[kywoodchopper]

I decided to make a wooden basket out of birdseye maple and mahogany for a Marine Captain.

I had a local engraver to do my engraving prior to assembling the pieces.

Finishing: I have made a little modification from my usual procedures. I applied ZAR semi-gloss mixed 50/50 with mineral finish to the inside prior to assembly. After assembly I sanded to 180 grit with a random orbital sander. I then applied 4 coats of my usual mixture of 1-part Zar oil-base semi-gloss polyurethane and 1-part mineral spirits. I do not sand between coats. I apply the finish with a blue paper shop towel cut into 1/4 sheet and folded into 1/4 give about a 2" by 2" piece. I wait 8 hours between coats.

After 4-coats I apply another coat with a 1" foam brush and put the poly mixture onto a 600 grit wet/dry sand paper on a sanding block or random orbital sander. I rub this in (3 or 4 strokes per piece of wood) then wipe it off with a sheet of the blue shop towel. After 8-hours I apply a coat of 1-part Zar oil-base semi-gloss poly, 1-part Zar oil-base gloss poly, and 2-part mineral spirits. I apply this the same way as before with the blue shop towel. With the gloss poly mixed in the shine is greater. After 8-hours. I applied a second coat of this mixture. Several people said the finish is the best they have seen in my projects. Guess I'll keep using this one.

Malcolm / Kentucky USA

 

[kywoodchopper]

For the corner of my boxes that are 8-sided, like the attached photos), I use a bird-mouth router bit. Seems to work great for me for many years. Malcolm / Kentucky USA

 

[kywoodchopper]

To bend the handles for my baskets, I cut them to length and width, and sand them. I drill the hole for attaching to the basket. I don't drill the same distance from the end on both side in case I make a mistake in attaching I can always rotate the handle to the other side. I put 5 or 6 into a 2" by 24" PVC pipe that has a cap over the one end. I stand the pipe up in a trashcan. I bring a pan of water to a boil and pour it into the pipe. I put a shot-glass over the end to keep the heat in and the handles from floating out. After 45 minutes or so I pour the water back into the pan and bring it back to a boil. I do this 3 or 4 times. I have forms that I bend the handles around. Sometimes they break. I leave them in the form for a day or so then transfer them to a different form for several days. Then take them out and let them set for a few week to full dry. Malcolm / Kentucky USA

 

[kywoodchopper]

Birdseye basket for a Marine

The dimension of the basket is 4 1/2" High. The sides are 9 1/2" Long; the ends are 6 1/4" Long and the 4-corners are 1" wide. Malcolm / Kentucky USA