If you are easily offended, leave now before you find yourself forced to register a complaint about some of the comments/pictures following (don't look at the gallery).
In the same vein. why is it that the people that find it disgusting, always open the centrefold of Playboy magazines to see how offensive the picture is/was?
Now when you opened this post and thought this was about alcohol you were on the right path, however, just a tad wrong… that may be the subject of what happens after you use the opener.
Before yazall get uptight about bloody lasers, all this is doing is substituting a laser for those times when a dovetail or finger joint jig would be used. It's not attempting to provide competition for those bottomless, time sucking, pits of hand toolers… says the idiot that spends twice as much time on the computer developing/designing the laser job on software.
Can’t remember how/when (multiple decades ago) I acquired this item, however, it has been laying on a bench in the workshop for long enough to get covered in enough sawdust to make it obscure for over a decade. I came across it when I was looking for props for one of my blogs,
Got mesmerised by the touch of those shapely legs
and once out of the box, the mind boggled,
until I thought of some colourful foreign country location… in particular, the can-can in Paris,
With my discovery of some solid timber panels for a past puzzIe, thought a quick dirty (hmmm) laser cut box could restore its past display/gimmicky status.
Used the plastic molded base
to design a MDF platform… was happy to use MDF as I planned to flock it…
(for a good flocking, I recommend using paint, tinted to a similar colour as the flock, rather than PVA glue)… damn, the unchristian polarisation of my Catholic upbringing... the mind boggles when I associate some words with the subject.
It’s not that I thought a small presentation box was a worthy project, but this item (contents of the box) was too “novel” (like some of my elongated posts) to keep in the dark… that’s probably why I finally changed from a closed lid, thicker, finger joint box, to a thinner mitred one with a sliding transparent Perspex lid.
As it progressed, I concede that this project is far removed from me trying to impress all by my box making skills, as the mitre joins suck… though the size of the box seems to make them look worse than they are… following, is my excuse.
Having decided on mitred sides, it was time to drag out the TS sled. Unfortunately I gave away my small sled so it was time to struggle with the big one. Zeroed in the angle gauge on the sled,
and set the blade angle to 45°,
Replaced the 0° skin set on the sled with the 45° set,
Unfortunately the pieces to be mitred bevelled were too small so I tried to tackle it from the opposite angle. To permit operation of the TS, I connected the power to a remote controlled unit,
and moved the remote control unit onto easy reach on the sled,
Noticed someone gave a good review about the Katz-Mosesstop block… while I don’t mind it, I have reservations. It doesn’t have a flip stop feature, though there is a workaround, and I found that when you don’t make your fence to suit the stop block, you might find the height range is lacking… On this setting the block was above the work,
while the next setting was deeper than the fence height. I managed to compensate by a series of fender washers,
I chose fender washers to provide greater stability/contact surface.
Having overcome this obstacle, I eventually finished up using my 3D printed stop blocks. After making a test cut, I placed a stop block at the cut end
and another at the other end,
that way I could ensure more accurate, repeatable measurements.
When doing bevel cuts, one must remember to lift the flip stop if the blade is inconveniently angled,
… that’s why they’re called “flip stops” (DOH!).
This setup worked well, however, my technique and eyesight could use a lot more practice. It was passable, though the mitre gaps were a tad too visible.
For the sliding lid, I chose a dovetail bit. Cutting the groves in the box seemed like a simple process, however, closer inspection revealed slight uncontrolled deviation.
Nevertheless, the angle on the Perspex lid initially caused grief. After buggering up the first side cut… and the other 3 sides for practice… I double-sided taped the Perspex to some MDF,
(roll of tape posed for the photo shoot, after the cut) and fed through the router bit,
Gave the box a coat of tung oil and the Perspex lid got a facelift on the buffing system to remove some of the surface scratches. Let the box dry for a week before hitting it with 3 coats of wipe-on-poly,
Another tenant for the display cabinet
as you can’t open casks with a bottle opener… and you can’t see the seams.
Don’t be crafty Craftisians,... SHARE your craft!
If your first cut is too short... Take the second cut from the longer end... LBD
Oh, Ducky, oh Ducky!!!!!!!! Fan-freaking-tastic!!!! I love it! and you made me laugh I nearly pi**ed myself. But I did spit coffee on the keyboard! Great post and a terrific "product".
Sir Ducks a Lot, nice looking box but if those legs were in view in my shop I’m afraid my mind would wander to nefarious places and I would end up sawing off the wrong parts.
.png){kind=spacer}
