TTIT's shot

TTIT · #1 10th Aug 2009, 02:33 PM

I wasn't going to post this until I finished because of the extreme likelihood that it will all go to s#!t but as TL said, it's about challenging ourselves and showing how we overcame obstacles regardless of the outcome. I don't know if this will work aesthetically, but I came up with the idea because it would challenge me at several levels with things I haven't tried before...
(a) Accuracy
(b) Following templates
(c) Accuracy
(d) Lattice work
(e) more accuracy

So much happening my end at the moment I don't know if I'll get it finished but this is what I've done so far.

1. 2 chunks of Scrub Leopardwood 100x99x50 (like I said, I'm not good with accuracy

) Chosen because it is the densest, light coloured timber I have and I reckon it needs to be light coloured to show the detail I'm planning.

2. The templates - cut from hi-tech cereal boxes using my home-grown 'circle-knife'.

3. Chucked. Was originally going to mount the blanks on a faceplate but the big
dovetail jaws on the Vermec just opened up enough soooo...

4. First half hollowed - shocked myself by getting it so close to the template!!!

5. Dodgie eyesight and a shaky hand made marking out the grooves a bit iffy so I made this little gauge out of Laminex. It checks the sizing of the groove I'm cutting (2x2mm) and gives me the starting point of the next groove (the little black line).

6. That's the easy bit done.

Waldo · #2 10th Aug 2009, 02:40 PM

I like the start of this one.

Skew ChiDAMN!! · #3 10th Aug 2009, 03:00 PM

Templates? Laminex? Accuracy?

This doesn't sound like an exercise in turning at all! It sounds like you've taken all the fun, the excitement, the "Oh God! I hope it doesn't hit me in the head when I poke it with this pointy stick!" out of it.

Actually, I'm intrigued.

ElizaLeahy · #4 10th Aug 2009, 03:49 PM

Interesting!!!

Sawdust Maker · #5 10th Aug 2009, 04:48 PM

Yep I agree, "interesting"

and BTW I like your trammel points

Ed Reiss · #6 10th Aug 2009, 09:06 PM

yep, it's those high-tech cereal boxes that make all the difference

...like the others said "interesting"

tea lady · #7 11th Aug 2009, 12:30 AM

Oh ! Square.

And lattice?

cool.

Awaiting the next installment.

Ozkaban · #8 11th Aug 2009, 09:19 PM

This one is shaping up to very cool...

Watching with interest

Cheers,
Dave

TTIT · #9 11th Aug 2009, 11:12 PM

Got a little bit more done and started hitting the usual problems...

7. Started the base half. Hit some wonky grain drilling the depth marker which drifted the bit so bad it near broke.
8. Hollowed past the cruddy grain then drilled the depth marker OK.
9. Base hollowed and sanded - no grooves in this part.
10. Chunk of gidgee mounted between centres. Second attempt at making a sleeve to locate the 2 halves of the box. The one I turned last night from Yarran was somehow too green and it shrank overnight from a force-fit to sloppy.

11. Sleeve almost parted off.
12. Sleeve in place in the lid. Haven't glued it in to the base yet - going to wait and see if this one shrinks overnight before I commit to it

Waldo · #10 12th Aug 2009, 01:50 PM

I reackon it's beaut just the way it right now.

A sort of play of a concave hemisphere to an opposing cube.

TTIT · #11 16th Aug 2009, 12:34 AM

After a couple of days without getting to this project I discovered things had moved a little - should have known better than to use pieces freshly cut from a half-log. Had to remount both sides and true them up which already blows my 'accuracy' right out the rolla-door

13. Glued the sleeve in place and shaped it to suit.
14. My original idea was to hold the 2 pieces together mechanically so I could separate them to check progress but the cheap-a$$ed hose clamps wouldn't apply enough pressure. - Back to the drawing board

15. Decided to fore-go being able to check progress and joined the 2 sides with hot-melt - of course it grabbed before they were fully together so I had to nuke it a couple of times to warm it up enough for me to squeeze it up in the vice. Added some arches to allow a better quality hose clamp to get some pressure going (I don't trust hot-melt alone

)
16. Mounted between centres - none of my marks lined after gluing it together so who knows how this is going to end up

17. Turned a spigot on the back before anything else in case the Steb-centre gave way - just as well 'cos it did almost straight after

18. Remounted in the standard jaws for the rest of the shaping.
19. Kept the tailstock up until the front was roughed down to size.
20. Front side shaped ready for sanding and grooving. It might match the template but I could easily be out of alignment with the inner hollow by over 1mm which will trash the whole idea.

You can see the "Ball in a board" idea emerging now. The 'board' is supposed to be not only the foot of the base and the handle for the lid but also divide the box into 4 sections so the viewer will see that one quarter is untouched, one is only grooved on the outside, one is only grooved on the inside and the last has the lattice effect - - - - - - - - - - if it works out

Ed Reiss · #12 16th Aug 2009, 03:41 AM

Neat...here's to it working out for ya'

KenW · #13 16th Aug 2009, 07:10 PM

It looks like you are going along just fine. Templates, accuracy all sounds normal to me.
I am looking forward to seeing the finished design.

TTIT · #14 17th Aug 2009, 09:46 AM

Broke my big bandsaw blade on the 1st cut so that was the end of my "space-optimization" for the day and back to the 'ball in a board' to see what happens.

21. First groove showed I was off centre but only by about 0.5mm. Just meant going a tad deeper before the lattice opened at the crest. Not as bad as it could have been

22. All the grooves cut and the weapon responsible for the damage. Should have made the locating sleeve out of the same timber - didn't realize it would be so obvious on the outside.
23. "Jam" chuck - can't really jam a part sphere but it still had to be a good fit to centre everything properly. Yes - the waste is Red Cedar

- not gonna use good wood for it

24. Putting down some double-sided tape to keep it in the jam chuck. Often wonder if the newbs get the right stuff - wouldn't be much good if you tried to use the thick spongy stuff

25. Bit of duct tape and up with the tailstock for added security while I get the main shaping done.
26. Final shaping done to match the template and ready for sanding (without the duct tape in place)
27. Sanded the flats while it's still stuck together - doesn't quite fit the mental picture of how it was going to look but it's passable

28. 30 seconds (too long - ouch!) in the microwave and the hot-melt let go no worries but now HOW THE HELL DO I CLEAN IT OFF

. Had a quick shot at it this morning with a scraper and already broke one little 'end' off

Gotta be an easier way - pleeeease!

tea lady · #15 17th Aug 2009, 10:39 AM

t'riffic.