Ladder Framing

[Dick Smith]

Yes it's a drill press but no-one could accuse it of being too fast! Not powerful enough, possibly. I think the jamming may be due to heat in both wood and bit, but when you have 120 of the things to do you try to speed up (I know, find the zen, easy with some tasks, not with others! I've only just achieved zen sanding...) and of course as it gets blunter it heats up more. I'm not really trying to disguise the pegs, more leaving them as a 'feature' on the faux colombage our builder put up.

[IMG]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f338/dick_at_aulton/DSC_0022.jpg[/IMG]

[Chris Head]

Posh pad there Dick, I like the look of the sideboard...any chance of a closer picture? The wine rack is obviously that of an obstemious houshold, I've forgotten the last time our racks were full!

Get the ivy out of the tree in the garden, I'm one of the 'anti ivy in trees' brigade!

Y'all see, just one picture has stimulated the imaginination!

Chris

[Wozza]

Chris

I lived in Poland for a while and bought some oak furniture off a firm called Ludvik - thought you might be interested, especially in the chunky stuff they do for churches - see website:

http://www.ludwikstyl.com/witamy_ang.htm

Warren

[Dick Smith]

Nothing very posh about it, Chris, still full of spiders and flies. The sideboard is an old double toilet (dunno what that means) which was, I think, war utility, oak, just sanded and varnished. The colombage is rough-sawn white oak, seasoned and then waxed (Bri-Wax). I wish we could afford some of the big oak furniture we see, but we are mostly trying to renovaint ald stuff from home.

[Jonzjob]

What's wrong with turning your pegs? The dowels on this little childs roller rattle are 10mm by about 5 1/2 inches long. They only took a very short time to turn. Parallel, tapered, concave, convex or whatever shape you want. These are in your wood Chris, oak. The end discs and handle are beech, the frame is ash and the handle is pine. Oh yes and there are 3 x 1 inch redwood balls in the middle...

 You can turn a head on the dowels if you wish. Dead easy really! Much easier than with a router...

[IMG]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/Jonzjob/Rollerrattle.jpg[/IMG]

All I have to do now is to finish the other roller rattle tomorrow...

[Deimos]

Where do people buy their Oak. I've been searching around timber yards and everywhere I can and all I have been able to find are some planed planks or terrible quality (look like the rejects from a factory manufacturing furniture).

I have seen some decent planks in a Brico but I have a thing against buying individual planks wrapped in polythene and paying ludicrous prices.

Ian

[Just Katie]

Chris, I think that framing is absolutely beautiful.  I make a big mirror out of wood.  About 6ft by 4ft.  I cut 4 pieces of wood then sanded them and rounded the edges by hand.  I worked  very hard on it but because it was a day when I had nothing else to do I found it very enjoyable and therapeutic.  I enjoy classical music more in these moments.  I then painted the frame in a mat ivory and gave it a final wash in a diluted oak varnish solution to give it an aged look.  After bracing the frame together, I threaded some aged rope through it and gave it to one of the lads who is a glazier to put the mirror in.

It now stands proudly in my kitchen.  Hubby was amazed.  I will send a picture of it but I am at work at the moment.

DICK SMITH.  I love your lounge, I did not realise you was that close to completion.  By the way, did you ever discover who left the joint behind the settee?

[Dick Smith]

It wasn't a whole joint - but I believe the culprit has been discovered! He's a bit distraught at the moment, so we have only taken the p gently.

Yes, we're close to completion, just the upstairs landing and the garden to do, and then the sitting room to redecorate. It's amazing how quickly it needs doing when you aren't there most of the time (especially when you have been having open wood fires).

Any chance of a picture of the mirror? That is the sort of thing Julie keeps on at me to make out of old pallets and such. My last efforts failed because my chopsaw wasn't cutting accurate mitres. I mitred the wood and biscuit jointed the corners, but the joints weren't tight enough. I have now got a new mitre saw so I hope I can do it a bit more accurately.

[Dick Smith]

Chris - your comment on the ivy - it isn't our tree, it's on the field over the lane, but I agree completely. The only good thing about ivy is when it is mature it attracts blackbirds, but it is a constant battle both in England and France. Our main worry is that if the tree dies (it's a cherry) it will fall on our house. Still, I suppose Claude is insured.

[Wozza]

Ian

I don't know about anyone else, but I get my oak from our neighbour, who has a smallholding and spends most of his winter weekends chopping trees down. He sells a lot for firewood, but anything big enough and without too many cracks, he puts aside. When he has enough, he rents one of those trailers that planks trees and cuts out beams etc. I got all the wood to make a staircase from him for nothing in exchange for a days labour loading logs onto his trailer.

Unfortunately, none of it comes straight-edged or planed. Having said that, there is a huge amount of satisfaction seeing a finished staircase all planed and oiled, when you know you started with a stack of rough sawn timber.

Warren

[powerdesal]

[quote user="Dick Smith"]It wasn't a whole joint - but I believe the

culprit has been discovered! He's a bit distraught at the moment, so we

have only taken the p gently.

Yes, we're close to completion,

just the upstairs landing and the garden to do, and then the sitting

room to redecorate. It's amazing how quickly it needs doing when you

aren't there most of the time (especially when you have been having

open wood fires).

Any chance of a picture of the mirror? That is

the sort of thing Julie keeps on at me to make out of old pallets and

such. My last efforts failed because my chopsaw wasn't cutting accurate

mitres. I mitred the wood and biscuit jointed the corners, but the

joints weren't tight enough. I have now got a new mitre saw so I hope I

can do it a bit more accurately.

[/quote]

Dick,

Making things out of pallet wood, a man after my own heart.

Below is a pic of my pallet use attempts, the settle, coffee table and

the milking stool are all from pallets recycled from work.

[powerdesal]

Sorry, not the best pic in the world.

[Dick Smith]

I'm very impressed. Don't tell Julie!

[Christine Animal]

When you say pallets, do you mean these things ?    

How on earth do you make such beautiful furniture from those, I'm (that awful word) gobsmacked at how clever you are.

Wozza mentioned oiling the wood again. What oil do you use?

 

[Dick Smith]

Wood is wood. You can put the slats through a planer and you would have excellent quality boards. Or leave them rough-sawn with a bit of sanding for a more textured finish. They are pre-distressed.

My problem is that I don't have a thicknesser and they are very variable in dimensions, so edge-joining the boards tends to be approximate. That is fine in some applications but not others (like mirror frames which really need to be plane).

The other use for them is firewood - my neighbour has a large pile which I am coveting - but I don't think I stand a chance.

[IMG]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f338/dick_at_aulton/DSC_0012.jpg[/IMG]

[Miki]

That is someone mimicking our delightful Ms Emins. He doesn't know it but your voisin has an artists feel for pallets [:)]

That is Art and if that was a poster it would no doubt sell, perhaps

better in sepia or just b&w  ? Don't cut them up, sit back,

light that discovered spliff, a pastis et voila, you have just become a

laid back paysanne [;-)]

Save the pallets I say........and do be careful Dick, I believe there

is an ancient law about coveting neighbours large piles.....................

[Wozza]

Christine

I use linseed oil. I put it on neat onto planed wood (3 coats), and diluted 50/50 woth essence de trebenthine on old beams that have been sanded.

I love the results!

Warren

[powerdesal]

Christine,

Its amazing what you can do with a  thicknesser, bench saw, lathe and router - plus loads of time and effort of course.

Thank you for the use of ''beautiful''.

Regards

[Christine Animal]

Wozza, thanks for the oil, I thought it was probably linseed.  Many years back when we were doing up our house (before all the brico shops there are now), someone told us to use "huile de vidange" (the old oil when you change the oil in your car) on the beams, when you want to darken them of course.  We used to do it, but watered it down a bit with something Bondexlike.

Steve, I don't know what a thicknesser is, but you are obviously well equipped and the result is very professional and "beautiful"   [8-|]

 

 

[Chris Head]

John that rattle roller looks just tooo perfect! Can't you put a chainsaw into it and turn it into an absract rattlre roller??? The hex pegs work well and actually cut into the timber and they look authentic when finished, for me perfectly round doesn't sit too well! Maybe we should have a peg making experiment? Lathe versus hex pegs?

PICCYS PLEASE KATIE! Thanks for your comments. What caused you to make the frame, did you have a mental concept or did you see something that caused you to create? You know that you've been bitten by the bug don't you? Your enthusiasm and animation is infectious! Go for it!

Mmm, pallet timber, OK I guess but it'll allways move too much for me to be acceptable, you must get yourself a thicknesser Dick!

Good to see you woodies coming out of the closet!

Chris

[Just Katie]

Hi Chris,

I will get my son to put a picture on in the week.  I am useless with that sort of thing.  What caused me to make the frame.  Just got up one morning and that was what I wanted to do because I had a big bare wall which needed filling.

I have always been creative and studied art to A level at school.  Then my teacher told me not to bother because you could not make a living out of it.  Huh!!  Yes sometimes I just get the urge and away I go.  I know what you mean when you talk about plans for the next project going on in your head though, I used to get it all the time when I was studying art.  Also I always noticed angles and the way they fell against each other and how different they looked against each other as you moved.

When I was a spring chick my mother used to question me as I took a step one way, then another looking at lines and angles.

OK enough of that, I am off to Demios madness thread now.  But yes.  Art and creativity really calms me down.

[Dick Smith]

Julie has beaten me up and told me that the chest of drawers isn't war utility, it belonged to her grandmother, that I haven't said that I never finish anything and that I can dream on about a planer/thicknesser.

Ah well.

[Chris Head]

A level art Katie? I understand you a little beter now.

Dick, you just hate that piece of furniture and Judy just loves it, sentiment vs honesty....who wins? I've got a lintel to do for a private bar, there are no rules and money is not an issue, what would you all do? Lintel is about 1,20m , pics in the next week or so.

Chris

[powerdesal]

[quote user="Chris Head"]

Mmm, pallet timber, OK I guess but it'll allways move too much for me to be acceptable,

[/quote]

Each to his own Chris, You have to use what is available at the time. Not too many trees in this part of the desert. As a point of interest, the pallets / packing crates from the USA are a much better source than the standard 'euro-pallet', the wood is better quality, thicker and wider section, due I am told, to US Govt regulations to avoid the possibility of international transfer of infestation (which once happened in a big way).

The use of pallets / packing crates exercises the mind wonderfully in respect of design and construction possibilities, its also environmentally sound by recycling wood that would otherwise be burnt or consigned to a landfill.

Given the choice I would work with ''real'' wood but until I have that choice I have to try to 'make a silk purse out of a sow's ear' so to speak. I just wish I had access to the wood yards of Europe / USA.

Dick,

Tell Julie that the purchase of a planer/thicknesser will be the best tool investment you ever make, particularly the Dewalt model. There are (now) plenty of cheaper alternatives but you really do need a quality one to get consistency of size and finish.

[Jonzjob]

Hi Dick if you are worried about nails in your pallets then have a look at this site, Axminster Power Tools. They also have a good selection of thickners from about 7 1/2 grand downwards, if you want to be frugal that is [8-|] ? The Axminster kit is good quality at a good price too. They take a pride in what they sell and will give you any advice you need. I've used them for years. This the type of service you get from them. I bought some bits for my lathe and one of the bright metal bits had a little rust on it I phoned them to tell them incase theree was a problem with there storage. They offered to send another without any prompt from me. I said it was not a big problem and it was OK. They then credited my account with a fiver of my next purchase. I didn't ask for any of it, that's just the way they work...

Chris, what I might consider is putting a few stones in the rattle and then it could be a rock and roll rattle [;-)].... I do like the finish on that door frame of yours. It's a shame that some of it will be covered, but the stone shoul compliment it well. Good luck with the bar work!!! I will post a couple of photoz from the 'chain saw carve in' at Westonburt last week when I get chance to scan the photos. They are FANTASTIC!!