New Box - Pommele Sapele

[dancam]

I just finished box 1 of a 3 box commission. The box is pommele sapele with an inlaid top of Turkish walnut book-matched veneer. The interior is lined top and bottom with pig skin suede and the interior sides are curly maple as well as the dividers and the two trays. I also banded the tops and bottoms with curly maple. The hinges are stop Hinges from Brusso and the lock is the “SmartLock” from Andrew Crawford. It is finished with 2 coats of Odie’s dark oil and then waxed with renaissance crystal wax.

 

[Yelverton]

Wow, amazing. Where did you get the sapele and what was your finishing technique?

 

[Martin Roper]

Amazing woods. I'm sure the client was overwhelmed.

 

[dancam]

Wow, amazing. Where did you get the sapele and what was your finishing technique?

The sapele was a 8”x 44”x 2” plank I got from another woodworker 6 yrs ago. When I bought it he said the curse goes with it. He said he had it for at least 10-12 yrs and could not figure out what to make with it. Well this commission broke the curse for me. It has yielded enough for 4 boxes, 3 for the commission and the 4th for my better half. It is finished with Odie’s dark oil but the key is the surface prep. I sand all the way up to 1000 grit and then 2 rubbed in coats of Odie’s applied with a 1500 grit woven pad, cured for a week before waxing with Renaissance Crystal wax.

 

[McRabbet]

Absolutely superb work and the wood ain't bad either!

 

[Craptastic]

Excellently matched grains between the box and the lid. And the maple between gives it that little bit of space to make the "not quite" spots disappear. Looks like it was a labor of love to make this with those woods.

 

[gamiller3rd]

Inspirational

 

[creasman]

That is beautiful craftsmanship! Nice job!

Curious... how do you make the ring rolls (I'm assuming those are for rings or maybe earrings)?

 

[David Turner]

Beautiful work

 

[dancam]

That is beautiful craftsmanship! Nice job!

Curious... how do you make the ring rolls (I'm assuming those are for rings or maybe earrings)?

1/2" closed cell weather striping with spray contact cement, and then roll the suede and then hot melt glue to a backer board (cardboard).

 

[Graywolf]

Excellent work

 

[Robert LaPlaca]

Beautiful

 

[drw]

Beautiful craftsmanship as well as wood! I have never seen sapele like that, it is gorgeous.

 

[dancam]

Beautiful craftsmanship as well as wood! I have never seen sapele like that, it is gorgeous.

Donn, the pictures do not do this wood justice. When I applied Odie's oil, the grain "popped" and was almost 3-dimensional as well as appearing iridescent. It is a great wood to work with...it loves hand tools. I wish I had another plank.

 

[Bill_L]

That's impressive. Your instagram post didn't include a top picture of the bookmatched walnut. Typically, walnut is the feature wood but the sapele steals the show on this one. I keep scrolling back up to the top of the thread to look at it!

 

[JNCarr]

That is just gorgeous! Excellent work - thanks for sharing your finishing technique.

 

[awldune]

The figure on the sides is crazy - any special techniques to prevent tearout?

 

[Canuck]

That sapele certainly is an eye catcher!!! Fine craftsmanship, Dan!

 

[dancam]

The figure on the sides is crazy - any special techniques to prevent tearout?

When cutting the miters, I ensure the table saw blade is sharp and clean of any resin or buildup. I also use a blade stiffener. As for hand tools, plane blades are freshly sharpened and stropped. I then use a fresh card scraper and move to hand sanding. As mentioned in a previous post, the Sapele is easy to work with hand tools.

 

[woodlaker2]

I just finished box 1 of a 3 box commission. The box is pommele sapele with an inlaid top of Turkish walnut book-matched veneer. The interior is lined top and bottom with pig skin suede and the interior sides are curly maple as well as the dividers and the two trays. I also banded the tops and bottoms with curly maple. The hinges are stop Hinges from Brusso and the lock is the “SmartLock” from Andrew Crawford. It is finished with 2 coats of Odie’s dark oil and then waxed with renaissance crystal wax.View attachment 212040View attachment 212041View attachment 212042View attachment 212043View attachment 212044

I'd say you made great use of some beautiful wood! Craftsmanship at it's best.