Practising for the Challenge - my first box!!!

[ElizaLeahy]

psh, it wasn't hard at all! (she says) Of course, took me 2 hours, and it's about an inch and a half across... I wonder if bigger ones take longer or less time?

Made it so that the end grain is on the side, not down the middle. But with anything hollow you always have end grain problems, don't you? It's spanish cedar, which is a forgiving timber (which is why I used it!)

An it has a finial in contrasting jarrah!

Want to see photos?

heehee

[mick61]

G`day of course we want to see photo`s
Mick:D

[ElizaLeahy]

I took photos as I went. I looked at several different ways to do it online, then took bits from each.

I hope it's understandable. The finial one was taken when I first started, and it's blurry, sorry.

Biggest trick I learnt this morning - using a rubber band around the chuck jaws when in expansion mode to protect the wood.

:)

Next time I'll go a little larger then I won't have to swap chucks except for the finial.

[Ozkaban]

Cool effort for a first go, which is 1 more go than I've done :2tsup:

It's almost like an upside down lolly pop :D

Cheers,
Dave

[mick61]

As dave said good effort for your first box.
If you dont mind I could make a couple of suggestions on design .
The finial is a bit heavy in relation to the size of the box I would prefer to see a finer and shorter finial it looks a bit out of balance.Top heavy
Has anyone told you about jam chucks?
Mick:D

[ElizaLeahy]

No, what's a jam chuck? Do you have it with toast?

:)

[mick61]

G`day Eliza no you don`t have it with toast a jam chuck is used for holding the part turned box to finish the the base or hollowed out lid.Its also used to finish the bottom of bowls.Sorry I don`t have a pic handy to show you but if you search this site for jam chucks somthing will show up.

Mick:D

[ElizaLeahy]

The nova chuck worked - with the elastic band! Quicker then changing chucks - and as you probably know, I'm not the most patient person in the world!

At the moment I'm trying the second box - with a foot and a longer pointy bit at the top. But the wood I'm using for the foot is soooo spalted you could probably call it rotten and be correct. I could use sandpaper instead of chisels on it. But I'm trying ebonising it, to make it different enough from the camphor laurel of the box. And the lid has a crack in it, which I didn't see until I was mostly finished the lid. Well, it's interesting playing with wood, and no one ever said that the wood had to cooperate!

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

:2tsup:

Are you hooked on 'em yet? :U

[ElizaLeahy]

Yes, drat it. And here is me with 100 pen blanks... I might have to stick the penblanks together to make pieces big enough for boxes! :)

[KenW]

Your box is nice for a first go, I think it would look nicer without a finial. If you want to decorate the top, try a couple of simple rings.
Be careful using a chuck in expansion mode. As Mick said learn to use jam chucks.

[ElizaLeahy]

oh dear, something new I have to learn! :)

The finial has a purpose - it's a ring box - you can put a ring inside, but also put them over the finial. I was going to make them this basic sort of shape, but solid where the box is, but decided to make a box instead, so now it's a ring box and a ring holder!

(I have no idea what purpose my second box has, it seems to be too big to be a ring holder, and too small to be useful for anything else! Any suggestions?)

[artme]

Yep, good first effort!:2tsup::2tsup:

[tea lady]

Practicing? :grumble:



:D Might do a bit tomorrow also. If I'm not feeling as foggy as I am today. Keep hearing pigs flying past.:rolleyes:

[ElizaLeahy]

I didn't know we weren't allowed to practice! Well, I ain't stopping now!

Zoe (who is in Sydney at the moment, so I sent her some pictures) asked how I got the grain to line up like that. The people she is staying with said that the finials look phallic... only they didn't use those words :)

[tea lady]

I didn't know we weren't allowed to practice! Well, I ain't stopping now! :shrug: Just stirring.:rolleyes:

Zoe (who is in Sydney at the moment, so I sent her some pictures) asked how I got the grain to line up like that. The people she is staying with said that the finials look phallic... only they didn't use those words :) Some people see them everywhere. I was reading a book about fashion history once and the author reckoned sleeves and trouser legs were phallic symbols.:doh: What shape are you suppose to make 'em then.:rolleyes:

[ElizaLeahy]

Some people see them everywhere. I was reading a book about fashion history once and the author reckoned sleeves and trouser legs were phallic symbols.:doh: What shape are you suppose to make 'em then.:rolleyes:


They use to cover the legs on pianos and funiture so that men wouldn't get excited. And when treddle sewing machines first came out they worried that the women in the factories would be excited by the rubbing of their legs together!!!

People are weird...

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

People are weird...

Hmmm... :aro-d:

[ElizaLeahy]

I'm sorry, I can't read that because I can't stand on my head. I'll keep practicing.

:(