Homemade Eyepiece Box

[jonifive]

Hi all. Whilst making Xmas pressies for the family I decided to make a box for my extra EP's and extention tubes and diagonals etc. I had a few off cuts and made this smallish box. It needs a catch and a foam insert so I'm 99 percent there. The ends are beech, the sides are cherry and the base and top are made from zebrano. What do you think? These cloudy night are great for spending time in the workshop!!!

JV

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

[jgs001]

JV,

That's a very nice and sturdy looking box.

[Ant]

That looks smart mate.

Never heard of zebrano though? Can see where it gets it's name from

[Albireo380]

That is really snazzy - in fact, it is so nice that you will now need to buy really expensive eyepieces to house in it.

Tom

[Jaffa007]

That's a quality piece of craftmansship there, top marks!

James

[geoff_k]

Like the box.

Could be a business opportunity there selling them to people who want something with a bit more style.

Geoff

[jonifive]

Thanks guys!

Zebrano is an african wood, it is quite oily and very very hard. The black grain shows where the tree was burnt by the sun. You can tell which years were really hot and which were mild by the thickness of the dark banding. I find it facinating.

It is also very expensive! It cost me £60 for a three foot long x 10" wide by 1" thick piece. It was heartbreating watching it go through my thicknesser. I must have milled about £20.00 away Looks great with a few (10) coats of Danish Oil.

Any ideas as to where I can get some foam to hold the EPs?

JV

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Lovely box JV, and nice looking wood. Any tips on where to find pictures of fancy wood? There's a place near me in Btadford that stock posh woods, but I'd like to see what they look like finished.

Kaptain Klevtsov

[barkis]

It's alway nice to see the work of a skilled craftsman. You and Phil (Geppetto) should team up Jv., you would make a good team.

Metal, Plastic, Bah! Humbug, Wood is king.

Ron.

[jonifive]

Thanks Ron, thats a nice thing to say but Phil is a much better craftsman than I!

KK - Thats a really difficult one to answer. I have a few books but they show the wood in it's cut state, not finished. I usually (and this sounds horrible) rub some spit into the wood and this gives you a fair idea of how it would look with a clear sealer or oil or varnish finish. If you go to a good supplier they will usually give you an off cut you can try at home. My supplier is on Anglesey.....he is a pain in the bum and doesn't stop talking, but he has a huge array of wood and will give you a good idea of how to finish each piece. Sorry I know this doesn't help you, but I am told that a lot of good suppliers are like this.

JV

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Thanks JV. I might pop in and see if they have any offcuts. (I'll take the van in case the offcuts are large or there are many of them ).

Kaptain Klevtsov

[Whippy]

Any ideas as to where I can get some foam to hold the EPs?

Nice box JV, and for the foam...

http://tinyurl.com/32zos2

Tony..

[MikeP]

You can download the catalogue from S L Hardwoods. Pages 1 to 6 show a number of hardwoods in a finished state.

http://www.slhardwoods.co.uk/request_catalogue_pdf_catalogues.asp

Mike

[proflight2000]

lovely bit of woodwork, must have taken you ages to draw the brown lines in

[jonifive]

Thanks for the links Tony and Mike

lovely bit of woodwork, must have taken you ages to draw the brown lines in

You have no idea how long!!!!!

JV

[gary1968]

Quite the craftsman Jonifive, I like that a lot...........

Gary

[Starflyer]

That's a lovely looking box JV, a true piece of craftsmanship

Cheers,

Ian

[beamish]

That's a very fine piece of work there JV. You can get pick 'n'pluck from Jessops.

Seasons greetings to you and yours,

Karlo

[jonifive]

Thanks for the tip Karlo. I'll pop into Jessops this afternoon.

Merry Xmas to you and yours as well.

JV

[barkis]

Thanks JV. I might pop in and see if they have any offcuts. (I'll take the van in case the offcuts are large or there are many of them ).

Kaptain Klevtsov

Hehehe, "If you ain't got optimism, you ain't got nothin." I don't remember who said it, but it sure helps one to get through life.

I hope your van is a large Transit KK.

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Long wheelbase, high roof, dead engine ATM :x Still waiting for the ambulance to tow it away to be thoroughly knocked back into shape.

Kaptain Klevtsov

[jonifive]

Jonathan....can't you tow the van to the woodshop behind one of the Alfa's? Then tow it home full of off cuts?

Sorry, silly suggestion!!!

[beamish]

It might be a long way off for you Jonathon, but I recently found a place just outside Boroughbridge that sells some fantastic and exotic woods,Zebrano, Ebony, Cedar of Lebanon, American Tulip plus many many more. If your interested I'll pm you details.

Happy Christmas Karlo. :santa:

[barkis]

I once seen a Dobsonian Telescope, made by a guy in America. It was a very large instrument, but made with different types of wood, with inlays of complimentary woods. The fittings were polished brass. You never saw such a work of art in your life. It was so beautiful this creation, even his wife insisted it was parked in their living room. I just wish I could remember the guys name, and better still the website where I saw it.

It just reinforces my claim that there is no finer medium to build with on this planet, especially when the work is done by a wood artist who simply loves the material, and the working of it.

Unfortunately I am the type who would give wood a bad name, even if I was just chopping it up for kindling.

Ron.

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Jonathan....can't you tow the van to the woodshop behind one of the Alfa's?

Santa brought me one of these to drag stuff round in.

http://www.ford.co.uk/ranger

Kaptain Klevtsov