ray vile's Page

Hi Ray,  Thank you for your kindness and support.  I am glad to hear that you are going to open a web site and will be selling your pens, I am sure you will do well with sales and in fact I do believe you would do well selling some of your other woodworking projects.  You are a talented guy with many good project ideas that would open up a market for you.  It is a good start to maybe a woodworking adventure and would not only give you pocket money for tools and supplies but some profit as well.  Who knows it might go like mine, where my hobby turned into a profitable second career.  It has been a great journey these last 25 years and brought much enjoyment from meeting friends on this site and has left many memories that I shall not forget.

I am getting even if it is slow and have been in the shop building some custom base board  molding for a client and will eventually open up my shop doors and see if the summer months will again become an enjoyment..  I also wish you lived near as I have a long list of client project and it would be an honor to work with you on some of them,  Take care and enjoy your work but work safely.  A friend on the West Coast.  Jay  

Ray sell my pens at craft fairs ,seem too sell a few around fathers day here in the uk as well .I knew I would never make a living at it  ,my pens sell for the u.s. equilvant of $15 or $20 for the more fancy ones.Only sold twelve this year .Novelty pens sell better for example I made a pen for a customer out of the arm of his granddads old rockin chair that had fallen apart .He wanted a keepsake of his dear old granddad who had passed away ,he loved it .Go steady,mick.

hi Ray, been good just super busy.  Just finished that custom crown that I had talked about several months ago for that kitchen that I posted with the tall ceiling.

There are two ways that I would build a skirt for a roung table that is that big. They are:

1. laminating the strips like you talk about above.   This would be bending the strips dry with glue,  You could increase the 1/8 inch strips by steaming the wood in a steaming box.  1/4 inch thick would bend easily aroung a form and clamped until dry and then glued together again around the form.

2. Cut the 1" thick x 1" wide and to a length that would equal about 1/4 around the table.  Steam bend it and allow it to dry around a form and then put these together using a scarf cut joint. If doing it this way I would use a single piece that would go aroung the table keeping the pieces matched end to end.

The easiest is the first but the better look is the second method.   To make a steam box use a piece of abs black  plastic pipe with capped ends. Make one end cap using a threaded fitting which is also abs.  This gives you the method of inserting and removing the wood strips.   Use a wall paper steamer to generate the steam and introduce it in the upper side of one of the pipe and  drill a small 1/4 drain hole in the bottom of the opposite end.  This will allow the water to drain out as the steam turns into water.  Cook these for a good 20 minutes and test them for bending properties.  When soft enough bend them aroung a form that you can make using 3/4inch plywood and some 3/4 ich pegs that you can insert into holes as it comes around the bend.  pegs are easier and faster to install that clamps.  Let the piece dry for a couple days or until dry.  Don't use a hot heat as this will allow the wood fibers to seperate at the top of the bend.

Hint: I have used Donney brand fabric softner suscessfully to hasten the softening of the fibers an it has not harmed the finish.  I do this by placing the wood in a tub of hot water with fabric softener allowing the wood to soak for awhile before placing them into the steam box.  Have fun and post photos when you are finished.  I would love to see your work on here again.

RAY , saw your post to  MICHAEL  ,  Rockler  has  a letter kit   called state park font kit 2 1/4 "  letters  part # 48356  Cost is $50.00  , not trying to butt in on your post to mick , as we are very good friends  , I know he bought his in the UK .  , not sure they would have them here in the states , hope this helps , JIM !!!

No problem at all Ray, glad I could help, I still can't believe that HF doesn't have the bags there for it, that drove me nuts.  The Big Horn bags are cheap, but do a great job!  Merry Christmas to you too!!

Hey Ray, I used to order the bags from Amazon, Big Horn was the name of them.  I remember they were a little bigger than the HF bag, but they worked just fine and I'm pretty sure they were around $10 for 4 bags? I don't remember what size bags they were though. Hope this helps!  Have a good holiday!

hi ray here is my email skidd913@yahoo.com, thanks

Hello Ray,

No, I have not had a chance to get to Willard's yet.  I certainly want to, however it seems I can't get away from the house projects as of yet.  Need a 'spare day' to go.  I'll give a yell when I do.