A couple of wall plaques

[tmerrill]

Hi all,

Two simple wall plaques just completed with all work done in Aspire.

The Goose Panel is one of the included designs in Vector Art 3D's Design & Carve Wilderness Scenes. I resized it and used 3 different woods for contrast. The base material is slightly spalted maple, the background is a walnut panel inlaid from the back and the goose is mahogany. The walnut panel was inlaid first, then the maple with walnut was machined as a unit. The goose was machined separately and then inlaid into a shallow pocket on the front. All 3D finish toolpaths were done with a 1/8" tapered ball nose and finish is shellac.

The Flower Basket is a newly released design from Vector Art 3D. Similar to the Goose Panel, I used different woods to create contrast. The base material is clear maple and it has a sapele panel inlaid from the back and a walnut veneer glued on the front. The Flower Basket model was positioned in the material to sit on top of the sapele and a single 3D Finish Toolpath was used to machine the center down to the sapele. The finish toolpath used a 1/8" tapered ball nose as well and did a great job capturing the details of the Flower Basket model. Finish was shellac with one light coat of glaze on the Flower Basket.

When finished I showed it to the wife, who happily said it was finally nice to see something that didn't have a fish or animal on it

Thanks for looking.

Tim

[penman]

Hi Tim,
as usual, very impressive work. You say you are using a 1/8 tapered ball nose for your finish pass. Could I ask what your step over is? Myself, I have been using a 1/16 ball nose with an 8% step over. Certainly saves some sanding time.

Once again, beautiful work.

Regards and cheers,

Roger.

[tmerrill]

Thanks Roger.

This was the 1/8" tapered ball nose from Beckwith Decor, set to 8% stepover.

Very seldom do I use a different stepover, this seems to give consistently great results.

Tim

[myxpykalix]

On the duck frame, how did you accomplish the different finishes? Are those separate pieces in the basket frame? Did you finish them separately then join?
Good job.

[tmerrill]

With the exception of the Goose, both blanks were prepared ahead of time with the different woods and then machined just once. The goose was machined separately, then glued in place. Then both were finished with multiple coats of shellac.

The plaques spent more time in the vacuum press than any other phase took.

[Brady Watson]

Diggin' the basket. Especially getting it with an 1/8" ball. Looks great!

-B

[danhamm]

Georgous as usual Tim, love the detail in the flower basket..
( mite buy that one for next VALENTINES) was a day off here...in deep caca...

[myxpykalix]

Was the basket just glued to the surface and you used the vacumn press to make sure that the small parts bonded flat?

How much did your vacumn press setup cost you? Does it do a good job? I have a "Foodsaver" vacumn and that works pretty good to store my pork chops and meat with so i understand the concept (No, i'm not planning on using my foodsaver as a vacumn press lol)

[tmerrill]

Their was only one piece of maple and the sapele was glued to it from the back side (inlaid). Then the board was flipped and the 3D finish path machined away all the wood around the basket, leaving it still glued to the sapele.

The vacuum press was a kit from www.joewoodworker.com with a 2' X 4' bag. All top quality components, but not cheap.

Besides the logical use of veneering, I have found it handy to apply pressure to inlays, such as the goose model, while the glue sets. Takes about 20-30 seconds to put it in the bag, seal it and suck it down. Plus the applied pressure is equal across the surface.

[myxpykalix]

If you are gluing two pieces together how do you keep the suction or the friction of the bag movement as it is deflating from moving your pieces?