Pippy Oak Box

[marcros]

I have a bit of a rush job on. well, for me anyway. I am making a jewellery box for a 60th birthday present and only have a couple of weeks. As a result, I need to think through my questions now rather than discover them as I go!

I have planed down a nice piece of pippy oak for the top and sides of the box, and I would say that it is moderately pippy. I am thinking of using Chestnut hardwax oil as a finish, because I have some and I quite like oiled finishes on oak. I was going to wipe it on, probably 4 coats. I have offcuts that I can try this on whilst I make the box, so this wont delay the program. If necessary I can buy something else, Danish Oil, shellac etc. I was going to have a go at french polishing or brushing on french polish, but no time for that!

so questions:

1. Do I need to fill the pips somehow? If so, how, with what etc? There are presently some small holes and cracks in them. There are no gaping holes. I want to achieve a finished piece that looks like it has been craftsman made.

2. Lining with pigskin. I have seen how to do this onto cardboard pieces, but is the double sided tape used the same as available from a stationary store, or something special?

Thanks
Mark

 

[Blister]

I have used pippy Oak in woodturning bowls

If you apply the hard wax oil straight onto the timber it will act like a sponge

I used sanding sealer first then De nibbed ,then hard wax oil several coats , when applying the sanding sealer you need to work it in with a brush , I used a old tooth brush

If you have a small off cut best to try first to see if you like the finish

 

[marcros]

Thanks Allen, will try that on an offcut. Is shellac sanding sealer ok under oil?

 

[johnwc812]

Hi Mark
Re double-sided tape: I have found that "stationery" tape goes brittle and loses its "stick" after several months, perhaps a year.
Double-sided carpet tape seems to last longer.
I have lined several boxes using fabric on card.
The best method for me is to cut the fabric 1/2" larger all round.
Double-sided tape the fabric to the card.
Mitre the corners of the fabric.
Fold over the fabric and fix with double-sided tape.
BUT use glue to adhere them inside the box,
it then doesn't matter if the tape fails.
Cheers John

 

[marcros]

thank you.

 

[Blister]

Thanks Allen, will try that on an offcut. Is shellac sanding sealer OK under oil?

Sorry , cant advise on that one , never tried it , but again if you have a offcut give it a try or perhaps ask Terry ( Chestnut products ) he is on this forum sometimes

 

[marcros]

Right, I have made some progress. Have tried the hard wax oil on an offcut, both with and without a sealer. I will have a look at the results in the morning.

However, I have had a design change forced upon me because the piece that I had for the lid doesn't look right- the pipping is all to one side. I am going to split the lid with a muntin (is that the word?) and make 2 small raised panels from either native or american black walnut which I think will work well as a contrast. I can use the same for the internal trays. I would like to fill the pips with something close to the colour of the walnut, whilst still retaining the character of the oak. What do I need to use for this?

I am favouring a brushed shellac finish for the box, but am struggling to find clear images of button polish used on oak and walnut. Has anybody used button polish on pippy oak that could share a picture? I dont mind trying things on scrap, but I cant afford to buy £50 of finishes just to try them!

 

[marcros]

i have chosen my finishes.

all abw to be tru-oiled and finished with button polish.
all oak to have sanding sealer, chestnut hard wax oil and then button polish. On offcuts, it all seems to work well, and looks great.

I am going to fill the pips with shellac stick. I have had a practice on an offcut and more or less have the hang of it.

my question is, when do I fill? when i did it on the offcut, scraping it flat removed the oil, so am i right in thinking that i should match the colour on the offcut, post oil, but do it on the actual piece before oiling?

 

[marcros]

box lid for anybody interested. This was sawn from the body which was on the bench when this shot was taken. base is now also fitted, and the button polishing will start tomorrow.

 

[monkeybiter]

box lid for anybody interested. This was sawn from the body which was on the bench when this shot was taken. base is now also fitted, and the button polishing will start tomorrow.

FWIW I'm interested, looks very nice so far. I'm hoping to get into box making next year so all WIPs and tips are being eagerly absorbed. Can't wait to see the complete item.

 

[marcros]

box is finished. far from perfect, but it isnt always about that.

for completeness, finishes were as follows:

oak. shellac sanding sealer, scraped using glass (as per tip posted by somebody on the forum), chestnut hard wax oil, (1 coat wiped on with rag), denibbed and shellac button polish brushed on (3 or 4 coats, denibbed with 800 grit before final coat) squirrel hair brush used from http://www.rosemaryandco.com/index.php?cPath=277_387 . lovely lady, tell her it is for french polish and she makes the shape slightly different to the cataloue. much cheaper than the equivalent bruhes elsewhere, and made in yorkshire. polish from smith and rodger, pre mixed for ease! pips were filled with liberon hard shellac stick (again supplied by smith and rodger). not perfect because i ran out of patience!easy enough to do, but my hot air gun was a little much, a spirit lamp or soldering iron would have been better.

American Black Walnut top and trim. 1 coat tru-oil massaged in by gloved hand. same button polish as the oak. oiled the top panels before gluing the box. they do float- i checked!

AB walnut inside- due to time, they had the same as above but only a couple of coats of polish.

Hinges are from Ian Hawthorne. Pigkin lining from ebay, a seller called bel-fred.

the bottom is also a raised panel, floating in a grove created by the walnut trim. there is no real reason for this, but i had some oak, and no mdf/ply, so used what i had. I could have t&g'd it with some fiddling but the cutter wa in the woodrat so i used it.

thanks for looking- be gentle with comments because it is the first thing i have made after the workbench, and the first thing i have done unaided!

Mark

 

[monkeybiter]

Wow! That's a bit bloody nice!
You certainly put the effort in with the finish, and it shows.
Did you dye the pigskin yourself or did you buy it coloured?
Did you meet the deadline?

 

[marcros]

Wow! That's a bit bloody nice!
You certainly put the effort in with the finish, and it shows.
Did you dye the pigskin yourself or did you buy it coloured?
Did you meet the deadline?

I bought the pigskin ready dyed. It is actually more of a purple than the picture looks, the camera made it look blacker. I got a dark pink and a red at the same time.

Deadline met- I have just dropped it off with the courier.

 

[AndyT]

Mark

I just found this thread. Many thanks for sharing the details on what looks like a really classy box. I know there weren't many comments while you were building it, but now that you have recorded what you did, you have created a useful resource for the rest of us. I find finishing options for this sort of thing somewhat bemusing so would not have had anything much to offer as advice, but I'm grateful to have your example to look at.

I hope the recipient appreciates the effort and thought that went into it!

(Interesting source for brushes too.)

 

[Ian down london way]

Also only just seen this. Nothing to add - except - Nice job !

 

[marcros]

Andy, that is why I added the "for completeness" comments. i found it quite difficult to find images of button polish on oak for example, and on quite simple things that would have required buying a pot of a product just to try it out and see what it looked like. In that respect, the turners on the forum seem better at showing examples of items with different finishes on. Hopefully we can all build up a library of different woods with different finishes, so when we do projects, we can utilise the info.

I have also benefitted from the tips on the forums about suppliers- good and bad, and it is good to be able to contribute.

Mark

 

[MARK.B.]

Very nice looking piece Mark and beautifuly made,the raised panels on the lid are a nice touch. I have never attempted anything like making one of those boxes but after reading this post I may jut be tempted into having a go,thank you for taking the time to share your work with us.

 

[marcros]

go for it, take your time but it isn't a difficult project. It was the first one that i had done too! thank you for your comments.