Lee DeRaud
06-17-2005, 11:22 AM
Experiment 1: I had picked up some flame mahogany veneer from Rockler...had no idea what I was going to do with it, but it was too pretty to leave there where just anybody could buy it. :cool: Despite being told that it probably wouldn't work, I tried using contact cement to bond it to some 1/4" MDF. This is Titebond neoprene cement...almost no odor and way easier to work with than the stuff I recall from the last time I did a formica countertop. At any rate, it works great, and the laser didn't even notice the veneer was there when I cut the top panel to size.
Experiment 2: I wanted to try something different in the way of box design. This one has a lift-off lid rather than hinges, and it's square. So I'm thinking, how do I keep the lid from being put on in the wrong orientation? How about cutting a wave shape between the box and lid? The process needs some twiddling still. For one thing, I need to make sure there's a 1/2" or so of "flat" at each end of the cut so the contours line up at the corners. Also, I can't use my normal method of sanding off the burned edges from the laser: I have to do it by hand and it's way too easy to get some roundover on the edge. Next time I'll try making an extra set of side pieces from MDF and use then as templates to rout a 64th or so off each of the mating edges.
Experiment 3: Decided to try smaller fingers on the box joints - these are 1/8", cut 0.007 over for a snug fit. The chamfer on the corners makes a nice texture...don't think it would look right with the larger fingers.
Experiment 4: I used David Marks' combination of General Finish products, plus a layer of paste wax at the end. Absolutely glorious...my photos don't do it justice. And way less hassle than the stuff I used on my previous efforts.
Experiment 2: I wanted to try something different in the way of box design. This one has a lift-off lid rather than hinges, and it's square. So I'm thinking, how do I keep the lid from being put on in the wrong orientation? How about cutting a wave shape between the box and lid? The process needs some twiddling still. For one thing, I need to make sure there's a 1/2" or so of "flat" at each end of the cut so the contours line up at the corners. Also, I can't use my normal method of sanding off the burned edges from the laser: I have to do it by hand and it's way too easy to get some roundover on the edge. Next time I'll try making an extra set of side pieces from MDF and use then as templates to rout a 64th or so off each of the mating edges.
Experiment 3: Decided to try smaller fingers on the box joints - these are 1/8", cut 0.007 over for a snug fit. The chamfer on the corners makes a nice texture...don't think it would look right with the larger fingers.
Experiment 4: I used David Marks' combination of General Finish products, plus a layer of paste wax at the end. Absolutely glorious...my photos don't do it justice. And way less hassle than the stuff I used on my previous efforts.