Post your woodwork here

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

Side project for the kids. Built a tree house during lockdown.

 

Sorry about the inverted view.

 

Side project viewed on its side..........

[Ed-Zulu]

So, following my previous post on my leather craft journey, the big project I had in mind was to make myself a leather gym bag.

 

Chrome tanned leather, the gentleman at Woodheads said they call it bag leather, because it is used to make……. bags.  I did not know if he was talking nonsense or not, but I liked the look of the leather and the price, so I was happy.

 

IMG_1764.JPG

 

This bag took me the whole December and most of January to finish.  There was a lot of mistakes and redoes but, it was my first leather bag I made, and I was happy with the result.  It ended up being way to big for a gym bag, so it turned into my weekend bag.

 

IMG_1806.JPG

 

I used some old jeans for the lining.....

 

And the finish project.

 

 

 

 

There is much I would do different if I had to do it all over again, so I made my girlfriend a bag as well.  This bag was actually my lockdown project and I was lucky to have bought all the stuff I needed for this just before lockdown stared.  I change the entire design of the bag and the type of leather used for this.  I used a chrome tanned leather that was veg re-tanned.  This gives the leather much more rigidity but still soft and pliable.

 

Some photos of the process.

 

IMG_2128.JPG

 

IMG_2124.JPG

 

I had to do a makeshift setup to cut the excess leather off the handles and keep the cut 90degrees.  I used an old wooden plane blade to make the cuts and i wedged the handle in between the cutting board and a piece of wood to keep it aligned.  

 

IMG_2125.JPG

 

Finished handle.

 

 

 

Obviously I had to add my branding...…

 

 

 

And sometime during stage 5 of lockdown this ended up as the finished product.

 

 

Pragtig!

 

nee wag, uitstekend...wag, wag...PUIK!

[bertusras]

Anyone know where I can get some machine turned poles in Pretoria/Gauteng? I'm looking for something dead straight of around 75mm DIA, 1.8m length.

 

Thanks!

[CJ Van]

Wow, man. Nice one! Out of interest, what did the leather itself set you back?

The big hide I used for the first bag was about R1200 for the full hide.  I had enough material for the bag, 4 toiletry bags, some test wallets and I still have a bit left.  it was about 3.5 sq m.  

 

The leather for the second bag cost about R1200 for a side, half a hide.  It is a thicker and stiffer leather.  I had just enough for the bag and some offcuts big enough to make a few wallets.

 

The total cost for the second bag was about R1500 for all the material and brass hardware.  Not cheap but also not expensive for a bag that should last a very long time.

[More Wood]

The big hide I used for the first bag was about R1200 for the full hide.  I had enough material for the bag, 4 toiletry bags, some test wallets and I still have a bit left.  it was about 3.5 sq m.  

 

The leather for the second bag cost about R1200 for a side, half a hide.  It is a thicker and stiffer leather.  I had just enough for the bag and some offcuts big enough to make a few wallets.

 

The total cost for the second bag was about R1500 for all the material and brass hardware.  Not cheap but also not expensive for a bag that should last a very long time.

 

Amazing work CJ! Did you develop the patterns yourself? Only just beginning myself with the hobby. Made 5 minimal wallets so far and one knife sheath. 2 wallets are usable and the sheath holds a knife, well sort of.. Hopefully I get better because I am really enjoying it even with the failures. 

[The Ouzo]

Amazing work CJ! Did you develop the patterns yourself? Only just beginning myself with the hobby. Made 5 minimal wallets so far and one knife sheath. 2 wallets are usable and the sheath holds a knife, well sort of.. Hopefully I get better because I am really enjoying it even with the failures. 

from failures you learn what doesnt work.

If you enjoy it then keep at it, as you learn what does and doesnt work your project will become more ambitious.

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

Practice makes progress.......

[CJ Van]

Amazing work CJ! Did you develop the patterns yourself? Only just beginning myself with the hobby. Made 5 minimal wallets so far and one knife sheath. 2 wallets are usable and the sheath holds a knife, well sort of.. Hopefully I get better because I am really enjoying it even with the failures. 

Thanks.  Yes, the patterns....... 

 

The wallets I made I developed the patterns myself.  Once I had the design I wanted in my head I drew it om my technical drawings board I used in school I still have from 16 year ago.  This was a bit of trail and error because one of the designs only use one piece of leather wrapped around itself and then stitched in place, the other one uses only 2 pieces also folding over itself.  It is difficult to calculate the exact length because you do not know how much will be used for every time you fold it over.  Also, if the piece of leather you use is slightly thicker that the previous piece the you need to cut it a bit longer because even more leather will be used when you fold it over.  

 

For the first bag I kind of winged it.  I had an idea of what the bag should look like but it change here and there as I was making it.  For the second bag I sketched out the design I wanted and then I drew the "ontvouing".  I have no idea what "ontvouing" is in English.  I did not draw a full size pattern, I just had the measurements I worked off.  

 

Someone wanted to buy some toiletry bags from me for fathers day so before I started with that I drew the exact templates in Adobe Illustrator.  Print them over 2 A3 pages and glued that on to thick cardboard.  I now have a nice template I can use to cut out the pattern for that.  

 

After I did the template for the toiletry bags I also drew a template on illustrator for the second bag I made because my mom said she also wants a bag like that, and that's the one person you cannot say no to.  So I guess I will have to go buy some more leather. 

 

I cannot give you to much advice on this craft because I'm also fairly new to this.  One thing I can say is that if you think what you have made can look better then do it again.  Just focus a bit more on what you are doing and do not rush the project.  I have scrapped some pieces because I got impatient and then screwed it up.  The rest I learned at the university of YouTube. 

[Plentipotential]

Making a new piece of furniture and thought I would try some home made wax. Bees wax, because I’ve got a beehive, white spirits and linseed oil.

[Plentipotential]

End result.

[carrera4s]

I have finished the screw for my workbench. The screw is made from leadwood, the handle from maple and the handle knobs from African Rosewood. The diameter of the screw is 64 mm (around 2 1/2 inches), the hub is around 125 mm (5"), the handle is about 30 mm (c 1 1/4"). Overall length is 640 mm (just under 26 inches). The No 4 Stanley is added for scale.

I had to build one custom jig for the internal threads and another router lathe for the external threads. A local engineering shop also made me a custom router bit for the internal threads.

The body of the screw was made from 70 x 70 mm square stock and turned to 64 mm diameter with a 50 mm tenon at the front end. It was then threaded. The hub was turned from a separate branch of the same type of wood (also leadwood) and a 50 mm hole drilled into the end. The main screw was then glued into the hub. A hole was then drilled and the handle added (the handle and knobs were also turned on the lathe).

I finished it with 3 coals of Danish Oil and then added Cobra floor polish to the threads to assist with smooth operation (that is the white you see on the photo - it makes a HUGE difference).

I must say, it turned out almost better than I thought! At one stage through the process I almost gave up, I tried a Beal type (Carter Whitling type) threading approach for the external threads but for some reason I just could not make it work...

 

I just need to edit my video a bit - will upload it once done and then you can see it in action.

Next up is the chop, will show it when done.

 

Edited June 25, 2020 by carrera4s

[Rocket-Boy]

Making a new piece of furniture and thought I would try some home made wax. Bees wax, because I’ve got a beehive, white spirits and linseed oil.

Add some pumice powder and you have Yorkshire grit.

You could also add some diatomaceous earth and you have Yorkshire grit microfine.

 

I use my home made solutions to get my turnings nice and smooth. but its very similar to what you did. Mineral oil and beeswax minus the BLO.

[Rocket-Boy]

 

I have finished the screw for my workbench. The screw is made from leadwood, the handle from maple and the handle knobs from African Rosewood. The diameter of the screw is 64 mm (around 2 1/2 inches), the hub is around 125 mm (5"), the handle is about 30 mm (c 1 1/4"). Overall length is 640 mm (just under 26 inches). The No 4 Stanley is added for scale.

I had to build one custom jig for the internal threads and another router lathe for the external threads. A local engineering shop also made me a custom router bit for the internal threads.

The body of the screw was made from 70 x 70 mm square stock and turned to 64 mm diameter with a 50 mm tenon at the front end. It was then threaded. The hub was turned from a separate branch of the same type of wood (also leadwood) and a 50 mm hole drilled into the end. The main screw was then glued into the hub. A hole was then drilled and the handle added (the handle and knobs were also turned on the lathe).

I finished it with 3 coals of Danish Oil and then added Cobra floor polish to the threads to assist with smooth operation (that is the white you see on the photo - it makes a HUGE difference).

I must say, it turned out almost better than I thought! At one stage through the process I almost gave up, I tried a Beal type (Carter Whitling type) threading approach for the external threads but for some reason I just could not make it work...

 

I just need to edit my video a bit - will upload it once done and then you can see it in action.

Next up is the chop, will show it when done.

*snip*

Amazing work as always!

I still cant believe how many prototypes you have made and how much time has gone into that leadscrew!! it looks awesome and very strong.

[CJ Van]

 

I have finished the screw for my workbench. The screw is made from leadwood, the handle from maple and the handle knobs from African Rosewood. The diameter of the screw is 64 mm (around 2 1/2 inches), the hub is around 125 mm (5"), the handle is about 30 mm (c 1 1/4"). Overall length is 640 mm (just under 26 inches). The No 4 Stanley is added for scale.

I had to build one custom jig for the internal threads and another router lathe for the external threads. A local engineering shop also made me a custom router bit for the internal threads.

The body of the screw was made from 70 x 70 mm square stock and turned to 64 mm diameter with a 50 mm tenon at the front end. It was then threaded. The hub was turned from a separate branch of the same type of wood (also leadwood) and a 50 mm hole drilled into the end. The main screw was then glued into the hub. A hole was then drilled and the handle added (the handle and knobs were also turned on the lathe).

I finished it with 3 coals of Danish Oil and then added Cobra floor polish to the threads to assist with smooth operation (that is the white you see on the photo - it makes a HUGE difference).

I must say, it turned out almost better than I thought! At one stage through the process I almost gave up, I tried a Beal type (Carter Whitling type) threading approach for the external threads but for some reason I just could not make it work...

 

I just need to edit my video a bit - will upload it once done and then you can see it in action.

Next up is the chop, will show it when done.

 

Skroef 5.jpg

 

Nice!  I like the idea for the hub, keeping the live edge on the branch.  

 

I would like to see how you turned the thread on the screw.  I wanted to make a leg vice for my bench but I had no idea how to cut the threads for a wooden screw.

 

Is that piece of live edge slab sneaking into the photos going to be the chop?  Also, what wood are you going to use for the top? 

[More Wood]

 

I cannot give you to much advice on this craft because I'm also fairly new to this.  One thing I can say is that if you think what you have made can look better then do it again.  Just focus a bit more on what you are doing and do not rush the project.  I have scrapped some pieces because I got impatient and then screwed it up.  The rest I learned at the university of YouTube. 

 

This is great advice. 

 

Ek het my fair share van ontvouings gedoen met hoërskool tegniese tekeninge. Lekker skill om te hê.

 

Amped now to get going again. Weather looks bad for the weekend so it is on like donkey kong.

[carrera4s]

Nice!  I like the idea for the hub, keeping the live edge on the branch.  

 

I would like to see how you turned the thread on the screw.  I wanted to make a leg vice for my bench but I had no idea how to cut the threads for a wooden screw.

 

Is that piece of live edge slab sneaking into the photos going to be the chop?  Also, what wood are you going to use for the top? 

 

Hi CJ,

 

I already had a request for a screw and nut for a guy here in PTA's Woodworker's Association, so I will be making another one. I will video-record that whole process and share it with you when done.

 

So if any of you also want one, drop me a PM.

 

In short, for cutting the threads on the screw I built a Router Lathe - something similar to the Shopnotes one below.  I just changed the gearing ratio and simplified the router carriage / rails.  (I don't have a trim router and I think my full size router would be too heavy for their design.   

 

However, the internal threads are much more difficult - you need a custom made router bit and another jig to cut the internal threads.  

 

Between these two jigs, and the actual time spent on the screw, It probably took > 2 months to make one screw!  At least the next ones will be much quicker.

 

Alternatively, have a look at Carter Whittling's Channel to see how to do it the more traditional way:   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6RUw1NtwJL0P9C86W54keg

 

Chop:  Jip, that slab at the bottom will be the chop - however, that one was c 19 kg so I cut it a bit smaller last night - I now have to square it again before gluing it again. 

 

The top will be maple.

 

 

 

The ShopNotes Router Lathe:

 

 

Also check out this video - he upgraded the Shopnotes design to be even better.

 

Edited June 25, 2020 by carrera4s