Thread: Wood working help

Dang Phil that's saying a lot. I can agree with one thing, you do make a good looking surface. The box you pictured; is the case hollowed from solid?


Detatch I don't think your electric sander is a precise enough tool to give you a clear coat-esque finish. Look at Phillip's for instance. His surfaces look honed really. nice and flat. You could get closer with a sanding block. And I've heard people rave about sanding with the wet oil, but never done it. block sanding from 220 to 600, then rubbed Tru-oil on walnut? like a nice gunstock finish. it's steady work anyway

Thanks Kevin. I realize that I'm not one to follow tradition. At least not too much.

That box was an interesting construction. I started with the piece of pink ivory and built around it. I knew I wanted the contrast of pink and black, but carving the sides from large chucks of ebony seemed wasteful. The solution was to carve a framework of curly maple and then to apply fixed ebony tambour over it. There are actually 29 individual pieces of ebony in that box. That meant lots of sanding and shaping (and lots of black dust).

This shows the tambour a little better:


I think you hit the nail on the head with the recommendation of a sanding block. Electric sanders never really leave a good finish. Detach, you don't even need a fancy sanding block. Just use blocks of wood you have laying around and carve them to fit your contours.

Phillip