Tasmanian Blackwood

**double.d** · 31st January 2017, 04:31 PM

I wasn't going to make another box from this timber until i had a band saw for a clean cut but i thought the new spiral head thickneser would be a bit gentler at getting the blade marks out from ripping on the table saw, but it was another massacre

. After trying to fix them with a belt sander i gave up and had to hand out a cool 50 to have them run through a drum sander

I knew from my last box that hard burnishing oil and wax does not do the grain justice so i wanted to try a poly on this one. At first i thought the Satin was going to be to glossy but now that its finished im very happy and the grain is stunning. The Jacaranda internals also give a good contrast.

**ajw** · 31st January 2017, 04:58 PM

That jacaranda is stunning. Very nice.

ajw

**spokeshave** · 31st January 2017, 05:11 PM

Have to agree, the Jacarandah is a standout.

Awesome box, I'm making a box out of blackwood at the moment but it's not as nice as this one.

Steven.

**AlexS** · 31st January 2017, 05:26 PM

That's a nice, simple design that lets the beautiful fiddleback timber do the talking. Great piece of work.

**Xanthorrhoeas** · 31st January 2017, 08:56 PM

Lovely box and good contrast of internal timber. I really like the fiddleback Blackwood but it certainly can be a challenge. Sometimes I get a nice clean finish off my spiral head thicknesser, sometimes it rips out chunks. Even the drum sander can burn on this timber as though it had an oil content. I coarse sand 80 or 100 grit on the drum sander and then I finish it with a card scraper - gives a lovely smooth finish without ripping or burning. The less-expensive CTec drum sander I had always burnt the timber (and ruined the belts), but the SuperMax I now have usually doesn't unless I try too fine a grit.

**Ruddy** · 31st January 2017, 09:11 PM

Nice work double d. The Blackwood is superb and the poly finish looks like it has really lifted the grain.

**Rod Gilbert** · 1st February 2017, 07:38 AM

Hi double.d,
Simple clean lines lets the grain do the talking and talk it does nice combination of two stunning pieces of timber.
Regards Rod.

**double.d** · 1st February 2017, 10:07 PM

Thanks guys

**homey** · 2nd February 2017, 10:40 PM

DoubleD,

Now that really IS popping the grain! Congratulations. What is the size of the box? Wall thickness? Love the Jacaranda as contrast to the Blackwood, too.

Brian

**double.d** · 3rd February 2017, 03:10 PM

Brian, it's 260L x 95H x 110D and 10mm thick.

**homey** · 3rd February 2017, 10:00 PM

Thanks, DoubleD. 10mm is my favourite for boxes, although I do also use 12mm. The thinner walls always seem to look better to my eye. Again, great box!

Brian

**double.d** · 4th February 2017, 09:49 PM

A guy took one look at it at the markets today and bought it

. Looks like i'll have to make another one.

**double.d** · 4th February 2017, 09:51 PM

Originally Posted by homey

Thanks, DoubleD. 10mm is my favourite for boxes, although I do also use 12mm. The thinner walls always seem to look better to my eye. Again, great box!

Brian

For various reasons i have found that 11mm works and looks best for me.

**AlexS** · 5th February 2017, 08:37 AM

Generally, the finer the sides the better the box looks, bearing in mind the size of the box, of course. For hinged boxes, it's usually difficult to go below 9mm; for larger boxes, 12mm may look quite thin.

**homey** · 6th February 2017, 04:35 PM

Good point, Alex. Hasn't been easy to get good rail hinges to fit a 10mm box without looking too heavy, but Ian Hawthorne is now selling mini-Neat hinges that are 6mm wide. I've used them and (to me) they look better on 10mm than his (or Andrew Crawford's) 8mm hinges. Again, though, depends on the size of the box.

Brian

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