29 November 2010

Don't have nightmares!

As I mentioned in the last entry, I've got a couple of projects lined up for the New Year (provided the weather improves slightly) so I got a thick jacket(plus woolly hat) on over the weekend and nipped out to the 'shop just to see what material I had.

First and foremost, RI's box shown isn't walnut but elm...and I've got loads of that, plus enough African Ebony for the darker bits. I can even laminate two layers of 6mm marine ply to make a core which ought to be more than thick enough with 2mm veneers each side, so that project looks like it's a runner.

Second and foremost, the brown ash is really good with some nice figuring to the boards, but on reading JK's book ('The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking' ...or is it the other one, dunno) the curved doors on his cabinets are coopered, not planed from one thicker lump. This of course makes it easier as I now need to source a decent bit of timber around 25mm or so thick and around 300mm wide. However, the thing that's started to give me nightmares is trying to work out the angle to make each piece as my ability with sums (as you probably know well by now if you dip into this missive regularly) is truely lamentable...

On a slightly different note, one of the items I've got on my Christmas desirable list is a Japanese marking guage, with a cutting blade rather than a western style pin. I fancy that the longer stock length may make them easier to use so together with the blade they ought to be more accurate.

Possible toolmaking project as well?...maybe, the cogs 'up top' have started to turn though!

4 comments:

Kari Hultman said...

I found this link which might help you figure out the bevel angles: http://books.google.com/books?id=jfYDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA48&lpg=PA48&dq=calculate+angles+for+coopering&source=bl&ots=PxF1klpbEj&sig=QnA7J5Mo6Mmbv1QLYFIZ-vDXoWg&hl=en&ei=adn0TMXEMMP6lwfOpoGJBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDUQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Lord knows, I'd never be able to help you with it. Good luck!

Kari Hultman said...

If that link doesn't work for you, I went to google books and keyed in "Calculate angles for coopering."

Olly Parry-Jones said...

I'd be very interested to see how you tackle a coopered door, Rob. Particularly without a table saw in the workshop.

Unless you would deem the Bosch saw to be accurate enough (assuming you still have it?).

Olly.

Woodbloke said...

Kari, now I'm puzzled. I thought you were off-line for a period...flossing I think? Thanks for the linky, I'll try them out.

Olly - The saw has to go back on 09 Dec, so I'll do the angles (when I can find out how to do it) on the bandsaw.

Good news at the dentist though...no root canal work needed. That's what I call a result!