Second Southwest Box

[Ruffnek]

I finished this box this afternoon in between roughing out and turning bowls.

It's Mesquite and Bois d' Arc, 9 1/4" wide x 5 1/2" deep x 5 " high. Finish is four coats of Zinnser shellas sealcoat.

There are some variations from the first box and I think I liked the first one best. I didn't like this one enough to put a set of Brusso hinges on it.

[Gecko]

Once again a very nice box! I like the feet. I also find it amusing that you use the same kind of quality judgment I do. Is it good enough for Brusso hinges? lol

[Beamer]

Nice!

I was gonna ask on the first one, and maybe you've actually already answered this - but how do you cut your design out? Scrollsaw? I've never been able to make a straight line with a scrollsaw so I'm hoping you split it and use hand tools.

[Ruffnek]

I do it on the bandsaw, Jason. The outside design is two pieces. If you look close you can see the glue line on that center point.

The cuts are all straight and I had that 3/4" Woodslicer blade on the BS. I just marked the layout with a pencil and split the line.

I have that Delta scroll saw that I got off Craig's List but I'd always heard that it was nigh impossible to cut a straight line with a scroll saw, too. So, I made the design two-piece.

[boodrow]

Cody that is outstandin , bet the lady truck driver would , well u know what
Boodrow

[gomer]

Looks Good to me. I really like that Southwestern styling you put into it. Very nice and clean, straight cuts. Contrasting colors are beautiful.

Cody, I have a pool cue made from Bois d' arc. A friend made it for me as a graduation present in 1983. It is an incredible stick of wood. He handmade it w/no lathe. Just a chainsaw, grinder, and sandpaper. Took him 2 years to complete. More for decoration than actual playing with, it's so heavy. It is a little scarred now, it has been through the windshield of a former friend , who turned into a thief. If I would have caught up to him it would have been through a brain. . It is the darkest piece of Bois d' that I have seen. It changes colors in the light.

[Ruffnek]

Kyle, that pool cue is the color that I really love about Bois d' Arc. The yellow is unique but that golden brown with yellow highlights is the most beautiful, IMHO.

[gomer]

I agree %100. My dad had a huge Bois d'arc tree that we cut down last spring. About time to get back there and check it out. He lives up in the panhandle. How long do they need to "dry out" before they are workable?

[Ruffnek]

None!

Seriously, if turning the stuff, the quicker you can work it the easier it is. That bowl that I posted in the completed turnings forum was tough because the wood has been cut nearly three years. Even though it was in log form, it was hard enough that I had to sharpen every few minutes.

Now, if using it for flat work then you want it <12% MC I'd think. It's a pretty stable wood, similar to Mesquite in that regard, but no sense in taking chances with wood movement.

[gomer]

Good to know that. I better hurry. Because my tools ain't the sharpest in the shed. Thanks.

[Joe Lyddon]

Cody, another very COOL box!

Very nice!

Great job... again! ;D

[deepsplinter]

Good looking box, Cody.

Nice choice of woods.