Thread: the possessed meatsafe!!

Very hard????

possibly box, its real hard and looks a bit like ash

Possibly painted aluminium.

OK can't help you with the wood that you have...tough stuff by the sound of it...LOL....Try pine...is easy to work with...quick & looks pretty bloody good....well I think....
Hope you like it, I have made several of them now and even put a sneeky hidden compartment into them, which is really nice....
Hope you contact me if you want to see any more pictures of my work...

My weg page is Http://groups.msn.com/WOODWORKCountryCottage

Hi
i wasn't making this one, I dont have your skills,
I was remodling a boring as bat sh-t 1920's meatsafe into a japanese tansu like cabinate.
wouldnt fool anyone and was not intended to.
just gave it a japanese feel with dark black over red stain, barred front and steel coners. looked pretty simple and elegant when finished.
client thrilled.
must remember to photo this stuff

love
astrid

Sounds like it was made from Ironbark to me. Old seasoned Ironbark has those characteristics Bend nails, burns drills, twists screws in half and generally unworkable.

Originally Posted by astrid

broke fine drill bits and when i tried to put brass screws (english good ones) the heads twisted off and yes i pre drilled.

Your drill bits either weren't sharp enough or you were pushing them too far and not letting the chips/swarf clear out, read: excessive heat/tension ie; not cool dude...or a combination of both. If you are shearing off screw heads, you need to drill a bigger pilot hole.......

Originally Posted by martrix

Your drill bits either weren't sharp enough or you were pushing them too far and not letting the chips/swarf clear out, read: excessive heat/tension ie; not cool dude...or a combination of both. If you are shearing off screw heads, you need to drill a bigger pilot hole.......

I've found that well seasoned Ironbark doesn't respect those rules.

thanks B-W and echidna
Timber was a bit greyish for ash.
thanks for the tips but I know when my drill bits are blunt and i know how to size a drill hole
astrid

Another tip when using brass screws. Start with steel ones. Drill the pilot hole and drive a matching steel screw in first. Remove and insert brass screw. Also try using a tiny dob of wax on the screw. It makes a huge difference.

Originally Posted by astrid

thanks B-W and echidna
Timber was a bit greyish for ash.
thanks for the tips but I know when my drill bits are blunt and i know how to size a drill hole
astrid

So what do you think was the reason you kept breaking drill bits?

Originally Posted by Barry_White

I've found that well seasoned Ironbark doesn't respect those rules.

So how come I can punch holes through 6mm hardened steel with out breaking drill bits?

thanks mark H
if i ever get this stuff again (which is odds on) I'll remember this
astrid

your silence is deafening.....

I think the reason that one can drill holes in metal but break a bit in timber is to do with friction, timber seems to grab more
I'm not a scientist but the timber seems to create more friction than metal does.
I hope this kinda makes sense

astrid