Replies

1. 
   Pondfish | Jan 14, 2007 10:25pm | #1

   You've got several things to think about...

   First, since this is your first project, be sure to have clear and accurate plans.  Any casework done without a plan is at risk; one done by a first-timer is a recipe for disaster.

   Second, amboyna burl is beautiful, but if you want to highlight your collection, it might be better to have a less figured wood, lest it compete with the collection. 

   You might try making the carcases out of cherry.  Cherry will finish up nicely with a simple rubbing of oil followed by shellac, and is readily available.  If you want to use oak, try a minwax stain like Sedona red for a redder color.  Oak is easy to stain (brush on, let sit 10 minutes, wipe dry with a rag), and you can topcoat it with either spray shellac or spray poly.

   Good luck.  Good books to get started with are taunton's illustrated guides to finishing and furniture construction. 

    

   Recommending the use of "Hide Signatures" option under "My Preferences" since 2005
1. 
   uncleSteve | Jan 15, 2007 10:04am | #4

   Frenchy,

   >Second, amboyna burl is beautiful, but if you want to highlight your collection, it might be better to have a less figured wood, lest it compete with the collection.

   I was thinking the same thing Pondfish.

   Steve Nearman

   Fredericksburg, VA

   View Image

   The Master's Touch

   Furniture Restoration Service

   Quality restorations and repairs for over 35

   years!

   (540) 371-5566

   http://FurnitureRepair.net/

2. 
   swannyww | Jan 14, 2007 11:54pm | #2

   I test out color combinations on scrap pieces before I proceed to a project.  I test most of the cuts (mortise and tenon) on scrap as well. t  make sure of the fit.  Once set up it goes a lot better with few surprises. 

1. 
   starburn | Jan 16, 2007 02:48am | #10

   roger that man, that's what i planned to do, too. thanks

3. 
   AB | Jan 15, 2007 12:02am | #3

   Hello Starburn, Red oak has only a small amount of red pigment. Try working with some dyes or stains to get the color you want. good luck.
   Live long and prosper AB

1. 
   starburn | Jan 16, 2007 02:14am | #8

   thank you for taking the time to try to help.  I'm gonna try what you suggested on a scrap piece, and if i can't get the red i want , I'll probably go with cherry or something similar.

                    S

4. 
   Rich14 | Jan 15, 2007 07:19pm | #5

   Starburn,

   While your enthusiasm about your "very 1st woodworking project" is admirable, there is every indication that you are making just about every mistake a novice can. If you are offended by this advice, then so be it, but maybe you will learn by your mistakes.

   The first mistake, of course, is a first project that is not only over-ambitious, but over the top, overly ambitious. If you want to develop skills in this craft, you'll get there, but walking before running is almost always necessary.

   The second big mistake is misunderstanding of the materials you are using. "I'm hoping someone can recomend a finishing technique that will bring out the red in my red oak, (it sure doesn't look red in it's raw state)"

   There is no "red" in red oak. Side by side samples of "red" oak and "white" oak MAY reveal the first to be SLIGHTLY more amber in tone than the second, but not always. Red oak is a very popular material for hardwood flooring. Unstained, with the pores filled with a dark filler, it will look very pale amber with distintive grain. It's beautiful in that configuration. Many people like to stain oak with various shades of brown, and a large expanse of stained oak is very beautiful. You could, if you wanted, use a red stain on oak, but if it's a reddish wood that you want your project made from, there are species that ARE actually red.

   Not that this misunderstanding of the commonly used "color" name of the wood indicates any serious problem, it's just indicative that you need to aquire a bit more general understanding before plunging ahead.

   1/8" thick burl inlays? Better ask a lot more questions!

   Rich

5. 
   frenchy | Jan 15, 2007 08:46pm | #6

   Starburn.

    Let me add my feelings here that indeed you are maybe in so over your head that you can't see the stars anymore..

     I'm a damn the torpedos full speed ahead kinda guy but it's important to at least have some knowledge of what you are attempting to do..

    having said that,

    

        Welcome to wood working! Go for simple things first please but if not enjoy the experiance.. Just because it may not turn out as you envision doesn't mean it's going to be a failure, heck the things that you learn from this project may be worth far more than the end results..

     use analine dies to get the color you'd want, seal them with three thin coats of shellac (use denatured alcohol as a thinner! critical bit of information!) sand lightly between coats with 220 grit sand paper..  brush on quickly , try for warp speed 10  

    fast is much better than perfect!

     

       How do you plan on makin your cuts square?  How do you plan on connecting everything? 

    

    

    

1. 
   starburn | Jan 16, 2007 02:45am | #9

   No doubt, I'm WAY over my head when it comes to inlays and finishing, but i'm confident my basic cabinet construction design is sound and sturdy.  As tricky as hidden sliding dovetail joinery is, c'mon with a good router, carefull measurements, and a steady hand, it's NOT rocket science.  I've been working with my hands in construction for the last 31 years, granted 1/16" is as close of a tolerance as I've had to deal with and I know joinery is far closer,  but I'm not trying to build a nuclear reactor here, just a gosh darned display cabinet, if I can't do this then i need to get a sign made that says "idiot, please feed me" and go sit on the corner with a cup.  I honestly do, however, appreciate the warning.  I wish I had the time to learn to walk before i run, the sad fact is that I really don't HAVE the time, (med. probs) I've GOT to hit the ground running, At least I know that if i hose it up, no one will come and shoot me, (with the possible exception of my wife) 

1. 
   Rich14 | Jan 16, 2007 02:56am | #11

   Starburn, I wish you luck and I hope your medical problems are not too serious. Some people here value meticulous craftsmanship above all else. Some value expediency. To each his own, there is a place for all approaches in these endeavors. I hope your display cabinet pleases you. Just realize, your construction experience may not be enough. If not, don't hesitate to ask questions of a more basic nature about joinery. However, for help with that nuclear reactor, well, I don't think us wood abusers have much experience with that! ;} Rich

1. 
   Dave45 | Jan 16, 2007 03:07am | #12

   I beg to differ, Rich.  In an earlier career, I worked on nukes all over the country. These days, I'm making what passes for a living turning some nice wood into sawdust, pieces of scrap, and an occasional really nice piece that some folks actually like well enough to pay me to make for them.

   On the whole, I think I prefer the smell of sawdust to the smell of hot neutrons - lol.

1. 
   Rich14 | Jan 16, 2007 05:23am | #15

   Dave, Yeah. I didn't really want to let on. Just the other day, I was adjusting the neutron targets on my reactor. I'm working out the last few details of the behavior of some of the lesser-known membranes ("branes") in the 11th dimension. I should have the Theory of Everything finished in a few weeks, a month, worst case scenario. I'm pretty certain my calculations fully explain all the physics from the instant of the Big Bang to 1x10^(-42) seconds after, (of course Steven Hawking has explained everything from that point to the present). Obviously, my calculations also describe Time to at least 100 billion years PRIOR to the Singularity. I have to get this done as soon as possible because there is an infinitely great probability that one of the other versions of me, working in one of the infinite number of alternate universes, will come up with the final result first. Of course, there is an equally high probability that none of the other versions of me in any of the alternate universes will ever get the math right. I guess that's the chance one takes when one plays dice with the universe! Rich

2. 
   Dave45 | Jan 16, 2007 05:06pm | #16

   Nice try Rich, but I saw that program too.  Personally, I'm still stuck in the 5th dimension.  Whenever I go there, I get all distracted by Marilyn McCoo and can't get any further - lol.

3. 
   dougmeyer | Jan 18, 2007 12:15am | #18

   Please tell me that you are not talking about Buckaroo Banzi?

   Doug Meyer

2. 
   frenchy | Jan 16, 2007 03:28am | #13

   OK let me try to help you if I can,,

    when cutting the joinery use a basic simple guide, not not freehand.  I figure out where the cutter needs to be and then clamp a straight edge along side the router.. makes a nice straight cut and very fast to do..

      Cheery will fool you too, fresh cherry isn't very red,  maybe slightly pinkish but when you expose it to sunligt it quickly darkens up..  A week or so in sunlite should be a decent start..

      As for inlays what the heck, go for it,, I'd look at someplace like Rocklers for inlays and using the same technique I'd clamp a straight edge  to the board and router off the waste material.figure out how you intend to apply even clamping pressure , the inlay will want to be very friendly (wavy)  so it's important that you clamp it firmly in place untill it dries..

   On the other hand you don't want your clamping device to wind up glued to the piece so you'll have to figure out how to arrange that.. I have several suggestions if you'd like..

    

    

1. 
   starburn | Jan 16, 2007 04:26am | #14

   bless you, sir, YES, any and all tips are most gratefully appreciated at this point, because I'm utterly clueless as to how to do this. Question: is 1/8" thick amboyna burl workable?

1. 
   frenchy | Jan 16, 2007 08:35pm | #17

   Starburn

    plenty thick enough, Much  thinner is used regularly, just be aware that it tends to get all wavy and warped.   However when wet down with the glue that flattens it back out and as long as you use a nice flat surface to hold it down it will adhere flat and stay flat..

     You don't need to inlay the veneer, you can set it on top and do some edge banding to hide everything..

2. 
   starburn | Jan 20, 2007 10:58pm | #25

   would something like wax paper work to keep the inlays from sticking to the caul?

1. 
   frenchy | Jan 21, 2007 12:50am | #26

   starburn,

       Probably, take some glue and try to glue it and see if it pulls away freely or tries to stick.    or use a caul that won't stick!

2. 
   starburn | Jan 21, 2007 01:40am | #27

   thank you sir

3. 
   frenchy | Jan 21, 2007 02:12am | #28

   Starburn,

    thanks not needed, keep in touch here at Knots and let us know how it goes,,

    

3. 
   jeanlou | Jan 18, 2007 06:01am | #19

   Starburn,

   If you can work to a tolerance of 1/16" you are really saying that you are measuring to the 32nd. Once there, the tolerance in a millshop is 1/32" (meaning you measure to 1/64"). If you can do one you can do the other. Don't let these guys, all with the best brotherly intentions, stop you from trying what it is you want to do. Who knows, you may love the results, and after all, it is your project. They may be right...or they may be wrong, but it is your experience that will tell you what is right for you...and if you do not like the results the first time, do another project that will incorporate what you learned from your "mistakes " on the first. I am pretty sure that none of what I am saying is news to you. Push the envelope to your heart's content.

   By the way, the difference between red and white oak is the grain itself and not the colour. Red oak has a relatively open grain and white oak has a very tight closed grain. The colours all vary greatly from one tree to another, depending on the minerals in the soil where the tree was growing. You have read some good suggestions for playing with the colour so I will not go there other than to say that you can probably find what you are looking for without using any stains, simply by finding the right clear finish. (try different shellac formulas, for example)

   Good luck and enjoy,   JL

   Edited 1/17/2007 11:28 pm ET by jeanlou

1. 
   starburn | Jan 20, 2007 04:48am | #20

   thanks jeanlou, and you're correct, I'd fully planned to carry on.  All my life, in many different endevours, it was the people who said it can't be done, and that I was a fool to even try, turned out to be the ones I'm most gratefull to, because invariably, they provided me with the extra determination to make it happen.  Not that I don't respect their expertise, and their intentions, I know they're trying to save me some heartbreak. I should perhaps mention, their breath was not wasted on me, I pay close attention to all advice, and am inexpressably gratefull that  this forum exists, even though I'm sure they're chuckling as they think, "never underestimate the determination of a fool".  And to that end, today I stumbled on some spellbindingly beautifull African Mohogany boards, I finally have the last missing pieces to complete my little jigsaw puzzle.  Tomorrow's supposed to be sunny and in the low 60's.  Tomorrow blade cuts wood!  Tomorrow I start making sawdust!  I just hope I can sleep tonight.  Bonzai!

1. 
   jeanlou | Jan 20, 2007 05:19am | #21

   Starburn,

   You are right about the people on this forum. Even the outspoken belligerent ones...there are a few... have a great deal of experience to share, and are only too happy to do that. I also am happy to have discovered this forum, and have picked up a great deal of first class advice just by reading the posts and strings.

   It sounds like you will be enjoying your project.  JL

2. 
   starburn | Jan 20, 2007 11:11am | #22

   You know come to think of it, this little cabinet of mine is the culmination of 40 years of daydreaming, various and sundry ponderings, research, planning, drawings and material aquisiton, I've got $2K invested thus far, and I figure another $500-$1,000, before all the t's are crossed and the i's dotted.  I truely appreciated the advice to forego the burl for something less flamboyant, especially since the collection  already competes for attention with an over the top selection of choreorgraphed lighting modes.  that assumes of course, that the luckless but mercifly rare viewer is able to tear his eyes away from the stunningly beautifull shades of burnt orange and singing grain contained in the exterior surfaces of african mahogany  I most undeservadly stumbled upon today.

3. 
   jeanlou | Jan 20, 2007 10:42pm | #23

   When all is said and done starburn, you will have something that will make you proud, and it will display your collection with the respect that it deserves.   JL

    

4. 
   starburn | Jan 20, 2007 10:55pm | #24

   that is my fervent hope.

6. 
   Omah | Jan 15, 2007 11:15pm | #7

   Just finished a piece for a lady who wanted some display shelves. we did adjustible, 14" plate glass set in rabbited wood frames, as opposed to adjustible solid shelving. For her application it added a touch of elegance and interest for her pottery collection.