Wenge Pencil Box

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

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

SVB

Established Member
Joined
2 Jul 2005
Messages
2,012
Reaction score
201
Location
Nailsworth, Glos
I thought I would post some piccys of a pencil box I made for my daughter for school.

Sorry, no WIP shots - it went quicker than I expected. It is a simple design adapted from one in Andrew Crawford's box making book.

I got some Wenge (advertised as Zebrano) from a recycling project. Most was very straight grained (quater sawn I think) that I used for the sides and base. A couple of pieces (sawn through n through) showed some interesting grain pattern that I have used for the lid.

The base is lined with some red leather and the overall finish is simply some danish oil.

CIMG0779.jpg


CIMG0783.jpg


CIMG0782.jpg


CIMG0785.jpg



Simon
 
StevieB":18cun1pl said:
I will try with some black walnut next season

There is a season for box making?! I may well have broken the law by making them at any time then :lol:

Nice box by the way!

Steve

BYP ( I bet you dont know that one :) ) I am a seasonal worker, I usually shut down in November (running a bit late this year) and restart in my unheated workshop end of March or later.
 
Simon it's lovely. I'm surprised it's for school. Even the best behaved kids at my school wrote on their bag, books, etc, etc. It'll have "I WOZ ERE" written in tipex within a week :shock:

I do love Wenge. I have just made another 16" platter for a friends 30th.
 
Simon, how did you make the lid? i.e the raised middle
 
Rob - Thanks for the comments. What did you mean by caution on the splinters? Were you referring to how easily I had a bit of break-out on one corner or did you mean the timber itself is hell bent on lodging bits of itself in your fingers.

Either way I found out the hard way - I do like the end result though (box, not finger with splinter!)

Tom - the lid was a 6mm thick piece (well, they all were) run over a half diameter of a 1/2" ball ended router bit. Then one of the ends of the main box had the sliding groove chopped of with a razer saw (next to no kerf) and glued onto the end of the top.

The whole project was really to get familiar with a router table. I have just got one one ebay (Trend Craftsman mk 2 with Ryobi router). I have never used a table before hence the rebates for base and lid, raised panel for top etc. all to use the new toy! Now I really like it and can see why so many say a router is incomplete without one.

BRgds
Simon
 
As Tom says, it'll have Jamie loves Fiona IDST (or something similar) written on it in thick Tippex within a week :lol:
 
Can't beat a good pencil box & your looks great..never worked with
Wenge looks like a lovely dark wood...Nice.
We had to make a pencil box in wood work class when I was at school
Bet there is ton's of rules to stop the kids doing it today.
 
StevieB":1v5kkx6y said:
I will try with some black walnut next season

There is a season for box making?! I may well have broken the law by making them at any time then :lol:

Nice box by the way!

Steve

Yep , and I think the seasons are

1 Summer ( nice and warm )

2 Winter ( not nice and warm ) in the shed :wink:
 
I would not have wanted to be out there today, the neighbours fence blew over, and I reckon my drawers wouldn't have stayed put either.
 
Here's one I made for my daughter 12 years ago when she was into her reptilian keeping phase:

small1-14.jpg


made from pitch pine and now suitably battered...still in use though in the 'shop though :wink: - Rob
 
I wish I'd taken a picture of it. Turning a piece of Wenge today. Looked down at the hand nearest the tool rest and three splinters where hanging out of my hand, like I'd been speared by the little people out of the borrowers! On closer inspection they where only about 1mm in the skin. Shows you how evil this stuff is. It wants to attack you.
 
wizer":qqpgak85 said:
I wish I'd taken a picture of it. Turning a piece of Wenge today. Looked down at the hand nearest the tool rest and three splinters where hanging out of my hand, like I'd been speared by the little people out of the borrowers! On closer inspection they where only about 1mm in the skin. Shows you how evil this stuff is. It wants to attack you.
It is nasty stuff for that, 'specially if your taking the sharpness off an arris with the sandpaper held 'twixt fingers :shock: - Rob
 
My experience of wenge is that the grain must run parallel to the timber edge otherwise it picks up and thats when splinters are a problem.
 
Back
Top