Marcros 5' board challenge

[marcros]

I am not quite ready to show my hand with what I have in mind making yet because it is borderline whether I can pull it off.

I have an idea, but it is reliant on being able to produce an 8" wide veneer. I need it to be about standard veneer thickness, ie much thinner than normal bandsaw veneers. I was hoping to beg somebody to put my bandsaw veneer through a thickness sander, but that is not allowed. I do need to test the thickness to see how thin I need to go.

Any thoughts, anybody? I guess that it would come off the bandsaw at about 2.5mm and I could put it through my thicknesser on mdf and take a bit more off. Would the ROS or belt sander be controllable- it needs to be finished from its final operation before fitting- it will not be possible to do so afterwards. I was wondering about putting sanding sealer on it before sanding to help.

 

[carlb40]

Surely if there is someone local who has a thickness sander you can do it yourself? Dodge said no one else to do anything on it, but if you use someone's machine you are still making it yourself? Technically it would be the same as hiring a tool?

 

[marcros]

True. Might be worth enquiring I guess.

 

[bugbear]

People have hand planed or scraper planed veneers for Shaker boxes.

BugBear

 

[Grahamshed]

People have hand planed or scraper planed veneers for Shaker boxes.

BugBear

It would be interesting to try that if you have enough wood. ( the rules say 6ft by 8 by1 but I guess you can waste bits and replace them.

 

[Dodge]

Surely if there is someone local who has a thickness sander you can do it yourself? Dodge said no one else to do anything on it, but if you use someone's machine you are still making it yourself? Technically it would be the same as hiring a tool?

Spot on Carl - if you hire a tool or use a tool that is not yours to do something that is fine as YOU are doing the work - getting someone else to do it for you though like turning components is a no no

The idea of the challenge is to see what you can design and make yourself!

 

[marcros]

I have selected a wide board from my limited stock, and cut an 8" wide section from it. It is a couple of inches short, but that will penalise me, so I hope that it is acceptable.

Rater than make something that I have done before, I have started by thinking what I could make from a single board, and what we would use around the house.

The board is London Plane, grown in the grounds of the Tower of London, so has some provenance. It is heavily figured, and quarter sawn. I have taken a small piece from an offcut to show the lacing, with a bit of white spirit on.

My plan is to make a table lamp, entirely from wood, with the exception of the electrical parts. The challenge in this, for me, will be technique- I have never done a number of them before. The base will be simple in look, and I am yet to decide whether to cut it from solid, laminate or steam bend the parts. I think that i will either make it piano black, or stain it to a walnut colour for some contrast. plenty of time for that. The shade is to be made from a full board width veneer, sufficiently thin that the light will shine through, showing off the lacing, and hopefully the chatoyance of the timber. This will be the first part that i cut, and the entire project will depend on it- i have has a bit of a play, and i think that it will need to be a little less than a mm to work, although that was against a flourescent tube- a 40 or 60W lightbulb may be different.

The above shouldn't use all of my board, and so time permitting I plan to make a second object. This is not my own design, but is to be a wooden copy of the original 30's anglepoise lamp. I particularly like the form of it, and my copy wlll be an homage to the designer, George Carwardine. Not sure on the shade- if the above works, then i may do something similar.

 

[Dodge]

Well done =D> =D>

Ok out of all the ideas I had I hadnt thought of a lamp - cracking idea grommit!

 

[carlb40]

Very interesting. Nice idea on the shade

 

[riclepp]

Lovely looking piece of London there sir I am looking forward to your wip, and I don't think you will be penalised for the board being shorter. I think the dimensions were maximums, well I hope not as my board tapers in from 8inches to 6.5inches at the narrowest.

 

[DMF]

Another one I'm looking forward too, if there's enough material for two then bonus! Good luck

Dean

 

[Journeyman_uk]

Good luck !

J

 

[xy mosian]

Marcros, I have been thinking about ways to produce the thin material you are after.
First thought was glue the 'veneer', either before or after bandsawing, to a substrate to support it during thicknessing. If hide glue is used then the 'veneer could be soaked, or steamed, off.
The 'veneer' could be cut as waste. Taking a 15mm thick board cut off 14mm less the blade kerf and leave 1mm. Of course the 'veneer' would still need finishing.
Getting daft. A very wide asian plane with lots of weight training to pull it. That developed into a veneer slicer. The widest blade that is readily available is likely to be a draw knife. Imagine one of these mounted in a guide of some sort. Without chip breaker. Then a continuous force would be needed to make the cut. Often veneer cutting was done, probably still is, on either wet or steamed wood. Steaming might work and a reasonable surface finish might turn up.
Sorry about the ramblings.
xy

 

[marcros]

Here is my sketch.

 

[Grahamshed]

Thats a fascinating idea and a beautiful bit of wood. I am really looking forward to this.