Round 2 of these oak dishes. I let the steel wool and vinegar solution sit another day before staining and got a much deeper black color. Then I rubbed beeswax and mineral oil paste on them before applying the white lime wax. The white wiped right off the surface but stayed in the pores of the wood. A few more coats of oil & wax and a quick buff and done!
The 2 sets on top are an ongoing experiment to make sets of stacking dishes that make interesting shapes.
Trying something new today. Took some oak scraps from a wine barrel and turned a small platter out of them. Then dyed it black using steel wool and vinegar, applied some white liming wax to it, and put it back on the lathe to buff out.
That liming wax does not want to come off the surface without a fight. I may try a light coat of beeswax to seal the wood before applying it next time. Anyone who has worked with this stuff have any tips?
Just finished this instrument up that I started last week. Very happy with how it came together, especially considering how little margin of error I had to get everything in the right place. Setting the neck on these things is a mix of geometry, experience, and a bit of magic.
This thing is LOUD and has a great Dobro-like tone. Looking forward to having a beer and playing around on it at the end of the day.
More progress on the cigar box guitar. Worked on the body while another coat of oil dried on the neck, then glued it all up.
I found a 6" aluminum resonator cone and designed the instrument around that. Built a custom cover for it from some 1/8" ply and a metal mounting plate for a wall lamp. Everything was a tight fit, but a combination of measuring multiple times, guessing, and sheer luck seems to have paid off. Next step - strings!
Shiny! I just finished up this neck for a cigar box guitar. The necks for most of my instruments are very basic, but this one is going to be fancier, with an aluminum resonator cone, so I built a hand carved multi-piece neck with an angled headstock.
It has 3 kinds of maple and is made up of 6 separate pieces. Gluing everything up yesterday was an adventure. Now I wait for the Tung oil to dry so I can attach it to the body. Hopefully it all lines up.
Just finished this set of two cigar box ukuleles. These are traditional tenor ukulele size, which is my favorite to build. I love the variety of cigar boxes that are out there. These are from a stack I just picked up from a cigar shop. The box on the right has a word search puzzle on it that has no combination of letters that make a word.🙃
According to my records, I've now built over 355 cigar box instruments since I started in 2006.
Finishing up the week in the shop with a set of bandsaw boxes. It's been years since I made any of these.
One of the problems with this style of box is that after losing wood to the saw kerf and tool mark cleanup, the lid fits very loosely. This time I tried inlaying brass coated pins and magnets to keep the lid aligned with the body. I think it worked quite well. Next time I'll focus on making a more symmetrical cut for the box cavity.
It's mass production week in the shop! Monday was spatula day, and yesterday was tong day. I learned #woodworking as an apprentice at a small guitar shop, and was taught that if you are going to build 2 of something, you might as well build 10 or 20.
I built my first set because I was tired of burning my fingers getting stuck toast out of the toaster. I guess I'm not the only one with that problem as these have become a best seller at craft fairs.
Back to building some fun instruments! These are cigar box baritone ukuleles with tin can resonators. It's an original design that I build from scratch, starting by milling up neck blanks from maple and then fitting them to the boxes, installing frets, etc. The tin can helps the instruments project and gives a slight banjo tone. They are set up like a regular uke and are totally playable. I love building these weird little guys!