Bank robbery

[Gerhard Olivier]

At work after the builder left the old back door was left in the yard.  It seemed to be solid wood but far to heavy.

As it was going to the tip (but they could not carry it) I offered to recycle it for them.

The door was about 3 inch thick and bit bigger than a normal door with metal channel for a frame.

When I got the door apart it was made of 2 wood (deep brown mahogany) doors one on the inside and an outer one with a 6.8mm steel sheet in the middle -The site was a bank 60 years ago.  That left me with a big stack of 1 1/4 inch solid mahogany and a piece of steel I had to cut in 4 to be able to lift.  Also some 60mm x 100mm 7mm thick steel channels.

When I machined some of the steel plate it cut easily -  the swarf was blue curls ( hot as hell).  It cut very well but high speed steel did not touch the outer bit???  The carbide tips cut it like butter. Finish is fantastic even after rough cuts - smooth and shiny.


Gerhard

[CrewCab]

Lucky you  ............ all we seem to get is rubble and old plasterboard 

CC 

[andyf]

Banks can provide great pickings. My dad was a branch manager, back in the days when banks actually had proper on-the-spot managers. During a refit, he brought home most of a 70-year old 1" thick oak parquet floor, with the living room in mind. Laboriously hand-scraped the pitch off thousands of blocks which he stacked in the garage, where they remained for 20 years until he sold them. Trouble was, he sold a 6'x4"x1/2" brass bar at the same time, not knowing I had my eye on it  

Still, I've got a plentiful supply of high quality doorlocks, and some excellent Al alloy bar - don't know the alloy, but it machines well.

I think he got this "if it's lying around, take it home" attitude during his war service in REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers - just where you would expect the Army to place a young bank clerk). I'm still using tools with the War Dept's arrow stamp. Dunno what happened to the huge tin trunk full of radio valves, though.

My brother still has his immediately post-war wood lathe, with a bed made from a Morrison air-raid shelter and a motor courtesy of His Majesty's Forces.

Andy

[tinkerer]

Great find Gerhard. Mahogany is one of my favorite woods. It is probably old growth and will be beautiful finished. Looking forward to photos of what you build with it.

[Gerhard Olivier]

This is what im doing at moment Tinkerer

I made a Morris style chair for my oldest son when he was 2 (2 years ago)and now youngest is 2 so making another but very slightly bigger. 
Old chair made in Meranty



And the test fit of the new chair frame in mahogany flash makes it look a lot lighter than it is.



Gerhard

[tinkerer]

Work of a true craftsman Gerhard. That is going to be a beautiful heirloom for generations. The most comfortable chair I have ever had is an old Morris chair with a Johnson bar. A forerunner to the modern recliners. Be sure to put a pic of the finished chair up.

[dsquire]

Gerhard

I love the Morris style chair that you have made. Being a woodworker I can apppreciate the time that you spent cutting all the joints etc. Even nicer when you can add to the history of it by tieding into the bank. I am sure those chairs will be talked about and used for many generations.

It might be an idea while people are still alive to look into the history of the door and bank and write up a little card and fasten it to the bottom and maybe another on on the inside hidden by the upholstry. That way a 100 years from now someone looking at the chairs will know the whole history of the chair and say "wasn't that nice of Gerhard to enclose this writeup of the history of the chair". 

Cheers 

Don 

[CrewCab]

Nice work Gerhard .......... 

CC

[Stefan Pynappels]

It might be an idea while people are still alive to look into the history of the door and bank and write up a little card and fasten it to the bottom and maybe another on on the inside hidden by the upholstry. That way a 100 years from now someone looking at the chairs will know the whole history of the chair and say "wasn't that nice of Gerhard to enclose this writeup of the history of the chair". 

That is a fantastic idea! Well done that man! That is the sort of small touch that can really make a piece of furniture personalised. Must pull my Land Of Leather sofas apart to see if they have thought of this and included a picture of the cows that made up my sofa.....
But seriously, I really like that idea.

[Gerhard Olivier]

I have tried to find some history but only person that knows anything is landlord and he only remembers all the trouble it was to break everything down.

Maybe just put a little sign to give date and adress that the wood was recycled from. As that at least I have.


Gerhard

[bogstandard]

Geroli,

What you need to do is make yourself up a trademark, just a simple little punch with some sort of symbol on it, then stamp it on some slightly hidden part, but easily found if looked for.

I do this with anything I produce for items that get exchanged for currency, I don't actually stamp it, but machine it into the parts themselves. Once it gets known what your mark is, if people recognise it as good quality, they will search it out.

I must have 100 or so pieces now, made over a long period of time, in various parts of the world. Maybe one day they will become recognised and collectable, or end up as recycled junk.

You never know, your family in the future could be sitting on a fortune in years to come.


John

[tinkerer]

I have done that exact same thing with clocks and jewelry boxes that I made. I use a code with the date and number of how many I made.

[John Hill]

Geroli,

What you need to do is make yourself up a trademark, just a simple little punch with some sort of symbol on it, then stamp it on some slightly hidden part, but easily found if looked for.

I do this with anything I produce for items that get exchanged for currency, I don't actually stamp it, but machine it into the parts themselves. Once it gets known what your mark is, if people recognise it as good quality, they will search it out.

I must have 100 or so pieces now, made over a long period of time, in various parts of the world. Maybe one day they will become recognised and collectable, or end up as recycled junk.

You never know, your family in the future could be sitting on a fortune in years to come.


John

I can see it now, on Antiques Roadshow some time in the future,  the big ponce saying "Now this is really remarkable, this is only the third widget I have ever seen with this little mark on it, B+B, which we know came from the cottage industry of Messrs  Bogs and Bandit in the very early 21st century,  350 thousand quid I would say".

[bogstandard]

A bit on the low side there John, you could double that at least.


B+B

[John Hill]

Sorry Bogs but it was a very poor example and had not been stored under optimum conditions!