Thread: Rustic Oregon

I like the lid on the first one Wendy, something different. Was the split a natural one or did you do it to get the width?

Hi Wendy,

I really like those little boxes, particularly the split lid one. Well done, very artistic and a little bit Eastern perhaps. Oregon is great timber to play with I reckon, light and strong and I like the smell when you cut it, (like a lot of woods of teh pine family really).

The hard ribs in oregon are very hard. I find you have to be careful when sanding, if you use sandpaper by hand or with an old foam block you can preferentially sand away the softer timber and end up with a light corrugation between the hard and soft veins. This can be appealing though. I know some people actually accentuate this by sandblasting the timber to get a very driftwood look.

Yes, very nice boxes Wendy.

Cheers
Pops

Thanks DJ

I was merrily cutting the lid to length yesterday afternoon, when suddenly I was standing there holding the two pieces in either hand saying, "Oh No, Now what do I do " Of course that was the last piece of Oregon, so I decided to use them and as usual, make a feature out of a bug

cheers
Wendy

Wonderful work ,Wendy.
You know it's so frustrating with people having these timbers all over the country. In a store room at work I have some mega old oregon 380 X 55 and 2 metres long. I don't know whether to split it with a bandsaw (that i don't have) or just keep it forever. We used some of it for table tops on outdoor furniture at school and it looks tremendous - like your work.
People on the other side of the country have jarrah coming out their ears and north coasters have red cedar to burn. Life's not fair!!

Carry Pine

Nice boxes. They do have a Japanese feel to them.

To get flat oregon, I think you have to leave the sandpaper on the shelf and use a handplane.

Hiya All,

I agree Zen, planing is the only way to get a good flat surface on oregon.

Pops - I purposely wirebrushed the first box, not overly so, but enough to match the bandsaw marks on the lid. If I find some more board oregon, I might even try burning/singing it. A friend had a bar top of singed oregon - looked absolutely beautiful, until the painter painted the room, AND the oregon bar!!!! Friend was not happy, to say the least.


Carry - Thanks! It is hard when each area has timber we want, eg Victoria and Blackwood. That's some nice sizes of oregon though!! Yum indeed!!

The First box idea I got from Lon Schleining's Treasure Chests book. The second box uses some Doug Stowe elements albeit not as nicely implemented as Doug does


Zen, what aspects made you think of a Japanese influence? I think I can see what you mean, but it's an overall view, not an idividual element thing.

Thanks
Wendy

Nice boxes Wendy. I particularly like the first one and the lid "feature" really makes it.

Cheers
Michael

Good to see you really enjoying your workshop now Wendy making all sorts of things

Best source for oregon I found was the tip shop - when they still had them, the Gold Coast have closed theirs. Both in the NT and here I scored old pegolas people had thrown out due to rotting joints. Cut the ends off and you still have plenty of sound timber. My last set of work benches were made from a $20 pergola.

Originally Posted by rufflyrustic

If I find some more board oregon, I might even try burning/singing it.

Wendy I have a lot off short bits here from my brothers salvaged pergola.

PM me your addy and I'll send some your way

Ruffly, I think the rectangle is a strong feature of japanese design, and box 1 consists of strong rectangular shapes. Perhaps the diagonal split lid element even emphasises the rectangles elsewhere.

I'm not sure if you saw the Japanese reliquary boxes I made a while ago, yours have some similar features (pics 3-5 here).

G'day Wendy,
Luv 'em!
First box certainly has the "reliquary" proportions as Zenwood says.
And I like the split lid.....you'd pay money for that.
My favourite is the second box.....it didn't exist........now it does...and it already has a purpose.
Beaut!

I love Oregon as a timber. Love the grain, love the way it looks with a very light Black Japan wash put on it. Got quite a bit of old stuff put away that I mean to start working with soon...

Thanks to Wendy............

That posting gave me the confidence and the idea? to rip those boards of mine to make up a blanket box. I tried on a scrap and can get 130mm deep cut perfectly by taking a series of smaller cuts on the triton (adapted to 10in).
Because oregon is so light, there is hardly any effort from the saw. So different to those red gum posts my son gives me!

The blanket box will go to a family friend who is moving to Qld, so it all comes round I guess. Stay tuned for progress on box. First job, ripping those long boards.

CP

Thanks for the kind offer DJ, but good news is that I do have more oregon and as Dai Sensei says, my posts came from a porch that had just shadecloth on it. Of course there's lots of woodrot to be cut out, but the grain is nice, fairly wide though. It's just not in board form yet

Black Japan aye? I'll have to remember that, thanks Poppa.

Cheers Watson

Carry - I can't wait to see how your oregon project goes Yes, ripping boards is much easier compared to red gum or kwila even.

Zen - That's what I was remembering! I knew I'd seen these boxes in at least two other places, one was in a friend's book, the second was my Treasure Chests book and Your picture was the third. I reread the section and found out that the maker, Carl Svennson[sp] is a Japanese woodworker No wonder they have that influeunce. I think too, it might be the lid is a sliding one, rather than a lift up lid.

Interesting, fun. I think I should build another one of these, if the timber presents itself again.

cheers
Wendy