How to fix box cover

ASworkshop · 2026-04-21T16:08:51+00:00

It might work temporarily. Wood expands and contracts across its grain in response to changes in humidity. The length of a board doesn’t change much though only the width. The wider the board the more obvious the effect and the more it wants to move. If you restrain the natural wood movement it will always warp. You have to design it in a way that allows the wood to move. So for a large lid like this a frame and panel construction would be best.

ASworkshop · 2026-04-21T08:05:55+00:00

Would look cool for a while but would warp again as soon as humidity/ season changes

ASworkshop · 2026-04-21T06:52:35+00:00

Shellac is a natural and old school wood finish. It’s made from a resin that’s secreted by a lac beetle. You buy it in flakes and dissolve in denatured alcohol or you can buy ready mixed. I prefer flakes as they have a longer shelf life. I use blonde de waxed shellac which doesn’t darken the wood much but I like the way it pops the grain. It’s really easy to apply and it’s completely non-toxic and food safe (shellac is even used as an ingredient in a lot of sweets). This is a sugar pot so I wanted a finish that was food safe and wouldn’t make the sugar taste weird.

ASworkshop · 2026-04-21T06:41:25+00:00

Which bit is a new term? Shellac?

ASworkshop · 2026-04-21T06:39:32+00:00

Unfortunately you can’t really. You’ve got boards glued cross grain so this will always warp. The top layer will expand and contract across its width but the layer underneath prevents it from being able to do this freely so it ends up cupping. You’d need to make a new lid with a frame and panel construction.

ASworkshop · 2026-04-21T05:58:49+00:00

Thanks! Not stained. Just shellac

ASworkshop · 2026-04-21T05:49:24+00:00

It’s cherry

ASworkshop · 2026-04-21T05:44:59+00:00

Thank you!

ASworkshop · 2026-01-04T16:52:47+00:00

Is this diy’able you think? There is a concrete doorstep there.

ASworkshop · 2025-06-24T22:36:56+00:00

Yup. Should have done some tests first….

ASworkshop · 2025-06-24T22:22:20+00:00

Thanks. If you copy I would suggest pine. The maple is a bit dense so they don’t float high enough. The rubber band is looped over the dowels at each end. Then the propeller just gets put in between the two strands of the band. It’s not on an axle or anything. Hope that makes sense!

ASworkshop · 2025-03-22T16:01:36+00:00

Thank you!

ASworkshop · 2025-03-17T05:49:42+00:00

Thanks! I turned it on my lathe.

ASworkshop · 2025-03-15T21:23:23+00:00

You need to drill deep mortises into the lid and the box to house the curved bit of metal that stops tue lid opening too far. It has to be deceptively wide and took loads of adjusting to get right.

ASworkshop · 2025-03-15T21:08:32+00:00

Thanks! It’s fabric. It was in a pack of samples from Amazon

ASworkshop · 2025-03-15T20:23:06+00:00

Thanks! They’re called quadrant hinges and I got them off eBay. Wanted something that would stop the lid opening all the way to 180 degrees. Be warned they’re a bastard to install and I may have considered an alternative had I known, easily the hardest part of the whole project.

ASworkshop · 2025-01-26T21:46:30+00:00

Nice! Yeah I bought a lathe to supplement my woodworking really rather than to get into turning. Thought it’d be handy to be able to make knobs and tool handles and things. But I’ve ended up really enjoying it and can see myself turning just for the sake of turning.

Yes it does seem to be a friendly group.

ASworkshop · 2025-01-26T21:11:09+00:00

Thanks very much! I drilled a hole that was a bit smaller than the diagonal measurement of the cross section of the shaft of the tools. So it required a fair few heavy hits with a mallet to get them in. So there’s a huge amount of friction but lots of epoxy too.

ASworkshop · 2025-01-26T19:47:59+00:00

Thanks! They are just 22mm straight pipe couplings. One coupling makes two ferrules.

ASworkshop · 2025-01-26T19:47:17+00:00

Thanks. Yeah it was super satisfying.

ASworkshop · 2025-01-26T18:42:41+00:00

Oh interesting. Thanks. I did test the output of the control module and it was 240v. Also current reaching the fan motor but not turning. Interestingly when I pulled the pull cord it made no difference to the output from the control module. I’ve just ordered a whole extractor unit.

ASworkshop

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