My rock box

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

that box I have been working on. The winter cold drove me outta the shop.
I still have to split in three and edge the endgrain and make a top and bottom

this is a pre glue fit up of the center ring
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Top view
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in glue up using West epoxy
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top and bottom rings
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Here they are after a little abrasive
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[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Some glue up pix

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Some close ups after abrasives
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Glued and sanded
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This is a weird little box. The center ring has a different number of sides than the others and the upper and lower rings have the colored woods invading each other.
The recipient of the thing helped me design it she loves it so far.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I am trying to decide what to do for the top.
The hinges will be made from the same stock the box is. I couldn't fine any I liked.

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[David Dundas]

Cliff,

That is a pretty impressive box. I trust you have some equally impressive rocks to put in it:)

David

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Cliff,

That is a pretty impressive box. I trust you have some equally impressive rocks to put in it:)

David
Thanks.

This little box presented some serious technical challenges. I couldn’t be out on any of the hundreds of compound angle finger joint cuts by more than a couple of thousandths of an inch and by mere fractions of a angular second because each repeated error would be compounded by all following errors. So one error of say 0.005” would be .060 at the end of the circle knocking everything out of whack. The same for the compound angles. One-half degree of error in my set up would be multiplied to SIX Degrees of cumulative error. Because this is such a small box that meant that nothing would fit because there is no "scale" to absorb any little errors.


The rock in question is this beastly ugly pitted brownish petrolithic chunk of stone that in some ancient long gone river got tumbled into a flattish oval. It's about 4" diameter and 2" thick. It's got a large chip along it's edge.

However, as ugly as this rock is it is special. It’s downright ugly appearance is part of it’s mystique. Ya see it's a “Magic Rock.”

My infant grand daughter whom I adore
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confessed to me one day a year ago that she has monsters in her bedroom at night.

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(YAh I taught her that - much to her father's chagrin.)

Well I recalled having seen this uninteresting ugly rock in my back woods. It had a real tough guy sort of panache - as rocks go. So I trotted back and “found” a magic rock.

There was of course a tale to go with it.
This rock had been in my back woods for years and years and had done battle with all the monsters there beating them so severely and so often that they all ran away and won’t come back. That’s how it got its chip.

Now this rock sits in a prominent place in her room, sometimes under her bed, and she rotates it just so and it protects her. Apparantly it's doing a great job.

She and I designed this box for it on my CAD over Christmass and together we have been slowly getting it made. I want to have it so that it opens completely exposing fully half of the rock. That’s what she wants.

So yah it's pretty special as rocks go.

[Benjimin Young]

Cliff, that is a fantastic and beautiful story, the stuff that builds special family memories, and now you have found a way to put that memory in an equally impressive container. I nominate this for family project of the year!

[Barry Daly]

Great story! Is that a Manchester United jersey on your granddaughter?

[jonathan snyder]

Cliff,

That is an impressive rock box and a great story to boot!

Jonathan

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Great story! Is that a Manchester United jersey on your granddaughter?

It absolutely is. Her daddy got it for her when he was there watching the brits play the hobbits. At least that's what the guy sitting next to my son in law told him "hey lookit we're playen the hobbits." in a thick accented voice. The opposing team was from south america.

Thanks for the kind reviews guys. And yah this is one of my attempts to create a thing and a memory that will last long after I'm gone.

I'm up in the air about the top still.
I'm pretty sure I want a rounded dome about a half inch thick maybe a tad less & fixed.
I'm thinking maybe:
1.) an inlay of some sort
2.) or maybe just stick with the strip theme and glue up some more quarter inch wide strips and turn 'em
3.) or maybe take the striped theme into a starburst type pattern and turn that.
Any ideas thoughts ??




and just put together some more maple and Mahog and turn that to get a domed shape

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

When she comes over to stay overnight she brings the whole kit and caboodle.

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The Finish is Minwax Polycrylic

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

A couple more I haven't got one with the rock in it.
I'd like one though the Roick is ugly and can only go in anf fit so the doors close if the thing is oriented so the big chip faces outward.

The monsters see the chip so I am told and tremble cause the chip came from fighting monsters.

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Hinges are Whitechapel #216HA2P (one inch high)

[John Shuk]

She will treasure that forever Cliff.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

She will treasure that forever Cliff.


Thanks, A life long keepsake is my hope - barring a fall from a bureau. The main body of the box is only 1/4" thick.

[Bill Wyko]

Thanks for putting the smile on my face this morning.:D