Bonsai Display Stand - One Day at a Time

[Sno]

G'day Watto . This is a great thread . Have you any idea what type of timber it is ? (really beautiful rich color) Also what did you use for dowels , one of them looks like a sharpened stick . Are you taking orders yet ?
Cheers Craig.

[Pup]

[quote="Watto"]Hi Pup.
The original piece off the pallet was the standard pallet size, maybe 1200x150mm. The stand now is about 300x250mm and I have used all of the original piece so it does take a reasonable amount of timber to make a small stand. This stand is for a shohin bonsai I am currently developing.
Cheers - Watto[/quote

Thanks mate much appreciated.

Cheers Pup

[Watto]

Its Friday and day seven.
Sno - I have no idea what type of timber this is, but it is very hard. If I was having a guess I would say red gum, but its just a guess.
Time to attach the legs. The dowels are bamboo skewers, perfect size and strength for this type of work.
This is really two days work, one to attach and the other to cut off the stray bits and sand the piece.

[dark1]

Hi Watto, I find gluing 2 pieces together to make a piece big enough for the legs is not a problem so long as you get a good join. Using the same timber from the same piece of pallet, it should come together well. Once sanded and finished it will look fine.Keep up the good work, following your progress with interest. Michael.

[Watto]

Hang on - what day it is? Just kidding its day eight.
There has been a reasonable amount of sanding between steps, but real finishing sanding is now. This is really over three days and consisted of orbital sanding with course, orbital sanding with fine and then hand sanding eventually down to 400 grit.
Very difficult to tell the difference in the photos, but you can feel the finer work as it progresses.

[GavinG]

Great progression, good piece of kit. The wood is deservedly the star of the show. How will you finish it?

Gavin

[bodhidharma]

How will you finish it?

Good question and oil would be nice but it stains with water. How about a Marine varnish? A nice progression and a great looking stand watto

[thoglette]

Good question and oil would be nice but it stains with water. How about a Marine varnish? A nice progression and a great looking stand watto

Pick the right oil! I like Livos Ardvos oil (nice orange smell) - it's done our dining table for about a decade and a half now (I give it a once over with an oily cloth it every few years) I got that down to beyond 1000 grit the first time (long story - there's many a way to ruin a table) which was stunning but stopped at 800 the second time - not enough days. Not as good, either.

And oil can be protected with wax over the top, just like shellac/french polish, if you are so inclined

[Watto]

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions.
The following three photos are really three days work but it is just a days post. So for day nine, here is the progress......

[dark1]

Hi Watto, The stand is looking good, the grain of the timber has come up well.I am unsure of the finishing though. Do you think that wax will take on top of oil? I have been finishing my tables with a few coats of clear poly., from a spray can readily available from the big green shed. Sand between coats and you get a nice furniture finish as a result. Once hardened off it will last pretty well with careful pot placement but even if you do scratch the surface, a light sand and another coat will do the trick. Shellac or French Polish is another option but is a very long and painstaking process to get a good finish and then it is very temperamental, doesnt like water and will mark very easily.So how many hours did you spend on this table all up, it would be interesting to know. Michael.

[GavinG]

Wax will certainly sit over an oil finish and protect it well. I put a thin coat of shellac over the oil to seal it, then a few coats of wax - it gives a deep glowing finish. For me, Estapol is a bit shiny, like a pot that's too new.

Gavin

[Watto]

Day ten and the last day. Thanks for those who followed the "build" and those who made comments. The wax did take very nicely over the oil and I may or may not use a coating or two of shellac but I will see how it ages. I have used "hard coatings" before and have been disappointed in how they wear and scratch so I am trying this method.
Its been fun putting this together but it did make me realise how long it actually takes to build a stand "one out". I tried to make another one to coincide so I might show a few photos of it in another post soon. The most time consuming part is the sanding and all up I probably spent about eight hours working on this but mostly in 10 to 30 minute stints.
A good glue is essential and I used gorilla glue which has been very good in my opinion. I have attached a photo of the glue and finishing products and of course a photo of the stand in use. This is not the tree that it was made for (this one is a little small) but it gives the idea. Hope you have enjoyed.
Finally, some words of advice from Robert Stevens - there are three elements that are considered a must in bonsai art - "yi shu er pen san ji jia".
The explanation is:- yi = one; shu = tree; er = two; pen = pot; san = three; ji jia = pedestal. All three elements are necessary for bonsai display.

[Pup]

Very nice now to get my workshop back from the Mrs

Cheers Pup

[Paul W]

Bloody nice job Watto,whats that 10days at 10 bucks a day, 100 bucks what a bargain.
You have inspired me to get my workshop up and running again,I am the bloke that made the wire holder for the 5000th member competition so I know what a labour of love these sought of things are.
Now you will have to make your own pots,seeing that you have run out of work.

Paul

[Jhalkhoree]

Great work indeed! I should get back in my shed and start using the bits of timber I have been saving for the odd projects that has not materialized yet!

The Sydney Woodworking show is on this month and they have beautiful burl slices for sale very cheap. This could be an option for those who don't have time or tools to build display stand. If you live in or around Sydney area, please check it out. The show starts on the 27th June, Sydney Olympic Park.