
akirk said:
couldn't agree more - very inspirational...
it seems though that you have a great skill in being able to visualise and then make from that mental picture - a skill of which I am jealous!
Thanks it seems though that you have a great skill in being able to visualise and then make from that mental picture - a skill of which I am jealous!
The Sideboard had to be planned out on paper purely because of the drawers, but this started with 970mm wings as that was how long the MDF sheets were that I had spare and the shelf depth is pretty much the same! Materials are so expensive now, so this was started with the goal of using what ever was in the Workshop. Only think I bought was paint and a new router, but any excuse to buy a new tool 
Just done a quick sketch of the mini chair. Steeling the dimensions of the chair my great grandfather made, which we have had in the house for years. However, my kid is 8 now, so I might need to scale it up a bit!
Mr Whippy said:
Hehe that's pretty cool.
Curved MDF for the fuselage, is that something you buy, or made somehow?
Yeah, you can buy grooved MDF from Wickes/B&Q type places. £20 ish for a 1220 x 620mm. Used purely for making curves, but it does it does have a radius limit. Think this circle diameter was about 180mm and you can see the where grooves are touching and it just won't curve anymore. IE you are getting a circle made up of 50mm flat sections, but quite subtle. Curved MDF for the fuselage, is that something you buy, or made somehow?
bakerstreet said:
Mr Whippy said:
Hehe that's pretty cool.
Curved MDF for the fuselage, is that something you buy, or made somehow?
Yeah, you can buy grooved MDF from Wickes/B&Q type places. £20 ish for a 1220 x 620mm. Used purely for making curves, but it does it does have a radius limit. Think this circle diameter was about 180mm and you can see the where grooves are touching and it just won't curve anymore. IE you are getting a circle made up of 50mm flat sections, but quite subtle. Curved MDF for the fuselage, is that something you buy, or made somehow?
I’ve got a few shelves for the kids playroom to finish up. Nowhere near this interesting but inspirational in any case!
Cracking job there on the shelves, very nicely done, and I resonate with your thoughts. The joy is in the making, and then the using. As you say, would be nice if materials were a touch more affordable. Fortunately there's often an old bit of furniture ready for a new life somewhere out there.
Mr Whippy said:
Hehe that's pretty cool.
Curved MDF for the fuselage, is that something you buy, or made somehow?
Yeah, you can buy grooved MDF from Wickes/B&Q type places. £20 ish for a 1220 x 620mm. Used purely for making curves, but it does it does have a radius limit. Think this circle diameter was about 180mm and you can see the where grooves are touching and it just won't curve anymore. IE you are getting a circle made up of 50mm flat sections, but quite subtle. Curved MDF for the fuselage, is that something you buy, or made somehow?
2354519y said:
Cut some model planes out of Ash with walnut wings and raffled them off for a local charity a few years back.
Love those and I started something similar a few years ago and I still have the main body in the workshop. Just haven't decided what to do with the wings yet. Nice touch with the RAF roundels as well.
I've started work on a tool cabinet that I've been wanting to make for a long time. Wall hanging, about 1.2m square, not very deep and glazed so more of a display case really.
In my mind it was to be of marvellous construction with wooden hinges, banded inlays and ebony stringings, cunning latching mechanisms and the odd laburnum oyster .. But then this week, starting a new big job, I came to terms with the fact that non of this was ever going to happen before I retire so instead I started making a cupboard with some bits of wood I had hanging around.
Then this morning I thought I'd better get some tools out to see how things would fit.
It's going to be tight. I still have stuff in drawers.
Anyway, it's going to be a slow burner but I'm pleased I've made a start.
In my mind it was to be of marvellous construction with wooden hinges, banded inlays and ebony stringings, cunning latching mechanisms and the odd laburnum oyster .. But then this week, starting a new big job, I came to terms with the fact that non of this was ever going to happen before I retire so instead I started making a cupboard with some bits of wood I had hanging around.
Then this morning I thought I'd better get some tools out to see how things would fit.
It's going to be tight. I still have stuff in drawers.
Anyway, it's going to be a slow burner but I'm pleased I've made a start.
loughran said:
I've started work on a tool cabinet that I've been wanting to make for a long time. Wall hanging, about 1.2m square, not very deep and glazed so more of a display case really.
In my mind it was to be of marvellous construction with wooden hinges, banded inlays and ebony stringings, cunning latching mechanisms and the odd laburnum oyster .. But then this week, starting a new big job, I came to terms with the fact that non of this was ever going to happen before I retire so instead I started making a cupboard with some bits of wood I had hanging around.
Then this morning I thought I'd better get some tools out to see how things would fit.
It's going to be tight. I still have stuff in drawers.
Anyway, it's going to be a slow burner but I'm pleased I've made a start.
Looks pretty blimmin marvelous to me. In my mind it was to be of marvellous construction with wooden hinges, banded inlays and ebony stringings, cunning latching mechanisms and the odd laburnum oyster .. But then this week, starting a new big job, I came to terms with the fact that non of this was ever going to happen before I retire so instead I started making a cupboard with some bits of wood I had hanging around.
Then this morning I thought I'd better get some tools out to see how things would fit.
It's going to be tight. I still have stuff in drawers.
Anyway, it's going to be a slow burner but I'm pleased I've made a start.
I realise being a commercial woodworker with bills to pay you have an arsenal of machinery to do the donkey work but of the hand tools you posted what would you say are the top five you use regularly that do things the machinery can’t do? Not sure what the brass, round disc is, top right
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff