Holiday Cottage Decoration and a Gothic Prototype

I was surprised to see its been a month since I updated the blog... I've been completely distracted by finishing the renovation for our cottage. So when I have been in the workshop (which is not often) I've been making stuff to go in the cottage. Thankfully the place is pretty much finished, so from next week I'll finally be back full-time in the workshop (I feel like I've said that before a few times...) 

Anyway, here is some info on the few things I have made this month... The first couple of rows of photos below show a recipe book stand and a set of cutting boards for the cottage's kitchen. The hamlet where the cottage is located is called Foxcote, to complement this I designed a Fox emblem to go on some of the items. The recipe book stand is a simple slot together design which worked well after a few iterations to test sizes. The one below is actually version 1 (sorry forgot to photo the final one)... The cutting boards use the V-inlay method described in previous blog entries. You can see the walnut and maple before they are glued and then the excess being machined away to expose the inlay and then a picture of the three boards before they were oiled. To save two sided machining the rounded edges on the boards were added with a hand-router. 

The third row of photos show a variety of "mind your head" signs I made for the doors in the cottage as I keep scalping myself. I decided to come up with a variety of more interesting ways to convey the message and made more than needed in case the family vetoed my "funny" ones. The Make Good Art signs are a simple reminder of a brilliant commencement speech that I recently listened to by Neil Gaiman. If you are creative and have 20 minutes then watching this is a really worthwhile use of your time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikAb-NYkseI . In fact stop reading this and watch that instead! If your still reading... the shelves were made in a single morning as an emergency item to fill an awkwardly sized space. They had to be very shallow (200mm) so would not have been stable without the large brackets to attach them to the floor. The walls are too wayward to attach anything to... In the end necessity created a quite elegant piece of furniture.

Finally for the cottage I made a simple silhouette art piece from a material called Valcromat which is essentially good quality black MDF. The design was inspired by the grain patter on a wood board I photographed in Kyoto, Japan. The depth of this and the fact I installed it with spacers to keep it off the wall make it very effective with the silhouette and shadows working well together. 

The last row of photos below show a prototype I made for a door panel that will be part of a Gothic kitchen that the guys I share the workshop with have been commissioned to build. This will be my main project for the next couple of months, so expect to see much more of this as it develops, hopefully accompanied by a lot more of my own work too... 

Finished Inlays and a Quick Sign

For most of this week I've been working on a speculative project that involved a lot of 3D modelling and long machining times. Unfortunately the nature of it means I can't show anything about it at the moment but I am very excited about how the prototype looked - I mention this just to explain the relative lack of what I can show below...

That only leaves a couple of things to show, the first is the finished inlay examples I was working on last week. The first row of images below show a close up of how well this v-inlay process works, the crispness of the edges and corners is marquetry level detail. The middle image shows them after a few coats of danish oil and finally the two magnetic beer catchers with the openers attached. 

The lower row of images show a quick sign I made for our holiday cottage. The v-carving was cut with a 1mm start depth. This over accentuates the design and does merge some small pieces together however it allows the sign to be re-finished and sanded many times without loss of detail to the painted areas. The middle image shows the sign after the letters were airbrushed - this is a new technique I'm trying to reduce the amount of paint applied and ensure its more accurately placed. It worked well but I need to get more fluent with the airbrush. The last image shows the sign after the excess paint was sanded off the top and it had one coat of oil. For a quick turn-around project this came out well and the small amount of paint did save me having to seal the wood first which saved quite a bit of time. 

Picture Disk Frames and V-Inlays

Thankfully the milder weather has made the workshop a much more hospitable place this week. I spent Monday finishing off the final few parts of beading for the Greenhouse Window, in the end there were 91 separate parts that should fit "almost" perfectly when they put the glass in place. The rest of the week was broadly split between two projects; the first was a pair of frames to display four vinyl record picture disks and the other was some small gifts that I decided to use the v-inlay technique on, these are described in the two sections below:

Picture Disk Frames

The design for the frames is mostly made of curved pieces to complement the shape of the disks. This makes for an original shape which I really like. The centre part has a subtle carving of an eye that echoes the picture that is on the disks that will go in them at the top, then a monogram at the bottom as per the customers request. All the parts needed to be made two-sided as on the back there are rebates for the glass and the back-plates along with a pocket for a joining piece to help assemble the tricky shape.

The outer frame pieces were cut into three oak boards. I did the backs individually with the vacuum hold-down then the fronts were set up as a single job with all three boards cut in one setup. You can see these along with the circular backing-plates and joiners in the first row of images below. In the second row you can see the centre portion, back, then front and finally the rough layout on the bench. 

To assemble the frames the joining pieces were glued into the pockets and then the whole frame was pulled together with a band-cramp (a strap that can be tightened) to pull all the joints together. The joining pieces were critical to force everything to line up correctly without slipping and ensure that it would stay flat, you can see these in the first two images in row three below. This worked really well and we did not have to do too much adjustment. After the parts were glued I spent a couple of hours giving the front a good sand, you can see one of the completed frames in the last image. These will now need sealing, further sanding and final finish before the disks and glass go in. They should look really good when completed. 

V-Inlay Projects

I needed to make another couple of magnetic beer openers for gifts this week but rather than paint the design on the front as before I wanted to have a play with the v-inlay technique to use two different kinds of wood. This can only really be done using a CNC as you need to cut very accurate male and female parts using a v-shaped cutter. While making the beer openers I decided to also make a cheese board that is another idea I'd had for something mostly based on a play-on-words... (A thing that should not be) this one is a pretty bad pun even by my low standards. 

This v-inlay technique (originally published by Paul Zank on the Vectric Forum) requires a male and female version of the design cut in different woods. These are both machined with the same angled cutter so they slot together with a space above and below to let the glue squeeze out and make a really good joint. Using the angled cutter gets very tight small details - if you get it right. I should have probably made a proof to test the process for myself but decided to go for it as that is more interesting... right? 

Below you can see one of my designs cut into oak as a female in the first image, then cut into walnut as a male followed by an image that shows all the male designs (mirrored of course). The second row of pictures shows the corresponding pieces before they were assembled then the parts glued and clamped. The last image on that row shows the walnut being machined away (the next day after the glue is fully dry). At this stage the image is revealed and will be perfect if you've got all the your depths correct. To line up the parts in between machining and gluing I created dowel holes that can then be used to re-orientate the part on the CNC. I also used these when flipping the material to cut the logo's into the back and the hole for the magnets on the beer openers, you can see these being machined in the first picture on the last row. 

The final two images show the three parts as they came off the machine There is a bit of tear-out but this is due to my machining the oak much too aggressively.  Overall I was really impressed with the inlays and with a tiny bit of filler, some sanding and oil they should look perfect. Most importantly I've proved the process now and understand how to get even better results next time. 

The things that should not be...

From time to time I'll hear a sentence that seems so unlikely that I feel like it must have been the only time its been said. The concept that something can be so absurd to not have existed before is a wonderful thought as it hints at the infinite possibilities of making something new albeit based on existing ingredients. This is especially enjoyable in a world where we can almost instantly check whether something does have "life" or at least if it's written somewhere on the internet.

Similarly I really enjoy the idea of creating objects or products that to the best of my knowledge don't exist and maybe some would argue shouldn't. Why is this good? At a basic level it might just be a silly play-on-words that makes me (and hopefully someone else) smile, nothing wrong with making people smile. More broadly though, beyond the joke it might help us see the absurdity of an existing idea or poke-fun at stereotypical branding. The combination of this with objects that it inspires me to create maybe make us look at them both in a different way. 

I call these type of products "The things that should not be" - although clearly even that is a play on words and not what I actually think - otherwise I wouldn't make them. These should be irreverent, borrow ideas, imagery, names and memes from different places and mash them together to provide some entertainment, provoke thought, confusion and in some cases offence - although that may be more about how easily someone takes offence...

 

Greenhouse Window nears completion

As I was away last week and the last few days have almost entirely been spent cutting beads and templates for greenhouse window glass there is not too much to report. We have had some proper winter weather in the UK this week which means I can't even get to the workshop today...

One thing which was fantastic to return to after my week of home improvement was the fully assembled window frame. The guys at TPCM (Thomas Philpott Cabinet Makers) who I share the workshop with had been busy putting the 34 pieces together in the triangular frame as you can see in the images below. They told me that having all the pieces cut to size with the appropriate angles and joint-locations made it relatively simple to put together. This window frame has been a very interesting and challenging project but having now spent this week cutting the glass templates and beads I am ready to be finished with it and move on. If not for the snow today it would be done, I'd have taken photos to post and have made a Friday project, honest... Anyway, enough excuses - next week hopefully we'll have a lot more interesting things to look at, until then this is pretty cool...

Greenhouse Window, Moulding Replication, Cherub Window Reborn and Squabble Letters...

The majority of my time this week has been spent continuing to make window frame pieces for the large greenhouse the guys in the workshop are making. The first row of photos show the hub being cut, the last four outer pieces on the machine and the parts I've cut assembled on the floor. In total there are 34 pieces which now need to be finished and assembled - thankfully not by me. These parts have all been carved from 45mm thick Sapele, cut on both sides to create a 20mm deep rebate on the back and then the moulding shape cut on the top. All of this was done using simple 2D toolpaths either with a flat ended cutter (End Mill) or an Ovolo cutter for the moulding shape. Its been quite a marathon of organisation and toolpath creation. The week after next I'll be cutting beading and glass templates for the same window. 

On Wednesday I had a break from cutting these to replicate a piece of old moulding for an installation the guys needed to finish. I took the sample they had and re-drew it in Vectric's Aspire software taking measurements from the original. I then cut this using a combination of 3D toolpaths for the curved sections with a 90 degree cutter for the angles and sharp corners. It looked really close to the original and when they installed it the guys said it was spot on. You can see one of the lengths being cut in the second row of image along with the finished section on the machine and a comparison with the sample pieces I was given to copy. 

Something else that has progressed this week without my help is the Cherub window that I cut the parts for last year. Adam has been assembling these and building up the casement as you can see in the third row of images below. They'll hopefully be finished and installed in the next week or two.

For my Friday project this week I made something I call "Squabble" which you can see in the fourth row of photos. The idea with this is that if you had an argument with someone you could use this to unambiguously indicate whether you were ready to make up or not. Each letter is two sided and from one side it says "Love You" and from the other you can indicate that perhaps your still mad with them. Each letter was cut top and bottom and then the stand was made from two pieces cut separately and then glued together. As much as I made this mainly to entertain myself I was quite happy with how it all came out and how the letters handle and sit on the stand. The Friday projects so far have always proved to be a useful exercise and fun, which is what I'd hoped they would be. 

The last row of photos tie up some loose ends from old blog entries. I finally installed the sign for our cottage onto the wall to replace the old one. I oiled and glued the shelves I cut in my Friday project the other week, you may notice I decided to stain the bow-ties which makes them stand out nicely. The last photo shows how nice the wood for your fire basket can look when its off-cuts from a greenhouse window...

I'm not in the workshop next week so they'll be nothing new for a couple of weeks now.  

Fluted Columns and Greenhouse Window Frame

Igor (the CNC machine) has been pretty busy this week making parts for Thomas Philpott Cabinet Makers - the company who I rent workshop space from. Monday and Tuesday were spent making the parts to construct two fluted columns for a window surround they are making. Then on Wednesday I started work on a very ornate greenhouse window, that should keep me busy most of next week as well. 

The fluted columns were relatively simple but included some interesting logistical challenges. Each column is 2.65 metres long (almost 9 feet) and includes the fluted sections along with some decorative pyramid shapes. My CNC can only cut a 900mm (3 feet) length at one time, so I knew I'd have to do multiple setups to cut the long pieces, so I figured i'd start with the easy pyramid shapes and get the machine running. These were just modeled in Vectric's Aspire software and then I created 3D toolpaths to carve the angular shapes and pocketed around them to leave a small vertical edge. These were cut to size so they could be inserted into locations I would cut into the longer sections. They were pretty quick to cut (in poplar) and while they were machining I started working on the setup for the long parts. I decided to make each of these in two pieces; top and bottom. Each one needed three setups to carve the bottom pocket, top pocket and then the flutes. This took a bit of working out but once I'd got the process down it was fairly easy, you just need to carefully measure when you position them. In this case I did not use the tiling feature in the software but just manually moved the drawing in between each toolpath as they were arbitrary distances. In total there were 8 fluted pieces, so 24 setups, these were all carved in sapele. In the second row of photos you can see these having been assembled and primed. They'll be painted on-site to match the other furniture in that room. Jobs like this are interesting because they could be done using traditional tools but as one of the guys in the shop commented - "...they would have been a bastard to do by hand." On the CNC, although I had to work around the multiple setups once you've thought through the process then cutting the parts is quick and easy and each one turned out perfectly and were apparently easy to put together. 

The greenhouse window is a different and significantly more complex challenge. You can see in the image the drawing of what the finished window will look like. Its approx. 3.2 metres wide (10.5 feet) and 2.4 metres high (7.8 feet) so pretty big, I've been asked to create all the curved pieces for the internal frame. Each of these has to be rebated to accept glass on one side and have a moulding shape cut into the other to match the rest of the greenhouse. Last week I made a prototype to test the process of how to make these which worked well. This week I've started to put that into production. Each part is cut from the rebate side first, pocketing out the material to leave the ridge proud. These are 20mm deep out of the 45mm thickness of the material (sapele). To cut the moulding side I machined grooves into a sheet of MDF, these grooves were designed so that would let me insert the ridge on the rebated side. By doing this I could ensure when I cut the moulding shape they would line up perfectly. The moulding shape was done in 3 toolpaths, a 1/2 inch profile to clear out a small ridge, an Ovolo shaped tool to create the bead and top ridge and then finally a 1/4 inch tool to cut them out. Each part has its own profile which should allow them to be more easily assembled. You can see the process in the images below. I was able to make 15 pieces of the frame this week and will get the other 19 pieces hopefully all cut by the middle of next week. It'll be very interesting to see how it all comes together once they are complete...

I did not have time for a quick Friday project this week but plan to head into the workshop tomorrow to make something fun. 

A Big Window, Gothic Samples and Shelves

Just a partial week in the workshop this week but I still managed to create quite a variety of things.

The part shown in the first three images below is a proof of concept for how we're going to make the individual pieces to assemble a very large, ornate frame to go into a triangular window on a big greenhouse (you can see the window in image 4). This part was cut by machining the rebate first on the back, then cutting a groove to slot the rebate into in some MDF, this allowed me to align the top side and cut the moulding shape into it. Now I know it works I have to cut about 30 parts like this that all need to slot together to make the complete window... 

The fifth picture shows the finished house signs I've been working on for the last week or two, they'll be collected tomorrow. The sixth image shows some concave handles I cut into a chopping board the other guys in the workshop made as a gift. I would not normally post something like this but was really happy with the way the shape cut through the different coloured woods. 

The next two rows of pictures are samples we made for a customer who wants to create a very ornate Gothic themed kitchen. The quatrefoil was fairly standard but Tom (who I share the workshop with) suggested we make the inside shape concave. I was not sure how this would look but the finished effect was excellent and added a slightly modern twist to an old design. The arch panel shown will be the base for all the doors in the kitchen although the finished one may be even deeper. The poppy is a motif the customer would like us to include in various places in the layout and finally with these samples the diamond pattern post was an exercise to see what texture we could cut with a point-roudover tool. This was cut on one side of a 60mm post then rotated to repeat the same toolpath again. Now we'll see if the customers likes all these and if so then that will mean a lot of work for the CNC (and me)... 

The last three rows of pictures show this week's Friday morning project. These were inspired by the family needing a small set of shelves to go into a disused fireplace. I was going to do a simple rectangular set of slot together boards. Although part of the Friday challenge is not to do things the quickest or easiest way and once I start messing with something it tends to take on a life of its own anyway. As you can see from the final design, these are anything but rectangular. The shelves are all curved, they have a pocket cut into the back along with the special fillets in the corners to allow the joints to fit squarely with the uprights. Each of the vertical panels is made from two pieces that slot into the shelves with a deliberate offset gap in between curving up through piece. Finally I added a bowtie shaped pocket between the front and back to pull the parts together and create a decorative element with the grain going horizontally. It took longer than intended to create this (as I originally envisaged something much simpler) but from sitting down at the PC to finished part was about 4 1/2 hours, which given how nice it looks I thought was entirely reasonable. A genuinely pleasing part of the process is how well all the pieces slotted together with minimal effort, the bowties ensured that the spacing and joints were all pulled tight - although it was already pretty close. As shown in the images this is not glued - just gently knocked together and it is completely solid. I will probably pull it apart to finish and then use some glue but it does not really need it. The parts were all cut from the 24mm chestnut boards I've been using for my R&D projects for the last few weeks. Its not the cleanest wood with a number of colour imperfections but for me that just adds to it. It was all cut with a 1/4 inch end-mill tool, 2D pockets and profiles. 

Having brought it home, it got thumbs up from everyone whose seen it, which is always the ultimate seal of approval.