Thread: Poppa's second box

Poppa, I thought I was doing well with my first box after some wonderfully encouraging comments in the forum. Then, I get a look at your first box, and I get a reality check. You have driven past me on this road ! Very nice result, I look forward to seeing more of your "lessons".
Cheers

Poppa

That would look good as a 50th effort. I too am about to venture into box making. Thanks for sharing and providing inspiration

regards

Larry

That is really nice. Not sure I believe it is your 2nd box. You should have seen mine. I find that for every box I make I still think "next time I should". That is part of the fun. Learning new things and better ways to do things that have been done in the past. Well done! I look forward to seeing more from you.

Poppa,

If you don't like it, you can mail it to me as I like putting great things on my desk and admiring them. Can't wait to see more from you.

Remember to always keep account of where those pinkies are !

ICN,

Bill

Well done Poppa

Much better than mine. Your well on the way

Well done poppa,

It can be daunting posting your first piece, but with a first piece like that you had nothing to worry about. I really like the contrast in the timbers.

great effort poppa,keep up the good work and enjoy

cheers wardy

Lovely box Pops, well done

Thanks folks, very encouraging comments. I have to admit that the teaching I'm receiving on the course (at Sturt school of wood) is excellent, and that the good results are all attributable to doing the course. When I can work out where I put the camera I will post my first box (which I actually like better). Until I did this course I thought that the beautiful boxes that I admired in craft galleries were all made by magicians with secret knowledge. Which of course they are, but I've found a magician willing to share some knowledge.

I gave this second one to my mother and father.

And Bwillie, good advice about the pinkies. I'm still very wary of the big power tools (and quite wary of the little ones too!), which I think is a healthy attitude to foster. Table saws, bandsaws, anything really with a sharp blade that is going really fast within easy reach - they make me very nervous....

Originally Posted by Poppa

Thanks folks, very encouraging comments. I have to
Table saws, bandsaws, anything really with a sharp blade that is going really fast within easy reach - they make me very nervous....

pops that shows why we need to have a healthy respect for power tools and machines because there is no second chance:eek:

Almost seems criminal to do so well on your 1st and 2nd attempts!
The lessons you're getting might have helped bypass the myriad of blunders most seem to make on their early pieces - my 2nd is still unfinished in the cupboard where I put it 5 or 6 years ago - 3rd still coming! . Either that or you're a natural and were going to see a lot more of your work here!
Nice stuff

Hi Poppa!

That is a lovely 2nd box. Please do keep posting pics of your work

Could you tell us more about your experiences at the Sturt School?

Thanks
Wendy

Sure Wendy. Sturt is a fine woodwork school attached to the Frensham girls school in Mittagong, NSW. There is a bit of a family connection for me, because my wife went to Frensham, then much later we were married in the grounds of Frensham, and my brother-in-law went to the Sturt school for their full time course (years ago).

The full time course is 42 weeks, for at least 40 hours a week, and is an intensive fine woodworking and cabinet making course. I think there is a limit of 12 students accepted per year, and most years are full way in advance. Nowadays the qualification at the end of the course is a certificate IV (not quite sure what that means). It isn't cheap but the skills they teach are amazing.

The course I'm doing is very much part time, Monday nights for 3 hours, on a term by term basis. We get to use all of the facilities that the main school has (fully equipped workshop). They start out teaching hand tools like planes and chisels, from taking them apart and fettling, through sharpening and then using. But then they also teach how to use the machinery. The part time course has a set curriculum of 4 projects - a breadboard (mostly by hand with a plane), a furniture mallet (chisel, pattern-makers wood rasp and some machines), two mitred boxes (nearly all on machines), and a small side table with draw (mostly machines). I'm up to the last project, which includes fine mortice and tenon work and dovetails for the draws (can't wait to do my first dovetail). After the set projects are finished, you can stay enrolled and make anything you like, using their equipment and continuing to learn from the teachers.

I intend to stay enrolled because at the moment I don't have any workshop facilities, so for me it will mean that I can continue to make things until I organise a workshop (could be a while!). My first project after I finish the little table is a CD cabinet that I've had cut for 6 years but haven't had the skills to put together, and then my workbench, which I'm in the planning stages of. And my darling has already started to give me projects....

I think I'm very lucky, because my teacher is a chap who did the full time course in 2003 and he is a very calm and patient teacher. He doesn't talk down to any of the students and he is happy to share us much knowledge as we can absorb. The part time students tend to come and go by the term, but there are two of us who've been there all this year and I'd say both of use will be there for a while yet.