Help Please! Over my head (long)

cshaw · 2003-08-13T02:50:06+00:00

Hi all,My wife wants me to build a trunk for her to put her saddle and stuff in tokeep at the stables where she rides. I agreed to make it for ouranniversary, thinking I would find some really nice hardwood plywood for themain panels and build a frame out of maple or walnut. I spent quite a bitof time figuring out how to do it with the limited tools that I own rightnow and was planning to get started this weekend. I was even going to findsome small pieces of exotic wood and incorporate that into the interior in acouple places like some of the chests in "The Toolbox Book".My wife brought me a magazine add Sunday and said she wants the trunk tolook like the one in the picture. It's entirely built from Mahogany. Isaid "ok, I'll see if I can find some Mahogany plywood but I don't thinkthose dovetails are going to look right in plywood so it might not havethose except on the main frame". She gave me a rather disgusted look andsaid "Plywood? It says here they don't use any plywood in their boxes. Youmean I won't be able to have those neat little squares on the edges likethis one does? That's one of the things I really like about it.". I toldher how plywood is used for fine cabinetry these days and if we paid someoneto come in and custom build cabinets for us they would probably be mostlyplywood and yada yada yada. She just gave me that look.I own a 12" CMS, circular saw, biscuit joiner and a Bosch 1617 router with ahalf completed router table and a few clamps. How in the world am I goingto get Mahogany panels 30" by 20" out of that. Can I buy boards that big?Would I have to take out a loan? Can I by prebuilt panels that have alreadybeen planed and joined? I've got about $500.00 to play with to buy the woodand whatever tools I need. If I can get away with plywood and try to joinwith dovetails will it look like crap? Maybe box joints would give a nicelook? Do they even veneer plywood with Mahogany? She mentioned one of herfriends having her box lined with...

Aug 13, 2003 24 Replies

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Michael Baglio 22 years ago

"Methods of Work-- Routers" by Taunton Press and _any_thing by Pat Warner are worth their weight in Bubinga. You _can_ produce quality work with a circular saw, router, and some determination. Good luck.

Michael Baglio Chapel Hill

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McQualude 22 years ago

Andy Dingley spaketh...

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site has info on many common hardwoods

Oh I don't know Andy, I've known people with lots of experience that shouldn't buy it either. It's a lot less expensive, more common and easier to work than cherry or walnut. Pine is cheaper, but a lot harder to work with, IMO.

It's called luan and frequently used on cheap hollow core interior doors

His wife wants to show off. Personally, I think he should just buy her the box, but I guess we all start somewhere.

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McQualude 22 years ago

Larry Jaques spaketh...

Do yuppies ride horses?

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Larry Jaques 22 years ago

On Thu, 14 Aug 2003 06:26:09 GMT, McQualude pixelated:

Not around here. They just buy them and let them roam around pastures all lonely-like. But they like the "We're like British Lords and Ladies" status symbol of equine ownership. Weird, wot?

- Press HERE to arm. (Release to detonate.) -----------

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cshaw 22 years ago

For anyone still tuned in to this, I went Friday and bought a Dozuki saw, a couple chisels, a Veritas sharpening guide, marking gauge, Starret combo square plus some other odds and ends. I also bout the Complete Guide to Sharpening, Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking and the Treasure Chests book recommended below. Oh, and a Video on hand cut dovetails plus some pine to practice on. I spent much of yesterday reading about proper sharpening and then picked up some 1000 and 2000 grit wet paper. I've been playing around with it this morning and I've got a pretty good lap on the back of one of my chisels now. I'm still trying to figure out when I've gone far enough on the bevel though. I think I'll ask about that in a new post though. I don't think I'm going to get this done within my budget but I do think I've got a plan to make a nice chest now. Thanks again for all the ideas!

-Chris

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