burning hint of the day

[Dan Valleskey]

When I want to burn a line, I use my old coping saw, with the blade turned backwards. Instead of a wire. It takes a little longer to get hot, maybe, but there is no chance I'll touch hot wire. I have a nice, safe way to hold a fine edge on the work.

Am I the only person doing this? Is there some problem with this approach I have not thought of? Aside from, it zaps the temper out of the saw and bends it some. You will not use that blade to saw again. But then, when was the last time you used a coping saw?


-Dan

[Jim Sebring]

I just use a piece of music wire in my coping saw for burning lines.

[Mike Peace]

The wire burns a lot faster when you have more of it touching the wood. I hold the wire with a ball on each to hold on to and then lower the hand on the far side so the wire touches the wood on top and on the back side.

[Marty Eargle]

The only reason I can think not to use a saw blade instead of a wire is the fact the the back of the black will not be rounded over and won't leave a clean bevel like a wire will.

[Dave Lehnert]

I just use a piece of music wire in my coping saw for burning lines.

How do you clamp the wire in your saw?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

You could just put knots in it.

I use two pieces of wood for handles with a piece of a guitar string tied between them. I have 2 different "burning tools" each with a different size guitar string. A local music shop will sell you a guitar string for $1 each.

A single guitar string will make 2 or 3 burning tools.

[Wally Dickerman]

I use steel wire from Ace hardware. Not expensive, a lifetime supply for $3.95. I attach wood dowels for handles on a foot or so of wire. The wire comes in a variety of gauges. 16 ga. will give you a very heavy burned line. 32 ga. will give you a very fine line, etc. You'll get different effects by using 16 ga for a single line, 24 ga. for 3 lines or 32 ga for 5, close-together lines, etc..

For best results, cut a small groove first, then crank up the speed on the lathe before using the wire. Friction does the burning.

If you have your dust system close for sanding, turn it off. The wire makes smoke which means it's burning.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I got some SS wire and put 2 dowel handles on the ends on about a ft of wire like the others. Like Wally I have 18, 24, and 32 ga for different effects.

[Russell Neyman]

Burning the outside diameter is fairly simple, but it's not so easy burning lines on the top of a lid or platter. Somebody here (Keller? Hackler?) said they cut a small groove, then held a piece of sharpened laminate into the slot and let it burn. I haven't tried it yet, but it really makes sense.

Has anyone simply held a hot woodburner into a slot and let the piece spin against it?

[John W Dixon]

Burning the outside diameter is fairly simple, but it's not so easy burning lines on the top of a lid or platter. Somebody here (Keller? Hackler?) said they cut a small groove, then held a piece of sharpened laminate into the slot and let it burn. I haven't tried it yet, but it really makes sense.

I tried this but couldn't get it to work. Not sure if I didn't have the right laminate or what. Just some of those sample counter top squares. I sharpened a corner and stuck it in a groove on the platter and nada. Just wore away the corner of the laminate but no burning.

[Bill Wyko]

With metal guitar strings you can do different sized lines too.

[curtis rosche]

Burning the outside diameter is fairly simple, but it's not so easy burning lines on the top of a lid or platter. Somebody here (Keller? Hackler?) said they cut a small groove, then held a piece of sharpened laminate into the slot and let it burn. I haven't tried it yet, but it really makes sense.

Has anyone simply held a hot woodburner into a slot and let the piece spin against it?

a peice i did once when i was starting, it was cherry and i needed some burn rings on the inside of the cup, so i sharpened a couple peices of hard maple to a point and turned the speed way up and held it in there.

[Jim Underwood]

You gotta have a really high RPM and hard pressure to get that laminate to burn. It kinda mushrooms out, but eventually it'll give you a burn line...

Hardboard works pretty well too...

[Russell Neyman]

What about just a piece of copper? That should heat up pretty easily.