My wife is one of the really crafty types. Not the sneaky "crafty" ones, but one who likes to do arts and crafts. She knits, spins her own yarn, weaves, and sews (and I thought I was crafty). So she came to me with a project she wants to work on for our church for Mother's Day. She is making these little change purse-type wallets for all of the mothers. The design calls for a decorative button on the front. She asked if I could make some buttons. Of course, being asked to work with wood is like getting an invite to a once-in-a-lifetime event, so I said "sure."
I thought for a little while about how I would make them, since I don't have a lathe. Then it hit me to use wood that was already about the size that she wanted for the buttons. I went to the Woodcraft website and purchased pen blanks. They are the perfect size and I can cut them on a scrollsaw to the thickness she wanted. Then I used my chisel to knock off the corners, making them more of an octagonal shape. I used zebrawood and olivewood for the first batch, but I am going back to Woodcraft to see what other types of wood to use.
Any suggestions for beautiful grains and colorings would be greatly appreciated.
P.S.: To all of you who read my intro thread and wished me well on my upcoming retirement, I just want to say thank you. The retirement is no longer upcoming. I retired from the Navy last Sunday (2/28/10) after 20 years of service. Now the real work begins.
I thought for a little while about how I would make them, since I don't have a lathe. Then it hit me to use wood that was already about the size that she wanted for the buttons. I went to the Woodcraft website and purchased pen blanks. They are the perfect size and I can cut them on a scrollsaw to the thickness she wanted. Then I used my chisel to knock off the corners, making them more of an octagonal shape. I used zebrawood and olivewood for the first batch, but I am going back to Woodcraft to see what other types of wood to use.
Any suggestions for beautiful grains and colorings would be greatly appreciated.
P.S.: To all of you who read my intro thread and wished me well on my upcoming retirement, I just want to say thank you. The retirement is no longer upcoming. I retired from the Navy last Sunday (2/28/10) after 20 years of service. Now the real work begins.