A box for travelling dovetail saws

Re: A box for travelling dovetail saws

Charlie

You need to ship that box, full of saws, on over to me at your earliest convenience.

    Thanks Charlie!

Re: A box for travelling dovetail saws

Ray Newman

Once gain, another fine example of your craftsman like work!

Re: A box for travelling dovetail saws

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

Thanks Ray

I had meant to emphasise, and do not think I did earlier on, is really how the aesthetic that the mitred through dovetail adds to a simple box.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Black Walnut is Premium

Bruce McCrory

... wood in the USA. Ideal for hand tool work. I rarely see Australian species where I am, a few chunks for turning. Can you provide some comparatives with Australian and N. American wood species? Thanks Derek!

Re: Black Walnut is Premium

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

Bruce, this box was made from USA Black Walnut offcuts. In fact, I only use offcuts for boxes or workshop furniture.

I wish we had timber like this in Oz! Man, it is so sweet to work - cuts so easily with saw, plane or chisel. There is no chipping, no tearout …

If I had used a local hardwood, it would have required a dovetail saw with an aggressive tooth set up, such as 15 tpi and 5-7 degrees of rake. The reason I refiled the 14 ppi Veritas saw from 14 degrees of rake to 10 degrees of rake was to offer a compromise. This saw would be used in demos and by others, so I added 15 degrees of rake at the toe to make it easier to start. That is for local hardwoods. However, I was able to use the 20 ppi Veritas saw throughout as the Walnut is cuts so easily.

The only comparable Australian wood I commonly use is Tasmanian Oak, which looks a lot like US White Oak, but is a Eucalypt. Similar texture and hardness. I use it for drawer sides as it always comes quartersawn (is otherwise unstable).

I’d saw that Jarrah and Hard Maple are similar in hardness, but Maple is not brittle like Jarrah, and holds a better shape off the chisel. Jarrah is becoming harder to source now, and Sheoak, which my wife loves, is a significantly harder wood.

The USA timbers have all been imports, and they were available until Covid started up. I have only scraps of Walnut left but enough Maple for another project.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: Black Walnut is Premium

Bruce McCrory

Thank you Derek!

My first or second wood project--in school shop class, outside of hatchet work--was Walnut. The teacher loved the stuff and pretty much took over my side of the project until the actual hand tool work. I still remember the pleasure of working with it. Didn't help my grade, though.

The working tribulations caused by your woods must be why we don't see OZ hardwoods here. Except 'Radiata Pine'; I wonder why...?

I heard a story that Jack London, a famous children's novel author of the late 19th century, tried a get-rich-quick scheme and introduced a Eucalyptus to California that backfired spectacularly. When I saw the trees in the 70s they were pretty universally hated.

There is one hybrid called 'Lyptus' that seems to languish on specialty store racks.

Again, thanks Derek! Your post should go to the Articles section.

Monterey Pine

Warren in Lancaster, PA

Pinus radiata is native to California. We call it Monterey Pine. It was introduced to Australia and South America.

Re: …and Radiata Pine is Not a Hardwood   

Radiata pine

Jack Dover

Except 'Radiata Pine'; I wonder why...?

Afaik, Radiata Pine in harvestable quantities grows only on plantations. I think there are vast plantations of Radiata pines somewhere on West Cost.

Re: Radiata pine

Bruce McCrory

Most of the Monterey pine I have seen was imported from New Zealand-Australia. OZ also calls it 'Clear Pine'. It was a surprise when I first saw the labels. (I'm on the west coast, Washington state.) There's nothing like buying local, by way of Oceania. The borgs like it for the fine soft finish and charge dearly.

Mentioning Radiata pine in my reply to Derek is my "Scotch" humor poking through the quilt.

Re: Radiata pine

Jack Dover

Yeah, it's an interesting pine. I've never seen it in "2nd or better", it's always "select". I also like that it's denser than white or sugar pines, but not as hard as yellow pines - probably because of its density it chisels better.

Re: Radiata pine

Charlie

It's subject to some disease, can't think of its name at the moment, that apparently is more manageable or less severe in a plantation setting.