aggierailroad
Well-known member
Not much here, you can probably make this in an afternoon, especially if you dumb down the design like I did.
I like the simplicity of the passive amplifiers that are making their rounds with the tech guys on the web. I wanted something that would allow me to listen to music while getting ready in the morning without disturbing the wife. There are some over the top designs out there that are really neat, just not for my recently acquired minimalist design feelings - you get the idea if you saw my "cube" walnut and steel end table build on here.
Anyways, I stumbled upon this design by Timothy Wikander. The concept won some design awards on a blog I follow: www.core77.com.
I dumbed down the construction of this one to favor simplicity. It's a really elegant piece, but had too many parts in my opinion. For one, I deleted the felt. I might add some to future pieces, but it's too expensive/hard to get to make just one and doesn't add much value. I haven't noticed any ringing or vibrations from the bowl in case you were worried about that.
I also deleted the t-nuts and bolts. Wood glue works just great for this low-stress item. Maybe if I had the felt I would use one bolt, but it would be hidden/countersunk.
I also didn't round the corners. I think the squareness contrasts nicely with the round bowl. I digress, onward to the good stuff:
First, I made a jig to do the glue ups. When you apply glue to two surfaces and clamp them together, they tend to want to skate around because of the wetted surfaces. I put together this quick guide that would ensure my corners were all square. Note: I probably wouldn't have done this if I didn't plan on making 10 or so.
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Here's the first tester getting glued up. I think it's jutoba and padauk in the middle. Oh yeah, I had a good friend of mine help me plane and thickness sand the wood down. This is a big negative for most folks doing this project. However, you can usually buy 3/8" "project" exotics at stores like Rockler and WoodCraft or online if you don't have a planer.
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Line the edges of your jig with packing tape to keep the glue squeeze out from giving you a big mess.
Here's the finished product, sanded to 220, rubbed with mineral oil and with little vinyl bumpers on the bottom. Bowl is the one from Crate and Barrel, but with a "handmade" texture on it.
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Close up:
Total time, including the jig... maybe 1 hour. The only money I have in it is the $4 for the bowl. The wood was donated from a scrap bin.
Thanks for looking.
I like the simplicity of the passive amplifiers that are making their rounds with the tech guys on the web. I wanted something that would allow me to listen to music while getting ready in the morning without disturbing the wife. There are some over the top designs out there that are really neat, just not for my recently acquired minimalist design feelings - you get the idea if you saw my "cube" walnut and steel end table build on here.
Anyways, I stumbled upon this design by Timothy Wikander. The concept won some design awards on a blog I follow: www.core77.com.
I dumbed down the construction of this one to favor simplicity. It's a really elegant piece, but had too many parts in my opinion. For one, I deleted the felt. I might add some to future pieces, but it's too expensive/hard to get to make just one and doesn't add much value. I haven't noticed any ringing or vibrations from the bowl in case you were worried about that.
I also deleted the t-nuts and bolts. Wood glue works just great for this low-stress item. Maybe if I had the felt I would use one bolt, but it would be hidden/countersunk.
I also didn't round the corners. I think the squareness contrasts nicely with the round bowl. I digress, onward to the good stuff:
First, I made a jig to do the glue ups. When you apply glue to two surfaces and clamp them together, they tend to want to skate around because of the wetted surfaces. I put together this quick guide that would ensure my corners were all square. Note: I probably wouldn't have done this if I didn't plan on making 10 or so.
Here's the first tester getting glued up. I think it's jutoba and padauk in the middle. Oh yeah, I had a good friend of mine help me plane and thickness sand the wood down. This is a big negative for most folks doing this project. However, you can usually buy 3/8" "project" exotics at stores like Rockler and WoodCraft or online if you don't have a planer.
Line the edges of your jig with packing tape to keep the glue squeeze out from giving you a big mess.
Here's the finished product, sanded to 220, rubbed with mineral oil and with little vinyl bumpers on the bottom. Bowl is the one from Crate and Barrel, but with a "handmade" texture on it.
Close up:
Total time, including the jig... maybe 1 hour. The only money I have in it is the $4 for the bowl. The wood was donated from a scrap bin.
Thanks for looking.