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Oriental 'Whirligig'

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Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby Woodbloke » 13 Nov 2020, 18:17

...or that's what SWIMBO calls them :D I made a more simple version of this a couple of years ago after having seen a few in Kyoto. SWIMBO liked it so much that my arm has been twisted progressively higher and higher to make another one...or two as the case may be as this one is going 'oop narth' to Carlisle very shortly for my daughter's Christmas present from the WoD (Workshop of Dad :D )

I recollect when I made the first one that these are a complete and utter pain in the ar$e to make and they haven't got any easier :(

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This one is English Walnut and the only saving grace of these bloody things is that you don't need to use very much timber; in fact it's a good way of using up odd n'sods that are loafing around.

Construction is by making four laminated semicircular hoops, each laminate being 2mm thick, shooting them each identical and joining with a walnut spline, where the slots are cut using a spline joint router bit. If the hoops aren't identical (or as near as damn it) it tends to throw the whole subsequent build out of kilter :(

It's absolutely critical that the each semicircular section is passed through a drum sander to bring it to size; if I didn't have one I wouldn't even dream of trying to make a whirligig!

I couldn't think of any sensible way of building this so I made a baseboard, stuck on the working drawing and then used some adjustable 'L' shaped brackets to hold each hoop in place.

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The supports between each hoop are doweled in place using some 3mm bar-b-que bamboo skewers as dowels and that little process proved tricky in itself, but I bought some tiny Japanese brass sash cramps which should make the process easier for the next one.

Having got the two hoops doweled together, the inside and outside of the supports are made level with the curvature of the circular hoop; again, not fun.

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I started doing the shelves by making the three dovetailed 'L' sections. The positions of the 6mm router cut grooves in the shelves are found by simply sighting over the top of the plan (in much the same way as we used to build [and still do] balsa model aircraft) and then cutting on the router table. It's then just a question of working out a logical sequence to cut and glue in each shelf in turn, leaving plenty sticking outside the hoop for trimming off later.

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The stand is pretty straight forward, being a dovetailed open box with a couple of 'scoops' bearing cut to match the curvature of the hoops.

Once everything was cleaned up and sanded there was a fair bit of filling with glue/sawdust because it's well nigh impossible to bring everything up really tight. The ones I've seen in Japan are covered with a thick, gloopy lacquer type finish which probably disguises all the filler that's been used in the constuction! Once all the sanding has been done (internal corners :evil: ) it was finished with two coats of Liberon Finishing Oil and then this morning denibbed and given a goodly slathering of wax polish from CHT.

I have SWIMBO's to start next week :( Deepest joy; onwards and upwards - Rob
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby Malc2098 » 13 Nov 2020, 18:38

Nice....and commiserations! :)
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby Mike G » 13 Nov 2020, 19:00

I remember the last one you did.

Walnut strikes me as a good choice for something like that, as it is easy to work with. When doing something so tricky, you don't want to be fighting the wood too. I can just imagine the frustration involved if one component wasn't just completely bang-on....
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby RogerM » 13 Nov 2020, 19:21

Great! Looking forward to the WIP on this one. :obscene-drinkingcheers:
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby DaveL » 13 Nov 2020, 20:19

That does look very good, no wonder you get asked to make more.
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby Andyp » 13 Nov 2020, 20:48

Yep. Well worth the aggravations.
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby MattS » 13 Nov 2020, 21:57

I remember the last one, you make lots of good stuff but I really like these, very impressive!
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby Woodbloke » 21 Nov 2020, 20:10

The second 'whirligig' is under way. The hoops have been joined and I'm in the process of gluing in the spacer rails with teeny tiny bits of 3mm bamboo barbque skewers:

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SWIMBO bought me some of these Japanese brass cramps and for this delicate gluing, they're fantastic; highly recommended. The last spacer is yet to be glued tomorrow and you can see the pencil alignment marks on the hoop (transferred from the drawing) which correspond to the bevel on the spacer - Rob
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby Cabinetman » 26 Nov 2020, 11:13

Very nice Rob, I can imagine how many hours you’ve put into that. You say you have to put it through a drum sander, I think if it was me (not having a drum sander for starters) I would make a curved cut through a piece of ply and then hold the two bits of ply in the vice squeezing the lamination between them then plane the edges one piece at a time, Ian
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby Woodbloke » 26 Nov 2020, 18:48

Cabinetman wrote:Very nice Rob, I can imagine how many hours you’ve put into that. You say you have to put it through a drum sander, I think if it was me (not having a drum sander for starters) I would make a curved cut through a piece of ply and then hold the two bits of ply in the vice squeezing the lamination between them then plane the edges one piece at a time, Ian

Thanks Ian. As I'm now on the third one of the things, they do get easier over time, where all the initial 'niggles' have been ironed out. The semi-circular hoops were laminated with Cascamite, which as you're aware sets glass hard :shock: and I really didn't fancy trying to plane the edge of 16 half hoops with my Veritas LA jack, so the 16-32 drum sander took away all the hard 'grunt'. It was surprisingly easy by passing four through at a time (spooned together) to bring them spot on to size but I've now run out of bamboo skewers and some are arriving at the weekend courtesy of EvilBay, so other projects have been filling in the intervening time - Rob
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby Cabinetman » 27 Nov 2020, 11:43

Yes Cascamite is a bit unfriendly! I’ve just used ordinary PVA for my laminations in the past, I have also, on slightly larger pieces than yours put them across my planer and then through the thicknesser. Ian
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby 9fingers » 27 Nov 2020, 12:10

I always understood a whirligig had moving parts and unually wind driven.
This seems to be completely passive/static unless I've misunderstood.

It ain't go no "Whirl" :lol:

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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby Woodbloke » 27 Nov 2020, 13:36

9fingers wrote:It ain't go no "Whirl" :lol:

Bob

I'll leave you to 'discuss' :eusa-whistle: that with SWIMBO Bob :lol: - Rob
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby 9fingers » 27 Nov 2020, 14:24

Woodbloke wrote:
9fingers wrote:It ain't go no "Whirl" :lol:

Bob

I'll leave you to 'discuss' :eusa-whistle: that with SWIMBO Bob :lol: - Rob


There is no call to be like that! I thought we were mates :lol: :lol:

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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby Woodbloke » 27 Nov 2020, 15:58

9fingers wrote:
There is no call to be like that! I thought we were mates :lol: :lol:

Bob

Indeed absolutely Bob, but over the decades I've learned (you too no doubt) that it's by far the best plan of action to agree 100% with SWIMBO, even if at times one is at times visibly screwing up the eyeballs and internally wincing :lol: :lol: - Rob
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby Andyp » 27 Nov 2020, 16:21

Whirligig is what our washing gets hung on.
Yours is much nicer though Rob.
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby RogerM » 27 Nov 2020, 16:31

Woodbloke wrote:Indeed absolutely Bob, but over the decades I've learned (you too no doubt) that it's by far the best plan of action to agree 100% with SWIMBO, even if at times one is at times visibly screwing up the eyeballs and internally wincing :lol: :lol: - Rob


:text-+1:

These are the rules in our house :

Rule 1. SWMBO is always right.
Rule 2. In the event of SWMBO being wrong, Rule 1 applies.
Rule 3. SWMBO may not always be right, but there is rarely anything to be gained by proving her wrong!

Christopher Robin had the right idea.

"What are you doing? " said Pooh"
"Nothing" said Christopher Robin.
"How do you do "Nothing"?" said Pooh.
"Well" said Christopher Robin, "When they ask you what you're doing, you say "Nothing", and then you go away and do it". :lol:
Last edited by RogerM on 27 Nov 2020, 16:34, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby 9fingers » 27 Nov 2020, 16:34

Summat a bit more like this perhaps
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Whirligig-Wood ... B07CL93LYX

Bob
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby Woodbloke » 27 Nov 2020, 18:43

RogerM wrote:These are the rules in our house :

Rule 1. SWMBO is always right.
Rule 2. In the event of SWMBO being wrong, Rule 1 applies.
Rule 3. SWMBO may not always be right, but there is rarely anything to be gained by proving her wrong!


Pretty much Rog, but I would add another, particularly where the kids were involved:

Rule 4. You eat everything that's put in front of you and if you don't like it hot, you can eat it cold - Rob
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby TrimTheKing » 18 Jan 2021, 13:47

You eat kids, hot or cold???!!!
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby RogerM » 18 Jan 2021, 16:44

TrimTheKing wrote:You eat kids, hot or cold???!!!


I love kids, but I couldn't eat a whole one. :eusa-hand: :eusa-naughty:
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby 9fingers » 18 Jan 2021, 16:55

I like to abide by the warning usually shown on the adverts for home laundry detergent pods.

"Keep away from children"

Sounds like damn fine advice to me!

Bob
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby Woodbloke » 18 Jan 2021, 16:58

TrimTheKing wrote:You eat kids, hot or cold???!!!

As far as I know, ours were never served up on my plate, either hot or cold :lol: - Rob
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby Nico Adie » 18 Jan 2021, 18:03

That looks lovely! Looking forward to seeing this one progress.
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Re: Oriental 'Whirligig'

Postby Woodbloke » 18 Jan 2021, 18:29

Nico Adie wrote:That looks lovely! Looking forward to seeing this one progress.

It's been finished, see earlier in this thread - Rob
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