Embrace scroll shelf brackets-Part3

Hi Everyone!

Welcome back for part 3 of this project! I must apologize for the delay in posting, but I have a couple of projects on the go and this past weekend I gave a woodworking demo for a Culture Days event which was organized by the Richmond Arts Council. It was my first demo and I couldn't believe how much work goes into such an event. I had a wonderful time talking to people about woodworking and it just made my day to see them actually listening :) Anyway back to the project! 

Just starting my first few cuts on the scroll saw. The oak is really hard and tends to burn easily. To prevent my cuts from suffering this fate I simply placed a few strips of clear packing tape over my pattern. As the cuts are being made the heat generated from the blade will melt the tape thus acting as a lubricant for the blade.  

Continuing to cut out the rest. It was neat to see the negative scrolls coming out of the cuts.  Hmmm ...I think I will do something with those...unless my client would like them as a souvenir :) 

All the finished parts of the bracket ready for a dry-fit. It is taking shape quite nicely.

That's it for now folks! We're almost there so please come back for the completion.

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan 

Embrace scroll shelf brackets - Part1

Hello Everyone,

I love custom work! It definitely keeps your mind ticking.

My next exciting project is a pair of scrolled shelf brackets made out of oak. My client requested that I take inspiration from a wonderful print called the "Embrace" by Gustav Klimpt which will hang across from the shelf. The print is vibrant with amazing color and wild scrolls and shapes and it's just a visual playground. I lifted a portion of the scroll from the print and gave it my own twist - no pun intended :)

I gave my client quite a few options and she chose the one pictured above. From the 1/4 scale drawings I had to enlarge the chosen pattern to a workable full scale pattern. 

With every hardwood (as apposed to veneered sheet goods) project I like to acclimatize the wood to my workshop for a couple of days before I make my first cut. Keep in mind that it's coming from the lumber yard to my shop and then to my clients home - so it's travelling through various temperatures. 

I have a nice wide piece of oak selected for the scroll and and a narrower board for the mitered brackets. 

I can't wait to get started, so please join me next time for part 2!

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Custom Orchid Picture Frames - Part final

Hello everyone,

Well this is it folks! The final part of the custom orchid frames. I had a great time with these and I hope my client will enjoy it just as much. 

Dipping the orchid in a rich walnut dye. Dipping the piece allows all the edges of
all the cutouts to be stained evenly. I had to make a shop made container to hold the dye,
since the piece was so large.

To get rid of all the excess stain, I simply place it face up onto some shop towels. This also prevents
excess stain from pooling and drying up in the corners of the cutouts.

I also stain the back of the frame and make sure to stain the interior orchid. 

After the stain has dried, I get the pieces ready to be glued. To ensure perfect alignment,
I made a simple right angle alignment jig.  

To finish off the frame, I veneer the edges. I simply stain the edges afterward to complete the frame.
To protect the frame I apply 3 coats of a spray polyurethane finish.

This completes the project. I hope you will join me for the reveal.

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Custom Orchid Picture Frames - Part 3

Hello,

Welcome back for part 3! I am having so much fun with these frames! 

Now that I have cut the interior orchid and the window of the frame, I carefully remove the top cut-out with
a putty knife. This is a slow process, but it is the safest way I can think of.

I then use the table saw and miter gauge to cut miters on the back parts of the frame. These parts will help to  provide clearance of the picture turns

I glue the mitered parts to the back of the frame, making sure to use cauls to fully adhere the parts. To make the glue up 
go smoothly, I first glue each opposing corner, then complete the glue-up by bringing these two corners together at a later stage.

A detail shot of the miters.




Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Custom Orchid Picture Frames - Part 1

Hi Everyone,

I have an exciting project to share with you! I have been asked to make a pair of 18 inch square picture frames based on my orchid design. The frames will be hung side by side on the wall and one frame will hold a vertical photo while the other will hold a horizontal one. I had to come up with a way to balance the vertical with the horizontal within a square frame (the original design is rectangular and it holds a 4 x 6 photo) so I tweaked my design a bit to accommodate this challenge.

   

My proposal to the client showing the two frames side by side and the full size pattern in background.
The pattern will be temporarily bonded to the top part of the frame.

Using the shop made crosscut sled with a stop block clamped to fence to cut all parts true and square.

Using the drill press to drill blade entry holes for the scroll saw blade. Before I did this however I
taped a scrap backer to prevent tear-out on the back of the cut out. 

At the scroll saw cutting out the pattern. Since this is a large piece I have to  take extra care with my cuts.

The almost completed cut-out with the scrap backer removed. I will temporarily attach the cut-out to the bottom part of the frame to cut out the window and the last orchid.

Please join me next time to see the frames come together!

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Raven inlay Jewelry and Make-up Boxes-Part 5

Hi Everyone!



Well, the duo of boxes are really starting to take shape. Speaking of which, in this part I will shape the bottom of the boxes to add a touch of flair to the plain sides.



I start by laying out some lines and curves, first using my nifty ruler stop to mark a consistant line from the bottom edges. I then use a combination square to mark a layout line from the ends of the boards.




With an appropriate sized washer I draw on the shape of the curve. I could have made up a template, but since I only have a few pieces to work with, it was not feasible for me to spend the time. If for instance I had quite a bit to do a template would have been the better way to go.

To save time, I stack two sides together with some double sided tape, making sure that everything lines up. A great allignment tool is a simple shopmade right angle jig to make sure that everything lines up.

A scroll saw is a great tool to cut away the waste. I do make sure that I stay about 1/32" away from the layout lines. I will flush everything up later with a router.

I install a 3/8" diameter straight router bit in my router table to flush up and remove the rest of the waste. I allign the fence an appropriate distance away from the router bit to get the desired curve.

Thank you for joining me for part 5! Please make sure to stay tuned for part 6.

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Alberta Rose Recipe Box - The Reveal

Hello,

Well here it is! The Alberta Rose Recipe Box! This box was delivered to the client and I am happy to say that she is very satisfied :)

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Alberta Rose Recipe Box - Part 4

Hi All,

In this part of the project I will focus on scrolling out the rose design. I will be using the drill press equipped with a 1/16" diameter drill bit to drill the blade entry holes. I will also cut a walnut backer piece to insert into the recess that was routed out in part 3. So let's get started!

As you will soon see, all interior cuts in a particular pattern or design requires a hole for the scroll saw blade to be threaded through. This rose design is no different. I do recommend that you use a drill press instead of a hand held drill to perform this task. A drill press will give you much better accuracy and ensures that the hole is drilled at a perfect right angle to the work piece. This accuracy is very important with a delicate design such as this. I always use a scrap backer piece to prevent awful tearout at the back of the piece.

For this design I used a # 2/0 blade since the cuts are so fine. I always like to start with the most delicate cuts first, if at all possible. It's always a good idea to leave larger surface interior cuts for the very last.

Voila! Here we have the finished rose cut-out! Not too shabby huh?

Now to the back of the cut-out. Remember the recess I cut in an earlier part? Well now would be a good time to fill it. I cut a nice piece of contrasting walnut to the exact dimensions of the opening on the tablesaw.

However, before I was ready to glue it in place I had to clean up the back of the cut-out. I simply got rid of any burrs by giving the back a light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper.

Well that's about it for this part. Please return for part 5 of the Alberta Rose Recipe Box, when I will be ready for the big glue up!

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

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

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

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

Cherry Blossom Sideboard - The Reveal

Hi Everyone!

Delivery day! The sideboard is now sitting contently in the clients home :) All the photos were taken there.

Thanks for coming with me on this journey!

Roshaan

Cherry Blossom Sideboard

Hello Everyone!

I am embarking on a new project and I am excited to give you an inside look at the progress. It is essentially a sideboard with two sliding doors and these sliding doors will have a cherry blossom motif scroll sawn into the panels. It also has a modern asian appeal, with tapered legs, beveled top and a "rising cloud" curved bottom rail. I have been asked to design and build this piece to hold piano books, which of course has a particular size which had to be considered. My client has been searching high and low for the right piece with no success. She finally contacted me to see if I could come up with a suitable design. After weeks of mulling over the details of the piece I have successfully come up with a design she was happy with. I will be posting in-progress photos, so please check back for updates.

Roshaan

Mokajade wood studio website

Hello All,

I have finally launched my new website. It is still a work in progress, but I am happy with the overall look of the site. The website is divided into categories by the function of each piece. For example the belt buckle seen on the right can be found under the "Personal" category. Also look out for the Home, Office, Wall and Furniture categories to find what you are looking for.

I will also be offering my scroll saw patterns for sale in the near future, so please check back periodically for updates. Not too much of a diyer? Let me do the work for you. Just send me an email with your custom request.

Please have a look at mokajadewoodstudio.com and thanks for looking!

Roshaan

One-on-one workshop with Lesley

Hello Everyone,

I had a great opportunity to teach a one-on-one woodworking workshop from my modest yet organized garage shop. This workshop was to be a birthday gift for the sister of a great friend of mine. Btw...what a great birthday gift idea! Please take note for future reference :)

Lesley was an ideal student since she had a great passion for anything handmade and she was willing to learn in a very short amount of time. I have to give her credit for sticking with me to the very end of a fun but exhausting 8 hour day. At the end of the day she went home with a great token of her hard work...a lovely keepsake box made out of hard maple with a cherry wood scroll sawn top.

I gave Lesley a few scroll saw patterns to choose from, and she immediately gravited to the elegant, yet intricate dragonfly design. The design was a bit ambitious for a beginner, but I told her she had to be happy with the design since she was planning to keep the box for a very long time. The box sides was mitered which was then further enhanced with cherry splines. Splines not only add strenth to the joint but also dresses up a simple mitered box. There are no visible hinges, because the lid opens with the aid of 1/8" diameter brass pivot pins which is glued with epoxy into drilled holes in the sides of the box.

At the end of the day Lesley was extremely pleased with what she accomplished in such a short amount of time and so was I. I hope she will enjoy the keepsake box for a very long time and will keep it in the family for many more years to come.


Roshaan

Simply Wood on Amazon

So, I googled my name the other night and ...come on... I know you all google your own name sometimes...you know who you are. I was pleasantly surprised to find my book on amazon! Of course it's not being released just yet. The release date is scheduled for November 2010. I just wanted to share the link with you. So here it is...Simply Wood!

Roshaan

Simply Wood...

Two simple words, with a lot to say. These words also make up the fitting title to my new book. It is slated to be released sometime this fall. I received the first draft to review this week. I am absolutely thrilled with the outcome! The fiercely talented folks at Fox Chapel Publishing did a phenominal job with every detail of the book. From the editing, the photography, the layout and design...everything has a nice flow and nothing is out of place. Images of the book is, for obvious reasons top secret for now, but as soon as I get the greenlight, you will have a front-row seat.

Roshaan