View Full Version : Piano box
Here are the Wips of my current project, a piano box. This project is one that i promised my gf that i would make for her since last year but, as is usually the case with my personal projects, is taking forever to finish.
The piano keys im using here came from the piano of my gf that was destroyed due to Ondoy last year. Since the piano meant a lot to her i salvaged what i could and told her i'd make something out of it.
So here's the build.
I wanted to use wood which i did not use regularly so i decided on dao for the box, mahogany and livas for the cover then ribbon grain ply for the box bottom.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_8425.jpg
preparing the stock. i actually started using the easy route and i ran my stock on the jointer/thicknesser in the shop where my brother works. Since im doing things on the fly, i had to use handplanes when i changed dimensions and had no time to go to the planer.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_8429.jpg
Because im not yet proficient in the use of the leigh jig to do dovetails, i opted to use box joints instead
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_8836.jpg
I have used the leigh jig before to make box joints and it came out fine, unfortunately i had several mistakes in doing this one. I guess i wasnt in the right state of mind when doing this.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_8838.jpg
Good thing i was able to remedy it with some scraps of the same material
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_8839.jpg
Dry fit of the finger joints
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_8840.jpg
Next i routed the dado for the bottom ply to fit into.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_8852.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_8854.jpg
Cut the ribbon grain ply with the jigsaw. I used the bosch extra clean blades on this one and had almost no tear out. I sanded the edges after to prevent damage to the ply once inserted into the dado.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_8857.jpg
Dry fit again
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_8855.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_8864.jpg
timber715
06-08-2010, 04:07 AM
nice looking box Moji. Is that Dao?
Yup its dao. Because of its grain pattern its very prone to tearout even when i used a thicknesser.
timber715
06-08-2010, 02:30 PM
Yup its dao. Because of its grain pattern its very prone to tearout even when i used a thicknesser.
hmmmm, I should be trying that soon...
jarod
06-08-2010, 02:46 PM
Very nice project! Nothing beats doing a project for your loved one. No time limit and they would like it for sure! (kasi mahal ka nila :p)
Actually matagal na ko kinukulit ng gf ko sa box na to... hehe!
Maybe i placed the boards in wrong when i used the thicknesser.. at that time i didn't really think about grain direction. maybe that's why it tore out at some areas.
rolly
06-08-2010, 04:23 PM
stig. . . .
beebeenator
06-08-2010, 05:45 PM
Moji
i noticed you have an addtional fence for the edge guide attachment to the gmr-1
how did you attach the fence? i have been having trouble with entering point and exitiing point with an edge guided dado cut
Moji
i noticed you have an addtional fence for the edge guide attachment to the gmr-1
how did you attach the fence? i have been having trouble with entering point and exitiing point with an edge guided dado cut
I just screwed the ply wood strip to the original fence. The fence has holes in them, add screws from the back, just make sure it doesn't protrude out the front.
Bait naman ng GF mo Moji. Box lang at hindi piano pinagawa sa iyo :)
Kidding aside kaya ba mag DIY ng piano. I know some guys at TPC or probably here na make Electric Guitars.:)
haha just to make it clear, this won't be producing sound..
as for making a diy piano, maybe electric? like a organ.. but i think it would be extremely difficult..
timber715
06-09-2010, 02:16 AM
an electric guitar is peanuts compared to a piano build, but everything is doable as long as wood is the medium... hehehe
Got some work done today,
Handplaned the mahogany to make it square
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_8966.jpg
Cut to strips..this would have been waaay faster and easier with a table saw..but i have none so the jigsaw will have to do..
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_8971.jpg
I sanded the box parts to 220 grit with the ROS...now its quite smooth..
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_8974.jpg
jarod
06-09-2010, 02:01 PM
Very nice build and alterntive tips.
I noticed your pretty saw horse, are there still available units of these around?
beebeenator
06-09-2010, 06:32 PM
i saw one dati sa Wilcon libis. I think there are two sizes. But i havent seen it lately
One disadvantage is that its not as stable as one would want but the jaws are really neat. It also has dog holes
i don't know if they still sell the workmate..i haven't seen them around lately..got this at true value.
Done a bit of work on the box lately but still not done
Glue up of the box. It sucks if you have too little clamps. At least it glued up properly.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/P6120796.jpg
trimmed the excess after drying
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/P6130801.jpg
Now to focus on the lid.
Cut the miters on the cms
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/P6130798.jpg
Mock up of the lid with the piano keys.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/P6130799.jpg
The rear of the lid will be a solid piece of mahogany which would also cover part of the keys.
Cut the mahogany to rough size. Im really happy i got the cms..its one of my most used power tools..
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/P6150836.jpg
Flattened one side. The grain was very nice on this one
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/P6150839.jpg
To finish the other side, i marked the width i want then plane to the line
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/P6160843.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/P6160844.jpg
timber715
06-29-2010, 01:23 AM
nice work Moji, I assume you had difficulty cleaning the excess off the endgrain of the finger joints? I use chisels to pare them clean them until it is low enough for the block plane, it avoids tears...
Finish off with a smoothing plane
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/P6160848.jpg
nice work Moji, I assume you had difficulty cleaning the excess off the endgrain of the finger joints? I use chisels to pare them clean them until it is low enough for the block plane, it avoids tears...
It was a bit difficult..I planed towards the center of the box and tightened up the mouth on my block plane to minimize tears. Good thing too that my block plane is low angle.
Not much time to work on this as i would like, but i spilled some BLO on my work table while doing something else. So instead of letting it go to waste, i applied it to the inside of the box. The chatoyance of the dao and ribbon grain ply made me excited about finishing this project.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/P7040950.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/P7040947.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/P7040951.jpg
To me it came out Great Moji.
john-jo
07-16-2010, 02:16 PM
Its a superb piece of work. Bravo !
jonathanscruz68
07-22-2010, 07:13 AM
sir moji,i've noticed your handplanes.is some of your stuff shopmade?gara kasi ng handplanes mo,especially the stickered once...familiar lang kasi ako sa stanley planes,at sa mga handmade na nakikita ko na binebenta sa bangketa...looking firward to see you guys.thanks
sir moji,i've noticed your handplanes.is some of your stuff shopmade?gara kasi ng handplanes mo,especially the stickered once...familiar lang kasi ako sa stanley planes,at sa mga handmade na nakikita ko na binebenta sa bangketa...looking firward to see you guys.thanks
My handplanes were all bought, those wooden planes that you mention are Mujingfang planes which i got in Hong Kong and are also available online. I actually don't have any shopmade planes but i would want to make one in the future. Maybe something like a Krenov style handplane..
Finally! After more than a year its finally done! :p
It was a mad rush to the finish in time for christmas..
Final coat of BLO
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_1632.jpg
Hinges from Hafele, needed a bit of polishing
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_1619.jpg
True Value has a nice selection of screws and small items from the US. Antique brass screws, expensive though @P20 each but looks nice.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_1629.jpg
The base with shellac coating
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_1672.jpg
Cut the mortise for the hinges
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_1624.jpg
I really like this feature, laser cut elephant graphic. Came out really nice.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_1641.jpg
Assembled the top
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_1674.jpg
Finished pics..the camera didn't do the box justice.. the shellac finish is really first rate, first time to use it and it came out great. very easy to use. Thanks Timb for the shellac!
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_0115.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_0110.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_0113.jpg
Luckily found a brass looking chain at Ace. The scale was just right.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_0118.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/IMG_0108.jpg
timber715
12-24-2010, 02:40 AM
very nice Moji, you'll get a big hug and kiss for the work... might get slapped for the delay, but there is still a kiss after... that's for sure :p
She opened it na yesterday. Really loved it! Even her family appreciated it since the keys are all that remains of their piano.
timber715
12-24-2010, 02:51 AM
She opened it na yesterday. Really loved it! Even her family appreciated it since the keys are all that remains of their piano.
so, what did you get? another trip to Thailand perhaps? :D
Haha...she loves elephants kasi..her collection of elephant figurines used to be on top of the piano..kaya may graphic nun elephant
jonathanscruz68
12-24-2010, 06:17 AM
Finally! After more than a year its finally done! :
no time limit for creating such a wonderful work, it's a work of art. excellent job moji. the details from inside and out, very clean. the wood grain patern, is impressive, from the finishing itself, it was a very good "shellac-ing" experience :p and the elephant graphics! WOW !!! "she" will be very proud!
Thanks Jonathan. Yes it was a good project to test shellac. A traditional piano finish for a piano box hehe!
Very nice unique box Moji. All the while I thought it was a box to store the piano keys only.
Truly one of a kind.
violaine
12-24-2010, 06:59 PM
masterfully crafted!
our time given for free...
like i said elsewhere...sometimes its the journey that is more enjoyable than the destination.
cheers to you moji!
jarod
12-24-2010, 10:41 PM
Plus 10,000 pogi points nanaman si Mojito! :D
mrjasonbourne
12-29-2010, 04:33 PM
The rear of the lid will be a solid piece of mahogany which would also cover part of the keys.
Cut the mahogany to rough size. Im really happy i got the cms..its one of my most used power tools..
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/P6150836.jpg
Flattened one side. The grain was very nice on this one
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/P6150839.jpg
To finish the other side, i marked the width i want then plane to the line
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/P6160843.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Mojito00/piano%20box/P6160844.jpg
Nice scrub plane moji. Aggressive cuts! Ang bilis habulin ah
timber715
12-29-2010, 10:24 PM
malaki kasi two front teeth nyang scrub plane na yan eh...
Its fun using than scrub...really takes out chunks of wood..
jarod
12-30-2010, 12:42 AM
I feel like browsing Lee Valley tools website when I get to see Mojito's hand tools :D
timber715
12-30-2010, 01:05 AM
the only vital tool Moji needs that most hand tool guys have... is a WORKBENCH... time to make one bro, you'll enjoy your handplanes 3x more. guaranteed!
Yup, i want one..hopefully i start building one by next year. I really can't plane well with my current setup as the plywood top has already delaminated.
mrjasonbourne
01-29-2011, 11:57 PM
I feel like browsing Lee Valley tools website when I get to see Mojito's hand tools :D
Hey jarod
I'm guessing you like knives:) Saw your S&W post (with the LED light) somewhere... Here's one from LV (http://www.leevalley.com/US/garden/page.aspx?p=61517&cat=2,40725,45454,61517).
http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/6161/img2496ve.jpg
Liner lock with firesteel. For wood hunting or In case of a zombie apocalypse;) hehe
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