I'm interested in trying to reproduce this Stickley No. 94 Scrap Basket:
wastebasket quarter top.jpgbottom hoop.jpgStickley no 94.jpg
It's tapered and uses solid rivets to attach the white oak staves to the iron hoops. I'm interested in this because it seems like a good excuse to use some oak off-cuts and learn a few new skills. For such a simple-seeming project, I could use help with a bunch of things:
1.The 1910 Stickley catalog refers to "wrought iron hoops."I'm assuming I can make the metal hoops out of cold-rolled sheet metal by hammering it cold to form and taper it slightly, like a cooper might make barrel hoops. Does that sound reasonable? Any guesses from the photos about the gauge of metal?
2. I don't see any obvious seams or joints in the hoops in any of the photos I've seen of the inside of the basket. I'm not sure if the original would have been welded, but that's what I'm thinking of doing. Any better ideas?
3. The rivets and hoops have a nice black finish. I've found articles online on how to achieve a black finish on iron, but they all seem to involve heat and/or used motor oil. How do I get the rivets to turn black after peening them on the inside? I obviously can't use heat and oil or toxic chemicals where the metal contacts wood. I assume fuming the piece with ammonia won't cause the metal to darken, but I couldn't find a definite answer on that. Any ideas?
4. Finally, a woodworking question: How to shape the concave surface of the inside of the staves? I know there are specialty planes and drawknives used in barrel making, but that seems like overkill for such a small project. Possible make a Krenov-style plane with one of Ron Hock's radius-edge plane irons, then smooth things out with cabinet scrapers? The staves appear to be almost flat at the bottom but have a pronounced concave face at the top. Carving a changing amount of concavity bottom to top seem to call for hand work, even if there might be a way to do it with a router on a sled.
5. The solid wood bottom fits into a dado cut in the ends of the staves. I think I can figure out a way to do that with a slot cutter in the router table, but it's not completely obvious how to do it. Again, this is something barrel makers have a dedicated tool for but I don't. Any brilliant ideas?
I'd appreciate any thoughts you folks might have. I've been puzzling over these points for a while now, but am almost done with my current project so will have time to start on this one soon.
Thanks!
Warren