Trump Tower build

[ani_101]

thanks for the explanation and the picture.

[PassingInterest]

Template routing some Red Oak.




Here's a tip: clamp a piece of scrap at the end of the cut to avoid splintering and chip out as the bit pushes through.




Nice and clean, no tear out.




Here is the easy way to remove nails from your template or work piece.




I had to push the fence back, because of the curves. But, that does not mean that I am not using the fence at all. I push one corner of the work piece firmly against the fence to anchor it, then pivot the other end into the spinning bit to begin the cut. This avoids a sudden pulling and chip out when the bit initially contacts the wood.

Right after I took this photo, I realized that I forgot to trim some waste at the band saw before routing. I took it to the band saw immediately after this shot.

[PassingInterest]

I neglected to get a "before" shot of this big knot hole, which goes all the way through. I have never used this putty before. It is like Bondo, you mix the hardener with the putty. I thought I needed some strength here and this stuff delivered. It is difficult to tell in this photo, but there are actually two sticks in the puttied knot hole. I am attempting to simulate a double knot and I hope to make it blend well enough to look natural.




After cutting and sanding.




Dang, I meant to get a shot of this right after using a Red Mahogany stain pen to color the knot area. It would have been great to show the transformation in process. Anyway, the putty did not absorb much of the stain. The sticks absorbed a bit more. The puttied area darkened just a little and I thought my two "knots" looked perfect, but the area around it looks too pale. I then used a brown Sharpie marker on the putty. I think it looks pretty natural. I won't know for sure until I get a coat of finish on it.




I think it looks pretty natural after one coat of finish. As of this moment, Mrs. Interest has no idea about the repair, but she took a look and said it looked good. I even pointed out the "knot" and she said she likes it, it gives the wood some character, because it is naturally occurring. A serious wood expert might say, "That looks like a couple of branches from your Crepe Myrtle Tree out front." But, most of us are not likely to realize that it is not a naturally occurring double branch knot. Oh, of course I made sure the branches were not fresh. They were dead and dry and snapped right off the tree with little effort.

[donradick]

As usual, great tutorial picture documentation.
Gotta say, that red cedar is pretty interesting!

[PassingInterest]

Thanks, Don!

Let's make some putty. We'll start by collecting some fine, powdery wood dust, which woodworkers refer to as wood flour. This is Walnut.




Stir in some water based polyurethane finish. Too thick? Add more poly, or water--since it is water based. Too thin? Add more wood flour. Too light in color? Mix in some dark wood flour or add some stain or Trans-Tint. Too dark? Add some lighter wood flour or just switch to a lighter wood flour all together.




I filled some cracks in and around some naturally occurring knots. I am done for the day, so we'll check the results after sanding tomorrow.

[PassingInterest]

I like the results.




With Mrs. Interest. I'm not done yet, but they are coming along nicely.

[donradick]

.... and she says "Looks pretty, but when can I hear them?"

Had my towers offline for a few weeks while I reworked the crossovers.
Put them back in the living room last Monday - wow, I'd actually forgotten how awesome these are.

[4thtry]

Beautiful cabinets!! And lots of great woodworking and finishing tips in this thread. I especially like your approach on preparing & clamping up the curved cabinet surfaces. Good stuff.

Bill

[PassingInterest]

Thanks, guys! I am so looking forward to hearing these Beasts!

[hongrn]

Beautiful woodwork. I wish I had your skills and patience. Such an improvement over my Sonarias both sonically and aesthetically.

[PassingInterest]

Beautiful woodwork. I wish I had your skills and patience. Such an improvement over my Sonarias both sonically and aesthetically.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1341999[/ATTACH]

Thank you for the kind words! You do great work yourself!

[PassingInterest]

I sprayed a tint coat on the Oak panels, using some TransTint mixed into some MinWax Oil Modified Water Based Polyurethane finish. A word of caution: Sometimes I get weird clumping of the TransTint in the Poly, sometimes not. Use a paper cone filter when you pour your finish into your gun to avoid clogging your in-gun filter. This time, I definitely saw the clumping in the finish after mixing. I was out of time for the day, so I sprayed it the next day. Oddly, I caught no clumps or lumps in the cone filter as I poured it into the gun. Perhaps it dissolved into the finish more completely overnight.





This is not a very good before and after picture, as I have already sanded the panel that is about to be sprayed, making it look paler than it really is. The effect of the tint coat was subtle, as I mixed it really weak. I was looking for a subtle shift in tone and evening out of the panel appearance overall. The panel on the right has been tinted already. And you can see that some harmless dry powder from air-borne over spray has settled on the Cedar panels in the background. It will wipe right off. It is just dust at this point.

[kenrhodes]

Looking great. Thanks for all the little details it helps those that want to mach your work.

[PassingInterest]

Thanks, Ken!

Ready for polishing.




I actually did a couple of panels by starting with P1200, but it took longer than I wanted. So, dry sanding with P800 to begin with.




Dry sanded with P1200. Not much visible difference yet.




Dry sanded with P2500. It is beginning to become a little reflective.




Dry sanded with P4000. Very reflective. I could wax it and be done, but I did just a little more after this step.

[PassingInterest]

6 inch random orbital automotive polisher. I used the glaze on the left as a swirl remover, followed by a coat of wax.




The results. Background reflections appear blurry because of the camera's focus on the foreground.




And here's a Cedar panel.