How to Make a Raised Faceted Star
Posted 8 July 2021
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The Lone Star motif has a direct appeal to Paul, from his living for two decades in Texas. But it is also a fine decorative eye-catcher for many furniture pieces, box tops and, so on that you might want to make too. This project might seem complicated but, it is simple to make when you follow the steps Paul’s walking you through. Use contrasting woods as Paul did or just use pine with distinctive stripes. Both look good!
This was lovely and informative. I may use it to make a cutting board for my brother in Houston. If I do I’ll post a photo here.
Thank you.
Hi Paul how many teeth p I on your zona a saw please? Also what is the secret for getting the 54 degree mitre box accurate please apart from 50 odd years of experience?
Thank you so much for this video. I was born in Texas but live elsewhere. I plan to try to make this star for a Christmas tree ornament once I find a proper saw. I love how excited you get when you make a Lone Star. Thanks again!
Paul, I have lived in Texas all my life and I have a deep appreciation for your love of the Lone Star State. Thank you for the gift of knowledge you share. I will enjoy making my first of many Sellers Lone Stars.
i’ve got to try this. Your classes are really amazing. I’m sure you make it look easier than it is. You are an inspiration.
Gorgeous bookcase hiding to the side of the shot that I’d wager is going to make an appearance soon!
Zona or Xacto saws can be found at most hobby shops and art supplies. They usually have either really fine (54ish) or medium teeth. Being that you can plane the surface after cutting, I would think that either would suffice. As the specific degrees, a common art protractor is applicable, but one like Paul is using is available at any box or hardware store.
To dispense a very small amount of glue, use a plastic toothpick. I use toothpicks that have both a pointed end and a feathered end.
I live in Texas and have tried my hand at making these raised Lone Stars using several different methods. None have been satisfactory. Now I have a new approach to this! Can’t wait to get in my shop and try this method. Thank you so much.
Is that a new bookcase with the arched tenons we’re going to see in the next project 😃
The completely unnecessary (for many) flying numbers continue to be a real thorn to my focus. Sorry I have to comment, but hope some day the technology exists such that we can dispense with the “conversions” of the same old fractional numbers over and over again–or simply make them optional for those who need them. I understand that many folks weren’t raised in two-system parts of the world, just as many folks aren’t bilingual. Also that not everyone is as constantly distractable as I am. Perhaps I’m the only one. I appreciate the technical skills demonstrated by the video editor to include such conversions, but do wonder if he/she could take it one step further and make them optional-like captioning, or maybe squeeze them onto one edge so I can resize my screen and shift them out of my line of sight. Dragging them across the screen makes them extra obnoxious to my periphery. Cheers.
“The completely unnecessary (for many) flying numbers …”
US (or Liberia maybe) delusion.
I also would like more information on the Zona saw that Paul is using. There are several types out there with different TPIs. It looks like Paul made his own saw handle. The saws for sale don’t look as nice as the one he is using.
Thanks.
““The completely unnecessary (for many) flying numbers …”
US (or Liberia maybe) delusion.”
Or older Canucks?
It does make perfect sense to me when Paul does layouts in Imperial, then places his chisels in mm’s from the knife wall (or sets his plane irons, etc.). He’s speaking my language. Best application of two systems.
Like driving a car. What is the refueling range in klicks, or how fast is it from 0-60 mph?
Be aware the two systems only exist in very few places on the planet, and these places overweight most others as far as money and internet content is concerned. I can measure inches, sure, I have a measuring tape, but I can’t reason in inches if my life depended on it.
I’m pretty sure that’s a 24TPI Zona, although Paul does have a couple of the finer toothed saws. He flipped the blade (since they come on a pull stroke) and turned a new hardwood handle that fits the hand better.
As for the miter box, Paul used a protractor and trammel, but you do have to take some time to find out which side of the angle marking will get you closest to 54°, since all protractors are different and the markings can be very wide on some. Same for laying out all the 18° cuts. This will minimise having to tweak later when assembling.
John
It’s not rocket surgery.
All you need to know is that 5 inches is exactly 127 mm.
The rest is simple maths, which I assume is taught in both measuring systems.
Thanks John (“I’m pretty sure that’s a 24TPI Zona”).
Paul does have a YouTube video on “Correcting the Zona Saw”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI2pQHEIOcw. Not sure if the video is also posted on this site.
Paul’s example in that video is a 24 TPI version.
As for the 54 degree angle, can obviously use a protractor to set a sliding bevel to avoid inadvertently adjusting the protractor when scoring the knife edge.
And, 2″ is darn close to 5 cm (51 mm).
Those of us that use Imperial, or both, typically work in 2″ base dimensions (e.g. 2×4). You can use your hands as guides: A span is 8 inches. Thumb is one inch across.
Large framing squares or drywall squares often have at least one arm at 2″. Knowing that it is effectively 5 cm does add a ‘whole dimension’ of utility to old tools. A Stanley No 4 plane blade, for example, is 2″/51mm across. And, a 3/4 inch socket/wrench/spanner is interchangeable with a 19 mm socket. 3/4 is such a common dimension (shelves, table tops, etc.), it is nice to know where that crosses over.
And, of course, as this discussion underscores, we talk about teeth per inch in saw blades.
It isn’t just a few isolated parts of the world where both systems cross over, but Imperial is effectively embedded in many industrial processes and components. Germans, for example, standardized the PV solar cell for years at 6″ x 6″ (152 mm) nominal (actually 156 mm). That, in turn, was derived from semiconductor silicon purification processes (8″ or 200 mm wafers).
Another anecdote: Drum diameter is usually measured in inches, even in Brazilian percussion, but it’s of very little consequence that it’s in inches. We end up using them like shoe sizes, whatever those numbers mean, you just know you want a specific one empirically.
This doesn’t mean that people reason effectively using conversions, especially when not used to non-decimal bases (inch – foot – sometimes yard – mile) and binary fractions.
I learned in my last trip to Canada that 100 kph is the same as 85 mph by following Canadians on their freeways.
Just don’t pass them. A Mounty is sure to pull you over.
Larry a hundred kliks is only about 60 mph. Did i miss read you.? 85 kliks is about 55
When those Canadians were in the 100 kph zone, they were going 85 mph, so that must be the conversion.
);
I was just reacting to: “unnecessary for many”.
Paul You-tube channel has more then 500 000 subscribers all over the world.
Reading the comments, I often see that some people want to mimic exactly what Paul does and always ask for a precise cutting list.
So, I guess that is one reason why Paul gives those conversions.
Personally I am looking at the technique Paul is demonstrating and I don’t pay attention to the dimensions he is mentioning.
If I want to do a similar project, I will scale it anyway, according to my needs and to the material available. (probably rounding overall dimensions to convenient numbers in cm [not in mm])
Or the US could join the rest of the world and go metric.
1781 US Constitution, Art. 1, section 8, point 5.
“The Congress shall have power ….to … fix the Standard of Weights and Measures.”
The Congress didn’t move before 1866.
In fact US is legally and officially metric (Système International) since 1866. But because the Congress had not the courage to make it mandatory, a derived system has been defined: the US Customary System. The units of the US Customary System are defined by a conversion factor from the SI units. This legal trick made the use of the customary system legally acceptable.
For the very important contribution of USA to the refinement of the SI, look for: NIST timeline.
Wonderful to watch a master working to such fine detail. This video exemplifies a difference between Paul and many other educators. Namely, Paul provides valuable commentary throughout. Other presenters either edit out much of the redundant work, or make it such that the viewer is compelled to skip over much to avoid boredom. Paul provides wonderful, informative teaching throughout. Thank you, sir.
Any suggestions for cutting the pieces off the block without a bandsaw? I find it very tricky to saw such thin pieces by hand with any kind of accuracy, and if they’re left over-thick, the substantial planing required afterwards is really difficult! My skills are pretty rudimentary though, so maybe more practice is all I need.