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Box 43

2/12/2016

7 Comments

 
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This week brings another sugar bowl (box 41 was the first). It's turned, giving it a more elegant look. I took inspiration from a variety of Japanese pottery I've seen. In particular, the shape of the bottom was informed by some small tea cups that I own. It's a beautiful shape. Fortunately, the bold lines running through the wood do not struggle against it. The wood is marblewood, which I've not used before. It's a tropical wood from South America (the northeast region, I believe), and this is heartwood. It's quite striking. It works fairly well, about the same as cocobolo. Because this box is meant to hold sugar (or salt), I painted the interior with marigold yellow milk paint, a non-toxic finish. I also happen to like the contrast between the wood on the exterior and the paint on the interior.

It was the painted interior that led to the lid's design. It sit down in the bottom, so that about 1/16 in. of the side is visible above it. I thought that the yellow would create a delightful separation between the bottom and lid. I like this idea, and I'm pretty sure I'll return to it before I've completed all 52 boxes. Picking the wood for the lid wasn't too hard. The brown lines running through the marblewood immediately suggested walnut. Those lines tie the chocolate brown lid to the lighter, almost almond, brown of the bottom. This is a good example of using woods that compliment rather than contrast with one another. To determine the lid's arc, I quickly sketched out the body on some paper and then tried out several different arcs for the top. A low, relaxed arc seemed to work best. One last note, about the lid. The underside is hollowed out a bit. I thought this would be more delicate and elegant than leaving it flat.

I didn't decided on the pull until after I had turned the lid. I typically use a third wood for my pulls (cocobolo being a favorite, along with apple). When the lid (or drawer front) is a dark wood like walnut, I use a lighter wood for the pull. However, if I used a wood like apple and left it natural, I'd be introducing a fourth color into the box. Instead, I painted the pull to match the yellow interior. It's a preview of the surprise awaiting you when you take the lid off. As for the shape, it's reminiscent of every pull I've ever turned. I think it goes nicely with the curves of the box body and lid.

Of course, there must be random thoughts.
  1. The box you see before you was a headache to make. I turned a body and it was beautiful, but alas, there was a odd knot in it (not visible in the square blank I began with), and as I was turning the knot shot out of the box, leaving behind an ugly hole. The hole seemed almost to have been create by a worm or other bug, but it wasn't. That body is sitting beneath my lathe. Perhaps I'll put it on my desk at work.
  2. It also took two tries to get the lid right. The first one looked great on the outside, but I had no idea how to do the underside. I attempted to hollow it with my parting tool as I parted the lid from the turning blank. Dumb. For the second lid, I made a jamb chuck. The top of the lid was put against the jamb chuck and I was able to hollow the underside with a gouge and get rid of the tenon I had used to hold the lid in a scroll chuck when I was shaping the top. Let me say this: Jamb chucks rock.
  3. So, I've made two sugar boxes. I don't drink coffee. I don't drink tea. I don't need a sugar box, much less two.

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7 Comments
Jerry
2/13/2016 11:27:14 am

Not having had to struggle with its creation, I can simply look at this sugar bowl and say that it is beautiful.
The shape and proportions are appealing; the contrasting materials and colors work very well together.
Box or bowl, I don't care. I like it.
Nice work.

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Tucker Tuck link
2/13/2016 06:42:10 pm

Your box and design discovery odyssey is great fun to follow, but equally intriguing for me has been your photographic storytelling. If you've previously blogged about this, I apologize for missing it. Would you care to describe your setup? Camera, lens, iso/fstop/filters/lighting/post? How are you getting such clean imagery? Are you using a prime lens? Light box? This can be of great help for others of us who strive to share our work. Thanks in advance.

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Matt Kenney
2/14/2016 09:23:05 am

I don't mind answer your questions about the photography, but I can't do it in a comment. There's too much information and some photos or sketches of my setup would be helpful. However, in brief: I use a DSLR, with a zoom at it's longest focal length. I have put the box on a piece of white foam core, and then stand a two-sided foam core wall up behind it. One wall is behind and one and the side. I use a small off camera flash for lighting. It points so that the wall on the side will reflect back onto the box and make the shadows less dark. The images that come from this setup are close to what you see on my blog. I use Adobe Elements to clean up the background, making sure that it's truly white. It's how we shoot this type of photo at the magazine.

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Dan
2/16/2016 06:37:46 pm

Great bowl.

"So, I've made two sugar boxes. I don't drink coffee. I don't drink tea. I don't need a sugar box, much less two."

Your guests will appreciate it I'm sure. You do have guests don't you?

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Michael
3/5/2016 11:12:44 am

Matt,

I am going to cross reference your Fine Woodworking Podcast, Shop Talk Live here, I hoe that is ok.

In episode 105 you mentioned that your viewers/readers/listeners were probably bored a hundred episodes ago. I highly disagree. I don't know what kind of numbers FW thinks make that product viable, but it is that show, along with your excellent blog here, that inspires me, and I am sure many others.

I love the style and craftsmanship of your work, the photography, and the stories that come with each new "box".

Trying not to sound like a lunatic groupie here,....I am a huge fan.





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Matt Kenney
3/5/2016 02:06:57 pm

Mark,

Thanks for the compliments. It is very gratifying to hear that the work I do both here and on the podcast, inspires another woodworker. Nothing makes me happier (at least in the realm of woodworking!). And don't worry, we're not stopping the podcast. That was really just a joke. I don't think the podcast is boring, and I know that tens of thousands of others don't either. And I'll keep up the work on the blog, too. I'll have a new box up within a week.

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Matt Kenney
3/5/2016 02:07:49 pm

Argh! I'm so sorry for calling you Mark, Michael. I was just responding to a Mark and the name stuck in my head.

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    I love furniture design, and smart techniques. This blog is about both.

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