Another Box Illusion Finished

[SteveJ]

I finished my fourth box illusion yesterday. The first was really bad! Shown with the other two I've completed.

Newest at the top,

Bloodwood, Maple, mystery yellow wood, bubinga and white plastic.

Cocobolo, maple, mystery yellow wood, maple and white plastic.

Purple heart, rosewood, maple, black and white accent strips, padauk.

I like the lighter ones best, I did the third one both because of the mistake in the cap of the middle one and a request (which may not come to fruition) that I do a class on making this particular pen. The class lasts 4 hours and although it is possible to get a double barrel pen like this done in that time, if the class does take place I'll insist on using single barrel kits.

For the latest version, I hand cut the boxes using a homemade jig and a Japanese pull saw. It made the process safer, faster, and more accurate than the method I showed in the tutorial in the library.

Comments welcome.

 

[RKB]

Those pens are awesome.

 

[1080Wayne]

Beautiful work , Steve !

 

[TDahl]

All three pens are extremely beautiful Steve. The lines around the patterns are very crisp. Does the Japanese pull saw make the difference? DO you mind sharing the jig you used. Thank you for showing off your pens. Well done!

 

[leehljp]

The Illusions Work WELL! Excellent!

 

[Edgar]

Amazing! I like the lighter woods best too, but they are all gorgeous.

 

[KMCloonan]

Those are so cool! The different colors/shades for the "box" sides really gives them depth.

I need to check out your tutorial on this.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Hippie3180]

A beautiful example of segmenting.

 

[Woodchipper]

Outstanding pens with detailed segmenting. Curious...how long does it take to do the pen blanks? I noticed some small pieces.

 

[egnald]

Very Cool - Dave

 

[GaryMGg]

Kudos Steve.
This is a complex blank.

Creating the 3D box illusion on something this small is a lot of work.
Ripping the staves to run around the blank even more.
Great work.

However, it can be dangerous if one isn't careful.
This blank requires people to really understand what they're doing in order to make these safely.

General reminder:
Listen to your instincts:
If something inside tells you what you're doing isn't safe, STOP!

Not everyone is capable of everything.
Let your experience be your guide.

 

[derekdd]

Incredible detail.

Makes my brain hurt just thinking about how to pull that off.

 

[LouCee]

Excellent work, love the look!

 

[SteveJ]

All three pens are extremely beautiful Steve. The lines around the patterns are very crisp. Does the Japanese pull saw make the difference? DO you mind sharing the jig you used. Thank you for showing off your pens. Well done!

It is basically a miter box with a slot to cut at 45 degrees (on the right in the picture) and a stop to cut the piece to the correct length. The 60 degree slot is for another pen I will post in a bit. There are some fine kerf razor miter boxes you can purchase which would accomplish almost the same thing. (Except you would need to create a stop at the right spot.)

 

[SteveJ]

Amazing! I like the lighter woods best too, but they are all gorgeous.

With the dark pen I used end grain so the darker woods on the boxes sort of blended together - part of the reason I like the lighter ones better!

 

[SteveJ]

Outstanding pens with detailed segmenting. Curious...how long does it take to do the pen blanks? I noticed some small pieces.

I timed my progress on this pen and I can tell you that from start to finish it was just under 4 hours. I create the center part first and let that dry before drilling it. I then drill the end caps separately and glue them all together on the tube. That helps keep the boxes centered, but also takes more drying time. Once finished the blanks don't really take that long to turn down and finish. Of course if you normally spend half an hour on your finish you many want to spend a little more on this type of blank. I actually rushed and missed a small divot which I will have to repair!

 

[SteveJ]

Kudos Steve.
This is a complex blank.

Creating the 3D box illusion on something this small is a lot of work.
Ripping the staves to run around the blank even more.
Great work.

I didn't rip staves for these pens. I didn't think the box would survive them. Plus, although I've done staves similar to this in the past, you are correct, it is both time consuming and potentially dangerous. I cut them with a Byrnes table saw, jigs and double sided tape.

However, it can be dangerous if one isn't careful.
This blank requires people to really understand what they're doing in order to make these safely.

General reminder:
Listen to your instincts:
If something inside tells you what you're doing isn't safe, STOP!

Not everyone is capable of everything.
Let your experience be your guide.

Since I was practicing for a potential class where I would be instructing others on how to make this style, I opted for methods which use a hand saw for all the small cuts. I found that it actually worked faster than attempting to cut the angles and sizes on the small table saw and disk sander.

 

[jcm71]

Thinking outside of the box to get the boxes. Awesome work.

 

[markgum]

beautiful.

 

[mobyturns]

Kudos Steve.
This is a complex blank.

It is and very well done - kudos to Steve.

Creating the 3D box illusion on something this small is a lot of work.
Ripping the staves to run around the blank even more.
Great work.

Cutting staves of assembled banding patterns is not impossible but adds a degree of complexity that even very experienced makers shy away from, because the 'certainty' or 'precision' of making accurate cuts then accurate assembly is low.

However, it can be dangerous if one isn't careful.
This blank requires people to really understand what they're doing in order to make these safely.

Exactly! That is why I do not share how I make my cuts on a standard 10" table saw with custom sleds, and off the shelf saw blades (though I have a collection of 'duds!'). People do not always understand the "whole" of the process, the small nuances that make a huge difference between success and failure, and the potential hazards for the unwary. The potential for harm is ever present when machinery is in use.

General reminder:
Listen to your instincts:
If something inside tells you what you're doing isn't safe, STOP!

Great advice, but varying levels of tolerance to risk makes that threshold quite variable.

Not everyone is capable of everything.
Let your experience be your guide.

True, and makes one appreciate the skills of makers like Steve, and the other talented makers on IAP.