Jason Breach RPT

Boxes.

May 18th 2005

Reviewed by Andy Masters

Jason Breach took time off from his full time teaching job at Axminster Power Tool Centre to give us the benefit of his considerable experience which he has been honing since he was 12 years old. The item demonstrated was a delightful, squat, oriental looking lidded box.

The timber used was masur birch, a pale wood with burr like grain. To start with the underside of the lid was hollowed, shaped and sanded. When satisfied with the finish Jason let in a lip to grip the body. This was done last with a custom made handleless oval skew to keep the form crisp.

Cutting a spigot on the body, frequent checks ensured the lid was a very tight fit. This was to make a sturdy jam chuck and to counter the relaxation of the rim when the body is hollowed. Jason stressed the use of dry timber to avoid undue movement within the form. The birch he used was around 15 years old. The outer body was now roughed out before the lid was fitted and finished. The body was hollowed using a fast pull cut before final shaping with under-cut scrapers. The body was reversed into a spare jam chuck so that the base could be completed.

Throughout the demonstration Jason constantly stopped to feel the work for shape, thickness of wood and quality of cut. He spent as much time sanding as cutting to get the very best finish. When satisfied he sealed the wood with cellulose sealer diluted 50/50 with thinners. This was applied quickly by brush and just as quickly wiped off with paper towels.

The inside of the box was polished with Bison wax but the outside got special treatment. Here a little plastic polishing compound, Plastimax, applied with a stitched mop was used as a grain filler and cutting agent. Finally Carnauba wax was applied with a loose mop to give a hard natural gloss.

All present enjoyed a very professional demonstration with many technical issues being discussed and a stunning finished piece to marvel at. As reporter I had a front row seat but still found that the introduction of a close-up camera to the video presentation added an excellent new view on the proceedings.