Thread: What kind of tool could be used to do this?

Hi all, i've been wanting to start a long term furniture project similar to this File:Kakesuzuri funa dansu.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for a few years now, but i've continually kept on hitting dead ends when it comes to finding something to do it with, excluding laser cutting, which is simply too expensive plus i'd prefer to do it by hand. So my question, in a nutshell, is whether there's any kind of hand saw that would let me do those kinda of scrollwork cuts through roughly 1mm thick iron sheeting?
The original i believe is done using unheated iron and pierced using chisels and punches

Unless you want to make lots of them, I would suggest a fret saw or an electric scroll saw with a metal cutting blade.
These are works of art and take patience and hard work.... You will be proud as punch of it and hand it down for generations!
I nearly got RSI from doing something similar in copper in my youth...
Cheers,
Joe

I may be corrected, I believe it is called piearcing and you use a piearcing saw, which is the metal version of a fret saw

How about acid etching Fudo?

Sadly, a bloke who knew a bit about the topic, Mark "Graziano" Harriss left this forum. If you do some research and find that the technique may be applicable, I can provide you with Mark's contact details.

Regards
Bob.

Originally Posted by Anorak Bob

How about acid etching Fudo?

Sadly, a bloke who knew a bit about the topic, Mark "Graziano" Harriss left this forum. If you do some research and find that the technique may be applicable, I can provide you with Mark's contact details.

Regards
Bob.

Hi Bob, i didn't realise it was possible for acid to eat all the way through metal to create open work designs? Would you just have to leave the piece in the solution longer?

Originally Posted by China

I may be corrected, I believe it is called piearcing and you use a piearcing saw, which is the metal version of a fret saw

Piercing China. Like all these kids do these days.

Piercing saws are a jeweller's mainstay. Problem may be the depth of the throat on these saws. They tend to be reasonably shallow. They are designed to place a fair bit of tension on the blade. More than I think you would achieve with a fret saw.

Bob.

Originally Posted by fudo133

Hi Bob, i didn't realise it was possible for acid to eat all the way through metal to create open work designs? Would you just have to leave the piece in the solution longer?

Not my area Fudo. Hopefully someone who knows a bit about acid, someone like BobL, who is a forum member, will provide an answer. Having used a piercing saw for three years, and on soft stuff like brass and silver, I reckon cuting the steel by hand would be a hell of a job. What about a die filer made up from an inverted jigsaw? I'm dreaming and plucking ideas from thin air now.

BT

Acid would be the "easiest" way to go. You would need to apply a resist, be it printed or hand drawn, and then etch. The problem is that as the etch goes deeper the acid starts eating sideways into the pattern. I've only ever accidentally gone right through a pattern, but it can be done. From my memories of the accident though, you will need to leave your resist slightly big and hand file the pattern smooth with needle files.

You could try these.Bestway Products Featuring the Wire Saw Blade With The Spiral Tooth

Stuart

I have had the same problem....

some inspiration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zrk-VcYrBY

Originally Posted by Brobdingnagian

I have had the same problem....

some inspiration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zrk-VcYrBY

What a gorgeous funa dansu, have you been trying to make one too?

Originally Posted by fudo133

Hi Bob, i didn't realise it was possible for acid to eat all the way through metal to create open work designs? Would you just have to leave the piece in the solution longer?

A lot of toys (like trains as an example) use etching in their construction. Quite intricate designs are possible. Generally though, etch resist has to be applied on both sides of the project if you want to eat all the way through.

Originally Posted by fudo133

Hi all, i've been wanting to start a long term furniture project similar to this File:Kakesuzuri funa dansu.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for a few years now, but i've continually kept on hitting dead ends when it comes to finding something to do it with,

Have you considered using a pencil style air die grinder with carbide and/or diamond burrs?

I have one and they are excellent. It would be a slow job to do what you aim to.

Air micro die grinder

Cheers

Rob

Originally Posted by fudo133

What a gorgeous funa dansu, have you been trying to make one too?

Yes.... although not a funa dansu, more of a sendai tansu inspired project and it has been a very long term project, with many experiments along the way, in both the metalwork and the joinery.
For me it has been a catalyst for a journey into other tangential project, skills and knowledge. When I started I knew virtually nothing about machine tools or how to use them or for that matter I didn't know much about metal either. If I cast my mind back even a table saw and the humble band saw scared me a little.
Since then we (some Ray and I and some just me) have build a foundry (for casting tansu parts) a forge (for forging tansu parts) a heat treatment oven(to make tools to make tansu), a toolchest (to practice Japanese joinery) oh and a timber storage rack(made necessary after a particularly large purchase of timber for thats right you guest it) and a shaker blanket chest (to practice dovetails for tansu drawers). I should add that the tansu was not the only reason to do these other projects, they are all very useful things to have around and the effort and finance may have been justified in other ways, but in my mind I always am thinking about how I can use it for the tansu.
When Ray picked up a small bench top cnc mill, the first thing I made on it was a pattern for a handle backplate. I even made a new bed in a Japanese style so that it would not clash with the tansu.
The rough milled timber for the project has moved off the rack and lived next to my woodwork bench for a least the last 2 years actually and is now on top of my work bench atm as I am resolved to start cutting the joinery for the case work and from here on out it is hand tools all the way.
-Josh
PS. It is nice to know there are others.... I'll post some pics latter if you are interested.

Originally Posted by Brobdingnagian

Yes.... although not a funa dansu, more of a sendai tansu inspired project...
PS. It is nice to know there are others.... I'll post some pics latter if you are interested.

Wow, i've love to see some pics once you get started, most of my experience with tansu comes from restoring antique ones and having to rebuild frames and drawers when they've been eaten away at. I'm about to start restoring a huge 18th century kuruma tansu where the entire frame is made from 10cm thick zelkova timber.

So since you're doing something closer to a sendai tansu, may i ask whether you're going to be going down the road of actually doing the usual repousse and chasing that often appears on larger locks and hardware?

Damien