My homemade ribs

[buckeye]

A few weeks ago I started helping my brother replace his barn roof and trusses. All the beams were rotted so everything had to be torn off. Among all these rotted oak boards there were sections that werent rotted and we cut what we could to use as firewood. Some of these pieces are really big, nice pieces. Yesterday I went down to help him again ( we are now putting down the new metal roof) and I took several of the nicer blocks I could find to make some ribs.

 

Lastnight I got home pretty early so I decided to try and make one, to my surprise my old woodworking skills came back to me pretty quick and the first one turned out pretty good so I started to make another one and then made a few more today.

 

I cut the blocks into sections that would be suitable widths and then I used a coping saw once I had the general shape. Then I took a dremel with a drum sander on the end and started putting my angle on and getting my piece to the rough shape I wanted. Once that was done I took a hand sander and brought it even closer to being finished until I was ready for hand sanding and a lot of it!

 

Oak is a pretty pourous grained wood so wasnt sure how they would work out but I think they will be fine. after each one was hand sanded I soaked them in water, pulled out and let dry then sanded them again. I repeated this process twice and after the second soaking there was very little sanding to be done. I then used Linseed oil and coated them, wiped off after about 15 minuites and did this process twice. After they were all done I soaked them in water for a few hours and I am impressed at how smooth they still are. They are drying now and in a few days I will lightly sand them one more time and add another coat of linseed oil.

 

As I was working one of the Ribs I started thinking about the wood. The trees that this wood came from was probably standing during the Civil war and possibly back during the Revolutionary war and even before we were a country! I am glad I can make use of some of it.

[JLowes]

Nice work. I like to make my own tools and wood ribs is certainly one of my favorites to make. Oak works, but fruit woods are supposed to be better, but they may not have the history of the oak you used. Teak would also be good, but contains silica and is hard on tool edges. One of my favorite go to tools is a combination rib/knife made from a paint stirrer. I duplicated it in a longer lasting wood, but the paint stirrer always feels better in the hand. I keep it in my box of throwing tools rather than my box of ribs due to its dual purpose (I keep two boxes with tools ready to take with me to classes/workshops.)

 

For a good overview of the function of ribs and design concepts, MKM Pottery Tools website has good information with some thoughtful things like making a rib with three or four different radius corners so you can use it to make a pot with known radius corner, or plate/platter ribs versus vase ribs versus cylinder ribs.

 

John

 

 

[Pres]

Nice work. I like to make my own tools and wood ribs is certainly one of my favorites to make. Oak works, but fruit woods are supposed to be better, but they may not have the history of the oak you used. Teak would also be good, but contains silica and is hard on tool edges. One of my favorite go to tools is a combination rib/knife made from a paint stirrer. I duplicated it in a longer lasting wood, but the paint stirrer always feels better in the hand. I keep it in my box of throwing tools rather than my box of ribs due to its dual purpose (I keep two boxes with tools ready to take with me to classes/workshops.)

 

For a good overview of the function of ribs and design concepts, MKM Pottery Tools website has good information with some thoughtful things like making a rib with three or four different radius corners so you can use it to make a pot with known radius corner, or plate/platter ribs versus vase ribs versus cylinder ribs.

 

John

 

 

 

 

Nowadays bamboo kitchen tools are all over the place. I like to cut off the handles, drill a hole, make a few mods of them and use them for the bowl type ribs. I use the handles to make trimming and carving ribs. Works pretty well, and does not seem to soak up as many of the wood ones do. I also use old ceramic and plastic plates to make ribs for plates and larger bowls.