Making a bespoke wooden box.

[Retired]

Hi,
Thanks Josh I'm pleased you like it; it's amazing what you can make from a few offcuts and a lot of patience ending up with something nice for no monetry outlay.

Wait till I see your old dog Alan and tell it that you are planing a nice french polished box for its demise I bet it will bite you poor thing.

Thank you for your continued encouragement and faith in my abilities David; I'm pleased to prove you right although this project had it's moments; also thanks for adding the quote which is oh so true.

Kind regards, Col.

[Joe]

I'm just bumping this thread as most of the pictures have now been put back and relatively new members won't previously have been able to see them.

- Joe

[Retired]

Hi,

I would like to thank Joe once again for taking the time to add the missing pictures for me. Great job Joe.

It took all morning to locate these pictures as they are spread over many CD's and also in an external hard drive but the thread is hopefully better for them.

Just for interest Josh and to show examples of my work made entirely from offcuts I'm pleased to add a few pictures. I made two each lamp and table from offcuts of ordinary joinery grade softwood (pine). These cost nothing for materials and would be an ideal introduction to using a bandsaw and lathe for you. The construction is simple; the table top is made of biscuit jointed planed boards; the top is secured by a round mortise and tenon joint; an under-piece for the top and feet are drilled using a large bit the column has a tenon turned at each end to fit into the drilled holes both being simply glued. The feet are easily profiled with a bandsaw or hand tools.

Both lamps are turned and finished on the lathe to any desired profile; they are long hole bored to accept the round two core flex and plastic lamp holders are used for safety eliminating an earth wire should metal holders have been chosen. Both table and lamp are easy to make and look lovely each side of the bed. I made these many years ago and they still look as good as new; they were finished with Wickes varnish. The wall paneling is also to my own design but I actually spent money buying the timber for this and machining the bead moulding; the dentil moulding is simply individual wooden blocks sanded on the faceplate sander of my giant Dominion lathe when I owned the lathe and glued into position one by one; this detail is also carried around the corners of the ceiling as a wooden cornice.

I find such work most satisfying and of course most of it costs nothing or very little; our bungalow is full of such items.

Kind regards, Col.

Here are two of the pictures showing the items I made plus another of the box showing how the box sides look after using the router jig to cut all the comb joints.

Kind regards, Col.

           

[Nick]

Very nice - did you do all that panelling yourself as well? Looks good.

[pwdrive]

My god he's got furniture...well done Col.

Lawrence.

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks Nick; yes I did all the paneling. I bought standard planed all round (PAR) softwood from a local timber merchant for the framework and packs of interior cladding. The paneling is 48" tall and I also added a matching dentil moulding around the ceiling. It's some years since I made this and it still looks good. I added the mouldings and cut the joints in the garage then assembled in the bedroom; this was difficult because I wanted all the rails to be in single lengths without joints; the only way I could do this was to assemble on the floor diagonally from corner to corner in the bedroom then struggle to attach the completed panels.

Thanks Lawrence. I've made much of our furniture both hard and softwood; free standing and fitted saving a fortune. I used off-cuts wherever possible and as these were supplied in lots of sizes I machined them in the garage to suit whatever I was making at the time.

My most recent piece of furniture is the computer desk I'm sitting at. Post #59 below. I derive great pleasure from woodworking in all its many forms.

http://golbornevintageradio.org/forum/sh...p?tid=2204&page=6

Kind regards, Col.

[Aerodyne]

Yet another example (as if one was needed) to show just how hard work, skill and dedication to solving problems can pay off. As usual, Col, you are modest to a fault about your handiwork. Nothing wrong with modesty, but of course your photographs tell the whole story. As always, superb craftsmanship. I especially admire that excellent brass plate. Beautiful. I wonder... have you been born out of your time? Your metalwork bears the hallmark of the dedicated Victorian engineer. As for me, I've often thought that I'd have been happier working on radio in the 1920s!
Truly great work and once again an example to us all.
Thanks for sharing.
Tony

[Retired]

Hi,

You really are so kind Tony in bestowing me with such compliments; I'm pleased you like my work. Thank you.

I've gradually improved with each project I've tackled over many years but my main inspiration when I started woodworking was poverty. With a huge mortgage and no money to even buy a second hand sofa I decided to have a go at making furniture from off-cuts which I could obtain cheaply through contacts.

Speaking of Victorian standards Tony it comes as a surprise to think I was actually born half way between Victorian times and now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era

The mechanical engineers who taught me were of the old school and knew their subject. Thankfully something must have rubbed off on me.

I'm sure you would have done extremely well Tony had you been around to work on radios in the 1920's. One thing is sure; you would have found it so easy to repair a set then because they were new and any fault would most likely be easy to locate unlike now when such sets are riddled with faults through age.

At the moment I have lots of projects stacked up but I simply don't feel like doing anything; I do enjoy all my projects but a lot of fun is taken from them in trying to work around the bad weather. I'm fighting the urge to go out and dig the patio up because I know if I do the trench will quickly fill with icy cold water which will refuse to drain because our bungalow is built on clay. I'm not wishing my life away but it will soon be March and the clocks will go forward with springtime to look forward to.

Kind regards, Col.