Specialist Advice on wood for sixthform (product design)

Well, as an ex-Design & Tech teacher I have to say...

You should really know this already.

Sixth-form? As in A-level?!

Jeepers.

Sorry, Soph, you are asking for everything here. It's too big an ask. You find out the basics, do some short-listing and then come back here for fine details...

 

When I was in the 6th form, I made a jewellery box out of teak. Sides were dovetailed together but when assembled, the dovetails were re-cut with a dovetail saw and the resulting gaps filled with pieces of ebony. Bottom was recessed into a slot. The top was carved out of a piece of teak and again slotted into the sides. Both top and bottom were fitted loose when assembled , then the resulting box was cut all the way round to create the opening box. Inside the box, I made a liner from poplar. Nice brass butt hinges and an inset lock set it off. Whole thing was French polished afterwards. Probably a bit too plain for what your after, but you could make a similar top from several layers of differing timbers, then carve it afterwards to reveal the layers. Remember when laminating timber to always end up with an odd amount of timbers to balance out the stresses created, (like plywood,, it's always 3, 5 , 7 or even 9 layers of timber) (but I'm sure you already know that)

DA , didn't know you were a CDT teacher,,, I studied Creative Design and Technology at Loughborough Coll of Ed for 2, 1/2 yrs before dropping out. (passed both teaching practices too, but became disillusioned with the way education was heading)

 

Sounds like something you'd have to have a good think about and possibly design and make yourself there Soph (or is it Sophie ??)

 

I could certainly recommend Loughborough Uni. The College of Education was incorporated into the university after I'd left, but I was there earlier in the year (testing hammers for Stanley Tools) and the design centre is bloody fantastic. They're currently constructing a new building too (for design and technology) on the site of our old CDT block.

 

Perhaps I was a wee bit harsh, Soph, but - jeepers - where does one start with your opening Q?

I suspect that, when referring to 'laminating', it is for cosmetic reasons as much as anything else? Ie - the sides of your box will display horizontal lines of different coloured woods?

So this is completely different to say plywood where you 'laminate' thin flat veneers of timber to make large flat sheets.

When you laminate thin strips of solid timber, it isn't essential that it's done in odd numbers to balance out stresses, but what you should do is reverse the 'end' grain direction of each strip so that if each strip 'cups' slightly as it dries out, then at least the whole side won't 'cup' in the same direction.

Have you had a look around sheds like Wickes and B&Q? Check out their 'solid pine laminated boards' which are use for shelving or furniture making. It looks essentially like a bunch of 2x1's laid side by side and glues together to make a wider board. Ok, if you look at the end of this board, you'll notice that each individual strip is 'upside-down' to the one it's bonded to. If it wasn't done like this, the whole board would 'cup' - curve - dramatically like you see old floorboards doing.

Anyways, you decide on a pattern of strips depending on your chosen colour-scheme. Don't mix hardwoods and softwoods 'cos they just don't look good together - stick with hardwoods. Go through your offcuts bin and find colours which work well together - however many you want, sften just 2 or 3.

Decide on the widths of each strip - you could have a wider central strip bordered by similar contrasting woods and then more of the centre one on the outsides, or be more bold and add very thin 'bead' strips to separate wider ones - see what other designers have done and be influenced by the ones you like best. This needs deciding in advance by sketching - all of which should be in your folder.

These timber strips then need to be cut with a band or table saw to the visual widths you want. They also need to be pretty close to the same thickness as eachother, which will be a few mm thicker than what the finished box sides thickness will be (you'll be 'thicknessing'/planing and sanding the whole laminated caboodle down to the finished size.)

Obtain and prepare enough to do all 4 of the box's sides - I presume you'll want the same design all around?

Lay it out on a flat table, turn the strips around until you have the 'opposite' end-grains I mentioned before, get your clamping method sorted out, and then PVA and clamp together. Watch out for the whole thing bowing up - you may need to have other clamps holding it all flat.

Clamp firmly with 'waste' timber strips along the outsides to spread the force and prevent damage.

Bed time...

 

DA, I was assuming (always dangerous) that by laminating, Soph perhaps meant layers of timber say 1/8th to 1/4" thick, in which case you'd always make them up in odd numbers (well at least I would)

 

Pee, Vee and Aaaaa

 

I think I can guess Soph's next question and it's a sticky one ........

You'll be making it next for her DA

 

I always thought that the only reason an odd number of layers are used on ply etc was so that you had the same direction of grain top and bottom!

Mr. HandyAndy - Really

 

Quite correct Handy, but plywood has it's grains in 90 degree directions. If you were laminating timber to make a jewellery box, you'd want the grain all in the same direction. Differing timbers expand at very slightly different rates. I make guitars and use a 1/8th" piece of ebony for the faceplate of the head, (where the machine heads (tuners) go) As soon as you put the glue on the back of the ebony, believe me, it has a tendency to curl like ****. (even at 1/8th" inch thick) Have to clamp it as quick as possible.

 

Sophie, I'm an engineer not a "chippie", so have no idea what half of the blokes are talking about, but if you can di
scriminate between the advice & the "banter", you will learn a lot.Good luck with your project.

 

Now that she's made the sides and formed it into a box, she can slice all the way through to make a top and main part of the box - you'll know the two bits will match perfectly.

Hinges - jeepers - all you need are 4 strips of a nice decorative metal, size dependant on the size of the askshull box. The strips have wee holes drilled at each end, the ends of the actual strips rounded nicely, and they are round-headed screwed into the internal box sides. These should act as parallel-motion hinges which will allow you to lift the lid upwards and back - being kept horizontal at all times - until it allows you access to the inside of the box.

What size and where do these strips go? You model this in card. And include it in your folio.

Things to watch out for? One big one - the whole box falling over backwards with the weight of the opened lid sitting behind the box. Solution? A very heavy box. Or - what I've seen on other such boxes - extending legs what take the weight of the lid.

Basically, research - go to trinket shops (do Pasttimes still exist?!) and surf t'net.

If you laminate the top lid using strips of hardwood which have accurately-marked out and cut bevels along their edges, you'll be able to make a rounded top like yer pirate's treasure chest...

Or you could have a pivoting lid - held by a single pin in one corner.

Or chust a pull-off lid by running a thin ply trim inside the box and lid - glued only to the main box.

Or, best solution, forge yer own iron (er, mild steel) hinges. Basically just requires a lot of gentle hammering over a vice body - no heat even required. Look for some simple designs. Once made, heat and oil-quench to get a nice traditional blued finish (again research details) or simple matt-black paint. You'll want them to look 'crude'...

 

The hinges on the 'Norse' box are dead easy to make; http://codesmiths.com/shed/boxes/forsale/

If your finished design was the size of - ooh - an A4 sheet footprint, then use 25 to 30mm wide mild steel strip of 3 or 4mm thickness.

 

I hope Sophie has learnt something from some knowledgeable guys and also there's a lesson in there somewhere. Your original question was poorly framed and someone pulled you up on it BUT that same guy went out of his way to share his experience with you. You see not all chippies are 3 headed monsters.

 

All of the above excellent information, or just cheat and buy one.