Smoothing A Block Built Banjo Pot

[Noah Barfield]

Hi all,

I'm in the process of building a banjo. For the pot, I've used a block technique with alternating layers of American black walnut and jatoba. 194780
194779
Both the inside and outside of the pot need to be smoothed (they have ripples from where I shaped the pot on the orbital sander). Although this hasn't been a neander project so far, I was wondering about alternatives to sanding (the sawdust has been irritating my allergies). Would a compass plane work? What about a cabinet scraper? In addition to limiting my exposure to sawdust, I'm looking ahead to future builds that I would like to do using hand tools only.

Noah

[Steve Friedman]

Very nice! Outside should be simple with a flat spokeshave. Not sure about the inside, but would guess there are coopering and chairmaking tools that would be perfect. I think coopers use a curved scraper or shave to smooth the seams on the inside of barrels and chairmakers use a travisher to smooth the seat hollows.

The Cooper's hollowing drawknife is from Country Workshops (www.countryworkshops.org) and the travisher is from Highland Woodworking.

Steve

[john brenton]

You're so close to being finished you might want to consider buy a better respirator and finishing the job with sandpaper.
A card scraper would be good, but are you sure the grain is all running in the same direction? It would really stink to mess that work up with eve a smidgen of tearout. Card scrapers are great for working tearout...but they can cause it too.



Hi all,

I'm in the process of building a banjo. For the pot, I've used a block technique with alternating layers of American black walnut and jatoba. 194780
194779
Both the inside and outside of the pot need to be smoothed (they have ripples from where I shaped the pot on the orbital sander). Although this hasn't been a neander project so far, I was wondering about alternatives to sanding (the sawdust has been irritating my allergies). Would a compass plane work? What about a cabinet scraper? In addition to limiting my exposure to sawdust, I'm looking ahead to future builds that I would like to do using hand tools only.

Noah

[Noah Barfield]

You're so close to being finished you might want to consider buy a better respirator and finishing the job with sandpaper.
A card scraper would be good, but are you sure the grain is all running in the same direction? It would really stink to mess that work up with eve a smidgen of tearout. Card scrapers are great for working tearout...but they can cause it too.

Good point. I was not as careful with grain orientation as I could have been (it's all a learning process). I'll most likely finish it outside using an orbital sander. I'm currently reading Jim Toplin's latest book and am really attracted to the idea of "sawdust free" woodworking. Making the transition seems pretty difficult though.

Noah

[john brenton]

As you use handplanes and scrapers you'll stop using the paper as much. The only time I use sandpaper anymore is to lightly sand the surface in preparation for stain, not to shape. Well, I guess I do like to soften up the arris with the sandpaper instead of chamferring...but other than that I rarely use it. It's not for any desire to be "more neander", but I've always hated sandpaper.



Good point. I was not as careful with grain orientation as I could have been (it's all a learning process). I'll most likely finish it outside using an orbital sander. I'm currently reading Jim Toplin's latest book and am really attracted to the idea of "sawdust free" woodworking. Making the transition seems pretty difficult though.

Noah

[george wilson]

You have no lathe? I don't like using wood lathes because of the mess they make. Therefore,I found a used acrylic full length guard that can tip back,then forward over the lathe to use it. Probably came out of a school shop. it's 3 feet long. Then,I have two 4" vacuum hoses that sort of jam where they come up through the back side of the lathe. They can be moved sideways,but sort of fit snugly between the bracket of the shield and the lathe bed. It sort of makes a suction tunnel under the acrylic guard. Doesn't catch everything,but it does catch the fine dust we don't want to breathe. It's hooked up to a 2 h.p. Dust Gorilla collector.

This might not help you much,I know,but it's what I have managed to do to solve the lathe dust problem. Those shields are not cheap if you buy them new,though.

If not for the bottom being on the banjo body,you could use an oscillating spindle sander with a vacuum hooked up to it to smooth out the sides.

[Noah Barfield]

Thanks George. I do have a lathe, but not a chuck big enough to hold the banjo. Plus I've never used a lathe before (just got it).

Your solution does sound like a great way to deal with the mess though.

Noah

[Noah Barfield]

As you use handplanes and scrapers you'll stop using the paper as much. That's what I'm hoping will happen! I'd like to become more neander for a number of reasons (allergies, limited space, noise issues), but what limited woodworking skills I have I've developed using power tools. I've got some learning to do!

[Ed Looney]

Noah
A sanding station is a great accessory for your dust collection system. Because of the health problems the dust causes for woodworkers you might want to consider making a shop built sanding station. The sanding station in addition to a good HEPA N100 respirator should almost eliminate your issues with dust allergies. The sanding stations are fairly simple to make and can be free standing or a box you can put on top of your work bench. There are plenty of examples out there if you do an online search and adapting those plans to your shop needs should be simple as well.

Good luck with your project.

Ed

[Jim Koepke]

A low angle block plane comes in handy for a task like this. A circular plane might help with some of it, but an LA Block could do it all. Keep the cut at a minimum for best results.


As you use handplanes and scrapers you'll stop using the paper as much.

Just before I understood this concept, I bought a bunch of sandpaper. That was about a year ago and I think I have used less than a dozen sheets since then.

Most of my sandpaper gets used cleaning up metal or on the lathe, and not as much on the lathe as in the past due to better skill and sharp tools.

jtk

[george wilson]

You would not hold such a big project in a chuck. Do you have a face plate? I have done many a large project where I didn't want screw holes,by holding the workpiece on the face plate with double surface carpet tape. The thicker variety holds better. If you want to be SURE it won't come loose,screw a piece of wood to the face plate,then glue the banjo pot to it with a thick piece of paper in the joint. You split the pot loose afterwards by splitting the sheet of paper loose with a chisel carefully,and by degrees. The double surface tape works fine,though,as long as you have 2 FLAT surfaces with the tape between them.

Don't ever try to remove the project and re mount it with the same tape,though. It will likely come flying off the lathe,since the tape only sticks well one time.