Build Along - Letter Box

[doubleh]

Great little box.. Woodworking is another of my hobbies and I like seeing nice work.

[Gezzer]

Very nice and I for one appreciate the " hand planed " aspect !!!

[Mulesaw]

Great looking box, I thought it was a mailbox at first too.

I really like the hobby barn It looks like there is some serious sewing being done there!
 

 

[Brokenolmarine]

Today's session was all about the insert for the wife's box.  I started by looking for the right piece of wood.  I found a nice burled piece, but kept looking and BOOM... a VERY nice spalted piece jumped out and cried, "Use Me, Use Me."  It was perfect.  As you can see by the pencil line down the right side, the first step was going to be getting a fairly straight edge to work from.

I started by running it across the table saw freehand, moving very slowly and trying to stay right with the line. 

I then checked it by clamping it in the vise and checking the edge with a known straight edge on a good rule.  (They aren't ALL straight.  )  It was a tad off.  To the plane boss, the plane.... 

You plane a bit, then recheck, plane a bit, then recheck.  All this is to insure you have a flat, square edge to run along the fence on the table saw.  We are wanting to fit this in the top of the box and don't want gaps.

 

[Brokenolmarine]

With a nice square edge, I measured the width and set the table saw fence and ripped the piece to width.  (Close)  Then test fitted the width.  Just a bit wide.  I tapped the fence just a hair, and ripped it again.  Still just a hair.  A tiny tap and one more pass.  Perfect width.  Same game with the length.  Two passes got it.

Now they were mated.  I ran a SHARP pencil around the inlay, marking the fit.  Time to roll the edges.  Clamped 'er back in the vise and got out the molding plane, and using the pencil mark as my guide, rolled the edges to meet that line.  Rotate, roll an edge, rotate, roll an edge til you are done.  I could have done it a lot faster with a router, but ... NOISEY, and a router at that high speed can grab and tear spalted wood.  Plus I like the whisp sound that sharp plane makes. 

There is a bunch of sanding left to do, and shaping on the mahogany... but next session I'll cut the leather for the inlay on the other box, and carve/tool that piece.   Looking forward to that one.

[Gezzer]

NICE !!!!!!!!!  I love the molding plane , is the iron made from an old file ?

The splatted maple is beautiful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have in the past toe-screwed a known straight board on the off side to get that initial table saw cut , it just has to be wider than your stock .

Edited March 9, 2023 by Gezzer

[Brokenolmarine]

2 hours ago, Gezzer said:

NICE !!!!!!!!!  I love the molding plane , is the iron made from an old file ?

The splatted maple is beautiful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have in the past toe-screwed a known straight board on the off side to get that initial table saw cut , it just has to be wider than your stock .

I bought a dozen of the molding planes with a variety of iron profiles, from Lee Valley Tools in Canada.  They are antiques.  They were used to make...ah... moldings for baseboards, crown moldings for ceilings, trim... whatever.   If you watch some of the woodworking shows, some of the guys will have shelves filled with them.  I actually was VERY lucky to have them.  About six or eight months after we bought the farmhouse here in Oklahoma, the "new" bathroom addition the previous owner had added developed serious leaks.  He thought he was a carpenter and a plumber.  He was neither. He tended to use "Used" components whenever possible and had used old water line NOT rated for hot water.  It would swell when it carried hot water and leak, then shrink back.  Swell and leak, then shrink back.  It was specifically banned for use, but he found a lot of it somewhere and all the hot water lines in the place had to be redone.

Unfortunately, the water damage ruined the surround around the jacuzzi garden tub, and severely damaged the base to the bathroom vanity.  A granite topped double sink.  We had planned to just replace it.  But... it would have cost $1300 for the base alone, about twice that for the complete vanity. 

Water damaged base:  Note the cracked paint and the damage UP the dividers and the swelling in the "floor" of the vanity.

When we attempted to remove the base of the vanity, it just fell apart.  The bulk of the vanity was partical board and had acted like a sponge soaking up the water.

We used cabinet grade plywood to make a new base, but new trim was not available, so I had to buy the wood, cut it to the proper width, and using two molding planes in combination, create matching molding.  The process took a while as the bases for the pedestal feet had to be countersunk into the new base, and the molding precisely fitted.  Note the areas where I cut out damage to the interior walls and damage to the face.

[Brokenolmarine]

Over a week, using a LOT of the tools available in the shop, I rebuilt the vanity.  In the pic below, you can see the molding has been painted, and the areas in need of repair inside have been patched and painted.  ONE area on the face still needs painted white.  The doors in the background on the far table have their first coat.

 

It was a lot of work, but it saved a LOT of money, and the molding planes made it possible.  Miss Tina said to go ahead and try, she wasn't sure it was salvageable.  I told her I could do it, and a LOT cheaper than the cost of the replacement base.  In the final picture the bathroom lighting makes the completed vanity look ivory/yellow, but it's white.  Crappy lighting, which we later replaced, but it turned out great.  You'd never know it was damaged.

I love the molding planes.  Here are the bulk of them.

Another profile:

The plane storage for my other planes....

Some of the planes I used a LOT, and some I rarely touch, but when you need one, you need it.  Often, it's just the thing.

 

[Brokenolmarine]

Out in the shop again this afternoon, this time to work on the letterbox insert.  First step was to measure the inlay area on the top of the box.  I got 12-5/8 x 3"  found a nice piece of leather in the bin and squared an edge then cut it to width.  Squared an end and cut it to length.  Made sure NOT to undercut.  It fit nicely.

After casing, I transferred the design to the leather using a Belt Template from Tandy's collection...  I like this one as it will let me work the 3D magic as best I can.    Oak Leaves and Acorns.

The leather was longer than the template, but it allows for a seamless interlocking of the design and careful transfer means you can use as much or as little as you like from the pattern template.  The next step was to cut in the transferred design.  You can see how much difference that makes comparing the two.  With the tight curves on this pattern I used a 1/8" blade, with a sharp angle to it.

 

The leather was so well cased that the reference lines from the template can be lightly seen at the edge of the design.  In some cases, this might be an issue, but they will be covered when I do the background so they are not a concern.

[Brokenolmarine]

Slow and easy is the name of my game.  I am not GOOD at this yet, so I have to go Slooooow.  but, after about an hour, my arthritic hands and I got the pattern cut in.  That will be all for us today.  Tomorrow we will start with the tooling.  I am hoping all the practice will make these leaves and acorns come alive.