More little ring boxes

[elizabeth]

Hey guys: I just finished these and they have the roof Tim taught me how to make. They are EXACTLY what I had in mind to do. The chimneys gave me some concern because I wanted them slanted like the stem on an apple. I had to cut a bunch of little pieces to get the look and slant I wanted. Other than that, the rims were a real pain. The first one, in the red roof, I ended carving by hand. The other, I just made a little frame and glued it.

The box proper has been oiled and waxed. The roofs only have oil. (Have to wait for it to cure! per your wise advice )



















Hope you like.

[boodrow]

Beautiful lil boxes Liz ,Great patterns in the wood, looks like very tedious work , are u sellin those are just gifts ?
Boodrow

[dburkhart]

Sweet i am envious of those who can work in that small of a footprint.great detail indeed

[fredbelknap]

Liz that is amazing. I can't imagine how you cut those little pieces. I'm like a Labrador pup doing stuff that small. I can do jig saw puzzles if they interlock real good.

[sachbvn]

Great Liz..... I don't think I would work with things so small.

Oh - also - I like your pizza-table display stands!


Zac

[elizabeth]

You guys are so funny. Everything you see is what you've taught me. One box is for my Mon, the other for an aunt. I'd like to get good enough to sell some, to pay for the hobby, but I don't know how to go about it. Nothing I do is store perfect. Yet...

[RiverWalker]

May 23, 2010 15:12:33 GMT -6 elizabeth said:

You guys are so funny. Everything you see is what you've taught me. One box is for my Mon, the other for an aunt. I'd like to get good enough to sell some, to pay for the hobby, but I don't know how to go about it. Nothing I do is store perfect. Yet...

I gotta agree with them, those are cute little boxes, and look really nice.

and I am on the "holy crap thats tiny, i could never do that!" side.... I have large hands. I mean that my hands are large enough to wrap halfway around a two liter bottle. I think the smallest I could possibly manage would be at least probably twice that size.

my pinky's middle joint is about as long as those boxes are wide...

I think you are very likely being overcritical of yourself(heh, not like you'd be the first) many times commercial products are no more perfect, and frequently worse quality than handcrafted items from even a moderately skilled person.

[Knotty_Pine]

Awesome craftsmanship!

What kind of corner joinery are you using? It's very tight, looks like the box parts are almost hollowed out of a single piece like a mortise. The lids, I sorta figured them out, but I can't figure out the box portions. Very impressive!

RW is right, you could put those on sale and likely get at least $20 a piece for them as they are. If I worked on that scale, mine would be stained brownish red from bleeding all over 'em, and I'd think I'm not the only one who would! The only possible way I can see me doing those would be like a razor knife.

I hate to be too inquisitive, but what wood species are they?

TJ.

[gomer]

My mind would go haywire. I can't even focus enough to dig for tiny screws in a pile. That is a very rare gift you have been given, and you seem intent on developing it to it's full potential. Great job Elizabeth.

[TDHofstetter]

I keep lookin' and lookin', in awe and wonder. BOY them little boxes are nice!

'Lizabeth... don't shoot for "factory". They're not SUPPOSED to be "factory", they're SUPPOSED to be one-offs, "ART". Factory stuff comes out the end of a machine that's been designed by engineers and adjusted to a hundredth of the thickness of a gnat's patootie. It comes out a billion at a time, the first several thousand being "burners" while the machine's getting adjusted. That ain't how this stuff's s'posed to be - it's s'posed to be made one at a time, every one different from the others, and as such it's s'posed to be "imperfect" because you can't afford to burn the first few thousand because you don't have a machine that pumps 'em out like Pillsbury biscuits.

Different worlds, "factory" stuff and "art" stuff. The "factory" stuff is COMMODITIES. The "art" stuff is ART.

That's what these are - art. Quit bathing like an Egyptian - you're in da Nile.

[imahic]

I can't imagine making anything that small. You did a great job. Pretty impressive.

[Doug B]

Simply incredible Elizabeth! Those are awesome!

I agree with Tim that those are more art than woodworking. You have a special talent.

[elizabeth]

May 23, 2010 20:13:26 GMT -6 Knotty_Pine said:

What kind of corner joinery are you using? It's very tight, looks like the box parts are almost hollowed out of a single piece like a mortise.
I hate to be too inquisitive, but what wood species are they?

TJ.

Thank you guys. You're very sweet but this is what you've been teaching me this year, step by step.

These two boxes are only but- jointed (they are not carved out like Joel is doing, which makes infinitely more sense! . I messed up in the mitering and to salvage the wood I had to do it that way. In my next blanks I'll be using the sled Chris suggested for cutting the chevrons and centering the design. With properly squared pieces I think I can miter. There are some blanks that I'll try to box joint, and have the design running parallel. I'll do the same with Tim's roof. Wish me luck. These blanks are very fragile. Only 3/32 thick and they break like crazy. Drives me nutty after all the work!

The woods are: Brazilian Bloodwood, Maple, Purple heart (which turned black!), Hickory, Mahogany, black veneer, and yellow heart. And yes, have terrible bleed from the bloodwood onto the yellow heart! Can't get the dust out of the yellow heart in spite of careful sanding.

Thank you for your continued support!

[dicklaxt]

How did you get that "owie" on your left index finger

[elizabeth]

May 24, 2010 5:38:42 GMT -6 dicklaxt said:

How did you get that "owie" on your left index finger

Dick. As soon as I posted last I realized it's your sled suggestion I'll be using on the next blanks. So sorry!

The "owie" was caused by the bread knife. My cutting board slipped under me and I've shaved off a good piece of my finger! Still bleeding after two days. A nuisance, but I'll live! ;D

[dicklaxt]

Whats the apology for ?

dick

[jb34]

Your too hard on yourself as I was trying to tell you. I do that too. But I am seeing it as 2 different methods to achieve the same result. Also until you told me how you did it I did not even realize on your first boxe you were not also chiseling out the middle. So fantastic miters on those small pieces to achieve that.

well I have some pictures to post but after seeing your roofs I am feeling very inferior. I am loving the roofs and the little effect like a chimney on top. Wow. Yeah I love your little roofs. Very cool. Just had to go back and look at the roofs again.

[RiverWalker]

ha! at first look I didn't even realize they were just butt-jointed. they really do look good.

I think its also a really neat way to get to work with exotic woods like that without having to spend a bunch of money on it for a larger project.

[elizabeth]

May 24, 2010 8:38:45 GMT -6 dicklaxt said:

Whats the apology for ?

dick

Cause I said Chris. Who is also a tremendous help!

Joel: Glad you like the roofs but you need to thank Tim for them. Our "Professor" has spent the better part of two months explaining, sending formulas, diagrams, etc. and all with a person who can't do math, think math, or ever hope to understand it. He guided me every step of the way, including building a special sled to keep me safe when cutting those small pieces.

RW: Thank you. I haven't spoken with you before but I appreciate your comments. Yes, I had to butt-joint after I messed up half of the blank trying to miter! The blank kept breaking up on me.

Thank you all for your support. I really appreciate it. But check out the ring boxes Joel just posted. They're beautiful!

[Ruffnek]

Elizabeth, those tiny ring boxes are precious. I can't imagine how you can do work that small, that detailed and have it come out looking so good. You have a rare gift for assimilating information and turning it into something real.

Those boxes will sell, of that I have no doubt. They are unique and unusual which is what people are always after at craft and art shows. I know I would buy one just because they are so different from what is normally found.

Very well done and thanks for sharing them with us.