The frame for this net made out of laminated Walnut and White Ash. The inlaid fish is also made out of Walnut. The plan called for 3/32″ thick strips, but mine were closer to 1/8″.

I made an MDF form to use as a clamping fixture.  This was my first attempt at bentwood lamination, and I made a few mistakes in the planning of it all.  First, my clamping fixture could have been designed a little better.  I didn’t have enough room for the number of clamps that I ended up using.  I also should have done a “dry” glue up to see how everything was going work.  It was definitely one of those chaotic mad dash glue ups.

I also used too much glue and it ran everywhere.  Everything was slipping and sliding all over the place.  After it dried I had a LOT of dried glue to remove and uneven strips to sand down. It was a lot of work, but well worth the effort.

To attach the net I drilled small holes all around the frame and then pushed a loop of the net through each one. Then I took a piece of leather shoe string and put it through one hole in the frame and tied it off. Then wrapped the leather around the outside of the frame going through each loop of the net as I went around. At the other end I push the leather through the last hole and tied it off.

The frame has a small groove around the outside, but the leather string I used was thicker than the grooove was deep. A soft cotton net is what I really wanted to use but I couldn’t find one, so I settled for a nylon net.

I have made a couple of these now, and have given them away at Christmas to family members.