Zebra Wood

Work was slow yesterday so I decided to take the day off and head down to the shop instead. We've been pushing hard to get the Neff '56 done and a big part of the project is the custom zebra wood trim. Coming up with creative ideas is one thing but making it work in reality is a whole separate issue. It's a little intimidating to sail into uncharted territory when you are creating something from scratch with no references or plans to go from. Add to the mix a rare and expensive wood with little to no extra material leftover and the pressure is on.

Thanks to my dad for helping cut the wood into usable material. We were both covered head to toe and standing in 3" of sawdust by the time we got done but the planks came out great.



I laid out a placement for the support shims and then individually measured the profile at each point and transfered it to a piece of 1"x1". Each support was cut to shape on the band saw and set in place. Next a pattern was made using craft paper to accurately trace the outer curve of the body line so it could be transfered to the zebra wood and cut to shape. The edges were then routed with an 1/8" curve bit to provide a pleasing flow.



Each piece will be hand sanded to a smooth finish and sprayed with a gloss finish to protect and seal it before being attached. I still need to create the 2 other sections of trim for the doors which haven't been hung yet. I'll post more updates as progress is made.