Well, I'm getting closer!

[Woodmaster1]

8 hours ago, octoolguy said:

I will once I get it cut out. The top has a hole in it about 9" in diameter. Very tricky to make sure I don't cut into the upper panel holder. I did that once on one of the small ones. If I EVER make another one of these, I have it all figured out how to do it differently. This one has been trial and error every step of the way. I ruined the first piece of walnut and as you can see, in order to save it, I did a glue up of two halves with biscuit joints. I now have to fill that little tiny hole that you can see in one picture. I bought some compounds that when mixed together make a stainable glue. I'm going to mix some up with the walnut fine dust and experiment. Or, I might just use some Watco oil in dark walnut to try to cover it up. I spend a lot of time fixing my screwups. Thanks for the compliment. I appreciate it.

 

If you have lathe you can make a segmented ring and turn it on the lathe before attaching the top ring.

[OCtoolguy]

5 hours ago, Woodmaster1 said:

If you have lathe you can make a segmented ring and turn it on the lathe before attaching the top ring.

If I had a lathe that would be true.

[meflick]

Wow that is looking beautiful Ray.  That is how it works isn't it, you gotta spend a lot of time and effort on a project like this to figure out how to do it better and easier the next time but wonder if you will ever want to do another one by the time you get it finished! 

[OCtoolguy]

26 minutes ago, meflick said:

Wow that is looking beautiful Ray.  That is how it works isn't it, you gotta spend a lot of time and effort on a project like this to figure out how to do it better and easier the next time but wonder if you will ever want to do another one by the time you get it finished! 

Amen Melanie! But, the next time, if there is a next time, I have a much better way of going about it. At least now I know it can be done. I wasn't sure in the beginning. I might have to alter the size of those 20 panels a bit but that would not be too difficult. And, the next one will be made of home-milled lumber so that I have some adjust-ability. And I would make the middle round piece thinner by maybe an 1/8th inch. I think it would look better. If I wasn't such a cheapskate, I'd have ordered some more wood and made a larger top too. This one is going to be tough to cut any decorative design to the edge and not cut into the dado that holds the upper inner retaining ring. I'm going to have to make friends with the local copy shop so that I can get some larger patterns printed. LOL.

 

[Oscar Myer]

Great work, Ray!!! I’m guilty of wishing I didn’t start a project a couple of times. I found that leaving it alone for a bit and start cutting something easier - a simple  word art project for instance - and then go back to the original project a little later. Sometimes a change of scenery does me good

/Oscar 

[Scrappile]

I am experiencing/experimenting as I go with the box I'm TRYING to make, same as you Ray.  Trial and error, then retry, but worth the effort because the next one, even if may not be the same design, the techniques I learn will be helpful.  It is taking me as long to fit and assembly as it took to cut.  Your project will be beautiful just like the last one you made was.... 

[OCtoolguy]

Thanks everybody. Your words of encouragement motivate me. 

[OCtoolguy]

On 1/30/2020 at 5:46 PM, dgman said:

Wow Ray, that is looking fantastic! I would love to se a pic from the top.

Here ya go Dan. I finally got back out in the shop today and cut the top piece so the inside can be seen. I took off all the patterns too. It's starting to take shape but I sure do see all the flaws. I hope if I ever make another one that I can do a better job. I know I'm my own worst critic but I hate when I screw up.

[kmmcrafts]

Ray, I don't know what the flaws are... But I think the cutting looks top notch from what I see.. nice tight inside and outside corners and the circles look almost like you drilled them etc.. This stuff is free hand.. and the cutting you do on these isn't exactly easy to do... so I think you did an awesome job.. it looks great. looking forward to seeing the finished piece..

[dgman]

That is beautiful Ray! Those two woods are going to POP when you apply a finish! Make sure we see it finished.

[OCtoolguy]

4 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

Ray, I don't know what the flaws are... But I think the cutting looks top notch from what I see.. nice tight inside and outside corners and the circles look almost like you drilled them etc.. This stuff is free hand.. and the cutting you do on these isn't exactly easy to do... so I think you did an awesome job.. it looks great. looking forward to seeing the finished piece..

Well, the cutting on the sides was actually the easy part. I have found that it's really hard to cut a round circle. And I've had to figure it out every step of the way to make everything fit right. I screwed up on the top piece. Twice. So, I cut the two pieces in half and used the good piece from each screw-up and glued them together using biscuits. Even that didn't work out the way I hoped because I did PLAN ahead. But, I'll fix what I can and just chalk it all up to learning curve. OH well, I'm just glad it's for us and not to sell.

Oh, and I DID drill the holes. Much easier than trying to cut a 5/16" hole 20 times.

 

[OCtoolguy]

5 minutes ago, dgman said:

That is beautiful Ray! Those two woods are going to POP when you apply a finish! Make sure we see it finished.

Thanks Dan. Coming from you that means a lot to me. You are the guy who teaches. I'm just a "learner". I only wish I had started this hobby 30 years ago.

 

[scrollingforsanity]

Man that looks very nice Ray, a lot of work but a very nice job

[OCtoolguy]

20 minutes ago, scrollingforsanity said:

Man that looks very nice Ray, a lot of work but a very nice job

Thanks, much appreciated.

 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Ray hard to tell but it looks like the last photo you chamfered the top. If you did that is the right tract but you need to do more. It would flow with the theme of the project. Many times just decorating trim rings or bases makes the project jump. I would definitely chamfer the top ring. Cutting circles can easily be done on a bandsaw with a circle cutting jig. I see the biscuits now so that may make the chamfering thing tough to do. Should not have used biscuits. No need for them in that piece. It is looking good though.  

[wombatie]

Oh wow that is awesome.

Marg

[OCtoolguy]

1 hour ago, wombatie said:

Oh wow that is awesome.

Marg

Thanks Marge.

[OCtoolguy]

On 2/8/2020 at 8:37 PM, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

Ray hard to tell but it looks like the last photo you chamfered the top. If you did that is the right tract but you need to do more. It would flow with the theme of the project. Many times just decorating trim rings or bases makes the project jump. I would definitely chamfer the top ring. Cutting circles can easily be done on a bandsaw with a circle cutting jig. I see the biscuits now so that may make the chamfering thing tough to do. Should not have used biscuits. No need for them in that piece. It is looking good though.  

JT, I meant to comment on this but forgot. The circles are easier to cut on a band saw no doubt. But, the point of my comment was the inner circle and try as I might, I just can't seem to keep the blade on the line. Either I'm turning the piece too fast or too slow but I seem to wander every time. My answer is to try to stay just outside of the line so I can clean it up with my spindle sander. But I'm trying to strive for as close to perfection as I can get and it just seems to be the one thing that I can't seem to master. Well, one of many but the one that bothers me the most.

To edit, I also wanted to answer your suggestion to chamfer the outside edge of the top ring. I'm going to do something with it but I can't do what I have done to the other pieces I made. The wood is not there to work with. But I'll figure something out. As for the biscuits, well they were necessary to keep that ring together. What happened was, I messed up twice with the router and came away with two pieces of wood that were ok so I decided to join them but to just edge glue with not other support would not have been workable. I could have maybe used dowels but either way, I should have made sure to position the biscuits toward the center of the wood knowing that it would be cut away. As it is, that top ring is very fragile, even with the biscuits that you can see. I was being a wood miser because that stuff is expensive. As it was, Cherokee Woods did me a favor by planing the piece to 1/2". They don't normally do it but he did it for me. If I had known then what I know now, I'd have just gone ahead and bought a board 12" wide and planed it myself but I just thought it would work out. Information for another day. Lesson learned.

Edited February 12, 2020 by octoolguy

[Rockytime]

Ray, you are doing a remarkable job making what you have work for you. Do you have a planer. wish I did but no place to store it let alone space to use it. You seem to have a way of making things work.

[OCtoolguy]

3 hours ago, Rockytime said:

Ray, you are doing a remarkable job making what you have work for you. Do you have a planer. wish I did but no place to store it let alone space to use it. You seem to have a way of making things work.

Yes, I have a planer but I have not used it yet in this setting. I try not to bother my neighbors with noise so I have just bought my wood already milled to sjze. But in the future I will just do what I have to do.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

5 hours ago, octoolguy said:

JT, I meant to comment on this but forgot. The circles are easier to cut on a band saw no doubt. But, the point of my comment was the inner circle and try as I might, I just can't seem to keep the blade on the line. Either I'm turning the piece too fast or too slow but I seem to wander every time. My answer is to try to stay just outside of the line so I can clean it up with my spindle sander. But I'm trying to strive for as close to perfection as I can get and it just seems to be the one thing that I can't seem to master. Well, one of many but the one that bothers me the most.

To edit, I also wanted to answer your suggestion to chamfer the outside edge of the top ring. I'm going to do something with it but I can't do what I have done to the other pieces I made. The wood is not there to work with. But I'll figure something out. As for the biscuits, well they were necessary to keep that ring together. What happened was, I messed up twice with the router and came away with two pieces of wood that were ok so I decided to join them but to just edge glue with not other support would not have been workable. I could have maybe used dowels but either way, I should have made sure to position the biscuits toward the center of the wood knowing that it would be cut away. As it is, that top ring is very fragile, even with the biscuits that you can see. I was being a wood miser because that stuff is expensive. As it was, Cherokee Woods did me a favor by planing the piece to 1/2". They don't normally do it but he did it for me. If I had known then what I know now, I'd have just gone ahead and bought a board 12" wide and planed it myself but I just thought it would work out. Information for another day. Lesson learned.

Lots of times I forget I have a shop full of woodworking tools and can do just about any woodworking project without too much trouble. My mind goes into creative modes many times when I see projects and i start thinking what I would have done. I use patterns many times as ideas and always want to add my touch to them. Cutting a pattern is boring to me. That is why I could not sell ornaments and clocks and things that need to be cut over and over. Do it once and it is time for something new. Only so much time left in my life and want to leave behind many projects. Just my makeup. So good luck with your project and it looks fine. I am sure you are overcoming some problems and limited resources but that will make it even more rewarding when done and I am sure it will be well received. 

[Oscar Myer]

Really looking good sir!!!

And BTW... I NEVER get bored with yours or anyone else's pics.

[OCtoolguy]

Ok, here it is. Sanded and finished with one coat of Watco natural oil. I need to take a poll of who thinks it is ok this way or does it need some shine a la spray shellac. 

[dgman]

It looks great Ray. In my opinion, you always want a topcoat. Not necessarily for a shine, but to protect the piece. Dust tends to stick to an unfinished surface more that a finished piece.

[Dave Monk]

That is a beauty Ray! Love it!