Still trying a couple of knots

[Alan Morrison]

I have not finished trying to do something a bit different with the old celtic knot.
These won't see a pen kit as they need re-worked. The gaps are too far apart, I think.
Critiques are valued.
Alan

 

[jttheclockman]

Definitely a different look. Like what you are doing. You never know what the next trending idea will show up. Keep at it.

 

[magpens]

Alan, those blanks are really VERY LOVELY, and VERY well worth turning into pens, from what I can see !!!

Thanks very much for doing the experiments and making us aware of them !!!

COMMENDABLE new ideas !!!

It would seem to me that a lot of careful planning and VERY CAREFUL WORK went into both of those blanks !!! . . THANKS AGAIN !!!

 

[KenB259]

Very cool ideas, they look penworthy to me. I especially like the second one.

 

[mark james]

Superb concepts Alan. These beg to be refined as they are very unique. I love your creativity. Be well Mate.

 

[Alan Morrison]

Definitely a different look. Like what you are doing. You never know what the next trending idea will show up. Keep at it.

Thank you for your encouragement, John.

 

[Alan Morrison]

Very cool ideas, they look penworthy to me. I especially like the second one.

Thanks Ken.
I think that if the knots were a bit closer then a square would be formed where they meet.
I'll see if that's the case when next I try one.

 

[Alan Morrison]

Superb concepts Alan. These beg to be refined as they are very unique. I love your creativity. Be well Mate.

Thanks for your comments, Mark.
I will give these another outing or two before moving on.
Trust that you are moving onwards and upwards.
Alan

 

[howsitwork]

Alan

I find myself drawn to the right hand one. The left hand one looks too open (?) to me ? In the right hand one the banding " frames " the knots and I think that's what appeals. Nice work though in both cases

 

[jrista]

So, a question about segmenting knots like this. It would seem like you would have to make sure the kerf was exactly the same width as the thickness of the material you were using for the knots in order to avoid any misalignment of the aspects of the knot once you glue everything together....

How do you go about ensuring that the kerf and the knot material are always exactly the same thickness?

 

[Alan Morrison]

So, a question about segmenting knots like this. It would seem like you would have to make sure the kerf was exactly the same width as the thickness of the material you were using for the knots in order to avoid any misalignment of the aspects of the knot once you glue everything together....

How do you go about ensuring that the kerf and the knot material are always exactly the same thickness?

Jon, hello.
when cutting I don't cut all the way through the blank, then I go through my veneers or cut my own to find one to just fit the kerf. It should not be too tight or loose.
Hope that is clear.

 

[jttheclockman]

So, a question about segmenting knots like this. It would seem like you would have to make sure the kerf was exactly the same width as the thickness of the material you were using for the knots in order to avoid any misalignment of the aspects of the knot once you glue everything together....

How do you go about ensuring that the kerf and the knot material are always exactly the same thickness?

Jon the constant is the size or width of the kerf for the blade that you are using. Yes you can buy different thickness blades for the tool being used. To get the inlay material to match you can use calipers to measure both kerf and material. You can vary inlay thickness by sanding or cutting accurately the material down to thickness needed. I explained my method a few times here but will walk this path again for you.

I cut all my segmenting on a tablesaw with various jigs. It is the most accurate and simple way to set up jigs. For knots I do not cut all the way through. I start with a larger size blank for this reason. Usually 1" is a nice round number and works well with all kits. I leave about 1/16" to 3/32" material left. I lay the blank on a flat surface so that it is in a relaxed state. I then measure the kerf and start cutting inlay material or in some cases building it to the desired thickness if using multiple layers. I always can sand if need be to get down in size. The inlay should slide in the kerf with little resistance so that it allows for glue which I like to use epoxys. I use a small clamp on ends. Now when you squeese the blank should continue to remain flat on surface which indicates it is the right thickness inlay. If it curls up it is to thin. If it bows out it is too thick. Then after dry, just clean up to square block again and rinse and repeat. after a few it is not hard to gauge what needs to be done. good luck and hope some of this helps.

 

[jrista]

Jon the constant is the size or width of the kerf for the blade that you are using. Yes you can buy different thickness blades for the tool being used. To get the inlay material to match you can use calipers to measure both kerf and material. You can vary inlay thickness by sanding or cutting accurately the material down to thickness needed. I explained my method a few times here but will walk this path again for you.

I cut all my segmenting on a tablesaw with various jigs. It is the most accurate and simple way to set up jigs. For knots I do not cut all the way through. I start with a larger size blank for this reason. Usually 1" is a nice round number and works well with all kits. I leave about 1/16" to 3/32" material left. I lay the blank on a flat surface so that it is in a relaxed state. I then measure the kerf and start cutting inlay material or in some cases building it to the desired thickness if using multiple layers. I always can sand if need be to get down in size. The inlay should slide in the kerf with little resistance so that it allows for glue which I like to use epoxys. I use a small clamp on ends. Now when you squeese the blank should continue to remain flat on surface which indicates it is the right thickness inlay. If it curls up it is to thin. If it bows out it is too thick. Then after dry, just clean up to square block again and rinse and repeat. after a few it is not hard to gauge what needs to be done. good luck and hope some of this helps.

Thank you so much, John! Apologies for making you repeat yourself, I just joined the forums, so haven't widely traveled the posts yet.

Interesting point about using a larger blank and not cutting all the way through. I forget what I was watching recently, about celtic knot rolling pins, and the guy experimented with different techniques, and found that not cutting all the way through made it easier to get proper results.

Also interesting about building up materials to the right thickness...I hadn't thought about that.

Excellent tips! Much appreciated! I haven't gotten into segmented stuff yet...but I've been researching a lot. Once I have some success selling the more normal single-blank pens I'm working on now, my next foray will be into segmented stuff.

 

[Alan Morrison]

Thanks for your explanation to Jon's query.
You've answered it better than I did!