23 January 2009

Mitre been better...maybe not.

I've finally completed the 'driver handle last night (at least the polishing) and it's come up very well indeed...the Pau Rosa takes a really good polish. It just needs a bit of wax over the top to be completely done and then the bit holder just needs to be pushed in.
I started to make the little box for it the other night (just from an offcut of Brazilian Walnut) and I approached the jointing with a little trepidation as I wasn't really expecting the mitres shot on the new jig to pull up. I marked everything out carefully, rough cut them on the bandsaw and then shot them in. The box is fairly small (as you'd expect for a 'driver) so I couldn't use my picture frame cramp to pull the sides together... I had to resort to the time honoured, old fashioned way and use ply corner blocks and a tourniquet (essential here to use a cord that don't stretch...so nylon is a big 'no') Gobsmacked is not too strong a phrase to describe the way that they'd pulled up absolutely spot on which was really quite amazing! The joint is so simple to do now that I reckon I may well do a few more boxes later on. I've got to find a bit of ebony to make the cunning trunnion arrangment to hold the 'driver, then after that the next job is to clean up the inside, finish and glue, after which it has to go into the new Spline Jig for a couple of inserts routed in each corner. The lid by the way is going to be the rather traditional sliding 'pencil box' type in either English Cherry or Maple...again all sourced from the offcuts box under the bench (well...you can't throw 'em away can you?) and I had a bit of a problem trying to decide how to make a very small (3mm) groove around the inside. Then I remembered a pal had made me just the tool to do the job...

5 comments:

Kari Hultman said...

Seems to me that you have lots of tool making pals. :o)

Anonymous said...

That would be the scratchstock, I presume???

Cheers ;-)

Paul Chapman

Woodbloke said...

Hi Paul - correct... - Rob

Anonymous said...

What sort of shooting board did you use? Donkey's ear or Long Mitre board? I think I need to make myself one, leaning towards the latter.

wizer

Woodbloke said...

Tom - see the Blogpost for the 18 Jan for a pic - Rob