-
2 Attachment(s)
For those of us that might be experiencing arthritis in the hands, I came up with a tool to ease the process of changing the jaws of my chuck. It consists of a 1/4 inch hex spacer and the appropriate Allen wrench. It fits into my battery powered screw driver and makes changing the jaws much quicker and easier.Attachment 211328Attachment 211329
-
1 Attachment(s)
I use a cheap automatic center punch I found at harbor freight to mark the center points on my turnings.
Attachment 211373
I check the sharpness of my skews by trying to drag the sharp edge across my fingernail. If it skips across, it is not sharp enough.
-
I have circles of 1/4 inch plywood cut in various diameters from 4 to 10 inches to use as a guide when cutting bowl blanks on the bandsaw. If cutting a blank from a log, always put the flat side down and attach the plywood to the bark side attached wood with a nail.
-
Keep a telescoping magnetic pick up handy, they work great to pick up the jaw screw that just rolled under the tool cabinet. I have several scattered around the shop, always dropping a screw or small metal part!
-
A couple of small beanbags (I fill a pair of socks with dried beans) are extremely handy for serving as a holding base for irregular bowl blanks, especially when trying to drill.
-
1 Attachment(s)
To keep from marring up the spindle on your lathe with set screws from your chucks, use brass tipped screws. I get mine from McMaster, but you can probably find them at a well stocked hardware store.
Attachment 211404
-
Get a small tube blower fitted to compressor hose. Tape it to the top of the shop-vac hose, extended about i in. longer. When chips fill the hollow form. put the air hose inside the opening.allow a second or two for it to suck the chips, then blow the remaining with the air hose agitating them so the shop vac can suck them in, thus not allowing the dust and chips to contaminate the ambient air. Max
-
If you've been turning something really special . . . . just about have it done . . . . . and hear yourself saying:
"Just one last cut."
Immediately turn off the lathe.
-
Glue up.
Problem: Glue cures on brush during large glue ups, between moving stuff and assembly.
Solution: I usually use an acid brush, to prevent the glue on the brush from curing, I use one of those glad disposable containers, cut a small hole in the lid, fill with water about 1", then I stick my brush in it until I'm ready to use it again. Keeps my brush off of things I don't want glue on, and fresh for more glue.
-
Sharpen chisels often.
heh heh I recall I told one of my woodturning students to sharpen a particular gouge he was using after about 15 minutes, meaning keep the gouge sharp, sharpen it often to achieve that condition. Time passed, I was working with other students not paying any particular attention to him or what he was doing. After awhile as I was making another pass thru the shop, I noticed he was sitting on a bench, daydreaming, swinging his legs freely, and generally really enjoying his time in shop class. I asked him what was up; of course you know his answer, he was waiting 15 minutes before sharpening his gouge and going to work.
-
Was recently turning some magnolia and was frustrated by its end grain chippiness, even with freshly sharpened tools and a light touch. Had heard about using mineral oil over "fuzzy" grain to enhance the cut. Not having any MO at hand, I used some petroleum jelly. To my amazement and joy, it worked great, without penetrating into the wood to mess up or soften a subsequent finish. That jar is now standard equipment...and that little bit of vaseline protects your metal tools from the effects of wet wood. Give it a try.
-
From all of these, I'm nominating the following three as top tips.
- “[To keep from moving] under clamping pressure… a couple of grains of fine sand dropped here and there in the glue and no more frustrating slipping and sliding and creeping.” -- David DeCristoforo, Davis, California
- “v-block on Wolverine… sharpen initial bevel then lay those 2 or 3 magnets INSIDE the v-block, which pushes the gouge closer to the wheel to establish a second bevel.” – Tim Rinehart, Charlotte, North Carolina
- “Cindy Drozda … was hollowing …[and took a] clear plastic tube in her mouth…and blew all the chips out. The tube was on a string around her neck.” – Steve Vaughan, Chesterfield, Virginia
I picked these because (a) I had not heard/seen it before, (b) they're useful to just about everyone, and (c) just darn clever. Truth is, this could easily be a Top Ten List.
Your nominees? Is there one here that really stands out?
-
Remember:
Turning is NOT an intuitive art. Practice is the operative word here.
I still have my first bowl. I keep it as an indicator of what's the right/wrong way to turn a bowl. I sure didn't know anything about sharpening then (I also wonder if I do now).
Bill
-
Here's one I spotted in a friend's shop the other day:
George's lids don't always fit perfectly, especially after the wood shrinks a little bit. Sometimes they're a bit loose. So, to create a snugger fit, he puts a small, nearly-invisible dab of Multi-Glue (a clear, rubbery adhesive) in three corners under the edge of the lid and lets it dry. It can be shaved with a razor blade to adjust. This takes a loosey-goosey lid and makes it fit pretty snug, and on one is the wiser.
Thanks, George. Good tip.
-
Picked this one up on of of the woodworking shows, but just in case you missed it:
It's not unheard of to have a holiday or a knot pop out when turning a hollow form, so how the heck to you patch it when it's virtually impossible to reach inside? Answer: insert a balloon and inflate it until it provided adequate backing for epoxy, filler, or whatever you use to patch holes. Works great!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!