Last night I built a floor from strips of walnut veneer taped together as it was laid, then glued to a thin corregated cardboard substrate which was in turn glued to a piece of thick foam core. It was sanded from 220 to 2000 grit then had 2 coats of carnuba wax rubbed in giving the warm diverse colors seen below.
I think it will end up with two solid walls and two plexiglass ones. Debating on what wall covering/paint color to use. I like the first shown below which is a diminsional vertical reed print.
The other wall alternative would be some mahogany paneling which would give maybe too much brown to the setting. This is an orphan piece of Tacoma Guitar back wood discarded when Fender bought the facility placed for color backdrop.
I don't think this will be ready for the Fair this year, running out of build time, but it will be there next fall in full detailed glory.
Stay tuned...
10 August, still away from my workbench and things, probably won't be doing anything further til sometime after Labor Day, (or 1st weekend in September for those not in the US). The library table will get one more coat of carnuba and be tuned in in the catagory of "Single piece of furniture not from a kit" classification for judging in a week or so. Results should be known by 3rd week of September.
So, to use that old song, "I'll see you in September"
Update Feb 19, 2015
The library table took a blue ribbon, and an Award of Merit that has a cash prize twice what the Reserve Champion rosette brings.
Rethinking the den in that 8x8 is not big enough to add the library table, so I will build either 8X10 or 10x10.
I sliced up walnut veneer for the floorboards as seen above and once I get the 1/4" ply pieces cut will lay a floor like the one I did for the club country store project. Over time the thick piece of foam core above warped a bit and I am not going to use it after that. I will use ply and elevate the floor on a 1x1/2 frame that will leave room for the large battery pack I will need to keep the lights lit for the duration of the fair.
Debating at this point as to whether I want 3 walls and an open front, or two walls and "glass" sides. I want ambient light to be able to get into the room, and so began a window build.
I ran some of Topher Gayle's 3/32" mahogany donation through the table saw and got strips close to square. They are too short to run through the thickness sander so I will have to deal with discrepancies after the build.
I used a 1/32" flat milling bit in the Dremel and routed slots in the strips, reversing the piece and running it through the other direction for centering and a slight widening of the slot.
This slot is a slip fit for the glass 1" x 3" microscope slides I got a box of from Goodwill.
After cutting the single slot end and cap pieces I double slotted the interior verticals, cleaned the slots out with one of the slides and began assembly.
First came a small amount of slow grab gel super glue applied to the slide edge with a steel point.
The verticals are 2/32" shorter than the slides and centered in the slots so that 1/32" slide protrudes at either end to fit into the cap slots.
Once it has set enough to handle, the caps are glued on the same way with addition a dot of glue on the wood in between slide ends. The whole thing is then clamped square on the magnet table and hit with a shot of super glue kicker.
The protuding ends are sanded flush with the sides and the whole thing sanded square, and on the faces to bring all the wood to the same levels.
The glass is cleaned and scraped with a single edge razor blade to remove any glue or haze from the gluing, then wiped with a paper towel.
It was so enjoyable to be back building something that I went ahead and built another. I don't know if they will make it into the room box or not, but have them if I so desire.
Mockup for furniture and window placement, as well as seeing how the mahogany wainscotting will look, and thanks again to Topher Gayle for the mahogany!
Gluing the mahogany panels onto the walls.
Top and base molding, chair rail and panel dividers attached. Note the gap behind the chair rail for wallpaper to fit into.
I have decided to leave all the mahogany trim pieces just sanded. Any attempt I made on scrap came out too dark and showed too much of the full grain. Unfinished the wood looks more to scale.
Wallpaper printed and cut to size with rough window placement.
Corner mitered join of Chair rail and moldings. I may go to a single panel divider in the corner or a square corner piece.
Update March 7
New floor in progress
Ready for trimming, sanding, oiling and filling.
Windows cut out, wallpaper on back wall, window frames cut and fit, window is a slip fit. I made a bunch of 1/4 round mahogany to use to mount window and frame.
10 Mar update -
Wallpaper and wainscotting completed, Rear window support strips mounted and glued using temporary internal bracing.
Windows inserted and glued down. Surrounding molding cut and attached.
Floor sanded, filled with sanding dust and boiled linseed oil, Wiped when set and buffed. It will get more sanding and carnuba wax.
I routed 1/4 round on thinner board edges, then parted off smaller strips until I had enough to mount on the inside of the windows.
All that being done, the only thing left to do on the walls is to add electrical outlets and/or a light switch. I set the walls and the floor up and am quite happy with the results so far.
I printed and embossed some electrical outlets, and was immediatly called out on the fact that they were grounded outlets and should probably be two prong ungrounded.
First batch...
Second batch with one that has the prototypical and all too common scorch mark...
Once the walls and floor are joined I will use a larger 1/4 round toenail strip to the baseboard/floor join.
10 June update -
Not a lot of progress mainly due to being distracted by the telescope and camera builds. Time is beginning to contract however and so my attention is drawn back to the den.
The first thing I need to address at this point is the electrical outlets and lamps. The only 2 wire miniature lamp cord seems to be universally white. I tried using a Sharpie to blacken it but was rewarded with the purple overtones. I then went and got some "Expresso" brown acrylic paint, and it did the trick nicely of turning the white cord to a proper brown cord retaining flexibility.
On a test sheet of outlets I tried several punches for the wire to go through, and the best turned out to be a small flat blade jeweler's scredriver.
I turned some round rosewood electrical "plugs" with a hole just big enough for the lamp cord to go through which will enable me to have the lamps fixed in place with brown wire leading to a brown plug in an outlet, the white wire extending through and down to the battery pack underneath.
Much more convincing than any available commercial connectors.
Now to paint the actual lamp cords and locate where to drill the holes through the walls, after which I can assemble the room.
June 20 update -
Holes in outlet covers and walls drilled and those outlet covers installed. Time to assemble the room structure.
Under clamps and blocks to dry.
Quarter round toenail molding before and during installation.
After trimming and installation of remaining scortched outlet cover.
Thus completes the inside basic room. Working on more books and contemplating the framing and possibly exterior siding. I need to get all the stuff done I need to be able to overturn the box for before I start adding the interior pieces.
4 July update -
As time is contracting til this has to be turn-inable, I have put the blinds on the back burner. If they happen, they happen. What is more critical is to complete the room itself.
I ripped up some nice 1X2 mahogany and made the base pieces with support strips to hold the floor above the battery area.
I reinforced the inner corners with small 45 degree blocks set to a depth that the bottom cover piece of ply is recessed a bout 1/16".
There is ample room inside the base for as many AA 3 volt combinations as I wish. I am figuring on having at least a half dozen pairs which will guarantee the lamps stay lit for weeks on end. All connections will be soldered and insulated.
Next was to make some channel stock for the edges. It was just too hot today to go out and get on the router table, so I decided to try the dado washers that came with my Microlux table saw. I used the one with the widest throw (3/16") and had to make two passes to get the slightly over 1/4" width I needed.
Then it was a matter of measuring, mitering and fitting. The end result is promising, needing only some minor filling, and finish sanding before I glue them on permanently.
July 6, trim and base glued, sanded and waxed.
Temporary interior placement to view lamp plugs. I like the convincing look! The chair cushions are off for a wax and polish before museum waxing them in place on the chair and hassock. Need a few more books, and some art on the walls.
With lights. 5 sets of two AA batteries in parallel for 3V hard soldered and shrink wrapped inside the base.
The picture frames were coated in gold calligraphy acrylic ink, then overlaid with copper bearing enamel. Mod Podge brushed on with the painting's brush strokes for more realistic oil paintings.
12 July update -
The outer walls are complete and windows trimmed with 1/4 round mahogany. The siding covers the routed wire paths from the sockets to the battery packs beneath the floor.
The battery packs are attatched to the underside of the floor with gel super glue, and the base is ready for the 4 corner screws to secure the cover.
I looked at the left wall and decided it needed something. I looked through my photos and scaled down my dad's formal WW2 dress uniform photo. Army Air Corps, Glider wings, Flight Officer rank. I also scaled down one taken about 10 years laterr with him and a 5 or so year old me. These were framed in matching oiled oak frames.
About time to start waxing everything into place.
gg
