mickyd's Woodworking Projects

heathicus · Post by **heathicus** » Thu May 13, 2010 4:57 pm

mickyd wrote:On the fly design change.......a couple of my corner miters had gaps at the outer edge. My 45&#176]8871[/ATTACH]
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I actually prefer the rounded corner to the sharp one. It softens the design and it actually blends in better with the top which also has a rounded edge.

Applying the tung oil finish and cutting out the copper motifs will complete this project.

Uh-oh, you're diverging from the listed "spec" for the project!!

All kidding aside, though, GREAT job! I think I like it better too. I'd like to see the completed assembly with that change.

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Thu May 13, 2010 5:01 pm

heathicus wrote:Uh-oh, you're diverging from the listed "spec" for the project!!

All kidding aside, though, GREAT job! I think I like it better too. I'd like to see the completed assembly with that change.

The 'sneak preview' email I sent you wasn't good enough

. What do you need, a bigger magnifying glass or better bifocals?:D

heathicus · Post by **heathicus** » Thu May 13, 2010 5:13 pm

mickyd wrote:The 'sneak preview' email I sent you wasn't good enough . What do you need, a bigger magnifying glass or better bifocals?:D

I didn't even notice in that sneak preview that the edges were rounded!!

SDSSmith · Post by **SDSSmith** » Thu May 13, 2010 7:30 pm

Specs or no specs, mickyd.... being flexible and adapting is great. The lanterns are looking good. Can you see the light(s) at the end of the tunnel?

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Thu May 13, 2010 7:59 pm

TWO HUNDRED EIGHTY NINE posts and your knot DONE YET?

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Fri May 14, 2010 2:59 pm

The rounded corner looks good, Mike! Even if the corners fit exactly, you would want to "soften" the edges a bit.

One of the funniest woodworking things, that made me laugh and cry at the same time, was the fact that after a project is about done and ready for a finish - we should soften or round the sharp edges of the boards we used in building. These are the perfect sharp, square edges that we were so proud of when making the parts of the project. Sharp, square edges don't take a finish real well:( and also they are easier to dent, chip and splinter.

shipwright · Post by **shipwright** » Fri May 14, 2010 4:08 pm

The slight opening of the mitre joint may not be entirely your fault. Mitres have a built in problem with swelling and shrinking. It can be really bad in joints in wider boards, stemming from the fact that wood will expand and contract across its grain (width) far more than along its grain (length). This means that when a mitre joint gets wet, the "toe"opens up and when it dries beyond the moisture content at the time the joint was made the "heel opens up. In some species this can happen with a simple humidity change. For this reason mitre joints on boats are very rarely used. And oh yes good work, a great result for a first project, Mike, but from you we expected no less..

Paul M

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Sun May 16, 2010 4:06 pm

Yesterday, all day, was copper motif day.

Again, I'm slow as dirt!! Talk about the need for patience and persistence! Being the first time I've used a scroll saw, got to admit that the learning curve was 'interesting'. Breaking blades became a commonplace throughout the day until I got things figured out. Broke a total of 10 blades due to everything from too much tension, not enough tension, too sharp a turn, plowing into the workpiece to quickly…….you name it. Was finally successful however which is all that counts (other than getting it done safely of course).

The plans called for a 20 tooth per inch (tpi) No. 2 blade. The Ryobi assortment package I had didn’t specify the blade No.’s. The blades I started using were ‘skip tooth’ 18.5 tpi blades, .070” wide by .010” thick. They did fair on tight turns but in general, it seemed like a fragile blade. And there were a LOT of tight turns. Here’s the motif pattern on a sandwich of 3 pieces of 1/8” hardboard and 2 pieces of .025” copper bonded together with spray adhesive.
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This shot shows you the relative scale I was working with for the smallest motif. Talk about some tight turns. Busted 7 blades before completing this one piece!!!
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Decided to take a trip to Home Depot (due to necessity) to see what other blades I could find. Picked up a pack of 20 tpi regular teeth that were more substantial. They still didn’t specify the No. but they measured .110” wide by .018” thick. I knew I wouldn’t stand a chance on the tight turns with this blade so I also picked up a package of No. 2 spiral tooth blades, 41 tpi. These blades specified zero radius and all directional cutting. I’d hog out the easy cuts with the 20 tpi beefy blades (first pic) then then do the detail work with the spiral blade (notice the blade geometry in the second pic)
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The spiral blades were a bit on the fragile side also, being only .035” thick, but did a great job at getting into all the tight spots. I ended out breaking a few when trying to cut in a side to side or back to front motion. Don't really knowing why they broke. Because of this, I stuck with primarily cutting front to back, rotating the workpiece as needed, and only making minor movements in other directions.

Here’s the end result prior to sanding to remove the edge burrs. That’s today’s task along with taking a propane torch to them to get the pinkish rustic look.
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Soooooooo, all that left to call this project complete is sanding the motifs, torching them, and epoxying them to the glass. I've got two coats of tung oil on the lanterns already so today will be the day!!!!:D Photos later this evening!!

SDSSmith · Post by **SDSSmith** » Sun May 16, 2010 5:27 pm

Not bad for a first time. I am not sure that was an easy task for an intiation. Curious, why you didn't use your shiny refurbed jigsaw.

Looking forward to seeing the completed lanterns!

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Sun May 16, 2010 5:49 pm

SDSSmith wrote:Not bad for a first time. I am not sure that was an easy task for an intiation. Curious, why you didn't use your shiny refurbed jigsaw.

Looking forward to seeing the completed lanterns!

Didn't think the jigsaw had the ability to make the intricate tight radius cuts. Would it? What is the smallest radius you could cut with a jigsaw and what blade would you use? (asking out of ignorance) I've only used the jigsaw once to make a zero clearance insert. Large sweeping 1-1/2" radius was cut with it since at the time, I didn't have a bandsaw.