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So I get almost all my wood at the BORG. The overall quality is low, but the thing is you can dig to your hearts content. With a little patience I can find almost perfectly clear stock, even quartersawn, but I can't count on it, so I tend to buy it when I find it and save it.
This particular story is different though. I didn't dig up this board, rather no one else wanted it. It was almost the last board left in the 1x12 stack when I got there, and as soon as I saw it, I had to get it. It looked so lonely! So it's been waiting in the shop for almost a year, and a few days ago I decided to build a box, or maybe I should say another box because I do seem to make a lot of them. Anyway, it was time for the ugly duckling board to shine! (Jazz hands!)
This box is a cross between my pencil box and the box I made to hold flutes (which apparently would also be cool for holding vinyl... although I don't know about that). If you want to see how I made this box, just check out those two posts.
Here is the finished box before oiling:
And here is why we oil wood - KA-POW!:
The other end:
And a few detail shots:
Man, I wish there had been two of those boards!
The detail shots are beautiful!!!
ReplyDeleteI love that you made it a cross between the pencil box and the flute box.
The wood is beautiful- the whole thing is beautiful! I must congratulate you!!!
I really do wish that I had ninja woodworking skills. Oh the things I could make... someday. Right now I have to work on being a ninja at other, more pressing things - (life).
Ha ha! Anyway, I wish you the best with your beautiful box:)
P.s. I especially like the " jazz hands" part!
~ Georgie N. :)
Georgie - Thanks! Your woodworking skills will rise to "ninja" status with enough practice, which I am sure you will have time for after mastering "life" - wait, that might take a while - maybe as you master life - no worries.
DeleteHa ha! well thank you:) But still...
DeleteBy the way, I replied to your last reply to me (huh) at the bottom of your Mystery Tool 2 and if you could just read over that whenever you have a moment that would be wonderful:) I just need to know that your okay with me doing this...
Thanks!
Georgie N. :)
What prep, if any, do you have to do with board after a year?
ReplyDeleteI'm curious as to what kind of seasonal wood movement problems you have in your shop.
Ralph - No prep - just removed the milling marks with a smoothing plane. In general, I don't worry too much about movement - I just try to use techniques that account for it. In this box the grain of the sides is all parallel - no cross grain. I usually put the bottom in as a floating panel with no glue (or glue in the center only) but in this one I just used nails which tend to be forgiving enough for the movement. Our humidity range here in Alaska is pretty huge - very, very low in winter and very high in summer (well a wet one anyway). Thanks for commenting.
DeleteGreat grain! You're correct,wish there had been more of the boards in the store.
ReplyDeleteSteve - I know! Just lucky to get that one - went in for something else and took my usual stroll past the wood "just in case". Glad I did - and glad no one else thought it was a nice board.
DeleteKachow! That looks great!
ReplyDeleteBadger - Pow! Biff! Sock-O! Thanks!
DeleteI occasionally see boards with similar figure at the local borgs, here, as well.
ReplyDeleteThey always remind me of Freddy Krueger's face...
Nice job, Dan. ;)
Ethan - Thanks! I'm curious what makes that happen...the grain, not Freddy's face...
DeleteBeautiful Box. I love the grain.
ReplyDeletelooks like you got the best board
in the stack. Nice job.
Randy A.
Randy - Thanks! Yes, glad I found it!
DeleteThe wood is great, what type of wood do you think it is?
ReplyDeleteThe opening statement is:
So I get almost all my wood at the BORG. I have not experience the acronym BORG. What does it mean?
Rev John - I think it is pine, and the grain is in reaction to some environmental factor.
DeleteAs for the BORG, well for me it is a Star Trek reference. The BORG are the evil, all consuming, "resistance is futile", alien collective that fly around in their huge cube, or box, spaceship and assimilate everyone into drones. It works perfectly for Home Depot and Lowe's, well maybe almost perfectly, they are not really evil, but they have been the demise of almost all small hardware stores...
Some others have used it as an acronym: Big Orange Retail Giant - or something like that.
A few years ago, I got a board just like that. I made my first dovetailed stepping stool with that.
ReplyDeleteI believe this to be "beetle-kill pine". At least, that is what I was told on the forums.
PhilM
Phil - Thanks! I was thinking something along those lines, especially since there was some tunneling and even a dead larva. Cool!
DeleteWhat a great find! That board probably got tossed aside fifty times before you picked it out. Great project for displaying its awesome patterns.
ReplyDeleteThanks John - I know, I can't help but feel the board is much happier being a box than being used for some other mundane purpose.
DeleteFantastic looking wood, one thing i really struggle with is sourcing good quality wood, nothing but poor quality pine up north.
ReplyDeleteWhere are you? I tend to be more north than most...
DeleteI think this is what makes DIY woodworking projects so special is the fact you can do anything you want with it - and only call it "done" when you are satisfied. Loved the close-up shot - looked great!
ReplyDelete