Hexagon or Honeycomb Shelves WIP...

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

PeteG

Established Member
Joined
9 Jun 2013
Messages
998
Reaction score
2
Location
Manchester
Something I wanted to make a few months a go for our lass, a second yarn or wool holder/shelf.
I had the idea of hexagons mounted on reclaimed timber, which is something I still need to find.
Anyway, now the planters are finished, yesterday I decided to have a go at one hexagon to see how it came out.
Other than the odd 45 degree cut I've never had to cut several pieces beveled at both ends accurately enough that
they would all fit together...

I used a Hexagon Calculator https://www.omnicalculator.com/math/hexagon to me an idea of finished sizes, and very handy it was too.

First thing was to trim and cut a few pieces from the off cut pile.

Off Cuts 10.jpg


I rough cut the width to 130 mm using the track/plunge saw, finished width of 122 mm once it had gone through the P/T. Each side of the
hexagon would have a finished length of 175 mm, and the off cuts I was using would give me three 175 mm sections. Once I had the six
sides it was time to cut the first 30 degree bevel. I checked the blade using a magnetic digital readout, if this was accurate it showed a
a slight difference to the 30 degree scale on the saw. After cutting all six sections it was time for a dry run and thankfully, they formed
a perfect hexagon...

This morning I decided to make another five, and again I used the track/plunge saw to trim the off cuts, but this time at 125 mm. It'd save
one less pass through the P/T. Usually I would have used the mitre saw to then cut each length in to sections, but as this was still set up
at 30 degrees I decided to use the track/plunge saw, and as it turned out it was so much quicker being able to cut across four boards
at a time.

Cutting To Length TS.jpg


With a stack of sections around 215 mm each it was time to start cutting the bevels.

CTL Sections.jpg


It might have been OK cutting the bevels on six pieces the day before, but with a loss of grip in my left hand there was no way I was going
to attempt cutting over 70 bevels. So time for a jig :D A few off cuts and a toggle clamp worked perfectly. I could clamp the jig to the saw,
then clamp the wood to the jig.

Bevel Jig 5.jpg


Once the first bevels were cut, I marked the jig at 175 mm to cut the the opposite end, then moved the jig to line up with the blade.

Bevel Jig 2.jpg


Bevel Jig 4.jpg


I cut more than I needed but I do like to have back up should anything go wrong, so with a stack of 175 mm sections with 30 degree bevels
it was time for a sanding before gluing up.

Gluing Up.jpg


Using the track/plunge saw jig, I laid out two lengths of masking tape close to the rail, this way I could be sure all six sections were
perfectly in line. Then it was time to apply the glue and roll the sections over, with a couple of more wraps of tape once the hexagon
had taken shape.

Gluing Up 2.jpg


All six finished except for a final sanding. Now I need to find the timber I want for the backing, drift wood would be perfect and it's
how I imagined the finished piece, but it's not something I'll be able to get hold of...I've shown our lass the hexagons and explained
my idea, and the idea of painting the hexagons in two different colours, grey outer white inner, or what ever colour she prefers.
Now she's very excited and can't wait for them to be finished, and also looking at more hexagons on the living room wall as plant holders!


Hexagon Group 6.jpg
 

Attachments

  • Off Cuts 10.jpg
    Off Cuts 10.jpg
    953.9 KB · Views: 654
  • Cutting To Length TS.jpg
    Cutting To Length TS.jpg
    846.8 KB · Views: 795
  • CTL Sections.jpg
    CTL Sections.jpg
    774.8 KB · Views: 655
  • Bevel Jig 5.jpg
    Bevel Jig 5.jpg
    881.6 KB · Views: 677
  • Bevel Jig 2.jpg
    Bevel Jig 2.jpg
    739.1 KB · Views: 655
  • Bevel Jig 4.jpg
    Bevel Jig 4.jpg
    506.1 KB · Views: 654
  • Gluing Up.jpg
    Gluing Up.jpg
    763.5 KB · Views: 654
  • Gluing Up 2.jpg
    Gluing Up 2.jpg
    990.4 KB · Views: 654
  • Hexagon Group 6.jpg
    Hexagon Group 6.jpg
    843.4 KB · Views: 654
Very Nice Pete!

I'd spend weeks thinking about how to do it and then pipper it up 5 minutes after starting :p

The tracksaw holding up well then?

I today discovered a dirty little secret about the Titan tracksaw. Take that swivelly dust port bit off, and a 32mm push fit waste pipe/spigot pops right in there as snug as a bug. A bit easier to hook up to some fatter hose!
 
DBT85":14ajv1d0 said:
Very Nice Pete!

I'd spend weeks thinking about how to do it and then pipper it up 5 minutes after starting :p

The tracksaw holding up well then?

I today discovered a dirty little secret about the Titan tracksaw. Take that swivelly dust port bit off, and a 32mm push fit waste pipe/spigot pops right in there as snug as a bug. A bit easier to hook up to some fatter hose!

Apologies for the late fella, hopefully I've seen the end of pretty bad five weeks!

I couldn't have cut all the pieces without the jig, I don't have the grip in my left hand at the moment and it was struggle making the
twelve 30 degree cuts. The jig made it a breeze. Once our lass saw them, well, now I need to make a few larger ones for the living room
that will hold house plants.

Cutting four boards at a time in to the smaller sections using the tracksaw was much quicker than using the mitre saw, I was tempted
to cut the bevels too but didn't think I'd get them accurate enough.
 
DBT85":1ulbdwry said:
Very Nice Pete!

I'd spend weeks thinking about how to do it and then pipper it up 5 minutes after starting :p

The tracksaw holding up well then?

I today discovered a dirty little secret about the Titan tracksaw. Take that swivelly dust port bit off, and a 32mm push fit waste pipe/spigot pops right in there as snug as a bug. A bit easier to hook up to some fatter hose!


This rings so true with me, I made a wine rack at the weekend which was quite similar to these shelves, Hexagon with an interior rack for 5 bottles.

Went to yandles and picked out a piece of wood specifically for this project, Thought I was being very efficient by picking a gorgeous piece of ash which was almost exactly the right length for the 6 sides. All was thought out, sketched and considered for a whole week. Started making the thing, and on the last cut of the 6th piece I cut the angle on the wrong face. And as my frugality had meant I bought a piece of wood that was pretty much the minimum possible length it could be, I had to splice in another piece of ash to try and hide the mistake.

I am still pretty happy with it, although I dont think I have the guts to post a picture of it lol.
 
Ryandotdee":365m8don said:
DBT85":365m8don said:
Very Nice Pete!

I'd spend weeks thinking about how to do it and then pipper it up 5 minutes after starting :p

The tracksaw holding up well then?

I today discovered a dirty little secret about the Titan tracksaw. Take that swivelly dust port bit off, and a 32mm push fit waste pipe/spigot pops right in there as snug as a bug. A bit easier to hook up to some fatter hose!


This rings so true with me, I made a wine rack at the weekend which was quite similar to these shelves, Hexagon with an interior rack for 5 bottles.

Went to yandles and picked out a piece of wood specifically for this project, Thought I was being very efficient by picking a gorgeous piece of ash which was almost exactly the right length for the 6 sides. All was thought out, sketched and considered for a whole week. Started making the thing, and on the last cut of the 6th piece I cut the angle on the wrong face. And as my frugality had meant I bought a piece of wood that was pretty much the minimum possible length it could be, I had to splice in another piece of ash to try and hide the mistake.

I am still pretty happy with it, although I dont think I have the guts to post a picture of it lol.

Mistakes happen fella, I don't think I'd have had a go at them with anything other than Pine until I was happy with the process.
And cutting so many pieces the jig made life easier.

Ryandotdee":365m8don said:
Looking really good! I am jealous of all those joints, they look very very good.

I was very happy with the joints, although I had my doubts until the first test box was put together.
The fence on the track saw jig came in very handy making sure all six sections were perfectly in line.
I found that once they were heavily taped up they were quite solid with very little movement, so if
one of the sections was out of position, I reckon I would had to remove the tape and lay them out again.

These are on hold at the moment until I find the right timber for mounting them on...I'll be making
some larger ones for mounting on the living room wall, plant holders for our lass :D
 
Back
Top