Wood Mech Tube - Yay! I made something out of wood that actually turned out!!!

[bapgood]

I have been kicking this idea around for quite a while, but wood and I haven't got along so good in the past. Then I seen this and I had to try it out for my self.



Below is my first attempt. Its just an aluminum tube and some oak from lowes for my trial run, the next ones will be stainless or brass tubes with some exotic wood. I just turned the tube down and scuffed up the outside of the tube, drilled a hole in the middle-ish of a 1.5"x1.5" chunk of oak, glued the tube in using 30min slow set epoxy, then turned down and finish sanded to 22mm OD.



Here are some pics from along the way. I think there was a bad spot in the wood or something and I got a split in one location. I filled it the best I could with super glue before I finished sanded it down to size. Definitely not perfect, but for my first attempt and previous track record with wood I am more than happy with how it turned out.








Before super glue fill and final sanding


After

 

[asdaq]

Don't worry about the split, I think that is just the oak. I got a real beefy block of it last year and it cracked all to easily when just drilling. yours turned out mighty nice and that is some seriously thin wall there, is that a whole 1mm?

Mrs asdaq is even quite impressed, says she prefers the single tube design, but she really only saw the pics and thinks they are all the same mod, and that they are all the zodiac ha ha!

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[bapgood]

Don't worry about the split, I think that is just the oak. I got a real beefy block of it last year and it cracked all to easily when just drilling. yours turned out mighty nice and that is some seriously thin wall there, is that a whole 1mm?

Mrs asdaq is even quite impressed, says she prefers the single tube design, but she really only saw the pics and thinks they are all the same mod, and that they are all the zodiac ha ha!

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The internal tube threads are 20mm and I turned the tube OD to ~13/16" (20.6mm) and then scuffed with 120 grit paper, then used a 13/16" wood bit to drill out the block.

In your opinion would a different glue be better? The epoxy seemed to work, but I don't know much about wood and such.

 

[asdaq]

Well, at first I thought you had a CA finish with the super glue, but I suppose it is just in the fill area. You could do the whole surface on the lathe with CA, but it will also plasticize the whole thing. If you use just plain old wood glue in the gap and sand it while still wet you can get a slurry that fills it in and makes the color match. Super glue dries too quickly to do this, but you ought to be able to get some slurry on there and then CA over the whole thing. Or wax, if you wish.

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[bapgood]

Well, at first I thought you had a CA finish with the super glue, but I suppose it is just in the fill area. You could do the whole surface on the lathe with CA, but it will also plasticize the whole thing. If you use just plain old wood glue in the gap and sand it while still wet you can get a slurry that fills it in and makes the color match. Super glue dries too quickly to do this, but you ought to be able to get some slurry on there and then CA over the whole thing. Or wax, if you wish.

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Sorry for not being specific, I meant for internal tube to the wood block....but that is good info none the less

 

[d9mel]

Hats off to you Bap, that is a beautiful start. I've always been completely incapable when it comes to woodwork and couldn't imagine attempting tolerances like that

 

[bapgood]

Thanks! But I don't think it's that precise, but I'm not complaining

I think I'm going to have to make a ss switch....brass attys are bad correct?

But this thing is tiny, I also shortened my switch.

 

[asdaq]

Epoxy on the inside should be fine, was the alu tube snug in the hole or loose? With mine the brass tube is too tight after drilling the hole on a drill press, using a 5/8" bit and same size tube and I mostly need to sand out the interior to get a fairly snug press fit (hard to get out again). Having thought about it, I would suggest using CA to finish the exterior of yours, it will be smoother and add strength too. That is really a beauty you have there, perhaps just a brass base on the atty if it isn't in contact with any juice?

 

[kaddigart]

Oak is very hard (I know, hardwood) for this application. You'll find that some of the more exotic woods will be easier to work with, especially cherry or black walnut. Check out the Janka scale for more info.

Also, here's a scale with just a few of the more popular hardwoods listed:


And here is a comprehensive table of hard/soft hardwoods. (Was that redundant?)

 

[asdaq]

I found walnut to be quite soft, almost like paperboard. I went to add a 4mm hole by hand with a step bit and it went like butter. Wenge is nice but splinters easily, ash is quite nice to machine but my favorites for machining are pacific madrone and curly maple. Maple I would trust best in such a thin application and it looks great with the curl.

 

[bapgood]

Kaddigart - thanks for the info! I'm a pretty much wood illiterate at this point so some redundancy is good at this time

Asdaq - what's the best kind of CA and the best way to apply it? I have sever different types of CA for RC stuff, but I can get something else if I need to.


I have a guy at work that makes a lot of really nice wood stuff and is going to bring me some of his scrap. Plus I ordered a grab bag of exotic wood online, but I won't know what I get until it gets here.

I'm pretty excited! I have always liked fancy wood stuff, but have been completely inept at making anything that didn't end up looking like a kindergarten project gone wrong

 

[asdaq]

Whatever is on sale at the supermarket lol! There is some variety but I doubt it matters. As for wood you can try some local cabinet makers for nice scraps too- I got lucky and found A shop that makes high end harps that has A scrap sale atty the end of month.

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[bapgood]

Ok I have plenty of whatever CA to try.

 

[asdaq]

This seems pretty useful, notice he says 'a thick CA glue'. The comments below ask about supermarket quality glue too.



The harp place is Dusty Strings in Seattle and they have a craigslist ad towards the end of each month with the sale being on the last Friday. Unfortunately I arrived in Seattle on the last Saturday and spaced the 26th of July sale, but I already have a pretty good supply of wood. I did visit their retail location though and marvelled the harps, but they don't really list the woods used in the shop, you have to have an eye for what kinds are used. Any workshop is pretty happy to get rid of scraps in an orderly manner, as if it is piling up in the shop they have safety issues.

edit: These two look like they might have something:

http://canyoncraftcabinets.com/

http://www.craftsmankitchens.com/

 

[bapgood]

Thanks asdaq!!! That was just what I needed

 

[kaddigart]

Wow, all those hours I've wasted varnishing woodwork could have been saved by superglue...

Check out these pens from Little River Crafts. They use some serious exotics that are absolutely beautiful when finished. My personal favorites are the purple heart & snakewood.

I've been learning about shaping plastics and working with metals lately for all of my mods, but I think you may be pushing me back towards my roots (no pun intended). There is a certain Zen to creating something from wood to be sure.

 

[bapgood]

I have wood

 

[asdaq]

Oh yeah, that's a real nice start. I'd recommend labelling each with pencil for what kind it is... I made two trips on one day last year and got 7 kinds and had to figure it out about a month later. Your minimum specs look pretty close to mine, any plans for some dual tube designs perhaps? Great haul there bap.

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[kaddigart]

I have wood

Well have fun with it and don't stick it somewhere you may regret...
It looks like you may have a little chunk of purple heart there below the blade.

 

[bapgood]

Oh yeah, that's a real nice start. I'd recommend labelling each with pencil for what kind it is... I made two trips on one day last year and got 7 kinds and had to figure it out about a month later. Your minimum specs look pretty close to mine, any plans for some dual tube designs perhaps? Great haul there bap.

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Labeling them would require knowing what they were

I ended up just going to a woodcraft store and picking out a few singles that are labeled, but the grab bag stuff isn't labeled and I don't have a clue. Most of the stuff I got from a guy I work with is walnut. A friend of my fathers may have scraps of some black walnut and some kind of burl.

I'm going to start with a couple of single tubes, but then I would like to try something double tubeish with kick2 or DNA. I also have always wanted a wood pipe, so I may give that a try with one of the bigger hunks.