Wood and crocodile leather handbag/Sac à main en bois et en cuir de crocodile

The handbag consists of :
- a rigid front panel in Tiger Wood (a slightly orange color) supporting the bronze closure (latch) attached to an oval inlay in light oak
- a rigid back panel in Walnut wood (brown ribbed)
- a flexible part (*) in light oak corresponding to the bottom of the bag
- a flexible part (*) in light oak corresponding to the top flap of the bag. This flexible part is assembled with a rigid triangular part in Walnut wood which will support the other part of the bronze closure.
- two side parts in light Oak wood, which will support the bronze chain rings for carrying the bag on the shoulder.
(*): the flexible parts in light oak wood are cut from a rigid sheet of oak wood, with fine longitudinal patterns, a kind of mesh, cut in the direction of the wood grain, thus lightening its structure and making the sheet of wood more flexible, but only in one direction.

In a 4mm thick wooden plate, after engraving the meshes, it is possible to roll this plate into a roll shape up to a 25mm radius (50mm diameter) without breaking the wooden meshes. In our case, the radius of curvature is 38mm (diameter 76mm) for the top and bottom parts of the handbag.
To join the wooden sheets together, 4mm square "slots" and "S"-shaped tenons/mortises are used. Note that to compensate for the wood burn on the visible crenellations, an extra 0.5mm is needed to sand down the top of the crenellations and remove the black created by laser cutting, to reveal the wood's native color.

French version-----

The handbag is made of :

·         a rigid front panel in Tiger Wood (slightly orange color) supporting the bronze closure (latch) fixed on an oval light oak marquetry

·         a rigid back panel in Walnut wood (ribbed brown color)

         · a soft part (*) made of light oak wood that corresponds to the bottom of the bag

·         a soft part (*) made of light oak wood that corresponds to the bib on top of the bag. This flexible part is assembled with a rigid triangular part in walnut wood that will support the other part of the bronze closure.

         · two side parts in light oak wood, which will support the bronze rings attaching the chain, to carry the bag on the shoulder.

(*): the flexible parts in light oak wood are cut from a rigid oak wood plate on which are cut thin longitudinal patterns, a kind of mesh, in the direction of the wood fiber, thus making it possible to lighten its structure and to soften the wooden plate but in one direction only.

In a 4 mm thick wooden plate, it is possible after engraving the meshes, to roll this plate in the shape of a roll up to a radius of 25 mm (diameter of 50 mm) without breaking the wooden meshes. In our case, the radius of curvature is 38mm (diameter 76mm) for the upper and lower part of the handbag.

To join wooden plates together, 4mm square " crenellations " and " S " shaped mortises/tenons/mortises are used. Note that to compensate for the burning of the wood on the visible battlements, an extra length of 0.5mm is necessary to sand the top of the crenellations and to remove the black generated by the laser cutting, to reveal the native color of the wood.

Select the desired wood species. Position the wood sheets in the Xtool machine. Position the Xtool software's laser-cutting masks on the correct pieces of wood.
Depending on the size of the pieces of wood, you'll need to do this in several stages.

I chose to engrave a text corresponding to my wife's little name. I didn't want to overload it with engraved images to preserve the natural beauty of the wood. 
Engraving is done right after cutting.

French version-----

Choose the desired wood species. Position the wooden plates in the Xtool machine. Position the laser cutting masks of the Xtool software on the right pieces of wood.
Depending on the size of the pieces of wood, it will be necessary to do it in several times.

I chose to engrave a text corresponding to my wife's little name. I didn't want to overload with engraved images to preserve the natural beauty of the wood.

The engraving is done in the wake of the cutting.

For aesthetic reasons (light wood / orange wood contrast on the front panel), but also as a precaution against splitting the wood when inserting the threaded brass inserts, I chose to position the handbag latch on a lighter oval piece of wood (oak) that fits perfectly into the Tigerwood front panel of the handbag.
For a perfect fit, cut the oval light oak part to an africaine offset of +0.2mm all around the ellipse using the "Outline" function at +0.2mm, and vice versa, cut the hole in ellipse shape in the Tigerwood front panel at a negativ offset -0.2mm smaller all around.

Before adjusting, insert the brass inserts into the oval cut-out as described elsewhere, because if the wood splits during this operation, it's easy to re-cut an oval piece of wood and repeat the operation.
Next, adjust the cut-outs with fine sandpaper to remove the black laser-cut burn on the inside of the front panel cut-out and on the periphery of the oval piece, so that you can insert the oval oak piece into the Tigerwood front panel, in order to have effectiveness gluing.
Apply white wood glue to the outer edge of the oval piece and to the inner edge of the front panel cut-out, then assemble, making sure there are no gaps between the surfaces.

French version-----

I chose for a question of aesthetics (contrast of light wood / orange wood of the front panel) but also as a precaution in case of cracking in the wood when inserting the tapped brass inserts, to position the latch of the handbag on a part of lighter oval wood (oak) that fits perfectly into the Tigerwood front of the handbag.

To have a perfect fit you have to cut the oval part in light oak at 0.2mm more all around the ellipse using the "  Outline " function at +0.2mm, and vice versa, you have to cut the hole in the shape of an ellipse in the front side in Tigerwood but smaller by -0.2mm less all around.

Before adjustment, insert the tapped brass inserts into the cut oval piece as described elsewhere, because if the wood splits during this operation, it is easy to re-cut an oval piece of wood and start the operation again.
Then, you have to adjust the cutouts with fine sandpaper to remove the black from the burn due to the laser cut on the inner part of the front panel cutout and on the periphery of the oval piece to be able to insert the oak oval piece into the Tigerwood front panel and have a good gluing
Coat the outer edge of the oval piece with white wood glue and on the inner part of the front panel cut-out, then assemble, making sure there is no offset between surfaces.

To secure the bag latch, 4 holes are required in the wood to accommodate M4mm L4mm D6mm brass threaded inserts. The diameter of the holes in the wood is 5.5mm (to be adapted with a circular file) to accommodate the 6mm insert without splitting the wood. The inserts must be fixed before assembling and gluing the different wood parts, as it's easier to work flat and you never know if one of the pieces of wood will split.... To do this, chamfer one of the two ends of the knurled insert (using a 4 mm screw fixed in a drill chuck or screwdriver) by turning it in the opposite direction to a normal drill hole (like an unscrewing operation) and rubbing the insert thus held in the chuck on a metal file and then on fine sandpaper.

To fit the inserts, a simple screw, washer and nut are required. Thread the brass insert (chamfered on the wood side) onto the threaded shank of the screw, then pass the screw through the 5.5mm hole in the wood plate, thread on the washer and then the nut. Hold the screw head and turn the nut, which will push the chamfered brass insert through the wood. Don't forget to put a little wood glue in the groove of the brass insert and also on the wooden periphery of the screw hole. Position the chamfer against the wood, not the other way round.
The holes for the M4 brass screws can be 4 mm, since laser-cutting the wood will produce a slightly larger hole, allowing the screw to pass through freely.
You can also opt for a magnetic closure. In this case, you'll need to adapt the number of holes and their diameter. Pay close attention to the position of these holes, to make sure that the handbag closure and the latch or magnetic fastener coincide, without forcing them to break the wooden mesh or causing the handbag flap to yawn.

French version-----

To attach the closing latch of the bag, you need 4 holes in the wood to accommodate brass threaded inserts M4mm L4mm D6mm. The diameter of the holes in the wood is 5.5mm (to be adapted to the circular file) to accommodate the 6mm insert without splitting the wood. The inserts must be fixed before assembling and gluing the different parts of wood because it is easier to work flat and you never know if one of the pieces of wood will split.... To do this, one of the two ends of the knurled insert must be chamfered (use a 4 mm screw fixed in a drill or screwdriver/devising mandrel) by turning upside down a normal drilling (such as an unscrewing operation) and rubbing the insert thus held in the mandrel on a metal file and then on fine sandpaper.

To implant the inserts, a simple screw, washer and nut are required. Thread the brass insert (chamfer on the wood side) on the threaded rod of the screw, then pass the screw through the 5.5mm hole in the wooden plate, thread the washer and then the nut. Hold the screw head and turn the nut, which will have the effect of driving the chamfered brass insert through the wood. Don't forget to put a little wood glue in the groove of the brass insert and also on the wooden periphery of the screw hole. Position the chamfer well against the wood, and not the other way around.
The holes for the M4 diameter brass screws can be 4 mm, as laser cutting the wood will produce a slightly larger hole, allowing the screw to pass freely.
You can also opt for a magnetic closure. In this case, the number of holes and their diameter will have to be adapted. Pay attention to the position of these holes to be sure that the closure of the handbag with the latch or the magnetic button closure coincides well, without forcing so as not to break the wooden mesh or without making the flap of the handbag yawn.

First, carry out a test assembly without glue, to ensure that all the parts fit together properly.

Start by assembling the closing flap: the triangular part (with the two latch holes) on the soft wooden part with small holes on the sides (for future leather stitching).
Start by assembling the closing flap: the triangular part (with the 2 latch attachment holes) on the flexible wooden part which has small holes on the sides (for future leather stitching), taking care to position it on the side where the small holes are drilled all the way through, while the other side is missing 2 small holes on each side. In fact, it won't be possible to sew on this side, as it will be joined to the rear wood panel. (See drawing)

Then assemble all the pieces of wood in accordance with the enclosed general assembly drawing (see drawing).

Stitch the two leather strips on either side of the handbag's closing flap, before final assembly.

Then assemble all the pieces of wood in accordance with the attached general assembly drawing, using white wood glue. Wipe off any glue overflow to avoid staining the wood.
After the glue has dried (24 hrs), sand down any remaining black traces from the laser cutting with fine sandpaper. Also sand the assembled parts to avoid any protrusion on the wood. Finish sanding with very, very fine sandpaper to give the wood a smooth appearance.
Then use beeswax to coat the wood. Allow to dry for a few hours, then polish the surfaces with a wool cloth.

For the shoulder strap, I bought an aluminum chain with an imitation bronze surface treatment to keep the weight down. A leather strap might also do the trick, and may make less noise when the shoulder strap bangs against the wooden bag.

French version-----

of all, make an assembly without glue, to control the interlocking of all the parts.

Start by assembling the closing flap: the triangular part (with the 2 latch fixing holes) on the soft wooden part which has small holes on the sides (for the future sewing of the leather) being careful to position it on the side where the small holes are drilled to the end, while on the other side there are 2 small holes missing on each side. Indeed, it will not be possible to sew on this side since this side will be assembled to the back wooden panel. (See diagram).

Seam the two strips of leather on each side of the handbag's flap before final assembly.

Then assemble all the pieces of wood according to the attached general assembly drawing. (See drawing)

Then assemble all the pieces of wood according to the general assembly drawing attached using white wood glue. Wipe off any excess glue so as not to stain the wood.
After drying the glue, (24 hours) sand with fine sandpaper, all remaining black marks from the laser cutting. Also sanded the assembled parts so as not to have a protrusion on the wood. Finish the sanding with a very very fine sandpaper to give the wood a smooth appearance.
Then use beeswax to coat the wood. Let dry for a few hours, then polish the surfaces with a woollen cloth.

For the shoulder strap I bought an aluminum chain with an imitation bronze surface treatment to limit the weight. A leather strap could also do the trick, and may make less noise when the shoulder strap hits the wooden bag.

Here's how it looks in the end.

French version-----

Voici ce que cela donne en final.