After several tries, my first Celtic knot pen

[rfas]

It's far from perfect, but not bad for my first one. Now I need to experiment with different angles and woods. This one is 45 degrees, made from walnut and maple, finished with Aussie oil.

 

[howsitwork]

Result!

I struggled with keeping the alignment. Then realised you don't need to cut right through if the blank is slightly larger

 

[mark james]

These are not easy! You did well, so evaluate and work forward from here. BUT... the cross is actually very nice.

 

[rfas]

These are not easy! You did well, so evaluate and work forward from here. BUT... the cross is actually very nice.

Thank you!

 

[jttheclockman]

For a first it is not bad but if you do not mind I would like to share a few tips as you progress from your first one. Nothing wrong with using 45 degree angle if you use a thinner kerf blade such a either a 1/16" or 3/32" . You start using a 1/8" blade you now run the risk of your infill just overtaking the entire knot such as what you see there. I prefer a 52 or 53 angle to give a nice look. I will go 60 degree if doing it on a long barrel such as a zen kit.

Next as you see one of 2 things happened in your blank in that the wood did not connect all the way around and that could be one of 2 things, the blank was too thin. ( I like to use 1" ) for most of the kits I use. Always try to keep that dimention throughout the cutting. The other possible thing was you did not drill dead center of the knot. Do not worry about center of the blank, it is the knot you worry about when drilling.

Next is do not cut all the way through the blank and thus the larger blank comes into play here. I like to leave about 1/16" to 3/32" of material left. What this does is helps keep all pieces in alignment. Now when doing this you want your infill to fit just right in the kerf as it is in the relaxed state. What I do is lay the blank on a flat surface and do not squeeze the ends. I then mill the infill to just slide through the kerf where it does not push the ends out or you having to push ends in when gluing. Should be a nice snug fit but not too snug. You will get the feel. Then when you clamp the ends together with infill in place the blank should still be laying flat on the flat surface and you can easily check this by shining a light from behind the blank and looking under it. I tad bit of light will not hurt you so not too critical but you do not want the blank to be bowed when clamped because this affects all other cuts.

Cutting sequence affects the look of the knot. I like to cut 1, 3, 2, 4 and this gives the loops all the same direction weather it is over or under but all 4 loops are the same. Just a matter of choice thing. If using woods then a good wood glue such as titebond clear or titebond 2 works well. If adding any metals or acrylics than an epoxy is the best glue. I would stay away from CA. Too many problems and too brittle.

Hope some of this helps as you progress with this design. good luck.

 

[rfas]

For a first it is not bad but if you do not mind I would like to share a few tips as you progress from your first one. Nothing wrong with using 45 degree angle if you use a thinner kerf blade such a either a 1/16" or 3/32" . You start using a 1/8" blade you now run the risk of your infill just overtaking the entire knot such as what you see there. I prefer a 52 or 53 angle to give a nice look. I will go 60 degree if doing it on a long barrel such as a zen kit.

Next as you see one of 2 things happened in your blank in that the wood did not connect all the way around and that could be one of 2 things, the blank was too thin. ( I like to use 1" ) for most of the kits I use. Always try to keep that dimention throughout the cutting. The other possible thing was you did not drill dead center of the knot. Do not worry about center of the blank, it is the knot you worry about when drilling.

Next is do not cut all the way through the blank and thus the larger blank comes into play here. I like to leave about 1/16" to 3/32" of material left. What this does is helps keep all pieces in alignment. Now when doing this you want your infill to fit just right in the kerf as it is in the relaxed state. What I do is lay the blank on a flat surface and do not squeeze the ends. I then mill the infill to just slide through the kerf where it does not push the ends out or you having to push ends in when gluing. Should be a nice snug fit but not too snug. You will get the feel. Then when you clamp the ends together with infill in place the blank should still be laying flat on the flat surface and you can easily check this by shining a light from behind the blank and looking under it. I tad bit of light will not hurt you so not too critical but you do not want the blank to be bowed when clamped because this affects all other cuts.

Cutting sequence affects the look of the knot. I like to cut 1, 3, 2, 4 and this gives the loops all the same direction weather it is over or under but all 4 loops are the same. Just a matter of choice thing. If using woods then a good wood glue such as titebond clear or titebond 2 works well. If adding any metals or acrylics than an epoxy is the best glue. I would stay away from CA. Too many problems and too brittle.

Hope some of this helps as you progress with this design. good luck.

All great tips. Thanks! I'll keep at it for sure.