Ash preparation

[devonwoody]

Wondered if you would be interested in how I prepared some ash from a log yesterday.

I was given some ash logs three years ago from a neighbours garden after some tree surgery and this year I have commenced to use the first log for those tissue boxes. This is the third box underway and I am detailing how the ash was prepared in pictures.

The remains of the first log so far.

A piece of ash selected.

And strapped to a 4x1 of par board with masking tape, the masking tape is rubbish it came as a job lot from a bazaar shop and really only sticks to itself and not to an object very well.

Taken over the bandsaw.

A slice sawn off using the board to give a straight cut.

I obtained two usable from this slab of ash log and checked with a straight edge to see if I could put straight to the planer/thicknesser without any hand planing.
The bottom edges needing cleaning up by hand they were too wild to put on the planer.

I finished with three workable boards enough to make a carcass for a tissue box, (one piece does have a check crack but hopefully it is at the waste end of the board.

Oh in the afternoon I got out some softwood and started work on a new garden ornament a replacement wheel barrow planter. (ignored the compound angles )

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Nice....there is something magical about that primary conversion from tree to usable board...its one of my favourite bits of the whole process. Thanks for posting that.

Just while we're on the theme....here's a yew log being converted into bowl blanks (different method to get the first flat face).

Because with a bowl blank you end up with a circle...you really only need to saw through the centre of the log to remove the pith to avoid splitting. So you don't need to worry about multiple slices.

 

[andersonec]

Bob, are you taking that log through your bandsaw without any support either side??????????????

Andy

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Nope...can you see the fence on the left in the last piccy

 

[devonwoody]

The ash shown of mine had its first cut whilst slightly nailed to a waste piece of chipboard on the bandsaw table plus a vertical piece also nailed to run alongside the fence, and that even gave me a lot of concern keeping a straight cut owing to its weight and control needed. Your cut Bob I don't know how you kept such a good cut bearing in mind that yew looks a bit mangy.

BTW I finished the ornamental wheelbarrow yesterday, only the wheel assembly was salvaged from the old one the rest was knocked up from timbers mainly salvaged from skips. I'm a skipper in my spare time.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

excellent Devon....I too have been known to disappear into skips for long periods Don't get me started on what wood gets thrown into the council tip!!!

 

[devonwoody]

We are getting a new bypass built down here in Devon, Torquay to Newton Abbot, I pass a timber stack of cut logs around 100yds long about 8ft high at the moment and around 4ft across, mainly ash and oak, my feet itch but I cannot lift one up anyway.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I wonder where those logs are destined? Presumabley they've been cleared for the bypass? Sold to a sawmill hopefully rather than destined for firewood.

Someone in my village told me of a householder who had tree surgeons take down her knackered and enormous walnut tree...wait for it....he chipped it and disc'd for firewood.

I mean...aaaagggghhhhhhh!!

 

[devonwoody]

Prepared that ash a bit further to make another tissue box and ran into big troubles.

And when I cut the mitres I though my saw blade was wobbling, but no, its timber stress to just the one piece of the four shown above. So I am leaving to see if it recovers otherwise I shall have to make a replacement piece.

 

[marcros]

was it ripped on the bandsaw?

not enough tension on the blade?

 

[devonwoody]

was it ripped on the bandsaw?

not enough tension on the blade?

Yes it was definitely ripped on the BS, Odd though that it only happened with that cut and not the others which would have been ripped at the same time.

Loath to change tension because saw cuts nice and true, perhaps it the speed pushed passed the blade comes into the situation as well?

 

[devonwoody]

Prepared a replacement for that carcass panel.

Still in trouble with this box, cut the new mitre and then assembled the box with glue to my normal procedure but when glue had set and masking fixing tape removed I got a new joint which I name lapped mitre joints.

This came about because the masking tape I am using was a job lot and it does not hold well on to the timber, pulling it up tight it made the mitres slip.


Anyhow it is not unattractive to me, so will consider leaving or putting stringers at corners.

 

[devonwoody]

Did some work on this box yesterday, made a jig to start cutting a rectangular pattern on carcass sides to put in some AMW inlays.

 

[devonwoody]

Well it looks like I have been out of the workshop for 18 days, this comes about because of the heatwave weather conditions of the past three weeks, but yesterday it was in the 70'sFar. upto midday so did some work on the box.

I last posted with some preparation of grooves and completed the pattern on the two long faces, (omitting the two short ends).

I have inserted strips of African black wood which I had cut to strips on the bandsaw, glued and inserted to carcass as per picture.

This is my first attempt at inlay work of this kind and the jig I set up has not proved to be the most convenient for me, I used a workmate and my large triton router but I worked at the carcass with no close proximity and mainly by feel. Hence there are slight variations pressure wise when steering the router and inaccuracies resulted.
I have therefore used a lot of Bummer filler, just like polyfilla :roll: .

The bulk of the filler was scraped off using an offcut of oak which had a good cut edge.

Finally I used a steel scraper and have got quite a satisfactory surface and effect for my own satisfaction, but I would accept it is not up to showroom standard.

We have a couple of day forecast down here in Devon that shows lower temperatures so hopefully I can complete project together with three other boxes awaiting to be finished.

 

[No skills]

Nowt wrong with that at all, very nice so far.

 

[devonwoody]

Brought these three boxes including inlay box up to stage to be cleaned up and finish applied.

Most probably going back to jewellery boxes for the remainder of my season. (if it cools down abit.)