King Tutankhamun's Plywood Legacy!

In 1500 BC Egyptian craftsmen used thin strips of dark ebony to decorate the outside of a cedar wood casket found in King Tutankhamun's tomb.

The Greeks and Romans later used this technique to produce decorative objects such as fine furniture. In the 1600's this method of decorating furniture became known as  veneering and the thin strips were called veneers.

Since then the technology has advanced considerably and plywood is now made from three or more thin layers of wood veneer, glued together with an adhesive. Each layer, or 'ply', has the grain running at right angles to it's neighbour, in order to reduce shrinkage and improve strength. 

Birch Ply Round Hamper Gift Boxes

Plywood has excellent strength and stiffness properties, and therefore performs well in applications where high strength and rigidity is required. It also has good resistance to humidity and is easy to work and handle.

Most plywood is supplied in large, flat sheets with thicknesses ranging from 1.4 mm to 76 mm. The most common panel size used is 1.2 m wide by 2.4 m long.

One of the great advantages of plywood, particularly birch plywood is that it can be pressed into simple or complex curve shapes, for use in furniture, boats and aircraft, so is an extremely versatile material. 

For example, the De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito flown so successfully in World War II was built from compound sandwich panels using Canadian birch plywood.

De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito

However, plywood is also used extensively in wood box making! Among the most common uses for thin gauge birch plywood is the manufacture of round boxes such as large round hamper boxes and shaker boxes.

It's also used as the base layer of wooden boxes to provide greater overall strength and rigidity and as the top layer of larger wood boxes where solid wood would tend to warp!

Plywood has a smooth even grain pattern that's ideal for the application of clear lacquers and beautiful, natural wood and colour stain finishes, that undoubtedly add a touch of elegance and class to the finished product.

For information about Polmac round plywood boxes CLICK HERE

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Customized Wood Fly Boxes - A Cut Above The Rest!

Fly boxes are used as an easy and simple way to store flies neatly and safely. The inside of the fly box is usually designed to accommodate a variety of different fly sizes and types.

However, choosing the right fly box can be difficult, especially as there are so many different types available, including fly boxes made from metal alloy, plastic and wood. Plastic fly boxes are particularly popular, as they're cheap and practical to use.

So, why would anyone invest their hard earned money in a wooden fly box when there are so many cheaper versions available? Well, one of the main reasons is that wooden fly boxes can be customized!

Customized Teak Fly Boxes

For instance, you can tell the story behind the craftsmanship that went into making it. Hand-crafted, wooden fly boxes can therefore be extremely evocative, because they  connect with a person's basic emotions.

The best fly boxes comprise the finest woods available and a method of production that combines using woodworking machines with that very important, creative human touch.

The base and the lid of these high specification fly boxes are carefully routed out to allow space for pre-formed foam inserts to which the flies are attached and these are then joined together with strong internal solid brass hinges and flush magnets.

The fly boxes are then waterproofed with several coats of yacht varnish and made watertight by fitting an internal rubber gasket.

The end product is a labour of love that can be customized with an image that meets a particular emotional need, or has some personal significance, such as being related to a country, a place or a river. This kind of personalization is very powerful indeed.

Wooden fly boxes are made from a range of beautiful hardwoods, including teak, walnut, bamboo and cherry and may be embellished with decorative features, such as carvings, flush inlays and colour combinations. Teak is particularly popular as it has excellent water resistant properties.

There is no doubt that people are drawn to custom-made, hand-crafted, wooden fly boxes because they are personal and have a unique warmth and beauty that is difficult to replicate in metal alloys and plastic.

They can also be signed and dated by the craftsman, so they become true objects d'art that have a practical use, rather than just being looked at. The process of making fly boxes may take longer and may cost more but the outcome will be well worth it.

Hand-crafted wooden fly boxes make excellent gifts because they evoke feelings of pride, so they can be cherished over a lifetime and handed down as family heirlooms.

When you show members of your family, friends and colleagues your customized, hand-crafted, wooden fly box, they'll be impressed by that special quality and know immediately that you're fly fishing in style! Isn't that worth waiting for?

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How To Get A Cracked Paint Finish Onto Wooden Boxes!

Many wood gift boxes manufactured for commercial use today are made to high quality standards, with a highly polished finish!

However, authentic cracked paint finishes on wood boxes are also incredibly popular but authenticity is a rare commodity nowadays.

So, this kind of finish is often produced artificially, to provide similar effects to the natural deterioration that occurs to paint over time, particularly when exposed to daylight.

Wooden Box With Cracked Paint Finish

The resulting paint finish is unusual and eye-catching and if done correctly can provide that weather beaten, rustic, farmyard effect that you may be looking for.

So, how do you get a cracked paint finish on a wooden box? Well, there are a number of proprietary 'crackling glaze' products, that you can buy over the counter at your local DIY shop, that will get the job done for you.

The application of the paint is simple enough but you need to understand the process, if you want an authentic looking finish. With this in mind, a little practice on some wood off-cuts you've discarded, until you get it right, makes good sense.

Proprietary crackled glaze products will provide instructions on how you can apply their paint successfully. However, to achieve the very best results, you need to use a combination of water based emulsion paint and crackle paint.

Use two base coats of emulsion paint, then one base coat of proprietary crackle paint. After the first coat of emulsion, add the crackle coat, brushed in the same direction as the emulsion paint underneath.

The second coat of emulsion paint should be applied at right angles to the first. Naturally, each coat of paint needs to be thoroughly dry before the application of the next coat.

Here are three tips to help you, when applying your paint finishes ...

Tip 1: Avoid applying the crackle paint in straight lines. You'll get a far more natural looking finish by painting randomly over the whole box.

Tip 2: Apply the crackle paint quickly, as the crackling process starts almost immediately.

Tip 3: Avoid overdoing the painting. If you paint back and forth too many times, you'll smear over the cracks and spoil the effect.

To provide a more interesting finish, you may wish to use two paint colours. For instance, you can use white emulsion paint as the base coats and red crackle paint as the finishing coat. Your wooden boxes will be painted red overall, with white cracks showing through - a terrific effect!

After drying, you can apply the crackle paint top coat which will seal and protect the crackle effect you've produced.

The process of applying your crackle paint finish is easy and straightforward, once you've had a little bit of practice. 

If you proceed step by step, with a little care and attention, you'll give your wooden boxes a great vintage look and feel that will impress not only your customers but maybe those farmyard animals as well!

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