Gallery

29 October 2010

Saw blades are not just for wood

Hi Everyone!

I was browsing the Lee Valley store and came across an eye-catching 3/4" square rectangular piece of acrylic. I was thoroughly mesmerized by the shimmering, translucent and brilliantly coloured piece of plastic. What I was looking at was a pen blank used by pen makers which they turn on a lathe to take on the cylindrical shape of a pen. I then thought to myself, I could use this great piece of acrylic to make other wonderful things. I could for instance use it in combination with a piece of exotic hardwood to make a pendant, or I could cut it into smaller squares and use these as inlays as small accents in a piece of furniture. The possibilities are endless!



The question now was...how do I cleanly and accurately cut acrylic using my woodworking machines? The answer was simple... use specially made saw blades in my machines to safely and cleanly cut acrylic to size. To cut acrylic using my table saw I reached for my Triple Chip Grind or (TCG) saw blade. This refers to the way some teeth of the blade is ground. I'm not an expert on the various saw blades by any means, but this is the recommended saw blade used to cut acrylic and it works! The cuts came out clean without any tear-out and the saw marks are virtually invisible.
Being a woodworker, doesn't only mean that you work with wood. Most woodworkers would welcome the chance to incorporate different materials into their woodworking projects and I'm no different. So I'm always looking for fun and interesting materials to work into wood.
So many possibilities!
Thanks for looking!
Roshaan

21 October 2010

Heather's Netbook Cherry wood box- the reveal

Well, here is the finished netbook cherry wood box!












Thanks for looking!
Roshaan

Heather's Netbook Cherry wood box-Part Final

Hi Everyone!

Well I am finally done with the netbook cherry wood box! The last week I spent oiling the box with a Danish oil finish. I also finished the box off with a rich plush felt liner to cushion the netbook while it is stored and especially during travel.


I applied about 5 coats of the oil finish over about a week's time. Notice the difference between the unfinished cherry to the left and the cherry with one coat of oil applied to the piece on the right. I love using an oil finish to bring out the natural beauty and richness of the wood's color and grain. Although the cherry is still a bit light in color, over time it will age to a nice reddish tone making the contrast of the maple splines pop even more.



The inside of the box received a felt liner to cushion the netbook. The felt was a breeze to apply because it already had a peel and stick backing. All I had to do was cut the felt parts to the exact dimensions of the inside of the box. I first applied the bottom and then proceeded to apply the sides.

After the felt was applied, I re-attached the stop hinge and the latches. I did however had to clear the dried oil from the screw holes with a drill bit.

I am happy with how the box turned out and I hope my client will be as well.

Thanks for joining me!

Roshaan

14 October 2010

Interior Design Show West

Hi everyone!

I will be heading to the Interior Design Show West this weekend to show support for a fellow alum of the Fine Furniture Program at Camosun College. He is very a talented and energetic custom wood furniture maker. His name is Steve Guan and he is absolutely a rising star! He is located in beautiful Victoria, BC. He is the founder of Fineline Creations and you can have a peek at his website to see his beautiful creations. I will be going to the show...will you?

See you there!

Roshaan

13 October 2010

Elsa's Jewelry Box

Hi Everyone!

This jewelry box is my new studio piece that was built especially for Elsa. She is the one who took the great step-by-step photos for my book Simply wood. She was also instrumental in the preparation of the manuscript. I will always be indebted to her. Thank you Elsa!










Thanks for looking!
Roshaan

12 October 2010

Heather's Netbook Cherry wood box-Part 5

Hi Everyone,

Well, we are almost there! It is starting to look like a great little box.

In this part of the project I focused on installing all the hardware, like the stop hinge and the latches. I prefer to install all hardware before I apply a finish in case I run into any issues. It is easier to deal with an issue while the box is still unfinished.




I had to cut a mortise on the back edges of the box parts to receive the stop hinge. This is a great little hinge if you want to keep the lid from flopping backwards. It will automatically stop the lid at about 100 degrees. I could have also used a lid stay with regular hinges, but it was not feasible in this application, since the box is meant for storing sensitive computer equipment.
I cut the mortise using a palm router equipped with a 1/4" straight router bit. I marked out the exact measurements of the hinge onto the box and just free-handed the mortise with the router. I stayed well away from the layout lines and just went in afterward to clean up the mortise with a bench chisel.
I then placed the hinge into the mortise to mark the screw holes. To accurately drill these holes I used a drill press instead of a hand held drill.


When all the holes were drilled I screwed the hinge in place to check the fit of the lid on the bottom part of the box. A great tip for driving in fragile brass screws is to lubricate the hinge with some beeswax. The screw will drive into the hole much smoother and it also will prevent the screw from snapping off into the hole. Believe me I have done it quite a few times and it is not a pleasant sight or an easy fix!




After I was happy with the fit of the box parts, I then attached the two brass latches. I think these latches adds a great finishing touch on a beautiful cherry wood box and it functions well.
In the final part I will be focusing on applying a finish and lining the box with a plush felt.
Thanks for looking!
Roshaan




The new Fox Chapel Publishing 2010-2011 Fall Catalogue

Hi Everyone,

I'm so excited about the new Fox Chapel Publishing fall catalogue! Not only because I made the cover, but also because it is full of new and fresh woodcrafting books! In it you will find some modern and hip eco-friendly projects made out of twigs, branches and fallen trees as seen in the book called Tree Craft written by Chris Lubkemann. How cool is that!
Also look out for a book called Woodburning with Style written by my good friend Simon Easton. He gives you an in depth crash course in the art of pyrography. This book will appeal to woodworkers and artists alike. I can't wait to try one of the many great projects from the book.
This is just a tidbit of new and fantastic books in the new catalogue. Check it out today! Just click on the title of this post for the link.

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

07 October 2010

Mokajade Fan Page on Facebook

I am excited to bring to you my new fan page on Facebook. Please check it out and if you like it...please click like to become a fan. It will be a connection between people out there who appreciate the fine art of crafting and those who support the brave souls who pursue it.


Thanks for stopping by!


Roshaan

Heather's Netbook Cherry wood box-Part 4

Hi Everyone!

The project is really coming together! In this part I will be finishing the top and bottom of the box.



The above photo shows the box basically cut right in half. Notice the little lip that was left during the cut. I got rid of the lip by using a block plane to flush up the edges. I then further cleaned up the edges by sanding it with various grits of sandpaper. Rather than bringing sandpaper to the piece I brought the piece to the sandpaper. I made a sanding base by using a true and flat surface and a full sheet of sandpaper which I attached to the base using temporary spray adhesive.


Remember the panels for the top and bottom I was working on in the first part of this project? Well, since then I cleaned up the panels with various grits of sandpaper and cut it to size using my invaluable shopmade miter sled. Every woodworking shop needs one of these. If made properly, this one tool can yield great accuracy.

After the panels were cut to size, I cut a slight bevel on the edges of the panels. This will give an all around nice reveal as well as prevent the edges from snagging on anything causing aweful chip out.
I then used a couple of spacers to hold the panels in place while the glue sets up. Notice the nice reveal created by the cutting the panel about 1/4" smaller than the inside surface to the top and the bevel further enhances the reveal. I used a maple substrate to create the nice contrasting reveal. This reveal will also complement the contrasting maple splines on the corners of the box.





Bring on the clamps!!! You can never have too many clamps!
In the next part I will focus on installing all of the box hardware. We are almost there! So, join me next time for part 5!
Thanks for looking!
Roshaan


I'm in the Scroll Saw Woodworking and Crafts magazine!

I have always wanted to have my work featured in a magazine that I have been reading for at least 8 years now. It is called Scroll Saw Woodworking and Crafts and it is published by Fox Chapel Publishing...yes the same publisher of my book Simply Wood. Well, I am very excited to say that I have achieved just that! Today I received a few copies of the issue that I will be featured in. I am over the moon! I can't contain my excitement! Please pick up the holiday issue today!

Roshaan

06 October 2010

Heather's Netbook Cherry wood box-Part 3

Hi Everyone!


In this part I will be focusing on strengthening the mitered corners of the box. I favour using contrasting splines on the corners, not only for strength but for aesthetics as well. I will also illustrate the method I use for separating the lid from the bottom of the box.




To safely cut the spline slots on the box corners I used a shop made carrier that cradles the box securely while it slides agaist the table saw fence and over the saw blade. I simply used the thickness of the saw blade or kerf of the blade, which is usually about an 1/8" thickness.



Since the spline slot is an 1/8" thick, I also made my contrasting maple splines the same thickness. There are variables in play when you are dealing with multiple cuts such as these. Sometimes the vibration of the blade or maybe the movement of the box in the carrier could make the slot wider or smaller. Therefore I always individually fit each spline to each slot and I glue the splines into the slots one at a time.



After the glue dried, I used a flush trim saw to trim the splines, just proud of the box surface. I then flushed up the splines with a chisel using a paring cut. I then sanded the box sides with various grits of sandpaper to a smooth finish.

After I cleaned up the sides of the box, I separated the lid from the bottom using the table saw. This is a great method, when the box lid is flush to the box bottom. There is no way the lid will line up to the bottom when you attemp to build each assembly separately. Since the lid and bottom of the box was the same height, I simply found the center of the sides and split the line in half on the saw blade. To prevent the parts from binding as it comes apart, I did not cut the sides all the way through. I left a little bit of a lip to help keep the box together.


After all the sides were cut in half, I carefully split the box using a hand saw. I took extra care on this step, since I did not want to cut and ruin the edges.
Wow, this project is going by fast! Please stay tuned for part 4!
Thanks for looking!
Roshaan


02 October 2010

Heather's Netbook Cherry wood box-Part 2


Hi All,

In this part of the project I will focus on the assembly of the box. I will discuss cutting the grooves into the box sides and the method I use to glue up the box. So please join me for part 2!


After the miters were cut on all side pieces of the box, I returned the blade to a 90 degree angle. I then set up the blade to the exact width and depth of the grooves to be cut into the top and bottom edges of the sides. These grooves will house the top and bottom panels of the box. I always make sure to make test cuts into an extra piece first, to fine tune the fit of the panels into the grooves. After I found the perfect fit, I then went ahead and cut the grooves into the finished pieces.

Before any glue-up I dry fit all the pieces to see if everything is fitting as it should. The easiest and most effective method I use for assembling miters is the clear packing tape method. First I lay all the sides with the miters facing down on a flat surface. I then butt all the corresponding miters end to end. With the pieces of packing tape already cut to length I then place a piece of tape firmly over each joint also making sure the top edges are lined up. Then I flip the assembly so that the miters are now facing up. I spread glue onto all the miters, but before I closed the joints, I inserted the panels.


I then proceed to wrap each miter onto the next to close all the miters around the panels as seen in the above photo. You might ask yourself, but what about accessing the inside of the box? Well, I have a great trick to seperate the top from the bottom at a later stage.



For extra clamping pressure, I use a band clamp. I then set the assembly aside to cure for about 30 minutes.
In the next part, I will concerntrate on the corners of the box, so stay tuned for part 3!
Thanks for joining me!
Roshaan