work in progress

[Eaglesc]

This is actually a "design opportunity"I screwed up on the second cut.Rather than scrap it I continued down the slippery slope resulting in what will be a "less than perfect pen"I decided to continue for the learning experience.My daughter loves it and has already claimed the finished product for a late birthfay present.It will be a "perfect fit" twist by Berea.
Gabon Ebony and brass with African blackwood accents.

 

[NCPete]

The words I used reflexively are not appropriate for this forum. I think that will be one darned nice pen, screw up, or not!

 

[DaveO]

Looking good Eagle, I don't see any screw-ups at all. Where is the Blackwood accents? Between the brass?
Dave

 

[jglord]

Beautiful start. I look forward to seeing the finished pen.

 

[Eaglesc]

Thanks guys.
The screw up refers to a brain fart I had when making cut on the second of the six "faces".This started out to be a hex blank and was SUPPOSED to have ONE pair of gold lines(read brass) on each side.When I went to make the second cut I failed to use a spacer block in the jig .I had used the spacer on the first side.
This was actually a double brain fart.I could have proceeded with the cut the way it was and incorporated the mis- cut into the pattern.Instead I proceeded to place the spacer in the jig and continue on going back to the original side and adding the second cut.
Bottom line was this also meant prepping more material for the extra"inlays"
At this point it has an Oriental appearance which is not what I was after.
I have done spirals in the past and this was an "exercise in trying to get the spirals more uniformly spaced hence the jig.
Each blank I make is an extension of what I have done in the past and certain aspects of this will be incorporated in future blanks some will be omitted.
And yes Dave the Blackwood accent is the strip between the pairs of brass inlays.The thinnest kerfed blade I can locate is a Freud Diablo and I want to the "inlay" to be thinner than .059.The brass strips are approximately .012 each. The Blackwood is what ever I had to sand it down to to make a good fit.
Finishing this one is a pain because of the ebony and the brass.It won't be perfect but my daughter loves it and since the color suggestion was hers, this one goes to her as a late birthday present.

 

[ChrisMathes]

Hey Eagle...that is sharp! I really like the choice of materials...I am really interested in adding other materials to my pens. I have been looking to learn how to work with some metals, but I'm not sure where to start. I've also been looking for a source for mother of pearl...I think that could really add a lot of character to the pen.

Anyway, I've seen this general 'style' or 'pattern' in your gallery and it is one that has me scratching my head... Nice job with your mistake...I believe that the more mistakes that you make then (1) you are pushing your talent to a new level and (2) the more creative your pen becomes. At least, that what I'll continue to tell myself as I continue to make tons of mistakes

Chris

 

[cskipper]

Eagle, that may not be what you intended but it's still very cool! If you don't want it associating with your other pens it can come live with me (well, it didn't hurt to try :lol: )

 

[Redfish]

Eagle, I think you are a testimony to the fact that there is a Creator. How on earth could a protozoa evolve into something that can produce some of the incredible stuff you come up with? Your accidents look way cooler than my flagship works.

By the way, speaking of a thin kerf, have you considered using one of the slot cutters they sell at Woodcraft that cut the kerf for certain hinges to slide into? The cutters look to be no more than 1/32" thick. I've eyeballed them several times for producing blanks with odd inlays. You can't use it one a tablesaw, but I think they are designed for a router table.

 

[jeff...]

oh... thin kerf, slot cutters they sell at Woodcraft that can be used on a tablesaw, but might be designed for a router table. hummm... I wonder... :eusa_thin

 

[Eaglesc]

Eagle, I think you are a testimony to the fact that there is a Creator. How on earth could a protozoa evolve into something that can produce some of the incredible stuff you come up with? Your accidents look way cooler than my flagship works.

By the way, speaking of a thin kerf, have you considered using one of the slot cutters they sell at Woodcraft that cut the kerf for certain hinges to slide into? The cutters look to be no more than 1/32" thick. I've eyeballed them several times for producing blanks with odd inlays. You can't use it one a tablesaw, but I think they are designed for a router table.

HI Matt, good to see you around again.
Thanks for the compliment but I think there are some that will describe me as still being a protazoa.
The idea of the slot cutter is interesting as I am always looking for a way to make thinner kerfs.If by a slot cutter you are ferring to a blade similar to a biscuit cutter but thinner,then the problem of running the stock through on a bias to create the angle becomes the problem.I think the router base would be in the way if the router were turned a horizontal postion. There is also the problem of depth adjustment.
If I were to go to a thinner kerf I would look into the blades used for cutting guitar necks for the frets.They are .030 but I have seen the cost is around $80.00 each.
The Freud blades work fine, are easier to get and cost a lot less.
I have also looked into "mini table saws" but the cost is ridiculous and the blades are still 1/16th, about the same as the Freud Diablo.
A jig could be used but every time another piece is added to the equation, the opportunity for misalignment enters into the picture.I normally use a Freud 7&1/4" blade which has a kerf of .059 which for all intents and purposes a 1/16th of an inch.
For this blank I wanted a thicker kerf because I was going to add a piece of blackwood between the brass strips.
If you look at the blank pictured note the brass strips are at an angle and there are 4 in a "grouping". The pattern repeats 6 times around the blank.

The original idea was two have 6 pairs of brass strips around the blank(top and bottom) each brass strip is about.018 thick.2 strips would be .036.
I used a CMT blade for this and I really don't remember the kerf but I dimensioned the blackwood filler so that all 3 pieces would dry fit into the kerf. Add Ca and bingo a glue joint!
As for cleaning up the blank I'll let you figure that one out.
Remember I had to repeat the cutting operation 5 more times as this is a hex sided blank.

 

[Redfish]

Pretty smart tactics for a protozoa!


As far as using the router, you could easily build a small plywood or MDF box to hold a router, basically making it a mini table-saw.

Gimme some time to think on this one, shouldn't be too hard to come up with.

Matt

 

[Eaglesc]

Pretty smart tactics for a protozoa!


As far as using the router, you could easily build a small plywood or MDF box to hold a router, basically making it a mini table-saw.

Gimme some time to think on this one, shouldn't be too hard to come up with.

Matt

With the thickness of the bed and the dia of the blade I think you will lose too much for it to be of any use.
The saw blade attachment for a Dremel migh be an option, kind of like a mini radial arm saw, It depends on the kerf and the depth of cut.
It would have to be clse to 3/8ths,5/16ths minimum.