Bracelet and presentation box made from Cocobolo

[stvrowe]

This project is the smallest I have built and will be a Christmas gift for my mother.  All of the cocobolo for this project was from a piece 1" x 3" x 14" and there wasn't much left when the project was finished.  I bookmatched the shop made veneer and used West System epoxy to apply it to the top of the box.  I used Soss 8mm barrel hinges and small rare earth magnets for the catch.  Power sanding was with the Rotex RO90 and Granat paper through 1500 grit followed by 2000 grit Platin 2.  When sanding the profiled sides, I used an interface pad with the Granat paper and it worked great.  I did notice that the 500 grit and up paper did load up somewhat which I expected with cocobolo.  For the final finishing, I used the Beall buffing system with white diamond and carnauba wax. 
For the top and bottom lining I used self adhesive felt which was applied to the plywood top and bottoms prior to box assembly.  I used a cling wrap to protect the felt and then cut it away with a knife after the project was finished.

For the bracelet, I used some 5mm diameter dyed beads as accents between the cocobolo beads.  I used 1mm stretch bead cord for bracelet assembly.

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[Walk On Wood]

Wow Steve, awesome work!! I work with quite a few exotics, but I'm not familiar with Cocobolo, where does it grow?

 

[jacko9]

Nice job Steve and great utilization of a small chunk of wood!

Jack

 

[erock]

[thumbs up]  Nice work Steve!

Eric

 

[Slappy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocobolo

 

[leer]

Steve,

Nice work!  I love cocobolo,  I've turned a couple pens using it, but I've never used it for anything else.  I did find it to turn nicely.

 

[stvrowe]

Thanks guys.  Cocobolo grows in Central America.  I really like the looks and feel of the wood.  Even with the superior dust collection of Festool, I always wear a respirator working with this wood.  I also wipe the wood with either lacquer thinner or acetone prior to gluing and so far so good.  One thing I did learn the hard way on a different project - don't waste your time trying to use any oil based finish on cocobolo as it will not cure.  I have even tried  building a heat box and leaving the project in it for 3 days yet it remained tacky.  Shellac and lacquer work fine as a finish if you wish to apply one.

Steve

 

[jacko9]

Thanks guys.  Cocobolo grows in Central America.  I really like the looks and feel of the wood.  Even with the superior dust collection of Festool, I always wear a respirator working with this wood.  I also wipe the wood with either lacquer thinner or acetone prior to gluing and so far so good.  One thing I did learn the hard way on a different project - don't waste your time trying to use any oil based finish on cocobolo as it will not cure.  I have even tried  building a heat box and leaving the project in it for 3 days yet it remained tacky.  Shellac and lacquer work fine as a finish if you wish to apply one.

Steve

Steve,

You can seal the wood with a few coats of shellac and let it cure for at least a few days and then apply a General Finishes Oil&Urethane finish on it if you need moisture resistance.

Jack

 

[stvrowe]

I am making some more boxes out of Mesquite and am doing several videos on the process.  This is a tip I put together for lining the top and bottom of the box with felt.

Tips for lining bottoms and lids of boxes with felt

 

[peter halle]

Great Tip!

Thanks Steve.  Am looking forward to your videos.

Peter

 

[Slappy]

Cool , nice tips !  [popcorn]

 

[Slappy]

I am making some more boxes out of Mesquite and am doing several videos on the process.  This is a tip I put together for lining the top and bottom of the box with felt.

Tips for lining bottoms and lids of boxes with felt

Ya gotta link to the epoxy your using on the Veneers ?

 

[stvrowe]

I am making some more boxes out of Mesquite and am doing several videos on the process.  This is a tip I put together for lining the top and bottom of the box with felt.

Tips for lining bottoms and lids of boxes with felt

Ya gotta link to the epoxy your using on the Veneers ?

Lee Valley carries the West System Epoxy.  I am using the slow curing hardener. 

West System Epoxy

If you want the gallon size kit, try a boatbuilders supply place.
Steve

 

[Slappy]

thanX Steve  [wink]

 

[nclemmons]

Nice tip, Steve.

I'm surprised you can cut all the saran wrap and not have any exposed around the edges?

Great tip I'll have to try.  Liked the idea of finishing the interior before assembly as well.

thanks for sharing

neil

 

[stvrowe]

This is parts 1 and 2 of the box build.  I am quite new at the video making so any suggestions are appreciated.  Also, if you want to see something specific as the build continues, let me know and I will try to get that included in the future videos for this build. 

Part 1 - Box Build

Part 2 - Box Build

 

[stvrowe]

This is Part 3 of the box build;

Box Build - Part 3

 

[Slappy]

Steve is the Cocobolo hard to work with ?

, I've read that it's dust is really bad / hard on the skin & mucus membranes

 

[stvrowe]

Steve is the Cocobolo hard to work with ?

, I've read that it's dust is really bad / hard on the skin & mucus membranes

I have read similar notes and apparently some people have a reaction to its sawdust similar to a poison ivy breakout.  I have not experienced this myself but, when I am milling or sanding Cocobolo, I always wear a protective mask even with the excellent dust extraction provided by Festool.  With this species I just don't want to take any unnecessary risks. 

I should note that the video series is using Mesquite and not Cocobolo.

 

[Slappy]

that pre-cutting of the groove before slicing the box in half a  is brilliant step , I'd never would have thought of that  [doh]  ,
I get it ! it's the things that you before having the box make that the final clean up simple  .
I'm glad you did the Vid series ,  you've triggered my thought process to think what can I do forward that would lead to better result at the end stage  .
[thanks] ThanX for taking time to do this !  [thumbs up]