still at it

[elizabeth]

Hi, guys:

Just a quick note to let you know I'm still at it. Haven't given up. Still spending time fiddling with adjustments with equipment trying to achieve a flat, square, board. Discovered the drum sander had a cup in the table. It's at the shop. No wonder I couldn't get my "inlay" blanks flat. Have made some beautiful blanks that will become the sides of my teeny ring boxes.

Cody: You're so darn right about the difficulty in making 1" boxes!!! But I'll get there!

Gecko: I share your passion. One day...

Haven't been on the site cause I've been struggling and have nothing to show yet, but I've been thinking of all of you.

Thanks again. Will be back in touch as soon as I can show you what you've helped me do.

[TDHofstetter]

It's good ta' see you drop back by, 'Lizabeth - even if it's only for a drive-by shouting!

Keep chippin' away... & you'll get to that place far, far, far beyond any of the rest of us.

[Leo Voisine]

Hey there Elizabeth - stick to it -- you'll get it!!

Remember - small stuff is often times harder than big stuff.

[Gecko]

Good to hear from you. I cannot wait to see your inlays. I have played with some myself and am really excited to see what you are doing.

[Joe Lyddon]

Hi Liz!

Glad you're still trying and fixing problems, etc.

I too am waiting to see your 1" box!
... are you going to use Dovetails on it?

[rrich]

Hi Elizabeth,
It is good to hear from you. Just so that you know, we allow people to post on this site to just TALK about woodworking.

[elizabeth]

Thanks, guys! Joe: The teeny boxes will be mitered. Still working on best way to do it. Will try with the Dremel. Can't wait to get a few up and running. My sander is fixed and I'll pick it up today.

BTW: Do any of you know where I can get teeny hinges and "locks"? I've checked all the woodworking vendors and stores and the smallest I can find are for 1/4" wood. My little boxes will be 1/8th thick.

Have a blessed Easter!

[Ruffnek]

Hello, Elizabeth. I'm glad to see you haven't forgotten us.

I can't help with sourcing mini hinges and locks but did want to show you what can be done. This tool box and the tools in it were featured in Fine Woodworking magazine a while back. It's a 1/12 scale model made by William Robertson.

Joe, the case sides and drawers are all dovetailed! He uses a jeweler's saw to cut them.

[Joe Lyddon]

Apr 3, 2010 7:25:31 GMT -6 Ruffnek said:

Joe, the case sides and drawers are all dovetailed! He uses a jeweler's saw to cut them.

Holy Grasshoppers!

I thought Liz made a typo with 1" instead of 1'!

She's SERIOUS!

With my current eyesight, I'm sure I wouldn't get very far on That project!
I can't imagine how he gets his pieces planed to proper 'thickness'... one little screw-up & his whole board would be messed up!

Liz, I'd like to see the Jig you use to make those Miter cuts! Awesome!

[elizabeth]

Joe: You goose! ;D Course I'm serious! 1" on the inside. With 1/8 thick pieces it should measure 1 1/4" square. But I'm not dovetailing anything that small! Don't have the skill (yet )

Cody: I'm drooling over that little box. Would love to make something like it one day. You said it was 1/12 scale. Where does one find the hardware for it? I've tried the various websites for doll houses, etc. but I could get no answers as to exact dimensions of hinges, pulls, etc. Not sure what to do. Maybe someone on the forum could direct me?

Thanks again!

[Joe Lyddon]

Apr 3, 2010 12:45:24 GMT -6 elizabeth said:

Joe: You goose! ;D Course I'm serious! 1" on the inside. With 1/8 thick pieces it should measure 1 1/4" square. But I'm not dovetailing anything that small! Don't have the skill (yet )

Oh, 1/8" wouldn't be so bad... the box Cody showed looked like more like 1/16" or less!

1/8" shouldn't be too bad...

Looking fwd to seeing what you come up with!

[TDHofstetter]

Like these?

www.bearwood.com/HARDWARE-HINGEDOLL.HTML

EDIT: No, I guess we're looking for still SMALLER ones, aren't we?

EDIT II: AAAAAAH. HERE we go:

miniatures.about.com/od/techniques/ss/simplescalhinge.htm

[elizabeth]

Tim, Thanks. Would prefer to buy already made. There's no way I could make an attractive hinge. I just burned up my Dremel trying to cut some brass! Fueeew! How thick does my wood need to be in order to use the hinges in the first site? I may need to adjust the size of my boxes. And I don't really know what a 1/12 scale means when doing small work.

Had a great day in the shop. My blanks are now flat and square! (Is around 7 to 10 thousands good enough for the "inlay" pattern work?) Big accomplishment.

Hope everyone's Easter was great!

[elizabeth]

Apr 3, 2010 13:20:54 GMT -6 TDHofstetter said:

Like these?

www.bearwood.com/HARDWARE-HINGEDOLL.HTML

EDIT: No, I guess we're looking for still SMALLER ones, aren't we?

EDIT II: AAAAAAH. HERE we go:

miniatures.about.com/od/techniques/ss/simplescalhinge.htm

PS: I know what my difficulty is. I know nothing about hinges. Have never done one. Don't know how they are measured, so have no idea of their size. Will these work?

www.micromark.com/SOLID-BRASS-MINIATURE-BUTT-HINGES-PKG-OF-4,6697.html

Thanks

[TDHofstetter]

Ooo, hey, those DO look kinda' promising!

That'll be these - the're this size:



They'd fit on a 1" square box... there wouldn't be much room between 'em, though - about 1/4" if they were mounted flush to the outside edges.

I'd sure like to find some 1/4" x 1/4" butt hinges for a box that small.

Oh, by the way...

There's no way I could make an attractive hinge...

"there's no way I could make an attractive 1" square box"...

Of COURSE you can. Ya just ain't quite ready just yet, that's all.

[Ruffnek]

Elizabeth,

The fellow that made the mini tool box makes hisown hinges and hardware. You can google "William R. Robertson" and see a video of how he does his work. He's made some period furniture pieces in miniature that are unbelievable in detail. I'm still shaking my head over it. Just incredible.

[elizabeth]

Thanks, guys. What I'm getting at is how wide is one flap and round part in a 3/8 hinge? I want to hide it and was thinking of mortising the edge of box proper (1/8th thick) and then nailing the other flap to the top. I'd chamfer it so it would open 90 degrees.

I'll also Google Robertson.

Thanks again!

[TDHofstetter]

One strap plus the knuckle... lessee. I estimate the knuckle to be something like 1/16", so each strap would be 3/16" (half the total open size) plus 1/32" (the "far" half of the knuckle), coming to a total of 7/32". About. The strap itself would be about 5/32" (half total minus the "near" half of the knuckle) wide & 3/8" long.

[elizabeth]

Oh, dear They are too big.

Anyhow, my wood is now only 3/32 thick. I'll do a pull-up top.

Hubby just got home. Will be back in touch in a few days.

[elizabeth]

Hey, guys:
Finished the box sides yesterday, mitered corners and all. I made it with a bulls-eye design in the corners. All the patterns matched (it was tricky). Brought it up for Neil to see, and take pics for you. I made it in time for our 30th anniversary on Monday. Neil is surprising me with something pretty to put in it. I left the little box on the coffee table while I was fixing supper. My puppy really, really, liked it ....

I know I'll be able to laugh pretty soon, but not yet. I'm too mad at her. 2 1/2 months down the tube.... Jenny must be part Beaver cause she ate almost all of it. I've kept the few slivers left to try and reproduce the pattern.