Thread: Camphor Laurel Shoe Rack

That's a good start.

Thanks

The end result is very different though.

Funny thing I learnt while building this one, that sawdust floating out of the shed door looks just like drizzle

Nice work. It'll keep your shoes smelling nice, too.

I like it, curves on wooden edges are hard to execute and keep looking good but your design seems to work

Looking good

What finish are you thinking of using?

Different. Which way is up?

Cheers
Michael

looks like it's coming together nicely.

The camphor just about always begs for curves from me and I can't seem to deny this need.

in the pictures above, the slats were woven. The slat ends were all higgelty pigglety and just weren't right and I hadn't worked out how to attach the racks, so I let that problem mull over in the back of my head for a couple of months. I also wanted to do some carving on the ouside, but it just didn't come together so i might sock that idea away for another day.

The box joints weren't working for me, so I cut them off and then the top went and twisted way too much to be used so in the end, I started pulling apart my wood stash and discovered the perfect piece of camphor hidden about 4 slabs from the top. Great, that's the top sorted as well as the through tenons.

Now, how to attach the racks. hmmm, going to need some cross supports for the slats, they need holes cut into the rails, ok, so we are going to have rails, right then. What camphor boards do I have in the rack for that. Off we go pulling the rack contents down to see what I can find - great two bits of board, this lighter one can go at the back, it's a bit thicker than this other piece so that will give a bit of weight to the back to stop it falling on its face. Now, the front rails, I need three, they need to be in tune with the sides...... squiggles it is then. buxxzzzZZZzzzzzzZZZzzzzzz Done.

Don't like the rounded edges, they are just not right, check the router bits... ooooOOOOo Roman ogee - perfect!! buxxzzzZZZzzzzzzZZZzzzzzz OMG! Now it's starting to look like something. Back to the rails, worth out the length, front rails will be dowelled, back rails will be tennoned in with dowels. Done. figure out slat mortises, cut them out. Dry fit rails and slats, now, how to attach the long slats..... another big think needed... And then it's all thunk out and comes together.....

So, the dry fit works, now to sand everything back - 9.5 hours later and that's the beltsanding and 120 grit done , the next day is sanding again, fixing the features and other bits and pieces. the last day - sanded it all up to 320, then it starts to rain . Now to apply Hard Shellac, in the rain, get it dry enough to try to wax it!! Thank goodness my shed is not too cold, but geez the wet weather is making it so hard. I hope I never have to try to sand, shellac and wax anything in such a rush ever again. I reckon the only reason the finish worked is because it's UBeaut's and it never seems to stuff up, it's just me that does the stuffing

So, shellacing finishes about 9 pm, waxing about 10 pm, then it was time to fix the slats with the leather lacing - 3 racks, 6 slats, 4 cross members = 72 separate cross lacings to sew and they aren't the standard X, it's into the hole in the centre down and up one corner, into the centre hole, down and back up another corner.... repeat twice and then tie off underneath... Hard and timeconsuming to do, but a good strong lacing and it looks brilliant!.

Two songs after 2 am - that's it, I'm off for a shower and collapse into bed.


The morning comes way too quickly, up again, two large coffees, off to work, back home at lunch, time to pack it up and deliver to the Art Show - I'm so tired and excited I can barely think so HWMNBO does it for me and works out the unit will fit perfectly in my car boot, so no need for it to bounce around on the back of the ute getting wet.

There, all delivered and in it's spot for the show. Delivery, on time, just as promised.

AndyMac is wrapt and I finally step back and take a good look at what I've made. "Geez!!! so that's what it looks like altogether - WOW!"

Looks very nice good looking timber.

Looking good, lovely bit of timber

Hi Wendy,

I likes it. Great curves. Well done.

Cheers
Pops

Nice work Ruffy.

I was the tree that creaked in the wind,
I was the slab that wouldn’t dry true,
I was the board left in the stack,
Full of knots, cracks, and rot,
Too many shakes, too much twist,
Hiding behind the dust and weather,
Until the day she found me.

She noticed me, she heard me
She saw me, faults and all,
And still she kept me in her hands.
Dare I breathe, dare I dream, dare I hope she’ll chance with me?

Pain!
Oh the pain!
Saws, planes, chisels and routers,
Drilled, dremelled, dowelled and clamped.

She kept the best for last though,
the smooth, sweet shellac, the satin wax polish.

So here I now stand, bright and true,
I am built for a purpose, built to be used,
I've found myself, I have my role,
And soon, I’ll have a home.

Wendy
RufflyRustic
14 September 2010

Lovely job Ruffly. The camphor is beautiful wood with lovely colour and grain.