Small Box I made from a piece of Maple Burl

[Rick Markham]

It wasn't entirely made neader style, but the vast majority of the work was by hand. I got bored saturday night so I decided I wanted to see if I could make this from a single chunk of maple burl I had. I hope you all enjoy, the finish is tung oil, done using a French polishing method that I enjoy using. I am quite proud of it, and my mother loves it (it was a gift).:cool:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/092.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/094.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/093.jpg

[Mike Zilis]

Nice work, Rick. That's a beautiful piece of wood.

Looking at the photos, I would say that's either a huge spoon or a small box.
:rolleyes:

Mike

[Chris Padilla]

Biggest teaspoon I've ever seen!

Oh, that box is nice, too! ;) Nice job on the continuity.

[Dave Gaul]

Very nice!

[Roy Lindberry]

Hey Rick,

How is that hinged?

[george wilson]

Very nice,Rick!! That kind of burl was used on very high class firearms in the 17th.C.. The kind that only the most wealthy owned then.

[David Weaver]

Very nice tidy little box, Rick. That's an intense burl.

[bob blakeborough]

Incredibly beautiful! I hope one day to be as skilled...

[Andrew Gibson]

Rick, that is a very cool little box!

Was the size just a result of the piece of material or was it designed to hold something in particular?

[Rick Markham]

Thanks a lot guys! Roy the hinge is hidden internally. George, I am actually planning on making a stock for a "coach gun" but that is down the road a bit.

Andrew, it is a combination of both, it was a small piece of stock but is also for my mom to put her rings in. It isn't perfect, but the second one (work in progress) right now will be much closer to perfect.

Here is a view of the back

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/096.jpg

[James Taglienti]

wow! that's a nice little box rick. the grain alignment is great... and the figure is stunning.

i really want to take a bite out of it :confused:

is that normal?

[Rick Markham]

James, most of my friends that have seen it say it looks like mable and not wood, one however said it looked like he wanted to "cut a slice off of it and eat it like a loaf of bread" So normal... no... but your not the only one to have mentioned something like that. (maybe it's the spoon in the pic) :o

[Lance Norris]

Very nice. Do you have a belt sander? Sand a notch on the front for a finget relief. Makes opening much easier...

[James Taglienti]

it's totally the spoon

[Nick Laeder]

As a complete newb to woodworking, I have to tell you that I hate you.

Here's how your post sounded to me:

Hey everybody, I had a couple hours in the shop today so I went out and made a really cool box that looks perfect out of the most beautiful wood known to man that I just happened to find lying in the corner of my shop.

What I'm trying to say is that I really like your box, and someday would like to make one like it.

[Rick Markham]

Lance, I considered doing a small relief under the center of a lid. The way it is hinged it opens very smoothly. I really like the natural flow of the exterior, I think a relief would interrupt it slightly. I might try it on one in the future just to see what I think of it. ;)

[Tim Null]

Very nice.

I have made a few stocks myself, both for myself and for clients. I much prefer being able to carve exactly what I want instead of having to follow a client's design.

Good luck on the stock.

[Rick Markham]

As a complete newb to woodworking, I have to tell you that I hate you.

Here's how your post sounded to me:

Hey everybody, I had a couple hours in the shop today so I went out and made a really cool box that looks perfect out of the most beautiful wood known to man that I just happened to find lying in the corner of my shop.

What I'm trying to say is that I really like your box, and someday would like to make one like it.

Nick, thanks! That's a great compliment actually. :D I don't mean to sound like a pompous butthead, but it really only took me about 3 hours total to cut and assemble it (including time for glue to set up to proceed). LOL Now the several hours over several nights before falling asleep thinking about how I wanted to try and do it, that is entirely a different subject. Finishing tends to take me longer than actual construction, but I think that's partly my perfectionist nature that takes over. "flaws flaws, everywhere I see flaws..." :eek:

[Tony Shea]

Rick, great box man. That is truely a beautiful peice of burl you've got there and a perfect project for it. What was the method of joinery used on this box? Not really enough angles to figure out how it was made, maybe that is your intent though. Just am curious.

I would also love to hear about this french polish method you mentioned. Is it typical french polish, which takes FOREVER, or some kind of spin off of it?

[Rick Markham]

Thanks Tim, I am looking forward to that project.

Tony, indeed it is the method that takes forever that I am trying to perfect. I don't fully have the technique down but it is slowly getting there. The frustrating part is feeling like you are "getting no where" for quite awhile, especially when it looks perfect, and then the finish has sunk down a bit over the next couple days. I essentially use a small polishing pad made out of white cotton (t shirt material) with a small amount of cotton wadding inside of it. The wadding moistened with the tung oil, which soaks into the cotton material, then lots of very thin layers are added over and over, light sanding, as needed until the surface becomes absolutely smooth. I've been trying to thin the tung oil slightly towards the end of the process with mineral spirits, but this part I haven't perfected yet. It definitely has a learning curve associated with it

[Gary Hodgin]

Nice box! But, you may have created high expectations from other family members.

[Tom Vanzant]

Rick,
First, that is an exquisite box, ditto the wood.
What rifle are you planning to stock and with what wood? I have stocked a Mauser Mdl 98 with straight-grained French walnut and a Swedish Mauser Carbine with marble-swirl English walnut, both for myself. With my time at minimum wage, I don't think anyone could afford them. By preference, neither are checkered. Both shoot sub-minute groups out to 300 yds.
Tom

[Tim Null]

Rick,

On gun stocks I have used Tru Oil as the finish with up to 20 coats. Each coat is rubbed in until dry either with the fingers or a small cotton patch.

You basically buff it into the wood and then each previous coat. The very thin layers build up and produce a very nice finish.

Is this what you are trying for? I have used tung oil in the past, but the blends in Tru Oil seem to work a bit better.

I have since used Tru Oil on decorative boxes with the same results.

[Rick Markham]

Nice box! But, you may have created high expectations from other family members.

Unfortunately I already know this... It was hard to get it out of my girlfriend's hands to give it to my mom LOL. I will be in the dog house if the next one isn't hers :eek:

[Rick Markham]

Tom, I want to do a two piece stock and fore grip for a side by side "coach gun" style 12 gauge first. Later I would like to build a one piece stock for a Remington 700, that one is farther down the road though.

Tim, I haven't tried truoil, but am willing to give it a shot. If I do a gunstock it will definitely be what goes on. As far as the French polish, it's basically a method that builds up tiny layers until there is a flawless "floating" finish. It looks like the box is coated in an even layer of water on the surface. Kind of hard to explain. Except maybe like the multiple layers of clear coat on showcars that make the finish look "deep"

[Tim Null]

Hmm, sounds interesting. Is it always done with tung oil? What you described is just wiping on very thin layers and then sanding between coats, yes? What grit?

Sorry for all of the questions, it just sounds like a really great effect for small boxes with great figure.

[Rick Markham]

Tim, technically it is usually done with "French polish" which I don't have at this time, though I haven't looked online for any online yet. Yes it's a process of building up and cutting back the layers very slowly, and burnishing the polish with the cotton material simultaneously. Real French polish stays very flexible over it's life and so as the layer build up, and each progressivly thinner layer gets burnished into the previous layers flaws it builds a super high polish. To help apply progressively thinner layers the polish is thinned with more and more mineral spirits as you progress through the process until ultimately there is mostly mineral spirits in the end to "clean" the surface. The rag works the still pliable polish into a consistent uniform surface. The trick is you can't over do it to quick, or let your little "polishing pad" stop on the surface or it will leave the marks of the woven fabric.

In the beginning of the process you cut back with 600grit wet dry sandpaper (lightly) until a mostly smooth surface is achieved, then later with exceptionally light sanding with 1200grit wet dry sandpaper. Once that essentially becomes "couter-productive" cutting back is only done with increasing amounts of mineral spirits and the burnishing action of the cloth. Obviously as the outer cloth begins to dirty, it needs to be replaced with a clean one, as any particulates will begin to scratch the surface.

Tung oil, seems to be a little more "user friendly" in this application for me, it builds quickly and is easily cut back, the trick is to let each increasingly thinner layer dry completely before the next goes on. otherwise it will get all gummy then you have to sand and start over again. LOL

[Matt Evans]

That grain matching makes the piece. . .Very well done!

It was asked, but your answer seemed a little vague, or I missed it. . .what sort of hing did you use? I am guessing a small barrel hinge, but could be wrong. . .I like the chamfer lid stop. Gives an added bit of class when viewed from the backside.

[Rick Markham]

That grain matching makes the piece. . .Very well done!

It was asked, but your answer seemed a little vague, or I missed it. . .what sort of hing did you use? I am guessing a small barrel hinge, but could be wrong. . .I like the chamfer lid stop. Gives an added bit of class when viewed from the backside.

Matt, sorry for being vague. It's not even as exciting as a barrel hinge. There is a small pin recessed in each side panel and in the back of the lid above the chamfered edge ;) The lid is locked into place when the box is assembled and glued. You can't see it from the inside, or the outside there is no hint it is there at all. It moves very freely but since the sides are nearly flush with the lid friction holds the lid in any position. :D

[Tim Null]

Thanks for the quick lesson. I will have to try this. It sounds like a more sophisticated version of the gunstock method I have used in the past.

[Rick Markham]

Tim, There should be numerous resources online regarding it, it is a process that has been used for centuries. Maybe George Wilson will chime in, I'm sure he is familiar with it. I learned what little I know about it from Andrew Crawford's books.

My online search yields that it is traditionally done with shellac flakes in alcohol, sometimes "cut back" with methylated spirits. It really has more to do with the application technique using the "rubber" or polishing pad

[Matt Evans]

Better than a barrel hinge in my book!

I like making my own hardware, but so often have to go with store bought stuff. . .

[Rick Markham]

Matt, I get really frustrated with hinges for small boxes especially, the cheap ones are just that cheap... they feel cheap when you use them, they look cheap and both of those things ruin the craftsmanship for me. The good ones are expensive, they work nice but suffer the same as the cheap hinges to me... you still see them, they might not be ugly but they are still there. Barrel hinges are great if you have enough wood to surround them so that they are secure. These tiny boxes are roughly 5/16" wide on the front and back wall, there just really isn't room for them. So that only leaves me to my own devices (usually a bad thing ;)) The work great for this application and cost nearly nothing, just a small amount of my time to get the fit just right. :)

[Matt Evans]

Rick, I hear you there! The real frustration for me is that customers don't understand this. Looking at the cheapest price, but they want everything to work perfectly, so they end up selecting some of the worst hardware that never works properly, doesn't hold up to use, and looks out of place with the nice woodworking.

I don't blame anyone for wanting to save some money, but man do I ever wish I had the option of making all the hardware for all of my jobs!

In any event, very nicely done!

One more question. how did you cut and surface that burl? You said mostly hand tools, and my experience is that you have to have some really well tuned planes and scrapers to get a good surface on burl. Yours looks great, so I am wondering how ya did it.

[George Beck]

WOW! Really nice use of a great piece of wood. A very nice box.

George

[John Coloccia]

That's a beautiful box, Rick. I love how it's hinged, and how you just let the wood do the talking. It's easy to try and do too much with something like this. It takes a certain measure of self control to just leave it be.

Someone had asked about french polish. I didn't want to hijack this thread so I started a new one to give a flavor of how a french polish happens. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1524918#post1524918

[Rick Markham]

Thanks John, I appreciate the information you provided! I'm always interested in learning more about techniques, there also seems to be a fair amount of conflicting information regarding french polishing.

[Rick Markham]

Matt, I had to use a super sharp LN no 4, but it still required a whole lot of hand sanding. As far as cutting, I used my bandsaw to cut the parts, and the inside was cut out with a coping saw. The chamfers on the back were done with a 60 1/2 block plane. I did get some minor tear out, but the hand sanding took care of it

[Prashun Patel]

Rick, beautiful box. How did you do the joinery?

You might experiment with your technique by adding small amts of varnish to yr tung oil.

[Dan Andrews]

That sweet little box is spectacular.

[Ron Petley]

Wow, what a great treasure, you are a multi talented fellow.
Always nice to see what other people are making.
I was just looking at the french polish thing so it is great to see how it can be done. Did you put anything on the wood first, I had read of putting on BLO first. Cheers Ron

[Rick Markham]

Thanks Ron! I did it just as I described, I have never tried using BLO first.

[Rick Markham]

Prashaun, Its just butt joints. It ends up being exceptionally strong. Being a small box, I don't expect anyone to try cramming a football into it. (though you never know) I have no doubt the wood will break before the joint will give.