Vote For Your Favorite Baileigh Box Contest Entry

[Bill Wyko]

Ok, we need some pictures. While many of you will be using lasers my friend Paul has a Chevalet. This tool was created in the late 1700's for production marquetry. It has a foot activated clamp to hold your stack of veneers and a "D" shaped saw that is held perpendicular to your cut but will move front to back and in a side to side motion. You release the the foot lever that holds the veneer & you can turn and move your stack. It cuts through all your veneers at once so the pieces can be reassembled in the order you prefer. Anyway, enjoy the pics & good luck to everyone.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-K4C-tjYTEtw/Tc2AKmcxwYI/AAAAAAAAFms/rUh1wiX8Xwk/s640/DSC01229.JPG
Then there's figuring out the veneers. Here are some I'm considering.

[Bill Wyko]

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Probably giving away some of the idea here but we need pics and post, come on everyone, lets see some teaser shots. This is the beginning of the marquetry from the Chevy posted above. One cut at a time.

[Matt Mitman]

Not entirely sure I'll have time to finish this, but figured I'd go ahead and get started and see how far I can go. The box itself wont take too long, but I still have to build the overly complex locking mechanism that'll go with it...

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[Dick Bipes]

I could use a box for my dado set. I'm thinking what says "industrial" better than diamond plate - custom Baileigh diamond plate?

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[Bill Wyko]

I have access to a laser but since it's a woodworking contest, I figured the challenge of cutting out the logo by hand and getting a learning experience from my friend Paul on Marquetry was a win in itself, he really is a master of Marquetry. Box is coming along beautifully, I have some veneer in the vacuum press flattening out so I can begin assembly. As I said before, this will bring out some heavy hitters. Looking good guys.

All cut by hand on an 18th century Chevalet. (Sorry about the dusty camera lens.)

[Matt Mitman]

Looking really nice Bill - the sawblade and drop shadow are a great touch.

Going to be a couple days before I get back out to the shop, so figured I'd post the small update since then, walls are on now, so when I get back, will dive into the mechanism that ties it all together :)

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[Dick Bipes]

Awesome works in progress!

I was still working on design, and got inspired to use the logo shape as the sides of a square box. Looking carefully, the sides of the logo have a subtle curve to them. It's obvious that the top and bottom are curved. This means that a box with logo-shaped sides would have no flat panels, and top and bottom would be compound curves. Not something that I've done before, but what the heck.

The attached rendering is crude and incomplete, but you probably get the idea.

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[Dick Bipes]

I've gotten a few parts cut out and am working on more. The top/cover will have a frame built around it and will be a little larger than just the inset piece. I cut some scrap plywood to roughly the shape of the sides to check my compound miter angles.

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[Dick Bipes]

I completed the sides and cut the critical miters. Looks like a good fit. Now you can see the subtle curve in the faces of the sides. With the straight edges of the boards no longer needed to cut the miters, the next step is to cut the top and bottom curves on the bandsaw.

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[Dick Bipes]

I machined the bottom but will wait until tomorrow to cut and fit it. Still working on the hinge design.

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[Dick Bipes]

Thanks!

Today I cut the bottom a bit oversize, then gradually "snuck up" on the exact dimensions by trimming a fraction of an inch on all sides, then test-fitting the part. In this photo I was nearly there - the bottom fits flush with the sides now. Starting to look like a box.

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Next it was on to cutting the curved frame pieces for the top and again making critical compound miter cuts for the proper fit. The frame is joined to the top with biscuits, and Ryobi mini biscuits are also used at the ends of the frames on the 45 degree angled surfaces.

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[Bill Wyko]

OK, more pics. This is the box all clamped up. Next I'll be rounding over the corners with the round over bit from hell. This thing is frightening to use so I take a LOT of small cuts little by little. Below are the pieces for the inlaid corners and the pieces it takes to do it. This is a technique I learned here on SMC. So now you can see where I'm going with it. The lid is almost done & I need to build the base next. Finish is my biggest challenge, I'll need the last 2 weeks to do it. With only 30 days, I have to go with what I know.
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[Bill Wyko]

Thanks very much.
The woods are Tropical Walnut, (very) curly Koa, burl Maple and hard Maple. The logo is Holly, ebony, canary and purple hart.
So far I've used my phone for pics, I'll take some better ones with my camera if I can get the 2 in the same room, I use my camera at work so I rarely remember to bring it home. Tomorrow night I'll build the base and should have a better idea of what the final look will be. I really hope I can be on to finish next week.
Here is a pic of one I did before, it's the opposite orientation of the one on this project.

http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL2109/11908737/23176390/386455314.jpg

[Dick Bipes]

I have a lot of sanding and finishing yet to do, but construction is pretty much done.

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I had picked out some unfinished, industrial-looking exposed hinges for this project, but because of the compound curves in the top these could not simply be screwed on. I was planning to machine some bosses into the top and back, but I decided that would spoil the looks, so switched to hidden hinges. To get the top to lift clear of the curved back before opening, I used a type of hinge often seen on automobile trunk lids. I went through a few iterations of test mules before getting the geometry correct. I would liked to have carved the hinge arms for some extra detail, but I am running out of time. I have already set aside two other projects and I need to get back at them. As is, they do add a bit of that industrial look to them in my opinion. I did spend more time on them than anticipated. You might not be able to see that the wood arms have brass tubing inserts at the pivots to act as bushings.

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[Matt Mitman]

Not quite as much progress today as I'd wanted, but at least the sides are cut and dadoed, so tomorrow can do the work on the latch setup.

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Cant really see it in the above picture, but there's a very shallow (1/42" or so) groove 1.75" tall around the bottom half that I'm going to inlay some figured veneer and maple/walnut pinstriping in. Still debating which veneer exactly I'm going to use, but probably B from below. Just figured I needed to do something to dress up that plain walnut a bit :)
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[Dick Bipes]

Finger grip for the front of the top, just dipped in Envirotex Lite epoxy-like clear coating and set aside to cure.

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[Bill Wyko]

Last night I got started on the base of mine, dug out the guillotine to make my miters exact. This tool is fun but also intimidating, I have visions of a finger slipping into its path. It's good to have thoughts like that though, keeps you alert. Also here's a shot of the lid sittling on the box, the finish will darken it up and make it pop. I'll take the good camera home this weekend and get some better pics.

[Matt Mitman]

got the inlay banding trimmed and sanded flush, and spent most of the day fiddling with the latch bits. *almost* have them ready to be fully assembled into place I think. They seem to be working ok as I hold things together by hand anyway, so just have to hope they continue to work once its assembled glued together when I cant really tweak things further. Still need to add the push button to the outside for this, so its not yet 100% on appearance, but getting close (and ignore the gaps, pieces are just sitting together).

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[Dick Bipes]

Here's one more photo before I (hopefully!) post the completed project. This one shows the purpose of my box.

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[Matt Mitman]

Got everything in clamps now, so on to putting on the finish (probably Waterlox) tomorrow. Very nearly assembled the lid without finishing the interior. Had just put glue on pieces and started to assemble them when I realized it would be entirely enclosed and unfinishable in a few moments. Needless to say, I'd have been just a *touch* annoyed if I'd not caught that :)

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[Matt Mitman]

hinges attached, latch mechanism tested to be 100% functional :) Little more sanding to do until I can start putting finish on, but wanted to see how things were going to look so sprayed with mineral spirits and snapped a few more shots. These'll be the last before the final non-phonecam ones when its finished.

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[Dick Bipes]

Matt, that looks awesome! I just applied the top coat finish on mine. I like to use a spray can for the top coat on small projects like this one. I'm working on a video to show some of the design and build process.

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[Bill Wyko]

A shot of the inside of my box. Still need to do the finish and some more sanding. Busy, busy. Going to have to remake the wood hinges, the ebony ones just split. Macassar Ebony or hard maple should do the trick. In addition, here's a shot of the self made inlay. Right now there's just a shellac sealer on it, once I make the new hinges I'll finish the finish. Please enjoy.

[Bill Wyko]

Just came in from making the wood hinges. I always make extra in case I break one or 3.:D Here are the 2 keepers, some of the best I've ever done. Tomorrow I'll mortise them in, then it's on to finish.

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[Dick Bipes]

Baileigh says "We like pictures, videos, and cool stuff like that; teach us all what you did and how to build your project", so I put together this video on design and construction of my box:


http://youtu.be/xmx3Tpoj7pk (http://youtu.be/xmx3Tpoj7pk)

[Craig Matheny]

Ok I am cutting mine out today I hope you get a blast out of it (hint) it will be cut out of 3mm baltic birch and nothing but wood and glue will be used on it.

[Hayes Rutherford]

Here is my entry. No CNC or laser, just a lathe, skew, scraper, Bosch jigsaw blade(to chatter)wood burner, shellac (applied as french polish)About 3-1/2" ht. x 3-1/4" wide. I drew the Baileigh logo in pencil first, then burned so please forgive for the inaccuracy. The lift out bit holder and inside are finished with melted in bees wax, all sanded to 400.

The bit holder is just tilted in the opening for the photo but easily lifts out.
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Total time about 4 hours including bit holder, burning, French polish, and step by step photo's(not shown).

Hey at least maybe I've lowered the bar so as to encourage more entries!

[Craig Matheny]

Ok Here we go outside the box a little bit but nonetheless it was fun to build and hope you all get a kick out of it. I tried to upload 2 animated gifs showing the progress but I guess I can only upload JPEGS. If anyone wants to see them I guess Pm me and I will send them or better would be tell me what I am doing wrong on trying to post them. I guess it needed a name I guess Tommy Gun

['Jacques Malan']

This is my entry for the Baileigh "build us a box" competition.

"The Toolbox"

The only wood I had available was Eucalyptus, and I knew that making intricate little things with a fancy finish were not going to be easy using that, so I went with a more rustic design.

The first part that were made were the coopered top and the rest were made to fit around that. The curve of the top were made after the box were assembled, using a block plane.

The tenons of the dovetails at the ends were cut by hand, the rest were carefully milled out with a router. The logo and the handle blocks is made from mahogany and were engraved on the cnc machine. The handles were turned from rosewood.

The box were stained by hand and then sprayed with a lacquer sealer. The metal parts were painted, the t-hinges is the only pieces bought for the project. It was then screwed to the box, and final touching up of the black paint were done by hand.

The inside were painted by hand, I think a lighter green would have been better. Then the box were sprayed again with satin lacquer, and finally the handles and the logo were screwed to the box from the inside.

I tried a few new things, and made a few mistakes but in the end I am happy with the result.

Total time were about 20 hours, thinking and worrying not included.

Comments and critique will be appreciated.

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[Bill Wyko]

Here goes:
This box is titled "John Henry"
My friend Paul Miller who I'd like to thank for all his help & advice through out this build suggested this title. John Henry was in a competition in the 1870's to drill blasting holes for the railroad against a steam hammer. In the end, he won, but he fell down dead. Being that I'm up against so many modern machines and I do feel like I could fall down dead, I thought it was perfect. In this build every step was a hands on process, no automation was used. First I'd like you to see the final piece, then I'll take you through the process of the build. Please enjoy our journey.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406475065.jpg
The woods used are Tropical Walnut, Curly Koa, Hard Maple, Flame Maple, Curly Maple, Gabon Ebony, Holley, Purple Hart and Osage Orange. If you count each piece in the inlaid corners, there are over 1000 pieces of wood in this project. Fortunately the corners are cut 7 pieces at a time.

The logo is done on an 18th century Chevalet, no automation was used for any part of this build.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406475413.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406475412.jpg
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http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406475410.jpg

The tray is done in a criss cross pattern to allow long grain to run both directions. This may look delicate but it's quite strong and stable.

Now on to the build,

This device is a Chevalet, it was created in the late 1700's and is considered one of the first mass production tools known in woodworking.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406475251.jpg

The way it is used is, it has a foot activated clamping mechanisim that will allow the user to hold & release a stack of veneer perpendicular to a jewelers saw blade. The blade is held by a "D" shaped handle which can orbit but always stays perpendicular to the material. Quite ingenious.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406476115.jpg

After the different species of wood are re-arranged, the logo is adhered to a backer up-side down. That way it can be glued to the substrate. In this case, 2 were made, one for the inside and one for the outside.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406475320.jpg

The inlaid corner is done buy stacking 7 layers of wood in various thicknesses and gluing them together in the vacuum bag. Then strips are cut and mitered into 30 degree triangles and re-arranged into the desired pattern.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406475054.jpg
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http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406475321.jpg[/MG]

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406474327.jpg

[Bill Wyko]

The sides rails & stiles were done using a Domino then the figured Koa panel was rabbited in along with the inlay.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406474341.jpg
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406474340.jpg


The miter cuts for the lid and the base are done on this razor-sharp picture frame knife miter.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406474326.jpg
Then the sides were rounded over and a sanding sealer applied to find any flaws that need to be addressed.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406474339.jpg
With the lid & box built, it's on to the interior of the box. I wanted something to really make it unique. I decided on the Curly Maple to give it a waterfall effect going down into the box.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406474338.jpg
Now on to the hinges. They are done by rounding over a 3/8" 5x5 piece of hard maple on opposing ends. then it is stood up and rounded over one more time to make a 3/4 radius round over. Then I use a fence on the tablesaw to guide the pieces over a3/8" dado blade every 3/4". I always make them over sized and make extras just in case I break one or drill it wrong. Then I can have extras for other projects if all goes well.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406474330.jpg
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406474346.jpg
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406474333.jpg
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http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406475058.jpg
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406475055.jpg

On to the finish, the finish is started with a 2lb cut of shellac and pumice powder. This is hand rubbed in to blend the saw dust into any minute voids. After that a coat of shellac was applied to seal the box. Next, 4 coats of WOP were applied and a last one was sprayed on. All coats were sanded between after each one to maintain a smooth surface between coats.

My total time invested in this project is somewhere around 80 to 100 hours. (I really need an edge sander to finish a 3 year project that I need to put behind me:eek::eek:) So please enjoy, best of luck to all of us and a big thank you to everyone at Baileigh for putting on this awesome event.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406474347.jpg
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1347/13587163/24346155/406474349.jpg

[Matt Mitman]

There's several impressive entries here, but um...dang Bill. That's probably one of the most impressive projects I've seen posted in quite awhile, contest or otherwise.

The Labyrinth
(insert artsy description of "how it represents navigating through the labyrinth of tool companies to find the best" here ;) )

I've had the idea of having one of those old marble labyrinth maze games as the lid for a box for a few months now. When Baileigh posted their contest, I decided that was as good an excuse as any to give it another go. I'd recently tried using the weight of the ball as the sole trigger for the latch, but there just isnt nearly enough mass in a 1/2" BB for any latch I could build. I ended up redesigning it to use a push button, but the marble acts as a "bridge" for the two halves - unless the marble is in position, the button can't connect to move the latch. Worm your way through the maze (which incidentally is really hard to do while trying to hold the box in the camera's view) and the marble fills that gap, letting the box be opened.

The box itself is a bit of a mishmash of woods. Primarily black walnut, the bottom of the labyrinth is some maple I resawed 1/4" thick, then glued the walnut walls and logo to it with superglue; because it set much faster than titebond, made it far less likely I'd knock pieces over before they set. The hinges and inlay around the button are also walnut and maple and superglued into place as well. The hinges actually surprised me with their ability to hold the lid upright with no further support, I had expected to run a small piece of ribbon between lid and bottom to keep it from going too far. The banding around the box is outlined in a few layers of walnut and maple veneer I glued up for the stringing, but I'm not sure what the main band is - it was just a really pretty piece of veneer from a big mixed pile I'd bought off eBay. Then the inside is a piece of very curly 1/8" Okume plywood. I bought a couple sheets of that plywood at a discount store a few months back, just because each 4x8 sheet had 2-4 curly spots about 12-18" in diameter perfect for box use like this. And finally, the black button is a small scrap of buffalo horn leftover from the tips of the last recurve bow I built.

The central logo in the maze and the walnut portion of the hinges I cutout on a CNC Router I recently finished building. I also took a very shallow cut on the maple floor of the labyrinth with a small bit just to layout the maze - that way I just had to lineup and glue the wall pieces to match up with the lines, and knew the 1/2" ball bearing would have the proper clearance to move around.

The latch is just a piece of 1/8x3/4" flat steel from the hardware store, cut with a hacksaw and with a curve sanded on top so the lid can push it to the side when closing. The lid's half of the latch has a similar piece of metal bent 90 deg to position it over top the hook part of the latch that's mortised into the top edge of the front of the box. And of course, there are a couple springs on the 3 moving pieces (bottom latch, top latch, button) so they return to their starting position on their own.

I had wanted to do some sort of equally mechanical interior to the box, but didn't come up with anything I really liked and was short on time, so in the end just did a simple suede bottom (Note to self: using the same fabric as a photo backdrop may not have been the best idea, makes the box look like it has no bottom when opened). Guess that'll be for the next one... :)

The finish on the maze/logo is a half dozen or so quick coats of rattle can lacquer, simply because I didn't want to have to clean my spray guns for a fairly small project. The rest of the box has 4 coats of Waterlox wiped on and buffed with 2000 grit wet/dry paper between each coat.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBvPJkOtCIY

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[Kathy Marshall]

Here is my entry, such as it is (I'm still holding out for the boobie prize :eek:). I was mostly done with it before I remembered I should have taken pics along the way, so these are all there are.
The other entries are so awesome that I almost didn't post mine, but I did say I was going to enter, so here it is.

Turned from Mesquite with a snap fit lid. No CNC or Lasers here, so I just drew the logo on, then outlined it with my burning pen. I pierced the letters, ebonized the background and then shaded the border with my burner. The B on the lid was also burned in.
It's 3 1/2" x 4" and the finish is antique oil.

Good luck to all the entrants!
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[Baileigh Inc]

Man I'm not sure what one to pick, kinda torn myself

[Dave Zellers]

Vote for Hayes.

He's Italic.

[Mike Henderson]

It would be good if the voting thread just had the final pictures of the entrant's boxes (one pix per box) as the first post. It's very difficult to find each of the boxes because of all the extra postings here.

Mike

[Craig Matheny]

I will say this one thing I personally am so impressed with the work that was accomplished and the raw talent that everyone showed in this contest. When I started to see the projects come forward I knew I would not have a chance and that is fine as it has been so much fun to be involved in this hats off to everyone that made a box, and in reality the more I think about my entry the more it reminds me of a drawer :D.

[Bill Wyko]

Did I just win this? Can I breathe now?:eek: Someone please make it official, I think I'm still dreaming. (of Baileigh tools)

[Craig Matheny]

Bill you did not win the details of the contest break down clearly that the first 4 contestants do not count the person in 5th place would win so that would be me :D Congrats my friend on a job well done. Hats off

[Chris Padilla]

What do Baileigh Bucks go for on the open market these days?! Congrats, Bill!

['Jacques Malan']

Congratulations Bill from the bottom of the pile. At least I get to share the booby prize.

[Bill Wyko]

Thanks my friend but these bucks are going to be turned into an edge sander & bench top mortiser.
On another note, I want to thank Sawmill Creek, my friend Paul and everyone who voted for me as well as all the other competitors for keeping me on edge the whole time. Couldn't ask for a better bunch to be in this contest with. I fully expected to see the vote count shift to others any minute. Most of all, I want to thank Shane & everyone at Baileigh for putting on the contest, not many companies will step up and get this involved with us on such a personal level. It's great to have you guys here. Now I can finish the curved humidor I've been on for years. I need an edge sander to fit the doors perfectly and as far as I can tell, the Baileigh edge sander is top quality. Can't wait to do a review on both tools. OK, go ahead and slap me one more time just to be sure.:eek:

[Bill Wyko]

Jacques, thanks very much and thanks for being a part of the contest. I can only hope my work has inspired you & anyone else wanting to build a box. If anyone has a question or I can be of assistance in your projects, please feel free to contact me, It's my way of paying it forward. Almost every technique I used to build this project, I learned from members here. So a big thanks to all those who I've been inspired by too.


Shane, I need the address to send the box to. It's going to you in thanks for your generosity.

[Dick Bipes]

Congrats Bill! From the first picture of your box, I could see that the bar was set high. If you do use my hinge idea on one of your humidors, post some pics and send me a private message so I'm sure to see it. Thanks Baileigh for sponsoring the contest - it was fun and challenging. Maybe I can get a Baileigh hat...

[Bill Wyko]

You bet Dick, thanks very much, it was a lot of fun doing this with you. You really had me holding my breath. I truly expected it to be neck & neck from beginning to end. I know you just recently joined here but I hope we get to see much more of your work and I look forward to you being a very valued member here. Be sure to post some of your clocks, I know they will be a big hit.

[Matt Mitman]

congrats bill :)

[Bill Wyko]

Thanks Matt, I was thinking I could get a good nights sleep now, but now the anticipation of the tools arriving will be keeping me up at night. I could use the edge sander today, I'm making the jaw for my new workbench and it would clean it up right away. I can also see using it to flatten my 1/2 rings on my segmented turnings. In the past I was limited to the diameter of my disc sander, now I can flatten 1/2 rings big enough to use the full swing of my lathe. I see so many ways this edge sander will go to use. Because I do such a wide variety of work, car audio, humidors, furniture, wine cellars etc, I can find pretty unconventional ways to put tools to use. These will be getting a work out for sure.

[Brian J Rogalny]

That is amazing, nice work Craig.

[Bill Wyko]

Tracked the shipment, the edge sander & mortising machine will be in on Wednesday, almost 600lbs shipping weight. I'll post pics & do reviews on the tools when they get here. They will be put right to work as soon as they are set up. Thanks again to everyone who participated in every aspect of the contest.

[Bill Wyko]

Got a big spot cleared & 220V ran to the location, the tools get delivered tomorrow provided nothing happens.