Pirate Treasure Chest

:astonished:

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One of the things that I make on a very regular basis are wooden mugs. I make them “slat style” and I think that technique would work very well on this project as well (specifically the Lid).

Each “slat” is the same width and height (adjust to fit the application) and you need to cut each of them to be a trapezoid shape (when looking at the “end grain” of the piece). The angle of the cut depends on the number of slats that you are using. 180/(# of slats * 2 edges) <-- 180 because you are only making a half circle for the lid, # of slats times two to accommodate each edge of each piece.

Hope that is useful! If doing this completely on the GF, then it means that it would need the chamfer ability to cut the angle on each “slat”

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That is very interesting, because I was considering using slats for the lid (it would look better with a less rounded top), but i knew it wouldn’t work as well without a chamfer on it, and i wasn’t sure the GF would be able to cut one.

It would be an awesomely cool ability to have, if they could pull it off! (It would certainly be on my wish list for down the road.)

I’ve thought about a cooperage design for a mug. I just figured it would be easier to set up a jig with plane to plane off the chamfer of the slats. But a Glowforge cut champfer would be sweet.

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Here is a photo of one of my mugs.

It’s made from 4 different types of wood, Curly Maple, Purpleheart, Bloodwood and Mahogany. Nothing is stained. I’ve used it for about 3 years now and I’m currently completing work on a new mug that has 15 different woods, one for each slat. I hope to have pictures of it completed sometime next week.

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If you’re willing to build a jig to hold your pieces at an angle, chamfering should be no problem. With 2" of vertical space available, you can tip even a pretty big piece.

Regular flat cutting also produces a chamfer (in some materials) but it might not be enough for practical purposes. (And then there’s the variable-depth engraving, which could simulate a chamfer but would probably need a bunch of testing. If you got really good control of depth you could do the kerf-bending thing, which would make chest tops particularly sweet.)

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Wow! That is just gorgeous! Must take quite a while to do those, I’d bet?)

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I’ve worked out all the kinks in the system and I can make the wooden part of the mug in 3 evenings, and then the epoxy I use takes another 3 days to cure. So I can make a mug start to finish in a weeks worth of evenings. Typically I’ll make 2 or 3 mugs at the same time.

The one you see in the picture holds about 32 oz of liquid, about a nalgene’s worth.

For fun I made a mug that holds approximately 2 gallons of liquid, I call it my party mug :wink:

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Cool! :smile:

Looks awesome!

That’s a very nice mug. What do you use to waterproof it, how do you apply it and how long does it normally last? Also, what method do you use to mount the handle to the mug? I’ve been trying to find these answers out for a while yet can’t seem to find an answer. Does it handle coffee or other hot drinks? Thanks in advance for any help you could provide. :slight_smile:

@wcwoodturning, I use Epoxy (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Parks-1-qt-Gloss-Super-Glaze-Finish-and-Preservative-241352/202056337) inside the mugs and Lacquer for the outside. My first Mug was made 3-4 years ago and I’m still using that mug with no issues. Out of the 15 or more mugs that I’ve made since then, only one has come back with a minor leak, a small application of more epoxy fixed it. This Epoxy has held up to multiple uses of Hot beverages (Hot Chocolate, hot Mulled Cider, Hot Mulled Wine, and more) as well as iced beverages.

For Mounting the handle, I make sure both surfaces that will meet with the mug are flat and level with each other (much easier if you flatten the side of the wood before you cut the handle out of it). I then take a blade and intentionally mar the surfaces. I mark the areas on the mug where the handle will meet with it and mar those surfaces as well. I use Titebond III and apply it to the open ends on the mug handle and then apply a little bit of salt (prevents it from slipping). I then press it to the mug and I use two clamps to hold it in place.

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As promised, Here is a photo of the latest mugs that I completed this past weekend.

Left Mug is a 15 Sided Purpleheart Mug holds about 40 oz of liquid.

Back Mug is a 6 Sided Wenge and Walnut Mug holds about 40 oz of liquid.

Front Mug is a 5 Sided Purpleheart and Curly Maple holds about 12 oz of liquid.

Right Mug is a narrow 15 Sided Mug holds about 32 oz of liquid. It has 15 different types of wood. Dark Bicote, Leopardwood, Zebrawood, Brazilian Rosewood, Cherry, Curly Maple, Bloodwood, Walnut, Purpleheart, Hickory, Wenge, Yellowheart, Bicote, Soft Maple, and Mahogany.

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Wow, this is really cool. I think It would make me constantly want some mead though. :wink:

Very nice craftsmanship.

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Thank you, so far, this is one of my favorite things to make. And…yeah…Mead, Cider, Rum and Coke…

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Love the little five sided one…but nix the mead. If you’ve never experienced “Mead Head”, trust me, it is not something that is easily survivable.

I still get flashbacks.:confounded:

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@julybighouse thank you SO much for the info! I’ve been wanting to make a mug for years and now think I’m ready to finally make one with confidence.

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Damn it man, projects to do pile up quicker than even books to read. This just went to my top 25 list though. So much potential for doing awesome things.

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Very cool!

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