|
|
Cliffg37 Inner circle Long Beach, CA 2491 Posts |
Some of you may know I collect hand-made wooden kazoos. I consider myself a collector as well as somewhat of an expert in playing the kazoo. (laugh if you must) My wife saw me watching a video of the man who holds the record for largest kazoo collection... Her comment was that I play better than he can.
Enough bragging. I have around 30 kazoos, and I am looking to build a display case for them. Well this should be easy enough; a basic shallow box with dividers in it would do the job. The problem I have is their sizes. While a box that is two inches deep will fit them all in that dimension, their length varies amazingly. The smallest one fits on a quarter, while two are over 1 foot long. Their shapes vary too. in terms of height and rounded vs. square. Any thoughts anyone has on how to address this project would be appreciated.
Magic is like Science,
Both are fun if you do it right! |
gimpy2 Special user 960 Posts |
Well the only need for dividers would be if you were hanging it in a wall. If you have a case built to lay flat on a table you can just line your kazoos up where it looks good pretty easy. Some tables are built this way to display collections.Great idea for a coffee table.
Gimpy
www.gimpysmagic.com |
Cliffg37 Inner circle Long Beach, CA 2491 Posts |
Good point gimpy, and you are quite right. I probably should have specified that I wanted the display box to mount on a wall. That certainly means that at least the rounder shaped ones will need a lip on the edge to hold them in.
Magic is like Science,
Both are fun if you do it right! |
Mark Boody Illusionist Inner circle 1366 Posts |
Cliff
The last kazoo factory, that makes metal kazoos is in upstate NY (the ONLY one in the US). Our family were able to visit their factory and make our very own kazoo using the original equipment all for $4.99. Good time!! Mark
Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible. Frank L. Gaines
|
Cliffg37 Inner circle Long Beach, CA 2491 Posts |
Yes Mark, I know of that place, though I have never been there. I hope you also got to see Niagara Falls which is not too far for there. How does your self made Kazoo play? Do you enjoy the sound?
Magic is like Science,
Both are fun if you do it right! |
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
You can make shadow boxes with different size cubbies. Here is an excellent example:
Of course you can design the look so that it coordinates with your collection... the one in the photo is very rustic, but you could just as easily make one from nice cabinet-grade woods, or brightly colored, or very modern (glass, metal, etc.) You might be able to make it so you can customize them, in the event you want to change it up as you add more to your collection. But, I'd recommend not doing that for a number of reasons. Just decide upon an aesthetic layout that best compliments your pieces, and assume the finished piece is a work of art unto itself (which is what I think you are aiming for anyway... not a file box). Regarding how to secure the round ones from rolling out, you can embed a small pin (or two) that will act as a prop, actually contacting points on the item, preventing any movement. These will also be virtually invisible, too... at least compared to a lip. I've done this to display things on shelves, like small picture frames that have no built-in stand when I wanted to display them more or less upright, leaning against the back wall. I've also done the same thing in magic tables to secure props that roll around and not be where I want it when I reach for it. (Sometimes you want to just drop your hand down on something without looking.) BTW - In the photo above there is a cabinet photo of a gentleman which occupies two cubbies. I think this is an artistic stroke of genius. All the items are intriguing in their own way, but this is a completely different treatment that makes the largest object in the display not overpower the rest. Something to consider since you mentioned the various sizes of your kazoos.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
Cliffg37 Inner circle Long Beach, CA 2491 Posts |
Wow Michael, I could spend an hour looking at that picture and probably not see it all. Yes, you have captured the basic idea of what I am looking for. I love your idea about using pins, I think that will work just as well if not better than a lip and look much better too.
Any thoughts on what wood you think would make good "shelves/dividers?" I am thinking of a quality but fairly thin wood for the borders, and thin plywood for the back.
Magic is like Science,
Both are fun if you do it right! |
Cleverpaws Regular user Northern California 155 Posts |
Here's a cabinet I made for someone who wanted a curio cabinet to display items of similar size but the layout could have been varied. The dividers are only about 3/16" thick and they just slide into the cabinet and are half lapped together as a unit. Michaels suggestion of making the divider locations fit your collection is a good one because most people once they've figured out the layout don't ever change it. It will look better like you designed it just for your kazoo's and you can leave a few empty for future purchases.
|
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
The type of wood is a matter of taste. You can look at images of various wood species. Places like Rockler or Woodcraft sell a wide variety of dimensional hardwoods, but you will pay a lot for some of it.
http://www.rockler.com/search/go?w=hardw......sli_sid= http://www.woodcraft.com/search2/search.......20lumber I have found Oak as thin as 1/4" at places like Lowes, Home Depot, etc. You'll just have to check what you find locally, unless you want to order online.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
Ray Tupper. Special user NG16. 749 Posts |
As an idea, have you thought of making the dividers out of Perspex. (I think you call it plexiglass or something)
That way, you cut out the problem of the dividers casting shadows on the items you want to display, and the focus will be on the items. You just machine all the rebates in the uprights, as you would with timber, then rebate them into the surrounding timber frame. Once again, to make the items to be displayed the focus of attention, I'd make the timber surround from a light coloured dense grained timber, maple, sycamore, etc. Just a thought.
What do we want?
A cure for tourettes! When do we want it? C*nt! |
Mark Boody Illusionist Inner circle 1366 Posts |
Cliff
No, we were unable to stop off at the falls. We were driving from NH to OR so we were on a pretty tight tine schedule. The kazoos played great, enjoyed them for about 3000 miles till we got to OR!!! Mark
Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible. Frank L. Gaines
|
msillusions New user Ft. Worth 60 Posts |
Many of the craft/hobby stores have ready made "shadow boxes" some with dividers already in place and some are open for you to divide as needed. Different sizes, shapes, and materials. If you are going to put glass over the front, I think an old picture frame with glass in it, hinged to the front would look really nice.
|
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Quote:
On Feb 11, 2016, msillusions wrote: I like the hinged front idea. It would make access to the contents a snap.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
gimpy2 Special user 960 Posts |
Did a hand gun case For a friend. It was his design. Had a hinged glass door on the front. The case had a foam back so when the door closed it pushed the gun against the foam to hold it in place. Thought it was a really stupid design for a gun. Might be ok if you screwed the door shut.
Gimpy
www.gimpysmagic.com |
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
No telling what some gun owners might do, even those who know better. I knew a family that owned a gun shop. I did shows for their kids' birthday parties. That house was full of guns on display, including three that were on the wall right next to the front door, all pointed at the door. Not likely a bad guy would push his way into that house if someone was there to greet him.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » The workshop » » Display box ideas? (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.02 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |