Ken Fitzgerald
03-04-2006, 11:25 AM
As you folks pushed me into this new addiction I feel obligated to occasionally update you on my progresses or regresses as the matter may be.
So far with the funds you provided and with some out of my shop fund I've got most of the things on the list Andy provided.
I bought a bed extension for the lathe. I bought a Wolverine basic jig, the diamond truing jig and the varigrind jig.
I bought a little hand tool for checking the angle of the grind, some Myland's friction polish and an assortment of sanding strips.
I've watched the videos sent to me and the Bill Grumbine video over and over. Bill is in re-runs now....I hope he doesn't get paid for the reruns too!:D
Each evening after a full day's work I still find reason to spend 30 minutes to several hours working in the shop usually spin related work. I'm spending a lot of time trying to plan my first major spinny/flat project in the form of a somewhat shaker style candle/spindle table. I haven't watched tv any evening this week for more than maybe 30 minutes total all week and that's a good thing. Prior to having my residence bombed, I was becoming an ambidextrous channel changer!
Now for the WOW!
After having the spindle gouge break last week, I decided to sharpen up the new Robert Larson spindle gouge that was so generously given to me. I had been using the Wolverine jig to sharpen the HF tools given to me and done reasonalbly well. My initial try on the Robert Larson spindle gouge to me seemed to put a pointed, pyramidal shape to it not fingernail shaped at 35 degrees. So....I set up the Wolverine jig; with a bucket of water close by, I ground the end of the RL spindle gouge square and started over. It was while I was grinding the end flat that the WOW happened! Folks, you think a catch on rotating wood is serious......a catch on the coarse grinding wheel is even more impressive. I should have probably used the standard plate and not the cupped jig for that procedure. The handle was captured in the cup of the jig; I hadn't repositioned the jig after grinding maybe 1/8" off the sharp point when the tool caught on the stone. That 3/4 hp motor threw the tool into the grinding wheel gouging out a couple of significant holes and then threw it out sideways! I was impressed with what it did but not with my choice of methods for doing what I was doing! An hour and 1/2 with the truing tool being very careful to go slowly and take take off a little at a time, I was able to remove the 1/8" deep gouge sized divots that appeared in the coarse grinding wheel. There are a lot of things to learn. Hopefully, I'll use a little more intellect and lean less heavily on learning by experience in the future!
I was then able to get a good grind and edge on the RL tool, BTW.
This morning I've got my eye on some 8"-10" diameter maple limbs that were cut on the ground 2 blocks away. They are limbs so they won't make great objects but will make great practice for this rookie! I've got to make a run to the dump. This afternoon, the Pritchard (sp?) art museum in Moscow for the turning display of some renowned turned art from private collections. I'm really looking forward to that.
Reading the book recommended by Carole, by Rowley, I'm planning a long wood and metal tool rest for my lathe to use when I start turning the spindle for my wife's and friends upcoming somewhat shaker style candle tables.
So there it is..........the sharecroppers report to the landowners!
BTW.........You'll never be able to appreciate how much having this new addiction has effected me. I now have a renewed vigor to get that shop finished and build a serious bench for the BOMB! Did you notice that my Jet is white....that Andy will do anything for white yes?:rolleyes:
So far with the funds you provided and with some out of my shop fund I've got most of the things on the list Andy provided.
I bought a bed extension for the lathe. I bought a Wolverine basic jig, the diamond truing jig and the varigrind jig.
I bought a little hand tool for checking the angle of the grind, some Myland's friction polish and an assortment of sanding strips.
I've watched the videos sent to me and the Bill Grumbine video over and over. Bill is in re-runs now....I hope he doesn't get paid for the reruns too!:D
Each evening after a full day's work I still find reason to spend 30 minutes to several hours working in the shop usually spin related work. I'm spending a lot of time trying to plan my first major spinny/flat project in the form of a somewhat shaker style candle/spindle table. I haven't watched tv any evening this week for more than maybe 30 minutes total all week and that's a good thing. Prior to having my residence bombed, I was becoming an ambidextrous channel changer!
Now for the WOW!
After having the spindle gouge break last week, I decided to sharpen up the new Robert Larson spindle gouge that was so generously given to me. I had been using the Wolverine jig to sharpen the HF tools given to me and done reasonalbly well. My initial try on the Robert Larson spindle gouge to me seemed to put a pointed, pyramidal shape to it not fingernail shaped at 35 degrees. So....I set up the Wolverine jig; with a bucket of water close by, I ground the end of the RL spindle gouge square and started over. It was while I was grinding the end flat that the WOW happened! Folks, you think a catch on rotating wood is serious......a catch on the coarse grinding wheel is even more impressive. I should have probably used the standard plate and not the cupped jig for that procedure. The handle was captured in the cup of the jig; I hadn't repositioned the jig after grinding maybe 1/8" off the sharp point when the tool caught on the stone. That 3/4 hp motor threw the tool into the grinding wheel gouging out a couple of significant holes and then threw it out sideways! I was impressed with what it did but not with my choice of methods for doing what I was doing! An hour and 1/2 with the truing tool being very careful to go slowly and take take off a little at a time, I was able to remove the 1/8" deep gouge sized divots that appeared in the coarse grinding wheel. There are a lot of things to learn. Hopefully, I'll use a little more intellect and lean less heavily on learning by experience in the future!
I was then able to get a good grind and edge on the RL tool, BTW.
This morning I've got my eye on some 8"-10" diameter maple limbs that were cut on the ground 2 blocks away. They are limbs so they won't make great objects but will make great practice for this rookie! I've got to make a run to the dump. This afternoon, the Pritchard (sp?) art museum in Moscow for the turning display of some renowned turned art from private collections. I'm really looking forward to that.
Reading the book recommended by Carole, by Rowley, I'm planning a long wood and metal tool rest for my lathe to use when I start turning the spindle for my wife's and friends upcoming somewhat shaker style candle tables.
So there it is..........the sharecroppers report to the landowners!
BTW.........You'll never be able to appreciate how much having this new addiction has effected me. I now have a renewed vigor to get that shop finished and build a serious bench for the BOMB! Did you notice that my Jet is white....that Andy will do anything for white yes?:rolleyes: