agonizing over diagonalizing

Silvan <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

><snip>
> The other idea I'm tossing around is to laminate alternating bands end
> to end, probaby reinforced with dowels or splines or something, then
> cut them up and shift them around to make interesting geometric
> patterns. Something like a chess board's construction, but a more
> complicated, less regular pattern. Maybe something like (this would
> be mirrored, and is the left half of the blank)
<Snip of some really repetitive ascii art>
> Or something. I'm open to suggestions. The X thing isn't hard and
> fast. What I'm really after is coming up with interesting ways to do
> contrasting wood stuff using regular table saw cuts. No fancy
> froofery, no bandsaw/scrollsaw stuff here.
>
> And speaking of which. Since 4/4 is really a bit on the beefy side
> for an instrument case, I'm thinking about resawing these in half.
> That begs two questions. First, would something made out of this much
> butt jointed little bits of stuff survive at half of 4/4 thickness?

There's some of that sort of stuff pretty common in the guitar-making
specialties. And I believe, but cannot seem to lay my hands on my copy
tonight, instructions in the Doug Stowe Box making volume from Taunton
Press. (THAT'S some convoluted sentence construction for you!)

Now just because it's common, doesn't mean it isn't fussy. My take on it
was that I'd want to order new glasses before taking on that level of
detail. Or an overhead magnifier lamp. Or both.

On the other hand, it could probably justify a couple of new tools!

Patriarch,
who says to keep trying out new ideas. It motivates the rest of us to
think.

You might look up some info on how they make things like herring bone
and checkerd banding. It is a series of laminating contrasting strips,
then cutting the lamination to strips, laminating again with a
consistent offset, rinse and repeat.

You could likely use some similar technique, just scaled up a bit for
your purpose. Essentially you do the laminate and cut cycle a few
times with no real concern to the final shape. You are just building
up an inventory of checkerd/herringboned stock, from which you can
start your project.

I did a quick google on making herringbone banding and didn't quickly
find a reference. I think some mag (probably FWW) had an article about
6-9 months ago in this. It could have been some other mag, I do read
others at random.

I'm thinking something like glue up a stack of walnut and maple
boards. Then cross cut them in one inch slices on the TS with the
blade kicked over at 30 degrees. Then glue up these slices in a new
stack alternating the direction of each slice and slice them again.

BW



Silvan <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I still haven't gotten motivated to get any wood, and I don't guess I'm
> likely to before Santa has come and gone anyway, so this isn't a time
> pressure thing.
>
> I did a chess box last year out of walnut and maple. I really loved the
> results, and I've been eager to explore even more interesting ideas
> involving contrasting woods ever since.
>
> I'm not keen on the idea of doing inlay/marquetry stuff, and I'm thinking in
> terms of solid construction here.
>
> I'm dreaming up the world's most ridiculously ornate trumpet case, and I
> have a vision of a box made up of walnut panels that have a contrasting
> maple what amounts to a squashed sort of X across them.
>
> I could do a maple X with four triangles of walnut, but it seems kind of
> fiddly and unlikely getting all the angles to come out right with perfectly
> smooth joints.
>
> The other idea I'm tossing around is to laminate alternating bands end to
> end, probaby reinforced with dowels or splines or something, then cut them
> up and shift them around to make interesting geometric patterns. Something
> like a chess board's construction, but a more complicated, less regular
> pattern. Maybe something like (this would be mirrored, and is the left
> half of the blank)
>
>
> [[[[[[[*****[[[[[[*****[[[[[*****[[[[*****[[[*****[[*****
> [[[[[[[*****[[[[[[*****[[[[[*****[[[[*****[[[*****[[*****
> [[[[[[[*****[[[[[[*****[[[[[*****[[[[*****[[[*****[[*****
> [[[[[[[*****[[[[[[*****[[[[[*****[[[[*****[[[*****[[*****
> [[[[[[[*****[[[[[[*****[[[[[*****[[[[*****[[[*****[[*****
> [[[[[[[*****[[[[[[*****[[[[[*****[[[[*****[[[*****[[*****
> [[[[[[[*****[[[[[[*****[[[[[*****[[[[*****[[[*****[[*****
> [[[[[[[*****[[[[[[*****[[[[[*****[[[[*****[[[*****[[*****
>
> Then shift it around to look like:
>
> [[[[[[[*****[[[[[[*****[[[[[*****[[[[*****[[[*****[[*****
> [[[[[[[*****[[[[[[*****[[[[[*****[[[[*****[[[*****[[*****
> [[[[[[[*****[[[[[[*****[[[[[*****[[[[*****[[[*****[[*****
> [[[[[[[*****[[[[[[*****[[[[[*****[[[[*****[[[*****[[*****
> [[[[[[[*****[[[[[[*****[[[[[*****[[[[*****[[[*****[[*****
> [[[[[[[*****[[[[[[*****[[[[[*****[[[[*****[[[*****[[*****
> [[[[[[[*****[[[[[[*****[[[[[*****[[[[*****[[[*****[[*****
> [[[[[[[*****[[[[[[*****[[[[[*****[[[[*****[[[*****[[*****
>
> Or something. I'm open to suggestions. The X thing isn't hard and fast.
> What I'm really after is coming up with interesting ways to do contrasting
> wood stuff using regular table saw cuts. No fancy froofery, no
> bandsaw/scrollsaw stuff here.
>
> And speaking of which. Since 4/4 is really a bit on the beefy side for an
> instrument case, I'm thinking about resawing these in half. That begs two
> questions. First, would something made out of this much butt jointed
> little bits of stuff survive at half of 4/4 thickness? Second, what was
> the second question? :)
>
> Dunno, I'm just thinking out loud.