Woodworker's Journal 1993-17-3, страница 33

You've probably seen baskets similar to this heart-shaped basket at craft stores or fairs. Collapsible baskets, in shapes from ovals to apples, have been one of the more popular woodworking gift items of late. The heart-shaped basket shown is courtesy of Deep Spring Studio, of Petersburg. West Virginia. Deep Spring specializes in collapsible wooden baskets made from attractive laminations of contrasting woods. The basket in the photo is made from red oak and padauk. with wenge accent stripes, but you can use either solid boards or any combinations of hardwoods that you have handy for your basket.

Collapsible baskets are pleasant to look at, but irresistible to watch in

May/June 1993

action. With nearly magical ease, a flat board rises up to become a vessel, and then folds down to flat once again. Our photos should give a fair rendering of this action, but there's no substitute for actually seeing it work. Needless to say. although the collapsible basket can be used to hold anything from nuts to candy to breadsticks. you'll probably want to leave it empty. That way you'll be able to demonstrate this clever piece to inquisitive guests without first searching for someplace to put the basket's contents. And there's one other great advantage to collapsible baskets. Their fold-flat capability makes storage a snap; several can fit easily in the average drawer.

The ideal band saw blade for making

collapsible baskets is a in. fine-tooth, but we were able to cut this pattern using a 'A in. wide blade. Keep in mind though, that if you do use a w ider blade, your blade w ill probably have more set. which will produce a wider kerf. Also, you'll have a harder time making the tighter curves, and to compensate for the kerf width, you may need to use a steeper angle setting on the band saw table.

This project isn't difficult to make: there are actually only two band saw cuts for the basket itself, but you'll need to take care w ith your cutting as you follow the pattern. When we tried this technique in our shop, we were successful the first time out. But the folks at Deep Spring tell us that a technique such as this—

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Heart-shaped