Wood Ashtrays???

[Rob V]

Im looking to make something for a friend of mine for his 50th bday. He's an big cigar aficionado. He loved the humidor I made him a few years back. Id like to make something else in the same genre.

Doing a search on some cigar sites I ran across one that had ashtrays made of wood. Some nice burls w/ a turned bowl in the middle. Heres a few pics of what Im looking to do :

figure id make one to complement the humidor.

My question is what finish do I use on it so it wont burn? Wood + Burning cigar end = bad mojo.

Anyhelp would be great.

Thanks

Rob

[David]

[Art and Diane]

You should check the woodturning news group. There was a discussion a while back about a finish that could be used on wooden candlesticks. It would prevent them from catching on fire if the candle burned down to the bottom.

Art

Rob V wrote:

[Robert Bonomi]

The "traditional" approach is a metal/glass/ceramic 'insert' to catch the ashes.

[Old Nick]

I disagree completely.

[David]

As that all you are going to interject with? How about a better answer for the OP?

Dave

Old Nick wrote:

[George]

I'd locate a good glass insert and make it fit. Made one when I used to smoke a pipe.

True story. To the drug store to ask if I could get a couple of those cork nubs to stick into the center of the ashtrays. Young, well-endowed thing behind the tobacco counter looks confused, so I say "those things down on the second to bottom shelf. You use 'em to knock the ashes out of your pipe."

"Oh, you want a pair of knockers, then."

Susan was too close for me to give the definitive answer to that question.

[Andy Dingley]

Choose the right timber and it's not a problem. The darker African fake mahoganies are hard to char and dark enough that you won't notice anyway

-- "That's not damage, that's patina"

But personally I'd use an inset bowl, beaten out of copper sheet. A hammered and patinated finish looks good with darker timber (walnut, fumed oak, dark tropicals) and doesn't look to untidy as an ashtray. Simple bowls made by sinking are also within the grasp of any woodworker

- Get a copy of Tim McCreight, a kitchen stove for annealing, a sandbag and an egg-shaped mallet.

[Doug Miller]

I'm surprised nobody has addressed this point already. The right wood to make it from is obviously ... ash.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

[Hax Planx]

I agree with the others. I can't think of any finish that will stand up to the red hot ember on the end of a cigar. Maybe build a decorative wooden tray to hold a 5¢ glass ash tray?

[Lee]

WOOD ! What type will work , any of the burl from hard wood will do . Where to find it , keep an eye out for someone cutting trees an removeing the stumps or you might find an old stump some where. After you finish it what I=92d do is oil it good with mineral oil , let it sit , then rub it good an oil again , will it burn you ask , think about us pipe smokers , I=92ve never had a pipe burnup yet , I made 2 pipes a couple yrs ago from Manzanita root , extremely hard burl almost like ceramic , I rubbed them an oiled them 4 times , now they have a finish like glass , cherry colored .

Lee

[mac davis]

as a smoker, I'll tell you how I make them...

Find a good looking glass ash tray at the 99 cent store, and turn or build a small table/stand for it.. I used 5" dia. ash trays and turned a recess in squares of oak 2x8" (parts from an old desk) to fit the ash tray, then routed a rounded slot that fits most disposable lighters and 3 holes to be used as "snubbers"..

They worked so well on the patio and in the shop, that I ended up making several more for friends that liked them..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[mac davis]

*groan*

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[Bob in Oregon]

Make it from paper mache and coat with 3 to 5 coats of linseed oil. Rub down with Naptha.

[Dave Hinz]

Don't forget to top-coat with nitrocellulose lacquer.

[Pounds on Wood]

Interesting project and one I might like to try. I would -

Select a dense, dark, tropical wood. I think a Jatoba would look nice.

Make the ashtray, however you want.

Use a torch to burn the bowl area. It's going to turn black anyway, so just go with it. Char it until the surface just is black, then sand it back to an even look.

Finish the outside with any finish you like. Don't put anything in the bowl. The carbon you created will act as an insulator, and camouflage.

--

******** Bill Pounds

[Rob V]

[Mark Jerde]

-- Mark