Celtic Knotwork

[wwalker47]

I am working on the Celtic Knotwork Trivet from Issue #22. I finished sawing the base and the insert layer with the recommended 1/4 inch and 1/8 inch BB ply. I have chosen red oak for the inserts. My question is; what is the best way to finish the red oak to get the best to get the grain to come out and a nice finish on them? BTW I will not use this as an actual trivet just a wall hanging in the kitchen.

I will suggest to new users as myself if you have an aggressive saw, such as a DeWalt 788, use a backboard for cutting the 1/8 inch BB ply.

Thanks in advance,

-Bill

[lucky788scroller]

First, I will suggest danish oil on the red oak. Let it soak in good prior to wiping off the excess, then top coat it with any of a number of clear coats.
As for the aggressive saws, namely, the Dewalt, I dont find it aggressive at all. In fact, it doesnt even move if you dont turn on the switch. And it wont cut nothing without a blade, which wont aggressively attack anything that isnt fed into its teeth.I think the only way to make any saw appear aggressive is an anxious operator. But, anyways, yeah, I dont really ever cut anything 1/8th thick alone on the saw, any scrollsaw, its too hard to control the outcome. I do however stack cut 1/8th material, sometimes up to 10 layers thick, depending on the complexity, both with plywood, or hardwood. You can do pretty intricate things even stacked 6 high in 1/8th inch. I did some ornaments for the ornament swap on here of 1/8th inch walnut,pretty detailed and intricate (I wish I had a picture to show you), and they were stack sawn. Dale

[TonyK]

Dale, Would you be willing to share what brand of blade and size that you use when you are stack cutting six - ten pieces of 1/8" B.B? Thanks. Tony

[wwalker47]

Thanks

Lucky-

Thanks for the finishing advice. O.K. another question, is Danish oil the same a BLO?

OH, yea, about the saw....Ha Ha....Love my DeWalt with blades from Mike.

Thanks again,

Bill

[lucky788scroller]

yes, i use a #3 or a #5 FD-TC (Flying Dutchman Two Way )blade, depending on intricacy. I let the blade do the cutting, i just feed at a slow steady rate. Like was once said "a slow and steady pace wins the race" much over an inch thick on any wood, the TC blades do tend to trap sawdust in the kerf though, then I'd switch to a skip tooth design or a reverse teeth configuration.
As for blo and danish, no they arent the same. Danish contains blo, but smells much less powerful, at least to me, and seems to soak in and really bring out the beauty in the wood.BLO works fine too, i dont care for its smell as much,and being a basement finisher for 9 months of the year,it does matter.Another thing that will work good is what is talked about on here as a wipe-on poly, or wiping varnish, for which their is a great 'recipe' on here in the SSW forum to make your own.
And, if someone has a picture of the ornament I sent, an eagle in a star and could slap it in a message on here for me, I would appreciate it.If not, oh well, its ok too.Dale

[wwalker47]

Thanks for the info, Lucky.

-Bill

[TonyK]

Dale, Thank your for sharing your info for the stack cutting. Tony

[Capt Weasel]

I to just finished the same piece the other day and have been thinking about how to finish it off. I like the Danish idea because I put it on a celtic cross and it really made the grain stand out. As far as the other 2 pieces I don't know yet. Thinking of a Golden Oak on bottom and Provencial or Chestnut on top with the Danish inserts.
My first cuts were with a #1 FD-SR and when I seperated the 2 pieces I tried the same blade but that wasn't gonna work, to hard to control. Switched to a #2/0 SR and it was better but I should have used a backing piece and it would have turned out better, lessoned learned on all the straight cuts. I'm still new to stack cutting and the perks of a backer. I started cutting the Harley-Daavidson pattern from same issue and I used a backer on it and it was alot better and easier to control. First time stacking on my new 788 too.