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by:
Paul Lewis
photos: Simon Cheung
illustration: Len Churchill |
EXOTIC SOAP DISH |
| Tropical
ipé is a natural choice for this quick project |
A small
offcut of ipé (pronounced ee-pay) had been sitting in my shop
for quite some time waiting for the perfect project, and here
it is. Ipé, a finely-textured South American hardwood, is gaining
popularity as a very durable—and pricey—decking material. Nearly
five times as dense as western red cedar, ipé is reported to
last 25 to 30 years outdoors with no finish required. I figured
with credentials like that it could stand up to the rigours
of a bathroom or kitchen. My small offcut came from Exotic Woods
in Burlington, Ont. (www.exotic-woods.com,
905-335-8066). Some documentation warns that the dust from milling
this wood is nasty, so make sure you wear a dust mask when working
with it.
 |
| The
high-density and fine grain of South American ipé
makes it an ideal wood for fashioning an über bathroom
accessory |
|
This project uses 1/2" material throughout, so if you don’t
have the luxury of a surface planer in your shop, you’ll have
to get your supplier to make a few quick passes on their planer
before you head back to the shop. Most retailers who carry ipé
will be happy to do this for a small fee. You’ll need at least
a 3 1/2" x 9" piece to start.
One-Tool Wonder
All
the milling operations for this project are completed on the
tablesaw fitted with a thin-kerf carbide finishing blade. As
with all small-scale projects, any errors in the final product
will be very noticeable, so take your time and test tool setups
on scraps to ensure accuracy. Start by ripping the wood to 3
1/2" wide and crosscutting a 6"-long section for the top. Reserve
the rest for the feet.
 |
| Grooves
to help the soap air-dry are milled by a tablesaw
with a thin-kerf carbide finishing blade |
|
Groovy
To
mill the grooves for the top, set the blade height to 1/8".
For the first groove, the fence should be set to 3 3/8" minus
the width of the blade. Cut the first groove then move the fence
1/4" closer to the blade for the next cut. Continue these steps
to complete all the grooves. Now crosscut the top to its final
5" length. This will clean up any tear-out you may find at the
end of the grooves.
Dados For The Feet
To
make the dados for the feet, adjust the blade height to 1/4",
and the fence to 3/4". The dados are cut with a series of overlapping
passes, so make both sides identical by flipping the piece around
each time you move the fence. Continue making passes using the
blank for the feet as a gauge for the final size. Crosscut the
feet to their final 1" length now.
45° Chamfer
 |
| CLICK
ABOVE |
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To make
the chamfer on each end of the top, tip the blade to 45° and
adjust the height to about half the top’s thickness. Set the
fence by eye as it is too hard to give an accurate measurement
with a tilted blade. You may want to cut a few 5"-long scraps
to test the setup. Once you are happy with the results, cut
both chamfers.
Finishing up
All that’s left to do now is fix the feet into position with
a little polyurethane glue and smooth out any sharp edges with
some fine sandpaper. |
| You
Will Need |
| Part |
Size |
Qty. |
| Top |
1/2"
x 5" x 3 1/2" |
1 |
| Feet |
1/2"
x 1" x 3 1/2" |
2 |
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