Anybody fancy plank for dinner?

[Squiffything]

I’m on a new project involving a little wood

 

[Squiffything]

A desk draw doesn’t just hold stuff, it can have a multitude of uses. 

I know there are proper ways of doing things but I just don’t have the tools and equipment to do it the correct way so time to experiment.

 

[Squiffything]

What else would you do with an old eighties leather jacket? Van Heusen don’t you know, good soft leather 

[Squiffything]

Coming along nicely, I had to do something with the little French movement and there were no cases suitable coming along so I decided to have a go at making one. There is a reason for all these shenanigans but more about that if anything comes to fruition. 

 

[theurbanninja]

4 hours ago, Squiffything said:

I know there are proper ways of doing things but I just don’t have the tools and equipment to do it the correct way so time to experiment.

If it works then why not!  

Whilst a lot gets said about the 'correct way' to do things, experimentation is how the 'correct way' became so regarded.

Looking forward to seeing the outcome, I am rather curious now... 

[Squiffything]

Cheers TUN

Its the way I do things. It sometimes turns out OK and sometimes crap but it’s all made from scrapage so low cost and  easy to dispose of.

Still got a bit of a way to go but I’ll keep posting as it progresses.

[JimmyD]

Very Art Deco, the burr should polish up nice. Maybe a opening on the face to see the pendulum swing?

[Squiffything]

Thought about that and also a door to access the movement. There will be no base (got to let the chime sound out) so access may be had from there.

Looking forward to polishing up the burr, I love working with wood and getting a good finish.

Edited May 7, 2019 by Squiffything

[nad]

Looking forward to see the end result.

Used to live next to a carpenter who restored old furniture picked up at local auctions as a hobby.

He used to use an old wallpaper steamer as a source of steam when bending wood.



Sent from my moto g(6) play using Tapatalk

[Squiffything]

Ideally a jig of some kind set in a box with a steam source such as a wallpaper stripper would be the way to go but as it was a one off it would have been a little overkill if I had to make one. 

[JimmyD]

How are you going to attach the leather to the main body of the case

[Squiffything]

It’s attached. Wood glue finely spread and left until tacky then the leather stretched taught. Trimmed to fit.

I’m unsure how the case will be assembled, either screws that will be on display or covered with some kind if fake rivet head if I can find any. The ulternative would be to screw from the inside but that would need a curved frame and there’s not much to then go into in the leather covered ply. Glue and tacks might be the way but would not be as strong and the curve might give problems as it tries to pull away.

I’m thinking that evenly spaced brass screws might look good set into the black of the leather. 

The front panel housing the clock will also be covered in leather so only the sides will have the burr wood finish.

Edited May 8, 2019 by Squiffything

[Squiffything]

The first few coats of Danish oil has been applied and the burr has really popped. It’s a fantastic process and takes time. Different to French polishing in that when it’s finished it will glow with a shine but will not have that glass like surface that a French polish has. I will apply a varnish at the end to give it a protection.

[Squiffything]

The front plate has received its leather coat and looks mighty fine, also popped down to the local hardware shop to see what they had by way of fixings. Not much  the did have mirror screws with the rivet type heads that screw onto the end of the screws. They are a compromise and I will look to see if I can find any black or brass caps but they do not look too bad.

Right, back to the wood, these coats will not layer themselves.

[Squiffything]

PS it’s a Lynyrd Skynyrd morning on the computer. You don’t get much better than this to fill your day

[oldhippy]

Free bird would do my head in. 

[Squiffything]

 it’s good when you are oiling  wood

Edited May 8, 2019 by Squiffything

[JimmyD]

I am not sure so I will ask the question, does oil not prevent the varnish from adhearing?

[Squiffything]

Hmm it has gone on fine. I’ve used this method before and it works and gives a good finish. 

I will be assembling later today.

[AndyHull]

8 hours ago, JimmyD said:

I am not sure so I will ask the question, does oil not prevent the varnish from adhearing?

My understanding is that the oil soaks in to the fibers of the wood, swelling them slightly and turning them from fairly opaque to translucent, and since the oil is mainly in, rather than on the fibers, and is also compatible with the finishing coat  it doesn't really affect the varnish.

The finish (synthetic varnish, shellac or whatever)  adheres to the wood fiber surfaces and to itself, effectively producing a bonded membrane.

There a few tweaks that will turn an Ok result in to a spectacular one.

First ensure the surface is as finely sanded and blemish free as possible, to the extent that french polishers will fill the tiny blemishes with pumice powder, and use 000 wire wool to knock down any fibers that insist on spoiling the look. There are  of course a bunch of other tricks, but you need to read up on the subject to learn them all.

Don't to use too much of the oil, and apply it as several light coats, as it may not fully soak in if you are not careful, and  apply the finish as several very thin coats, rather than one heavy one. The more care and time you take, and the more you polish between coats, the better the finish.

Wood polishing, and by extension, French polishing is an art in itself. Quite time consuming, but worth the effort. In my opinion French polishing with a wax finish produces much finer results than simply slapping on a coat of PU varnish. You need a lot of patience though.

Incidentally, that boiled plank dinner is starting to look quite delicious. Keep up the good work.

Edited May 9, 2019 by AndyHull

[Squiffything]

Thanks Andy. I am not going for a high gloss French polish finish on this one as it’s a prototype to show a guy an idea for a project. If he goes for it then we will work on the finish and tweak the design. 

I never was much good at drawing so making it seemed the best way to go. It’s all from scrapage and spares from down the shed and it’s kept me busy for a couple of days. 

 

[AndyHull]

I presume there is a heavy weight in the base to stop it from toppling over. Is the leather getting embossed?

[Squiffything]

Nope no weights needed. I hadn’t considered embossing but as a prototype it could be. I need to get some bun feet ordered and glass for the clock bezel. 

I haven’t added a door to the back but access when needed can be had from below. 

[oldhippy]

Looks good. How do you remove the movement from underneath. 

[Squiffything]

You can remove the movement from the front. It’s a snugg tight fit around the bezel no need for screws. If anything comes from it the design will be improved with a door at the back hinged in the curve like a car boot and a opening in the front to view the pendulum. Maybe a draw under that to house the key