wdkits1

Hi Wayne I order most of my hardware( hinges , screws , etc) from http://www.smallboxhardware.com/. Been happy with the selection and service

Hi Mark Very nice scrolling there. I like to use Minwax spray-on Satin Poly to finish my projects. Apply several thin coats spraying from all directions to get in all of the hard to get areas.

Wenge is a fairly difficult wood to work with. It can be splintery so caution should be taken when working with it. I got a fairly small splinter embedded and it got infected within a couple of hours. Don't know if it was just me or not but I now take extra care when working with it.

Hi Bill I have good luck with Olson #5 skip tooth for most of my 3/4" hardwood and softwood cutting.

Hi everyone. Been a while since I last visited the site but I've been busy doing the order for 25 custom knife blocks. Been quite a project but I'm glad to report that they are DONE and GONE-- on the way to California. I spent 3 days scrolling the 350 slots for the knives and another day scrolling the 50 bloodwood accent inlays needed for the blocks .On to the next project.

Thanks everyone for the comments. This should be lots of fun getting into my mass production mode again. To Mike-- I would normally get around $200 for a custom block but because the client ordered so many he is getting them at a substantial discount

Hi everyone As most of you know, last year I decided to try something new and set up a page on CustomMade .com. Although I have gotten a few small commissions from this, I wondered if it was worth the cost to continue. Well it has paid off with my best commission yet, so it looks like I will renew for another year. This is the prototype of a custom knife block that I made for a client that is having me make 40 of these to give to their customers for Christmas. The client sent me the specs of all the knives and an idea for the shape of the prototype and here it is. Made from Walnut, Cherry and Maple. Quite a challenge to get everything to fit perfectly figuring the 18 degree angles involved and producing so many perfect glue lines but I whipped it with the help of different custom jigs which I will use for the mass production work. And where does the scrolling come into play you may ask. Well all of the slots where the knives go are different sizes so each slot was cut into the 3/4" stock using a #5 blade . This should keep me busy for awhile. Let the fun begin!!!

Thanks everyone for the comments I hope to get a couple of commissions from this ,but if not that's ok too--it's still fun. To Mike-- yes , these are all my original designs which I have done over the years.

Nice cutting Chris,fast too

to display some of my intarsia at the local library here in Midlothian Va for the month of March. They have an area for local artists to showcase their work in the main lobby. Quite an honor to be chosen.

From the color and grain I would say African Padauk or an off shade of Bloodwood. If the sawdust is irritating to the sinuses Padauk.

Hi Mike Clayton was right-- what you have there is fishtail oak (leopardwood) Lots of folks get fishtail oak and lacewood confused but there are distinct differences between the woods. Lacewood is much lighter in weight and color and cuts very easy. Here is a table that I made using both of the woods. As you can see the grains are the same(1/4 sawn) but the colors are quite different.

Great job Kevin.Keep up the good work

Hi everyone After much pondering,soul searching and debating I have decided to jump off the deep end to try my hand at selling my wares on Custom Made, a site that after talking to other members there seems to be the place to be if you want to get lots of exposure for your woodworking. With over 100,000 web hits a month and a great staff to help out, I'm feeling pretty good that my investment will pay off. Follow this link to my page and let me know what you think. http://custommade.com/by/mikemathieu

That's a beautiful box Clayton. Your daughter will be very proud of it. Very nice job!!