Lighthouse (sort of a box)

[trc65]

I've not ever used one.

My thought is to mark the rough outline of the lighthouse on the cap, use a chisel to score/cut the boundary so you don't peel up a strip of bark, and go to town with the planer.

Hopefully some of those. Who use a planer will chime in on its use.

 

[Gdurfey]

Can you use screws up from the bottom of a 2x6 to secure the cap? Love the look though, going to be awesome.

 

[DLJeffs]

Started work on the base this morning. Borrowed my neighbor's powered hand plane and flattened the bottom enough so I could screw it onto a 2x6, then got the top flattened and to the needed diameter. Then started sawing the burl into a thinner slab, approx 1.25" thick. I worked my way all the way around, tracking my marks and got myself a little over halfway through before things got a little dizzy and I started seeing spots. It's 97F out there right now and that black driveway is probably 10 degrees hotter. So stopped for today. Tomorrow's another day and I'll get it almost cut through I hope. Then I'll flatten the bottom with the hand planer and be ready to start finishing. I decided to strip the bark off because part of the bark was already gone and it just looked odd to have some bark and some without. It wire brushes out pretty nice without the bark.


Who needs to pay to join a gym, just start hand sawing burls ....

 

[Nature Man]

Started work on the base this morning. Borrowed my neighbor's powered hand plane and flattened the bottom enough so I could screw it onto a 2x6, then got the top flattened and to the needed diameter. Then started sawing the burl into a thinner slab, approx 1.25" thick. I worked my way all the way around, tracking my marks and got myself a little over halfway through before things got a little dizzy and I started seeing spots. It's 97F out there right now and that black driveway is probably 10 degrees hotter. So stopped for today. Tomorrow's another day and I'll get it almost cut through I hope. Then I'll flatten the bottom with the hand planer and be ready to start finishing. I decided to strip the bark off because part of the bark was already gone and it just looked odd to have some bark and some without. It wire brushes out pretty nice without the bark.
View attachment 259328

Who needs to pay to join a gym, just start hand sawing burls ....
View attachment 259329

You are one glutton for punishment! Handsawing burls! Yikes! But my, oh my, it is coming together so nicely! Chuck

 

[Mr. Peet]

An old forstner bit with the center tip ground down works great to rough mill. Mount the burl slab on a plywood sled and clamp to the drill press table. Set the yoke drop stop and create the level spot. Belt sand, then palm sand to finish. However a Bridgeport milling machine works nice too.

Your way works too. You do what you can with the tools you have.

 

[DLJeffs]

An old forstner bit with the center tip ground down works great to rough mill. Mount the burl slab on a plywood sled and clamp to the drill press table. Set the yoke drop stop and create the level spot. Belt sand, then palm sand to finish. However a Bridgeport milling machine works nice too.

Your way works too. You do what you can with the tools you have.

Thanks for the suggestion Mark. The powered hand planer seems to work really well and I got the top really close to flat. Then used a belt sander with 80 grit to clean it up and work down any high spots. The lighthouse sits flush now so I think it's cool. The base was just too thick so I'll get it down close to what I want and then go back to the powered hand planer to finish it off. Should be able to complete the hand saw part tomorrow. Easier than making a sled, etc.

 

[Arn213]

Thanks for the suggestion Mark. The powered hand planer seems to work really well and I got the top really close to flat. Then used a belt sander with 80 grit to clean it up and work down any high spots. The lighthouse sits flush now so I think it's cool. The base was just too thick so I'll get it down close to what I want and then go back to the powered hand planer to finish it off. Should be able to complete the hand saw part tomorrow. Easier than making a sled, etc.

I hope you distributed the duties to both hands/forearms/shoulders, if not you going to feel like you did one hand pull ups with the right only when you wake up tomorrow morning.

 

[DLJeffs]

I hope you distributed the duties to both hands/forearms/shoulders, if not you going to feel like you did one hand pull ups with the right only when you wake up tomorrow morning.

Oh yeah, I'm a ambidextrous sawyer. Towards the end though I'd make about twenty strokes and have to go into the shade in the garage. I rotated the burl 90 degrees after I got about a saw width deep into the cut and started cutting those sides too. So right now I'm a a little over half way through the entire thing - maybe something like a 4x6 left to cut. I'll get it tomorrow.

 

[Arn213]

Oh yeah, I'm an ambidextrous sawyer. Towards the end though I'd make about twenty strokes and have to go into the shade in the garage. I rotated the burl 90 degrees after I got about a saw width deep into the cut and started cutting those sides too. So right now I'm a a little over half way through the entire thing - maybe something like a 4x6 left to cut. I'll get it tomorrow.

I had to employ your tactic numerous time of getting a saw out when my last blade went using my bandsaw as I was trying to book-match some billets for a guitar top. The old growth redwood was forgiving because it was a softwood, but the maple wasn’t.

 

[DLJeffs]

Got the oak burl slab sectioned off this morning after about another hour of sawing. It actually came out pretty well, not even a ton of straightening or sanding needed. The base section is now about 1.25" thick and not so heavy. The surface is beautiful with some spaghetti grain and about 4 or 5 different colors in it. I used the powered hand planer to flatten some high spots and then used a belt sander to get it wobble free. Then I put the lighthouse on top with a full piece of 120 grit sandpaper between it and the burl and did a little sanding to get a nice close fit. So now I'm ready to finish the lighting and then start finishing the pieces.

 

[JR Parks]

Looks great Doug! All parts are fantastic but those roof tiles are my favorite visual.

 

[DLJeffs]

Looks great Doug! All parts are fantastic but those roof tiles are my favorite visual.

Thanks Jim and everyone. It's coming together nicely. I have a couple coats of wipe on poly on it, need to do the steel wool bit now. The structure has a tiny wobble when I set it on the burl base, so I need to figure out where the high spot is and sand it down. I have the supports for the lights made, not glued in yet. Still working through the wiring and making sure I can actually get my fingers in there to make the final connections before gluing anything.

 

[DLJeffs]

Whiz bang wires .... getting close now.

 

[DLJeffs]

Finished the lighthouse / music box. Several coats of wipe on poly, steel wooled, then Minwax wood polish. Wired it with a light in the keepers house and one in the cupola, powered by 2 AA batteries. The music mechanism plays Brahms lullaby. Switches for lights and to start/stop the music on the right side of the keeper's house. Wind up key for the music mechanism is on the back wall. It came out pretty well I think.

 

[Nature Man]

Congrats on completing this challenge! Complex precision! The burl stand is an absolute perfect complement! Chuck

 

[DLJeffs]

Thanks Chuck and all, it was a fun project with some learning challenges for me. Plus I like that I was able to reuse that cupola from my grandpa's lamp.

 

[trc65]

Very cool! Fantastic looking piece.

 

[JD1137]

Excellent project!!
Enjoyed the building process and appreciate you taking the extra time to keep us informed!

 

[DLJeffs]

Excellent project!!
Enjoyed the building process and appreciate you taking the extra time to keep us informed!

Thanks John. One thing I like about WB is the ability to share and get feedback from knowledgeable people.

 

[Mr. Peet]

Looks great Doug. A few more ideas to give thought. The cupola threads in, what would it look like if you took some wax paper and covered the windows in the cupola and the house? I was thinking it would be a softer light from the cupola, masking the modern bulb and better mimicking the old school look. As for the house, tucking the wire to the wall away from the window view an using the wax paper to cover windows would also create that old school look. It allows the viewer to imagine what's inside and creates another level of depth. The amber tint would be cool, but tinting wax paper in itself can be frustrating. Wonder if orange shellac would tint the paper, or destroy it? We used propane torches in shop, a challenge to tint, before burning it. Never tried food coloring either. Then again, regular wax paper ages over time and would likely do fine. Awesome job.