Day 1 of the knife box project.

[Dennis Peacock]

Well, I have closed up shop for today. Too many hours in the shop with next to ZERO progress. Any way, here is how my day went.

The LOML and I went shopping for ww stuff I needed for this knife box project, which is costing my a LOT of $$$ right now! I had to get a complete set of small files for making the router pattern for the inside cuts of the box. Lowes had them luckily. I needed a movable arm lamp with a magnifying glass in it. Got one of those at the local fabric store, $70. Found some sand paper that was EXPENSIVE in the 1,000, 1,500, and 2,000 grit range. I got 3 pieces of each grint for $12!!!! And they are only 3" by 9"! Sheesh!!!!

While at the fabric store, I needed real, honest-to-goodness Velvet to line where the knife will sit. I got 1/2 yard as I don't need much and I'm glad too, at $18 a yard. While there I also needed some adhesive that I could use on the velvet to glue it to the wood. The lady there recommended some spray adhesive that won't bleed through the velvet. That was another $11.

Any way, I got all the stuff I needed and I'm still waiting on the wood to arrive from Curlywoods in Texas....as well as the needed router bit from Lee Valley to make the wooden hinges with...also out of Ebony.

Here are some pics of the Day 1 progress report:

1. Hiden away in those little pouches are the knife (left side) and it's accessories (right side).
2. That's me tracing around the knife to get a starting place for making the router template. Yes...you see me wearing a latex glove. When I handle the knife, I have to wear a glove to protect the knife from the acid in my skin so I won't cause the knife to corrode.
3. That's me measuring the router inlay bushing to get a size for just how much I need to "enlarge" the tracing of the knife so the router will cut to the correct size (I hope).
4. Here I'm cutting the FIRST template on my old Excalibur scrollsaw...sure wish I had Terry Quiram's Eclipse about now!

More in the next post.

[Dennis Peacock]

Last three pics for today.

5. Here are what I "thought" would be the router templates. Needless to say that after 3 hours of working on them and making a test cut...it was OFF!!!! So now it's back to the drawing board.
6. Here I am measuring a double thickness of the "velvet" to get a size for that so I can make that allowance for the "next" new, corrected pattern. It measure 0.03" when crushed and for a gentle "slip" fit? Measure 0.06". Nothing like "tolerances" that are tight....hugh?
7. Here I go, starting over with a new template/pattern. This time I'm using a smaller guage that I'm setting at 20.5 64ths of an inch.

Now that I think about it....I may have to start over for a THIRD time. Depth of cut with the inlay bit isn't going to be deep enough. I need to make an overall depth of cut....of 0.41 inches....a good bit shy of 1/2".

Of course, I'm open for any suggestions on doing this as I have spent one entire day and half the night and haven't gotten the pattern correct yet! Now I've got a depth of cut problem, which means that I'll need to make ANOTHER pattern to allow for a larger router bit and guide bushing.!!

So much for today. Maybe tomorrow.!!!

[Dick Parr]

That sure looks like your having good quality time in the shop there Dennis. Your going to get older before your time with this project.

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

Dennis, patience and testing, which you have, and are doing, is what is going to pay off in the end. I know you are under the gun, but once you get the necessary techniques for this project figured out, it will be smooth sailing. I don't have any suggestions for ya, as it looks to me like you are doing a great job. I don't think I would be doing anything different. Keep after it, and take your time, and all will be fine in the end.

(Nice score on the magnifying lamp.........I always thought I should have one of those.............not sure why, just thought I should!)

[Bob Hovde]

I hope you need 100 knife boxes, because you're going to be the expert, now!
(Besides having the tools/supplies to make them )

Bob

[Dennis Peacock]

I hope you need 100 knife boxes, because you're going to be the expert, now!
(Besides having the tools/supplies to make them )

Bob

Bob,

I don't have ALL the tools to make them.There is this little machine that costs about $3K and is called a Pantograph. It allows very accurate cutting while you "trace" a pattern off of paper, out of a book, a sheet of plans and such as that. It will do 1:1 and up to 16:1 cutting to drawing, so the master pattern doesn't have to be perfect, It would just have to be 16 times bigger than the real thing as it is up to 16:1 Reduction Cutting/drawing. It can use cutters as small as 0.0020" or as large as 1/4".

<b>I have hopes that someone here will have an idea of how I can cut the wood out of a billet via router and with a depth of cut to 0.42"......</B>

Any way....it's back in the shop for another very LONG day.

[Dennis Peacock]

Dennis, patience and testing, which you have, and are doing, is what is going to pay off in the end. I know you are under the gun, but once you get the necessary techniques for this project figured out, it will be smooth sailing. I don't have any suggestions for ya, as it looks to me like you are doing a great job. I don't think I would be doing anything different. Keep after it, and take your time, and all will be fine in the end.

(Nice score on the magnifying lamp.........I always thought I should have one of those.............not sure why, just thought I should!)

Kev,

The Mag. Lamp is great. I can set depth guages and such with a LOT more accuracy than ever before. <B>I can SEE those lines now!</B>

In short, on this project? I'm loosing patience because I don't have all the tooling I need. Finding ways to "improvise" just to get something done is eating a LOT of my time. Figuring out something from No Plans, No pictures, No tooling and not knowing how to figure the math needed on some of this stuff is killing me.

Well...I'd better move on. Thank you for all of you encouraging me and providing that extra "push" I need on this project.

<b>2 Weeks!!! WHAT was I thinking when I said yes?

[Dennis Peacock]

Woo-Hoo!!!!!!!!!

I have the inlay templay finished to within two little-bitty filings in two spots and then it will be ready.!!!!

I now have to make another one that will allow me to use a larger router bit so I can make a deeper cut.!!

Feeling better now. PICs and summary of <b>Day 2</b> will be posted tonight.

Keep the encouragement coming folks.!!! I can feel your backing and your hopes that this will turn out as expected.!!! THANK YOU!!!!!

[Tom Sweeney]

<b>2 Weeks!!! WHAT was I thinking when I said yes?

Dennis,
You were thinking that you know you are capable of doing this project. I have all the confidence that you can get it done & get it done right. However the client did put you under an unreasonable deadline IMO. As I said before it took him 2 years to make the knife - why did he only give another craftsman 2 weeks to complete the obviously important presentation box? As to the project costing a lot of money - again - the knife is over $10,000 - I know that you have to be charging the guy appropriately for the box that he wants made to such high tolerances on a short deadline - -RIGHT.

Sounds like you are doing the things that you need to be doing. As to the depth of cut - maybe I'm missing something but couldn't you use a dial indicator or calipers to set a plunge router's stop at .042"??? maybe you'd have to set up some type of shim on the depth stop for it to work - maybe auto feeler gauges or something - just a thought.

You'll get it!

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

Dennis, I gotta change your way of thinking! After re-reading the post from yesterday evening, you DID get more than "zero" accomplished in the shop. You got into the project, cut a template that isn't quite what you need it to be, but now you know what you have to do to get it right. So, ya see there big guy, the time was not a waste after all! Good to hear that things are progressing nicely today. Just relax, stay focused, and things will come together just as planned. Remember, it's not the destination that counts.............it's the journey that got you there!

Like one of my heroes, Larry the Cable Guy says...."GIT 'ER DONE!"

[John Miliunas]

Dennis, you're going about it all wrong! Wrong tools, for starters. I wish you were closer, as I'd let you borrow mine. It's a "Stihl" brand and I believe it will take care of knife boxes out to 18"! In a hurry! You need a pretty steady hand, though!

Seriously, as the other have said, we have confidence in you! You'll get it knocked out and it will be gorgeous! You're too talented and too much a perfectionist to accept anything less! Keep us posted....

[Dennis Peacock]

<b>Kevin,</b> Thanks for the encouraging words. It means a lot to me, especially right now!!!!

<B>Tom,</b>
What I'm talking about is this: My initial thought was to use a router inlay kit with bushing so I can cut to tolerances needed. The "rub" comes in with the overall "depth of cut" with the inlay kit (only 3/16" total). Now I have to come up with a guide bushing and router bit combo that will cut the tolerances I need AND provide the depth of cut I have to have.

<b>John M.,</b> Thank you for your vote of confidence. I haven't forgotten your templates for the chairs. I have just been behind on projects that I have to get done before I can even "think" about doing something for me. Sorry my friend.. ....I'll get ya taken care of...It may be October, but I WILL get your templates made and shipped to ya.

I know it's all math....but I can't seem to figure out WHAT math to use to figure all this out.!!!!

I sure could use a small machine shop about now.!!!!!

[Tyler Howell]

Wow you really get into your work. Keep us posted.

[Jerry Olexa]

Dennis You look different w/o the hat! My experience w templates is trial and error on scrap pieces and then go to the good (expensive) wood. Good news is once u get it right you can make 1000's of them wo much extra time/work. Be patient. You're a good craftsman! Jerry

[Dennis Peacock]

Dennis You look different w/o the hat! My experience w templates is trial and error on scrap pieces and then go to the good (expensive) wood. Good news is once u get it right you can make 1000's of them wo much extra time/work. Be patient. You're a good craftsman! Jerry

Thanks Jerry. I will post all my trials and tribulations of <b>Day 2</b> later today. I feel that progress is being made. However, I still don't have half the stuff I need yet as it is all somewhere in "transit".....including my <b>"wood"!!!</b>

I have cut, recut, made new templates, filed, shaped, sanded, chisel'd, fussed, and poured sweat most all day today.

My next step? Try out my latest on some White Oak, which is harder than cypress and will give me a better idea of how tough it's going to be to hand work the inside corners and such in the Ebony.