Thanks to all who helped us unload our 27 year supply of Cocobolo and Ebony shorts.
While perusing through some old stuff, on yet ANOTHER RAINY DAY in Portland, I came across this image of a small chest front I made in the 1970’s—and oh how I wish that decade was a typo…
This small Cocobolo draw pin effectively uses the sap as a strong visual element on a plain, straight grained walnut drop face chest. It is about 5 inches long. From a design standpoint, it begs to be removed, examined and replaced. Sometimes sapwood can be very powerful and other times a complete disaster and contrived. So be careful with sapwood. The design was inspired by a feather I found while on a walk.
What you cannot see is the reverse curve–the draw pin is inserted rotated 90 degrees to what you see here and then rolled downward to seal the lid to the body. This keeps one from scratching the crap out of the front if it were straight. Lastly, since most box type projects tend to be boringly symmetrical, a little asymmetry can be a welcome contrast.
The hole has the visual function of inviting removal.
The female it engages is also a very small piece of cocobolo.
Just something to ponder when you need ideas.
Now go make something worthy of the space it occupies!
–John
Nice, John. Very delicate. I would have been tempted to make a slightly elliptical or asymmetric hole in the draw pin – something like the shape your thumb and forefinger might make if you were to squeeze a thin slab of clay between them. Regardless, it certainly has a featherish aspect to it. Nice.
Do we get to see the rest of the box?
I’ve noticed that Rutager tends toward non-square boxes. Amazing stuff!
– Peter
Peter-
Lots of options for draw pins–that is what makes them so cool. Draw pins are ancient and go back thousands of years–I wished they were used more. I don’t know where the box images are–they may have been in the moldy slide carousels I tossed.
Rutager is in a different league.
-John
Hi,
You guy are much too kind to me, probably because you don’t know me well enough! That is a great detail, and does look just like a feather. The Cocobolo makes a nice accent. I was playing around with my new “shorts” and chucked a piece of Ebony in the lathe and made a recess for a disk of Cocobolo in the end, and then turned it into a knob. I really like how the woods look together. I would post a photo, but my camera won’t do close ups, I read the manual and couldn’t find any mention or figure out a way to do it. I should get a new one, but I’m re-doing the suspension on my car and, I know this doesn’t happen to anyone else, but as I get further into it I find I need to replace more parts then I was planning to! So the camera will have to wait a bit. I would also like to see a photo of the whole box, maybe you’ll just have to build another one, I can send you a piece of Cocobolo if you need some! In fact I could send you the extra piece you sent me that was from Fred’s missing 3.9 oz’s!
-Rutager
What a nice offer, Rutager. Apparently Fred made up for the missing 3.9 oz of cocobolo by getting an extra 1/16th thickness of some old-growth mahogany (from a swamp in Belize). So he’s pretty happy right now.
Maybe we should set up a collection to buy Rutager a new camera. With a close-up…
– Peter
Peter,
Your idea is very kind, but since you have already raided the braces fund for your CT-17, and I want no part in the dental neglect of your offspring, I stopped off at the local electronics store on my way home from work today and got a new camera! As it turned out, as the sales person was showing me how good the close-ups are, I saw an icon on the screen that I thought was on a button of my old one. So sure enough if I push that button, I can do close-ups with the old one. But it’s 7.2mp and my new one is 14mp and the future waits for no man, so why fight it! By the way, neither manual mention the “macro” button, I guess they’re made for people smarter than me!
Everyone,
I used the new camera to take a few photo’s of the above mentioned knob and posted them under the Original Design section of the Forum. Take a peek and see what you think.
I’m heading right over there, Rutager. Kudos to you for not letting a simple lack of knowledge (like – reading the manual) stop you from supporting our (or someone’s) economy.
So, when your plane blades get dull, do you buy a new plane? I’d be happy to take those old, dull, useless ones off your hands.
– Peter
Peter,
It gets better(or worse!) I just took another look at the old camera’s very thin manual, and sure enough I missed the part about the “macros,” maybe I found it on second look because I know what it’s called now.
I’m not sure if my blades are dull yet, should I send you my ASP-25 and VP-60 just in case?
-Rutager
Peter and Rutager;
You two need to get a room.
🙂
John
After he sends me his ASP-25 and VP-60, John. I’m on a roll here!
Besides – his blades are probably dull. I can help there…
– Peter
John,
Is that a padded room with a 72 hour hold, oops, I mean checkout?
I apologize, and I know Peter just feels terrible about taking over the blog. In our defense, we started out on topic and then strayed a bit. Although, by your own admission, the blog is “Worthless Drivel,” so we actually stayed on topic the whole time! Even though you claim that the blog is worthless, I politely disagree; you announced the DJ-1 jaw contest here, which netted me a $100 gift certificate; there was also another certificate given to those who participated in one of the guessing contests and that’s just the finacial list, what about the new tool stuff and the lumber “shorts.” Also let’s not forget about the occasional compliments and kind words(yea, there’s also some insults, but I pretend that they’re compliments too!)
Since man cannot live on drivel alone, I need to go mow the lawn(with a powerless hand tool!) and get some dinner.
-Rutager
YO! The purpose of a hobby is to have fun–and this blog is here to support that purpose.
-John
Hi John,
I always enjoy the blog and the responses of everyone. I thought your comment about the room was pretty funny because we had started our own side conversation. The drivel is of course the best part, the frosting if you will, but the cake is pretty sweet also. lot’s of great info and ideas mixed in with irreverent humor!
-Rutager, a junkie looking for his next drivel fix.
I had fun. Once. Then it wore off. Now I’m an oceanographer.
– Peter (Drivel-Starved)
John,
Is it at all possible to hand out some barf bags. I mean holy crap when do those two start the kissing. 😮 Now on a real subject that pin you made is really spectacular. I would love to see a couple of photos of it by itself. 😮 Hey, instead of a barf bag just institute a gag order on Peter. There could be nothing worse. 😮 😮
Fred
I’m glad that you feel that gagging me would be so bad, Fred. I know how you look forward to my every word. Losing that would be like … like … losing sunshine! It’s just not clear to my why you would suggest that John institute a gag order on me when you recognize how much you’d suffer at the loss of my words.
– Peter