|
|
Go to page 1~2 [Next] | ||||||||||
GarySumpter Special user UK 857 Posts |
Hi Guys,
I've decided that I would like to build some small-scale illusions, purely for fun, as a hobby project. I would like to start with the age old 'vanishing part of your arm' trick using a mirrored base etc. This is small but looks cool (with a certain addition I plan on adding ) However, I'd appreciate some advice as to where to look for information on woodworking. I'd like to create the item from a wood such as pine, something that has a quality feel to it. Any thoughts? I know its a very bold question but I'd just appreciate advice from any of you that build small wooden items! Thanks a lot Gary |
|||||||||
Dave Fiscus New user 94 Posts |
Gary,
Your local library has all sorts of beginner woodworking books and realistically, you need a table saw to cut your pieces, plus practice using your tools. I built a "missing arm section" trick many years ago, like an Abbott's model, but only used it once at a magic club meeting. It worked well only when the audience was directly in front, and the whole thing just didn't feel right. Not only that, it was too bulky to easily carry to a show. I suggest a simple mirror box would be a better trick to build to learn woodworking skills. It is smaller, uses the same principle, and teaches you to make a box..a vital skill in making good magic apparatus! Pine is not a "quality " wood. It is a softwood, is one of the least expensive materials, and is usually sold in thicknesses that don't lend themselves to quality work. Buy a small sheet of thin birch plywood. You will get a better-looking product that will finish well. Dave |
|||||||||
bcookmagic Elite user seattle wa 472 Posts |
Hi there Dave, that's sound advice. Baltic birch would be the way to go and also takes a great finish. You can also go online to http://www.rockler.com which has many basic books on wood working and on TV there is a station called DIY network that plays segments on hobbies and woodworking. Gary, take your time and don't get frustrated... making a squared up box can be hard your first time out. Keep us posted. Brian
If your not having fun doing what your doing....dont do it!
WWW.BRIANCOOKMAGIC.COM |
|||||||||
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
FYI - http://www.pmzz.org. This is a site dedicated to magic builders.
~michael
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
|||||||||
GarySumpter Special user UK 857 Posts |
Thanks for the tips, guys.
What would be the required tools to build a straight decent box? Just a box, no magic yet! Gary |
|||||||||
Larry Barnowsky Inner circle Cooperstown, NY where bats are made from 4770 Posts |
Minimal: saw, hammer.
Better: Table saw, hammer, drill Best: Table saw and radial arm saw, router, electric sander, drill, slot or biscuit cutter, clamps and so on. Cutting the pieces for the box is the easy part. Joining them together can be done in many different ways: dowels, biscuits, nails, screws, counterbored screws with plugs, tongue and groove joints, dovetail joints, rabbet joints etc. I just built a non-magical box for our front porch for mail and packages to be received. It is made of pine using butt joints for the side and counterbored screws hidden by wooden plugs sanded flush. The top was joined with biscuits and glued and attached with a piano hinge. |
|||||||||
bcookmagic Elite user seattle wa 472 Posts |
Larry you forgot about the CNC router. LOL
If your not having fun doing what your doing....dont do it!
WWW.BRIANCOOKMAGIC.COM |
|||||||||
gw156 New user 32 Posts |
The 1st Osborne Illusion book, "Begin to Build Your Own Illusions - Vol 1" takes one through the exercise of building a box that can be used in a small illusion as a first step to illusion building.
It's available here: http://www.osborneillusionsystems.com. |
|||||||||
Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
THe best beginner books on woodworking are cabinet making books. They will tell you everything you need to know about building high quality cabinets. These techniques can be used in building magic.
The paperback book I found was by Popular Science, I think, at the local builders' supply store. They were not expensive and could be read quickly. I still use them as a reference. I say them because I found a finishing book as well. It told how to apply a piano finish to wood and how to prep the wood. |
|||||||||
bcookmagic Elite user seattle wa 472 Posts |
I would buy inexpensive wood or go ask for scraps and let the guys at the lumber yard know that you're a beginner and looking for scraps to practice with. This way when you go back for the better wood you have also made a connection there and they will also be willing to help you out as well. Brian
If your not having fun doing what your doing....dont do it!
WWW.BRIANCOOKMAGIC.COM |
|||||||||
rtgreen Inner circle Portland, Oregon 1322 Posts |
When I was beginning (about a year and a half ago, so I still have lots to learn) I would tear apart packing pallets and use the wood to practice with. I even made a table for my living room that is very nice and attractive. I also used any scraps I could find lying around to make little boxes and carvings and such. Some of them turned out really well, too. Just recently, I began working with nicer wood (I am using mahogany on a project right now) and I am finding it much easier to work with. The nice thing about learning with scraps and cheap wood is that they cause problems that are lessened when you use nicer woods. It makes the process even more enjoyable.
Thanks, Richard |
|||||||||
gw156 New user 32 Posts |
I do the same Richard. There are some nice thin cuts of wood that come with those clementines this time of year for smaller wood projects!
|
|||||||||
Joe Mansfield Loyal user 227 Posts |
You might check with a local high school or Jr. College to see if a shop teacher would offer tutoring. If you live in a larger city, you may check with a woodworking store, but not Lowe's or Home Depot.
|
|||||||||
m.ruetz Veteran user Peoria Arizona, USA 378 Posts |
Get a copy of "Make-up of Magic" or "New Make-up of Magic" by Micky Hades. It covers designs, paint, basic building/construction techniques tips, and even has some plans. A must for the home builder's library.
MagicGizmo: Magic Articles, Classifieds, Videos, and more
http://magicgizmo.com |
|||||||||
Mystician Inner circle Wallachia 3485 Posts |
Gary, when you become a pro at this, are you going to release a book called, "Splinters" ?
Just hanging out with the rest of my fellow dregs.
http:// www . phrets . com Visit http://www.bizarremagic.net |
|||||||||
Dr. Solar Special user Citrus Heights, Ca. 526 Posts |
I happen to have a whole garage full of woodworking tools I've gotten over time for my floor contracting business and home remodel work. To consider going out and buying tools to build even small illusions is a real undertaking for cost alone. If you have a local high school with a shop class, which is rare today, see if they offer an adult night class. That is a wonderful place to learn about the necessary tools. Just be very careful with your fingers, you'll be needing those for your magic. I only say this because when I was in high school back in the class of '63, I was building a silk cabby and was running some thin strips across a power jointer and clipped the tip of my middle finger. The substitute teacher smiled wryly as I noticed his finger missing. After, I went back and re-read the rules for that tool; "do not run any stock under 1/2" thick or 18" long". Mine was definitely too small.
Ditto to the baltic birch. If you even cut the pieces for a mirror box with hand saw, a belt sander or block sander taken to the edges after assembly would work out well. Good luck. Woodworking can be a satisfying hobby.
"look for me in all things forgotten"
www.drsolar.com |
|||||||||
Bryan Gilles Inner circle Northern California 1732 Posts |
I have been fortunate enough to grow up watching my dad build his illusions and later in life do a fair share of custom cabinetry. He has a pretty basic set up in the garage that has been more than enough for building any illusion...
The ideal woodworking shop consists of: -Table Saw -Band Saw -Drill Press -Thickness Planer -Compound Miter Saw -Work Bench -Dust Collector -Assembly/ Finish Area Obviously, if you are limited to space and money- not all of these needs can be met. There are so many things you can do with just a table saw, drill, and basic hand tools... As Brian Cook mentioned- On the DIY network, there are a lot of great programs to help you learn to be a better woodworker. The Router Workshop is a great program. There are limitless things you can do with a router alone! And http://www.rockler.com is an outstanding resourse. Anytime I have "creator's block" I thumb through the rockler catlog and the creative juices begin to flow... No worries though– in time you will become an avid woodworker... time= experience... and remember measure twice cut once! Bryan |
|||||||||
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Quote:
On 2006-01-29 02:34, SteelLuvMagic wrote: Unless you plan to do board resawing AND scroll work. A cheap 100 dollar 9" Delta from Lowes with a 1/8" - 1/4" blade will do very nice scroll work, but you need something a bit more formidible to resaw dense hardwoods. 100 bucks is worth not having to constantly change blades, too. ~michael
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
|||||||||
leapinglizards Inner circle 1263 Posts |
May I aslo suggest "Wood" magazine!
Leaping Lizards!!! Who knew it was possible.
<BR> <BR>www.LeapingLizardsMagic.com |
|||||||||
EsnRedshirt Special user Newark, CA 895 Posts |
Gary, just wait till you really get into this- I had an illusion which required an upside-down "L" to be made out of 1/4" square tubular steel. (It was a horizontal cabinet with doors in the front that broke into four pieces, so the center two sections needed steel supports to keep from warping... it was complicated by the need to break the whole thing down for transport- the back and top actually slid out of slots in the base... but I digress.) At any rate, if you make the big illusions, you'll eventually want to invest in welding equipment.
Which reminds me- I learned oxy-acetalyne welding from an old theatre stage hand, and I've always used it, but lately my brother-in-law (an engineer) has scoffed at using an oxy-acetalyne torch for anything but cutting. Since I'm setting up a new workshop, should I get an oxy-acetalyne torch (which I'm already familiar with), or invest in a MiG welder and take a class in MiG welding?
Self-proclaimed Jack-of-all-trades and google expert*.
* = Take any advice from this person with a grain of salt. |
|||||||||
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » The workshop » » Absolute Beginner at Woodworking (0 Likes) | ||||||||||
Go to page 1~2 [Next] |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.03 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 < |