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Celtic Knot Fail, 4 attempts :-(

Bammer

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Tried this today following the Bandsaw Tutorial

1st attempt, Tulipwood, 2nd cut Bang, snapped while cutting.

2nd attempt, Tulipwood, realised blade cutting wider than the 1mm sheet I got, carry on regardless, all glued so tried it on the lathe, looked good until ... Bang, came apart :vangry:

3rd attempt, Tulipwood, got mitre box out, couldn't find tenon saw so used hacksaw, all glued up and tried it on the lathe ... Bang, came apart again :vangry:

4th attempt, Sycamore, found tenon saw, better cuts, nice tight fit, figured I should glue the tubes in as it may help to hold it together. :vangry:

Thought I had cracked it but as it turned down it was obvious I hadn't ..... :sob::sob::sob:

Here's the result, sorry about the pics Vic, had to use phone

IMG_3497.jpgIMG_3498.jpgIMG_3502.jpg

What did I do wrong ... I was sure it was cut correctly ... guess I was wrong ... :monkon:
 

Jim

Grand Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
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15,617
Practice on thicker pieces of wood Brad, you will soon crack this my friend .. We all probably had the same issues with our first attempts .. :whistling:
 

Macaronytony

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Are you cutting straight through or leaving the blank intact, if cutting through then you don't need to worry about the saw kerf and the insert being the same thickness . Gluing is important even with super glue I leave it overnight before turning.

You didn't say what the insert material is, you need to rough up the mating surfaces well. Accuracy is your best friend all 4 cuts need to be the same. It is worth the bother when one comes out right. Best of luck..:thumbs:
 

Bammer

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Are you cutting straight through or leaving the blank intact, if cutting through then you don't need to worry about the saw kerf and the insert being the same thickness . Gluing is important even with super glue I leave it overnight before turning.

You didn't say what the insert material is, you need to rough up the mating surfaces well. Accuracy is your best friend all 4 cuts need to be the same. It is worth the bother when one comes out right. Best of luck..:thumbs:

It is Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene

Yes I was leaving the blank intact, that's why I had to stop using the bandsaw. I've ordered some 2mm so hopefully I can use the bandsaw to get consistant cuts. I will have a nother go tomorrow with the tenon saw. Still can't figure out why the variation.

I did rough it up.

But must confess I didn't know there was a protective film on the bloody stuff til the 1st effort went pop ..:banghead:
 

Grump

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You either didn't cut deep enuff into the blank or drilled down the side instead of center of knot.
You have turned off the edge of insert by the looks of that Brad.
Reload, try again and take note of what Tony says above.
Good luck mate.
 

silver

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:thinks: all good advice, looks like when turned down you are not drilling in the centre of the blank or the knott isn't in the centre of the blank.

2mm is ok but you in my opinion you will have a chunky looking knott, on a pen it would look heavy.

If the blank is square make sure you have a squared line around all four sides so the cut of the knott is in exactly the right place every time.

What angle have you cut the knott at?

But first attempts are looking good.
 

Bammer

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It's cut at 45 degrees ..

Had a stop block in the mitre box so cuts "should" have been in the right place. I will have a nother go and make sure to take heed of all the advice ... we shall see
 

silver

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It's cut at 45 degrees ..

Had a stop block in the mitre box so cuts "should" have been in the right place. I will have a nother go and make sure to take heed of all the advice ... we shall see

:thinks:, can you get steeper than 45 on you sled? If so go to 50 or 55 ish. Depending on the thickness of the blank Nd finished pen, I tend to go at a steeper angle. Been as far out as 60 and looks good.
 

Bammer

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:thinks:, can you get steeper than 45 on you sled? If so go to 50 or 55 ish. Depending on the thickness of the blank Nd finished pen, I tend to go at a steeper angle. Been as far out as 60 and looks good.

I think i'll try and get this bugger mastered first :thinks:
 

davidj44

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At moments like this I am often heard to say "oh bother!".:rolling: Happened on Friday. Dodgy blank turned, filled holes with ca and sawdust, finished - beautiful - then "ping!" and a bit fell off the end and vanished.:sob: Life is full of learning experiences but all the advice and encouragement from the amazing friends on this forum helps to smooth out the rough patches. Keep at it - I haven't tried knots but when I do I'll be learning from your experience!
 

Lons

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It is Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene

But must confess I didn't know there was a protective film on the bloody stuff til the 1st effort went pop ..:banghead:

You must have looked that up Brad, it's just ABS to the rest of us :devil: Had to laugh at the film though as brought back memories of a complaint from a customer 30 years ago that the clear Perspex he bought from us was white - yep you guessed it :bwink::chuckle:

You can get free abs from kids toys, suitcases, plastic car parts (scrapyards) and quite a lot of household goods so keep an eye open in the skips and recycling centres though it's not expensive to buy in sheets.
 

alan m

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i think you should start with wood inlays until you get the hang of the basics. , then you can narrow down why you are failing with abs
 

Bill Mooney

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All good advice Brad. I would love to make pens with these knots but unfortunately it's beyond me now. Best of luck.:thumbs:
 

Bammer

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Better result this evening, still not entirely happy, not symmetrical.
IMG_3503.jpgIMG_3504.jpg

Better but not quite there, noticed the cuts were wavering a litte.
Also realised that the tenon saw is not giving a smooth cut, same as the bandsaw but to a lesser extent.

Pleased that I got something sort of there but not quite.

Need to figure out how I can get a good cut but in finish and squareness, new tenon saw and mitre box, or better blade in the bandsaw (but how long would that last when cutting bowl blanks etc)

Thanks for all the adice fella's, gratefully appreciated.:thumbs:

Cheers

Brad
 
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