Timothy Lindgren
Member
- Messages
- 10
- Location
- Wentzville MO
Hello, Newbie here, and thought I'd say hello by asking for suggestions on one of my more recent project plans.
I'm in the design stages of a pencil post (king) bed frame and headboard using Mahogany. The posts in the design are cone shaped, and need to have a 7" wide foot, tapering to a 2" diameter top point.
Here's the kicker. Each post needs to be 7 1/2 feet high. I have priced 8"x8"x8' mahogany cant's FAS... and well... I can't cant!
I do have about 500bf of 6/4 reclaimed mahogany that I would like to use for this project.
Making the final cone shaped post would be done with a router and an MDF jig, setup much like a Legacy mill...but without the 5 digit price tag. The rough post would be set on an angle in the jig, and I would turn the piece, while a router moves along on a make-shift gantry & way, creating a long, tapered dowel - so to speak.
The problem is figuring out the best way to making the initial post.
My first thought was to rip a birds-mouth joint into strips of 6/4 mahogany to make an 8" wide cylinder. But then it occurred to me that I wouldn’t be able to taper this to a 2" wide point at the top.. as it would be hollow. And adding a hex-block to the inside would show a distinctive horizontal joint line when I milled out the cone. Since the goal is long straight grain patterns on the length, any horizontal line would stick out like a sore thumb.
Then I thought I could make an 8" x 8" x 8' post buy gluing up sections, and then rip a taper with the TS. But then I would face the same problem... distinctive lines when inside rows are exposed to the outside face. It wouldn’t be as blatant as the above, but I think they would still show, and look bad. It would also be a real waste of material as I milled 1/3 of the lumber to make the cone.
Then, I courageously thought again: If I can figure out to rip a compound miter on a TS that runs the whole 8' length - consistently, creating a set of long isosceles triangles that can be glued up to make a hexagonal cone. Sounds easy enough….scared to death!
Going this route, I wouldn't need to mill much after, just make it round, which I could probably do easier with a spokeshave then making a router mill. It would use the stock very efficiently, and wouldn't have the joint line issues, which is what I'm after.
I’ve thought about this for over a month now. How to cut a compound miter...and How would I glue this up since there wouldn't be any square edges to clamp? Strap clamps would slip too easily I would think, packing tape won’t bind tight enough to avoid having a glue line.
So...My new friends... does anyone have any suggestions? (other then redesigning the bed)
The kind of work I like best is the kind that makes folks wonder "How the heck did he do that?" Too me, that's the ultimate in woodworker satisfaction. Achiving that level of satisfaction is still a work in progress.
Tim
I'm in the design stages of a pencil post (king) bed frame and headboard using Mahogany. The posts in the design are cone shaped, and need to have a 7" wide foot, tapering to a 2" diameter top point.
Here's the kicker. Each post needs to be 7 1/2 feet high. I have priced 8"x8"x8' mahogany cant's FAS... and well... I can't cant!
I do have about 500bf of 6/4 reclaimed mahogany that I would like to use for this project.
Making the final cone shaped post would be done with a router and an MDF jig, setup much like a Legacy mill...but without the 5 digit price tag. The rough post would be set on an angle in the jig, and I would turn the piece, while a router moves along on a make-shift gantry & way, creating a long, tapered dowel - so to speak.
The problem is figuring out the best way to making the initial post.
My first thought was to rip a birds-mouth joint into strips of 6/4 mahogany to make an 8" wide cylinder. But then it occurred to me that I wouldn’t be able to taper this to a 2" wide point at the top.. as it would be hollow. And adding a hex-block to the inside would show a distinctive horizontal joint line when I milled out the cone. Since the goal is long straight grain patterns on the length, any horizontal line would stick out like a sore thumb.
Then I thought I could make an 8" x 8" x 8' post buy gluing up sections, and then rip a taper with the TS. But then I would face the same problem... distinctive lines when inside rows are exposed to the outside face. It wouldn’t be as blatant as the above, but I think they would still show, and look bad. It would also be a real waste of material as I milled 1/3 of the lumber to make the cone.
Then, I courageously thought again: If I can figure out to rip a compound miter on a TS that runs the whole 8' length - consistently, creating a set of long isosceles triangles that can be glued up to make a hexagonal cone. Sounds easy enough….scared to death!
Going this route, I wouldn't need to mill much after, just make it round, which I could probably do easier with a spokeshave then making a router mill. It would use the stock very efficiently, and wouldn't have the joint line issues, which is what I'm after.
I’ve thought about this for over a month now. How to cut a compound miter...and How would I glue this up since there wouldn't be any square edges to clamp? Strap clamps would slip too easily I would think, packing tape won’t bind tight enough to avoid having a glue line.
So...My new friends... does anyone have any suggestions? (other then redesigning the bed)
The kind of work I like best is the kind that makes folks wonder "How the heck did he do that?" Too me, that's the ultimate in woodworker satisfaction. Achiving that level of satisfaction is still a work in progress.
Tim