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"Chickadee and Apple Blossoms" 2005 **Kit now available**
This picture is a great "next step" for anyone who has completed the Foothills Hiker.
Light anigre provides the background for this little chickadee. Dyed grays, black wenge and white poplar make this well known bird easy to identify.
"Saskatoon"
2006 - 5" X 7"
$150.00
Try vacuum pressing with a new, inexpensive kit from Roarockit. I have been using this vacuum press kit for the past year and I am absolutely "sold" on it for applying veneers! A simple hand pump eliminates the need for noisy, heavy, expensive air compressors.
For prices and videos on how to use the Roarockit system go to www.roarockit.com
To purchase a quality ready-made mechanical press see:
PLANS FOR A SIMPLE MECHANICAL VENEER PRESS FOR MARQUETRY
With this simple press you can glue up a piece of marquetry 11.5" X 11.5 ". This press has worked well for me for several years.
Materials:
#1) (as shown above) 2 - 12" X 12" pieces of 3/4" thick MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) or good quality plywood with one smooth side (make this the inside face).
#2) Eight pieces of hardwood (preferably maple or oak) 16" long by 1" thick by 1.5" deep.
#3) Eight Carriage or Coach bolts: 1/2 thick by 7 - 8 " long
#4) - 16 Large washers (up to 1" diameter)
#5) - 16 - 1/2" nuts
After the cauls are cut, you must add a 1/8" rocker (see side view) to each end - on the side against the MDF only. The outside surfaces of the cauls can remain flat. This rocker compensates for the slight bend that will occur when the nuts are tightened down. Without the rocker, the cauls will bow slightly in the center and the pressure there will be less than at the ends of the cauls. Because there are so many variables associated with the wood the cauls are made of, it is difficult to determine an exact calculation for the rocker. For this size of press, the 1/8" rocker works every time for me.
Drill holes for the carriage bolts 1" in from the end each caul. The bolts go through the 1.5" depth and the top width is 1".
Attach the carriage bolts to the bottom cauls with a washer and nut each.
That's all there is to it. Just remember: don't experiment with your completed marquetry pieces! Test your new press using scrap veneer and inexpensive 1/4" mdf or plywood. Get to know the press before you put any of your valuable work into it.
If you wish, you can also add a small piece of angle iron at the corner of each bottom plate and you can also attach the plates to the cauls with one screw in the center of each caul (any more than that and the cauls cannot move and bend). I haven't done either of these two modifications to my press and it works very well without them.
If you enlarge the press plans, you must enlarge every aspect of the wood dimensions. The open space between the cauls should not be more than two times the width of one caul. In the case of this press make sure you space the cauls no more than two inches apart (the width of each caul being 1")
Good Luck!