Pin Cushion

[Bryan Milham]

Playing with making Treen again.

Made of Sapele except the screw part, which is boxwood. it's a 'Clamp on the side of a table Pin Cushion and Pin Holder'. It might have been more 'original' in mahogany but maybe I'll hold that for a production standard one (if I can find some).

Difficult to give dimensions but the clamp is 4" (100mm) dia, the pin cup is 2¾” (70mm) dia by 3" (75mm) high. Overall height depends upon the amount of screw thread in/out but nominally 10½” (265mm).

C&C as you will and thanks for looking.

[bodrighywood]

Haven't seen one of these for years, very victorian Bryan. Lovely work.

Pete

[Bryan Milham]

Thanks Pete, yes it is based on one I saw somewhere.

Probably not with a for sale sign, or the wife would have bought it!

[John Plater]

Hello Bryan,
That is a really interesting idea. My reservation would relate to putting a price on it if it was to be offered for sale. That is a lot of work !! It raises the issue of the value a customer might place on an item irrespective of providing a fair return for the woodturner.
It looks better clamped to the table and in use because the lower part of the clamp is not seen as much. IMHO I think that as an item in the last photograph the clamp part does not fit in with the rest of the design. I would prefer some of the decorative elements in the pin cushion to be incorporated into the "C" of the clamp and the thumbscrew on the thread.
ATB John

[Bryan Milham]

John,

Thank you for your comprehensive comments, and I agree with you on the design aspects. I shall sit with a sketchbook and see what can be done if I ever decide to make another one, or even a small production run.

However it did not that long to make. The clamp was drilled and tapped as a square then drilled through with a forstner bit that would take my C Jaws, then faced off, edge rounded, reversed and faced again. It was based on the thickness of the board I had, which is why it might look a bit heavy.

The Pin store and Pin cushion did take a little longer as I re-made them twice, while working out the best way to hold them while turning them, Again a forstner bit proved it's worth in creating the pin store area and recess for the cushion itself. Both of which then became the jaw recess.

The threading was done with a 12mm Tap & Die as my thread chasing is still not good enough for something like this and there was no room to get into the hole in the C Clamp with it anyway. The thumb screw was turned round and rasped to a wasted shape and abraded smooth before being glued onto the boxwood thread.

As for a price, is it Treen? Is there a definition of how long something as to be around before it can be called Treen, yes there is for Vintage (50 years approx) and Antique (100 years approx), but Treen I don't know. As long as I don't try to sell it as Antique or similar but as a decorative item, with a possible use in sewing I think I'll be happy. It can be Treen to a collector in a 100 years from now.

[bodrighywood]

Treen applies generally to any household object in both tnhe antique and vintage trade. These pin cushions were traditionally used by the 'lady of the house' as opposed to the trade and as yours were generally made from boxwood with velvet cushions often filled with smashed up walnut shells which help keep the pins sharp.

Pete

[Bryan Milham]

Pete,

Thanks for that. I know about the crushed walnut shells, but no idea why I know it!

I like the look of the one you posted, it has more balanced look, mine appears 'top heavy'.

[Derek]

Very nice Bryan a well thought out design. Just one question how do you get on with grain direction on the clamp as too much pressure may split it.

[bodrighywood]

There shouldn't be a need to have the clamp very tight as there is little weight in the pin cushion. Bryans design is perhaps more likely to have stress than the original however due to it's shape. Can't imagine it being a problem though unless he is very heavy handed.

Pete

[Bryan Milham]

If I remember correctly, the grain runs across the clamp section. So the open faces are long grain.

I'm not to worried about the grain snapping, the cross section of the clamp is quite large (it's 100mm dia) and I doubt you could apply enough pressure from the 12mm threaded rod to it. I'd be more concerned that the thread would strip first.

[Derek]

Thank you Pete and Bryan it was just a thought

[hughie]

Well you certainly have captured the essence of Treen, small and very crisp lines. Well done Sir.