Joe Bottigliere

Hey Roger et al,
I mostly agree with Charlie. I used to apply mineral oil but it only washes off. So now, if it is a gift, I want to make it presentable. I sand it a bit higher, raise the grain and sand again. Then, I give it a couple coats of paste wax. It too is only temporary, but it looks really nice. Recently, I have been making serving boards which will most likely never see a knife’s edge. These I add a couple coats of Watco oil to seal it, then wax to top it off. That helps keep it clean and I direct users not to soak it in water.

You earned the applause Mike. Nicely done – informative, direct and to the point. Thanks for filling in.

Cut!

He just cuts the logs for you. He is willing (unlike most mills) to take your locally harvested, residential trees and mill them to your specs. You have to dry it. My neighbor hooked me up with a tree service friend happy to give away logs – so long as you can transport them. He had three walnut logs he gave to me so I contacted Karl and he cut them up. My neighbor transported them from the yard in Bohemia to the “mill” in St James. It’s now up to me to get the planks back home. That will happen soon.

Mike,
The walnut I had with me last night was cut by Carl and his two sons Tim and Carl Waltz Jr. Carl and Carl were there last night and signed up for membership. I have not seen all the wood yet, but those two pieces looked darn nice. If they are any example of what the rest of the stock looks like, I’ll be very happy. He said he cut about 300 BF. I’ll keep you posted.

I can’t conform my suspicion, Bill, but to me it looks like a sort of “threading” tool for caning. As you point out, it’s not sharp enough to be a reamer. But if it dulled over the years, it could be a birdcage awl. It’s the right shape except what I have seen typically taper up to the handle. So I’m sticking with a caning tool until someone proves me wrong. 🙂

Great job, Bill. I’m sure William will be as proud of it as I am sure you are of him. Eagle is no small accomplishment. Congrats!

I made a very, very similar square box not too long ago. Of course it doesn’t have the beautiful marquetry you’ve included. But I did inlay a couple of thin banding strips around the perimeter. The upper one falls just at the lid so that the seam is invisible. It makes it very difficult to tell how it opens. One of my favorite features. But I like your artwork more. Nicely done.

All of this is one primary reason I don’t care for dovetails in things like a fully exposed box. Personally, I prefer symmetry in such objects – miters or box joints. Oddly, I find box joints more attractive in boxes since both sides of the corner look the same. Miters can be reinforced for larger boxes if necessary but again, they look the same all around. I find dovetails to be conflicting to the eye. But of course, that’s my taste.

A technique I’ve been using lately is quite simple and very strong. Similar to Charlie’s drawers, I glue a piece of veneered plywood to the bottom of the box providing exceptional strength. I then trim the outside, bottom edge of the assembly back about 1/4 x 1/4″ all around the perimeter. Then, in that rabbet, I glue in strips of solid wood, mitered at the corners. These are slightly oversized to be trimmed flush and are of a complimentary wood of choice. Very pretty and symmetrical.

Ditch the dovetails. Keep ’em in your drawers. 🙂

Nice job Andrew. Looks like a Bench Crafted design. Yes? Did you apply a finish?

Oh brother! I think I’ll take up fishing.