Replica Salt Box

[Harpazo]

Some years ago I made this replica Salt Box from a photo of one that is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I tried the best I could to recreate the curves with simple template to draw the cut patterns. It was one of my very first wood projects (post grade school).

The pen is also about as old as the salt box (about 10 years). It's a very simple Euro kit. I added some interest to the pen by drilling holes and plugging tem with an oak dowel rod then turned to final shape.

I apologize for the rotated photo. I took the photo correctly but something caused the photo to rotate 90 degrees. Just for clarity I took a another photo of the pen by itself.

 

[Charlie_W]

It is great that you still have some early projects! Nice work on both the pen and the salt box.

I still have several bowls I turned in high school. A quick rub with some 4/0 steel with wax made them look pretty good ....for being from 1970/71 !

 

[Harpazo]

Charlie, I still have a lidded globe-inspired "box" I turned from maple and walnut I made in High School. We used Deft finish almost exclusively and I don't remember ever being instructed of other types of finishes. Now that I don't have a grumpy teacher looking over my shoulder I can actually be creative. Maybe that's why there aren't any woodshop classes in our schools today ;-).

What I should do is re-create that lovely turning to show what it should have looked like it. My shop "teacher" actually snatched it out of my hands when I was finished turning it, walked it over to the bandsaw and cut of an inch (an entire layer of lamination) deliberately just to be well... you decide. In spite of Mr. Derrer's actions my lovely (and deliberately ruined) bowl has (likely) outlived him and his actions. Then, after ruining my piece he still gave me an "A" grade for the project. Don't you just love it? Haha!

 

[Harpazo]

And my lovely box is still surviving with defects intact for posterity...

Go Mules! (HS mascot... they must have picked mules in honor of my previously mentioned 'ol pal.) Bitter much? Nah.....

 

[Charlie_W]

And my lovely box is still surviving with defects intact for posterity...

Go Mules! (HS mascot... they must have picked mules in honor of my previously mentioned 'ol pal.) Bitter much? Nah.....

Pretty cool! Great story to go with it!

My shop teacher was very laid back. He is the reason I spent all these years earning a living with my hands on wood. Who knows what I would have done if not for him....most of the other teachers there didn't give me much I could use in life other than my feeble, failing grade attempts at Typing 1.......who knew I could use that years later?!

 

[ljpilcher@suddenlink]

Shop teachers

My first shop teacher was also the coach (we had one coach for all sports) and could care less about shop. I had a lamp I had turned on the lathe and had it all sanded when someone decided to use a saw on it. Showed it to the teacher who shrugged and asked what I wanted him to do. Just acting a little upset and having some sympathy would have helped.:frown:

The second shop teacher also had other teaching responsibilities but loved shop. In his class I built a desk. As before, when it was all sanded and ready for finish it was vandalized. Yes there was really nothing he could do about it, but he was upset that it should happen which went a long way. Fortunately I was able to sand the damage away, although it resulted in sanding into a dowel and leaving a white place in my mahogany desk top.:frown: