First Compass Rose!

[Andrew Gibson]

I'm currently working on a Rocking chair for a couple friends who are expecting their first child. They asked me if I was interested in making them a chair and I said sure. They wanted something with a Navy or Nautical theme as the soon to be Dad Is in the Navy.
I thought the Compass Rose would be a fitting decoration. The Rose will be placed in the center of the headrest. It will be a round inlay cut at the outer pencil ring.

I just finished it up and thought I would share how it turned out with everyone. It was actually easier to do then I thought it would be... I think it is going to turn out really well when all is said and done. The compass itself it 4" tall and the inlay will finish up as a 4.5" circle... The chair is out of ash. Oviously you are looking at the back of the inlay.

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk294/handyandy3459/100_0623.jpghttp://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk294/handyandy3459/100_0624.jpghttp://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk294/handyandy3459/100_0631.jpg

[Jay Jolliffe]

Very nice....I've been wanting to try that someday. Haven't been able to yet. I have to make a stereo cabinet for someone that has two doors & he wants a compass rose on each door. He wants it to be elongated instead of round. So I guess that's when I'll be trying my first compass rose:)

[Andrew Gibson]

I would say go for it. I read this site and it helped me grately. http://www.mikes-woodwork.com/CompassRose.htm

I don"t remember where I found the link, I think it was here. I would think an elongated rose would not be to terribly dificult. Just have to draw it up first to figure out the length of each point.

[Eric Sandvik]

That is really sweet looking. Inlay's and marquetry are details that really impress me. I'm a long way off considering I've yet to make a box (my first and current project is a krenov style plane) so this kind of work gets me fired up. Thanks for posting the pictures.

[David Gendron]

Realy good work, it look realy nice!

[george wilson]

Very nice! There are a lot more pieces in that than some might think,aren't there?

[Andrew Gibson]

Very nice! There are a lot more pieces in that than some might think,aren't there?

I guess there are a lot of pieces. I kind of want to make a big one that has a crazy number of points... maybe I will save that for the inside of my toolbox, whenever I get around to building it, when I get around to getting all the tools to go in it...

Are you supposed to build the toolbox first or get the tools first?

I'm working on an 8 Point Rose right now that will go in the small rocker that will go with the chair that the rose above is going in. I think the hardest part is being delicate enough and keeping the knife sharp enough to not split the veneer. So far I have not had any problems.

[Jim Koepke]

Andrew,

That is looking great.

Have you decided on how you are going to do the circle?

I have seen them solid in a single color or with stringing. Have also seen them with alternating dark and light quarters and have also seen them with alternating dark and light splitting the sixteen points into thirty two.

I guess the possibilities are endless and individual.

Thanks for sharing, hope to see more soon.

jim

[Josh Bowman]

Gosh! I just clicked in and thought you had bought a rose kit. When I clicked the web site.......you made the actual rose! It looks great.

[David Keller NC]

Andrew - If you've the time, please share photos of the insetting process - I'd think that'd be more of a challange than actually constructing the rose, given the number of sharp point cuts that will have to go into the background.

Regarding the tool chest - yeah, it's a really good idea to decide what you want to put into it before you build it - don't ask me how I know that! :D

[Andrew Gibson]

If I can figure out how to hold the camera while I do the inlaying of the star into the field veneer I will post up some pics. I thought the link in my first post did a good job of this however.

I am going to use a router and template with the router inlay kit to cut the inlay into a circle and then cut the recess into the headrest of the chair. It is a long term goal of mine to completely eliminate the electric router from my woodworking, but at the moment I need it. I have not figured out how to inlet an inlay into a solid piece with only hand tools and come up with a nice flat surface. I assume I need a router plane.

[David Keller NC]

Yeah, a router plane's the ticket to go powerless when inletting inlay into a solid surface. I've done simpler inlays, but getting the edge right was dependent on the design - in my case I designed the inlay around the carving gouge sweeps that I had on hand.

[Jim Koepke]

I have not figured out how to inlet an inlay into a solid piece with only hand tools and come up with a nice flat surface. I assume I need a router plane.

Your assumption is correct.

jim

[alex grams]

Very cool job, and the tutorial was great. I would certainly want to see some insetting pictures if you can take them.

-Alex