Here are a few boxes I have made using wood that I found on the streets of Edinburgh.The Mahogany I used was found just outside my flat in the form of a discarded mantel 6 foot long,8 inches wide by 1 1/4 inch thick.The 22mm Baltic Birch Plywood I found in a skip outside a flat that I presume was getting underfloor heating considering the shape of the offcuts.Not sure how much I scored but it was enough to fill the boot of our Peugot 206.I’ve made loads of stuff with this from these boxes to jigs,sanding discs,new top for my beatup workbench & faceplates for my lathe/sander/grinder.The Oak came from some old kitchen doors & drawer fronts I found a couple of streets up from mine.Once the doors had been dismantled the stiles bore about 60 feet of 15mm by 50mm strips & the drawer fronts yielded 30some feet of 100mm by 20mm boards,perfect for boxmaking. They were glued together using p.v.a.,sanded to 600 grit then finished with Liberon finishing oil. There are a number of great things about using reclaimed wood. Firstly,its free meaning all the more money for tools. Secondly,you know the wood is well seasoned,especially if its the remnants of a home remodelling. Thirdly & lastly,as far as I’m aware,is you are slowing our ever increasing rubbish tips from becoming continents in their own rights. Oh,the suede that I take my pics on is also salvaged,this time from an old 3 seat sofa. The one at the front is 120mm long by 57mm high.
Adrian,
ReplyDeleteGreat boxes! And good on you for using reclaimed wood to boot. That mahogany mantle was a nice score!
Most of the boxes I make use reclaimed white oak from a 100 year old house my brother and I dismantled on his farm. A few years ago I picked up 50 or so board feet of reclaimed walnut that was taken from a barn - still haven't gotten around to planing it down and working with it. I suppose the bog oak I use is technically reclaimed, too...
A lot of the accent wood I use (inlay or lids) isn't really reclaimed, but it is many times the off-cuts another friend of mine gets rid of. He builds custom cabinets and quite often has to cut around figured pieces of wood to get the straight grain he needs in his rails and styles. Those off-cuts of figured wood are perfect for box lids.
Something I've started doing you might be interested in, considering your location... I've worked with a few kilt makers to see about getting good sized scrap pieces of tartan fabric. They usually charge me a nominal fee ($5 for a 10" x 10" swatch), but the end result (a box with a wool tartan lining) is worth it.
I think I only have a picture of one of them on-line - you can see it here:
http://sites.google.com/site/sincoxwoodworks/woodworking-projects
I don't like my boxes to look too busy, so this adds another element of design without detracting from the cleanliness.