HINTS AND TIPS
A Tip from a Turner.
A quick and inexpensive way of providing a tailstock ring centre.
There is no need to change tail centres when you require a ring centre. By
using a plumbers olive over
a live tail centre a perfectly effective ring centre can be obtained.
15mm copper or brass olives can be obtained for a few pence -
(or free from a friendly plumber).
Simply place the olive over the point, bring up the tail stock to nip the
work piece in the usual way, rotate once by hand to ensure it's centred correctly
before finally applying moderate pressure
from the tailstock screw.
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Useful
Tips by Keith Hall
To get a quality finish on wood, a good preparation is essential. Carefully
cutting back each coat and preparing for the next coat is greatly assisted
by the use of a tack cloth.
Tack cloths are expensive to buy, but you can make your own relatively cheaply.
The materials required are:
A piece of stockinette cloth.
White Spirit or pure Turpentine.
Raw Linseed Oil.
Method
1. Soak the cloth in water and wring out until it is as dry as possible.
2. Sprinkle on the White Spirit (or Turpentine) and work it through the whole
cloth.
3. Sprinkle on the Linseed Oil and then wring out until the cloth is virtually
dry. There must not be any surplus liquid.
You now have a cheap but good quality tack cloth.
At the risk of insulting "old stagers", always remove the worst
of the dusty surface with an ordinary clean duster - this will make your tack
cloth last longer.
Eventually the cloth will become clogged, but it is possible to wash it with
detergent and use again.
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Storing liquid polishes in containers suitable for application to work pieces
is occasionally difficult. Use a squeezy tomato sauce bottle. The polish will
then be stored safely in an airtight container and it is easily dispensed
in small amounts. For safety reasons, please label clearly.
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To find the centre of gravity of an odd shaped piece of wood, pin a length
of string from about six different positions around the perimeter, drawing
a line across the face which is in line with the string when the object is
suspended. Where the lines cross that point will be very close to it's centre
of gravity; this will greatly assist turning an irregular piece of timber.
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A lot of lathes have a headstock thread of 3/4" X 16 TPI; most car engines
have a disposable oil filter cartridge which has a similar thread. With a
little cutting and filing you can make yourself a ready supply of 78mm faceplates.
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If you are a regular "wet wood turner" try cleaning your visor and
covering it with cling film from the kitchen. Although vision is slightly
impaired it is worth a try.
The
dangers lurking in the depths of your wood.
I rarely buy turning blanks, preferring to use timber before anyone has messed
about with it and often turning natural edge pieces. Much of my supply comes
from local hedgerows as a result of thinning activities or from windblown
trees. Although I don't posses one, I've often thought that a metal detector
would be mighty handy, given the farming fraternities frugal approach when
fencing fields, after all, why bang in a post to hold up your barbed wire
when you have one growing in just the right spot?
A metal detector would not have helped me with my latest discovery though.
I was cutting up an old windblown apple tree and getting along quite well when all of a sudden my chainsaw sent up a shower of sparks. I was not best pleased to discover that my lovely old apple tree had at one time started to go hollow and some enterprising soul had decided to fill the hollow with concrete! For good measure they also decided to paint over the outside of the concrete with bitumen paint camouflaging the surface against the almost black bark of the tree. What a mess it made of my chain. Even worse than the bottle I discovered one day that had been perched in a crook in a tree and had completely grown in. I wonder whether anyone else has any similar horror stories to relate.
Jeremy Capper
If
the wood won't fit the lathe.......
Faced with the problem of having to turn some staircase spindles that were
longer than my lathe bed, I came up with the following solution:
My lathe is positioned at right angles and fairly close to a wall. So, having removed the tailstock, I guesstimated the optimum position for a tailstock were it positioned on (or rather in) the wall. I selected a length of threaded rod and drilled a close fitting hole in the wall in the chosen spot. The end of the rod was then sharpened to a suitable point and a wingnut screwed on about halfway along the rod; I followed this with a large 'penny' washer and inserted the blunt end of the rod into the hole in the wall. By tightening or loosening the wingnut against the wall, more or less of the rod would protrude. A little candle wax on my new dead centre and I was ready for business!
I stress that this process required considerable care and light cuts, but allowed me to turn 20 odd spindles that were 3" longer than my lathe bed and about 9" longer than the available distance between head and tailstock. This arrangement could be improved by gluing a close fitting sleeve into the hole in the wall as repeated use would no doubt enlarge and mis-shape the hole in the concrete block.
Jeremy Capper.
The
Foam Chuck
The problem: How do I hold an irregularly shaped Jarrah burr onto the lathe
securely enough to turn it off centre, without marking the underneath?
Well, I tried gluing it onto a baseboard with lots of little blocks of wood
and my trusty hot melt glue gun, mounted the board on a faceplate, and started
to turn it. Just then my son said, "that looks a bit dodgy Dad"
Bang! Away it went spinning across the workshop, fortunately with no one in
the way James' "told you so " look was classic! I thought the principle
of gluing the work down was good but just needed a little more support, and
I reasoned that something that completely surrounded it and glued it at the
same time would be ideal, hence builders foam. I chose a substantial board
on which to mount a faceplate and drew an outline of the burr on it using
straight lines. See below.
I then built up the sides of a lightweight box the same height as the depth
of the burr and nailed them to the baseboard.
The next step was to add the foam and restrain it a little. So, having squirted
in enough to perhaps half to two thirds fill the box, I put a sheet of polythene
over the top and taped it down well. Next I put a board and several weights
on top, the idea being to prevent the foam from becoming too fluffy and to
increase its strength. I then left it overnight to cure.
Incidentally it can often be difficult to re-use part used cans of foam unless you remove the flexible tube from the top, wash it out with cellulose thinners and insert a moistened matchstick in the still wet and foamy nozzle in the top of the can. When you come to re-use the can you pull out the matchstick and it brings the plug of cured foam out with it.
O.K, as I said, the idea was to turn the piece on two centres, so I screwed a faceplate to the bottom of the box, turned one bowl shape, moved the faceplate and turned the other interlocking shape. Next I power sanded and finished the upper surfaces of the piece with finishing oil. After a couple of coats of oil I set about removing the burr from the iron grip of the foam. This was basically just a brute force exercise involving total destruction of the box sides and then the insertion of a crow bar between the burr and the baseboard, it really did grip that well! It was now time to finish the base of the bowl(s), so I had to remove the rest of the foam. At the suggestion of a friend, I used my garden strimmer which removed most of it. My next task was to remove the bark. This proved to be very time consuming and difficult but the textures and shapes of the knots and lumps thus revealed, reminded me of molten metal, so after a final wire brushing to bring up the grain, I sprayed the base and it's legs with metallic copper paint. Incidentally the legs are carefully turned pieces of beech and not golf tees as has been suggested. I may re-make them to a different design in order to avoid that frequently suggested confusion.
Jeremy Capper
Jeremy's Walnut Platter
Here are some details about the platter. Its difficult to say how long it
took to make as it was turned and finished over a period of about a fortnight.
I mounted it on the lathe using a glue chuck (basically a disk of alloy that
I heat up and apply hot melt glue to, which is then bolted to a faceplate).
It had to be turned with great care as the bark inclusion which ran right
through it, made the whole piece very unstable; it is in effect only joined
together at the outer edges. Having turned the back I then finished it by
sanding, starting with P180 and finishing with P1200. I then carefully removed
all dust and covered the area to be glued with masking tape on to which I
drew a circle slightly larger than the glue chuck (to enable accurate centring)
and reversed the piece.
By supporting the edge of the platter with my left hand as I turned the front,
I was able to carefully proceed. Again it was sanded down to P1200, removed
from the glue chuck and the masking tape was removed from the back. The tape
had the dual purpose of allowing me to draw on the back without marking it
and preventing the glue from entering the pores of the wood or the bark inclusion.
The sapwood on this piece of walnut was particularly grey in appearance which
I did not like. To remedy this I used Rustins wood bleach applied carefully
only to the sapwood areas. This lightened them and increased the contrast
with the heartwood. These areas then had to be sanded by hand as the grain
became raised here. I then finished it with two coats of oil (nutshell) that
I get from Tobias Kaye.
Finally I finished off by waxing it using Fiddes furniture wax. But of course
the story of the platter doesn't necessarily start where I started it. It
could start with a conversation that I had whilst at a friend’s wedding
reception, which subsequently had me making a trip to Oxford to collect a
walnut tree. But it ought to include the journey I embarked upon in order
to deliver said platter to the Axminster show last autumn.....
My parents were down from Cheshire visiting us for a week and I thought it
would be a wizard wheeze to take them for a drive in the country, drop off
both my entries and those of a friend, go for a spot of lunch in a pub, then
whendle our way back again.
We set off in plenty of time and were about 25 miles from Exeter when the engine of the van ‘died’. Well I don't possess a mobile phone, but after coasting some distance in silent 6th we made it into a lay-by where I prevailed upon a fellow traveller to lend me his phone (for a suitable remuneration) and with the aid of my mother's AA membership card I summoned assistance. No I'm not a member of the AA either, but they do however support their members even when they are only passengers in a stricken vehicle. The good news was that they would transport us to Shepton Mallet. The bad news was that they would not bring us back! "Onward" says I. "We'll sort the problem out when we get there" (ever the optimist).
Whilst waiting for the AA to arrive, I tried to start the engine again; it went, and what's more, after driving up and down the lay-by a few times, so did we! But disaster struck again within a couple of miles and I found myself once more coasting towards a distant lay-by and praying that we would make it. We did, and this time persuaded a truck driver to lend me a phone so that I could sheepishly phone the AA again and explain that we were now in a different lay-by just a little closer to Exeter than before.
The deadline for delivery of our competition pieces was, however, getting ever closer. First we were transported to Exeter and then we were installed on a low loader which proceeded towards Shepton Mallet at an alarmingly slow rate. The driver however, on learning of our predicament took the necessary steps to ensure our arrival in time. This included allowing me to use his mobile phone to make several calls, eventually tracking down Mark Baker (the Editor of Woodturning Magazine) at the showground and explaining the situation to him. He graciously agreed to accept the pieces a few minutes late if necessary but as it happened the AA driver got us there in time. I dashed in and unloaded the entries then set about organising our return journey.
First we were towed to a VW garage in Yeovil where, after much testing and coffee they pronounced that they could find nothing wrong with the vehicle and they suggested that we attempt the return journey and "see what happens". Well to cut a long story short, we made it home that night at around 9 pm. The van was eventually diagnosed as having an intermittent electrical fault which has since been dealt with.
Some hassle or what? But well worth it (even for my parents) when I saw the rosettes on my platter at the exhibition. So that's it, until next year of course………..
Jeremy Capper
Me in my "tidy" workshop with my prizes.
Take a large jam jar, fill it 2/3rds full with malt vinegar, add a pulled apart ball of coarse steel wool, about the size of an orange, and leave for about three months, without the lid on the jar. Occasionally, when passing, give it a stir round. After about three months, you should have a revolting, smelly gunk, if you have not, then leave it for a further month or so until you do. Take the steel wool out of the liquid and strain what is left, to get rid of the bits, then store in a MARKED sealed bottle.
HOW TO USE
The best effect is on White Ash. Pour some of the stain into a saucer and paint it liberally onto the Ash and leave it overnight to dry. After the period of drying you should have a piece of Ash covered with a brownish khaki mat coating. Put your stained item back on the lathe and sand down. The powdery coating will disappear leaving a translucent Black/Green appearance to the wood. Apply Sanding Sealer and polish. This stain has different effects on various woods, from the translucent Black/Green to a Black Ebony. Be careful not to spill the liquid on metal surfaces as they will stain and rust. So have a go with this stain and see what effects you can achieve.
WARNING
VINEGAR IS AN ACID, USE EYE PROTECTION WHEN MAKING AND APPLYING. WASH IN CLEAN WATER IF STAIN COMES IN CONTACT WITH SKIN
Understanding
and Using Wood Bleaches
A quick reference
guide:
Just as you can put colour into wood with stain you can remove it from wood with bleach. Woodworkers often use bleaches to lighten the natural colour of woods or to even out colour differences between heart and sapwood. Bleaches can be used to remove black water stains, iron stains, and to lighten pigments and stains.
The bleaches work through a chemical reaction between the bleach and the colour in the wood. These reactions differ from bleach to bleach and, as we will see later, the correct bleach will depend on the situation. The bleaches don't actually remove the colour from the wood. They react with the chemical substances to convert them into a substance that is colourless.
Bleaching wood is not difficult. Selecting the proper bleach can require some attention. All of the chemicals used to bleach wood can be dangerous if used improperly so care should be taken to prevent contact with them. Wear gloves and goggles and read the directions on the container carefully. Two part bleaches contain hydrogen peroxide and will burn your skin. Keep water nearby and rinse off immediately if any bleach touches your skin. These bleaches only work on bare wood so remove any finishes before attempting to bleach the wood. There are three primary bleaches used by woodworkers today.
Two part bleaches are a combination of hydrogen peroxide and sodium hydroxide. The bleaches are used to lighten the natural colour of the wood. They are sold in separate containers as they chemically neutralise each other when mixed. When the chemicals are mixed on the wood itself the reaction removes the colour from the wood. They can tend to remove the lustre from the wood as well so care must be taken to test on a piece of scrap wood. Two part bleaches render the wood an off white colour. This type of bleach is an excellent choice when you want to even out the colour between heart and sap wood before applying a stain The sodium hydroxide can burn the skin and the eyes so care must be taken to protect them.
Chlorine bleach can be used to remove dye stains from wood in much the same way that it removes the colour from clothing. Household bleaches can be used but they tend to be weaker and will need multiple applications.
Oxalic acid is an excellent choice for removing iron stains and black water rings from furniture. It is sold in dry crystal form and is available at most hardware stores. You will often see it labelled as wood bleach so check the label to make sure you are getting the correct product. Oxalic acid is used in cleaning up old weathered wood - Garden furniture etc.
Lemon juice can be used to remove black chucking marks created when wet turning wood.
Neutralising after use:
After the bleaches have completed their jobs they should be neutralised with water and then followed up with a water/baking powder mix. Two part bleaches can be neutralised with a 1 part vinegar 2 parts water bath. The above information is offered as a general guide and before using any propriety bleaches you should always read and follow the instructions carefully.
Peter Dulley.
Microwave
Seasoning
It is possible to reduce the moisture in timbers satisfactorily by using a
microwave oven.
There are inevitably some drawbacks. However, some people who have achieved
success with this method argue that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
The main advantages are:
1) It is quick and easy.
2) When the timber becomes soft or "plasticised" the effect is similar
to steam bending; shaping or forming is possible allowing design possibilities
which are different to the norm.
3) Generally, bark will stay firmly attached, knots and pith do not present
problems.
4) Wet timber is easy to work and dust problems are virtually eliminated.
5) Any fungi or insects are eliminated.
6) Microwaves will heat timber from the inside (keep thickness at 25mm or
less) thus driving the moisture out. In this way the tension stresses are
reduced with a resultant reduction in surface checking or splitting.
My research suggests that a temperature of 80°c is best as this will avoid the production of steam which could well result in checking or splitting. The "Defrost" setting seems to work.
Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC)
One of the secrets with microwaving as with natural or kiln dried seasoning
is to judge when the process is complete. Microwaving is not an exact science
and it would be too ambitious for us to hope to obtain an EMC where our work
exactly matches the intended environment. If you wish to remount the work
on a chuck this is going to cause you some problems. At this stage, experiment
with what is available to solve the problem.
There are two methods to consider when thinking about microwaving:
Green to finished size then season - "Quick method".
Green to oversize, season, finish - "Slow method".
The Quick Method
1) Mount the blank and turn to its final size - thickness ought to be less
than 8mm.
2) Set your oven to defrost (or 80°c) and allow 10 minutes to "cook".
Then allow 10 minutes to cool.
3) At this point, spigots or recess cut originally ought to be satisfactory.
Remount the work piece and sand to smooth finish. 4) Now return the work to
the oven for 5 minutes on defrost. You might find some warping at this point,
however, it can be rectified by hand or mechanical means - a vice or press.
Step 4 above may need to be repeated 3 times. Also when deforming is taking
place, you might like to try your hand at shaping the work by hand.
The Slow Method
1) Mount the blank and rough turn aiming for a fairly uniform thickness of
15mm or less.
2) Set to defrost (or 80°c) and "cook" for 10 minutes. Upon
completion, cramp with a vice or press to prevent cupping or bowing.
3) Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Repeat 3 or 4 times (depending on thickness)
until fully seasoned.
If fine surface checking occurs, you have seasoned too much! You will now
be in a position to turn your work into the finished product. However, as
mentioned previously, remounting the work can be quite frustrating. Keep in
mind when working with timber that you are dealing with a natural living material.
There are no guarantees that if you follow the advice offered you will achieve
100% success. However, use these notes as guidance and a basis to experiment
and hopefully you won't have too many burnt offerings.
Keith Hall.
Grinders
and their wheels -
based
on a talk by Mike Adams at the July '05 clubnight
Mike gave a talk on health and safety when using the grinder and went on to show how to change a wheel, as we all will have to do at some time in our turning careers.
To change a wheel, proceed as follows:-
Remove wheel guard from the side of the grinder. Remove the wheel from the grinder shaft by using a wooden wedge inserted between the wheel and grinder tool rest to hold the wheel stationary whilst undoing the retaining nut from the grinder shaft (Left hand side nut has a left hand thread). If the nuts are not overtightened when fitting, they will release easily when needed. Remove the old wheel, "Blotters" -(felt pads) and washers from the shaft. Don't forget, you will have to adjust the tool rest to the right position for the new wheel as it will probably be a different diameter to you old wheel.
Before fitting the new wheel, clean the grinder shaft of all debris so that the wheel will not be too tight on the shaft. If it is too tight, the heat generated in use can expand the shaft and crack the wheel. Also do a "Ring" test on the new wheel. This is similar to tapping a glass and listening to it ring to ensure it is not cracked. Hold the wheel using it's mounting hole on a piece of dowel or screwdriver shaft, so that it is suspended free of obstruction and tap it, preferably with a piece of wood - NEVER with a metal tool. If the wheel is good it will ring cleanly, if it's not good it will make a dull thud.
When satisfied that the new wheel is good, mount it onto the grinder shaft using blotters and washers and fit the retaining nut finger tight. Adjust the tool rest and spark guards to the correct positions for the wheel (1.5 mm gap is the correct distance for safety reasons) and using the wooden wedge as before, hold the wheel stationary whilst tightening the retaing nut, not too tight. Refit the wheel guard on the side of the grinder. When ready, stand to one side of the grinder and switch on. Let it run for at least 2 minutes. If the replacement wheel is going to shatter it will likely do it during this time.
NEVER use the side of the wheel to grind anything or to slow the wheel down after use as you could shatter the wheel by doing this.
Mike also gave us some thoughts on reasons and methods for dressing grind stones.
The stone needs to be square across it's face becayse you won't get good profiles on your tools if it isn't. The stone needs to be kept clean of metal filings which give it's surface a shiny look, as this will reduce the stones effectiveness and can generate more heat.
Three methods of dressing stones are:
Star Wheels: These
work but can be cruel and eat a lot of stone in the process.
Diamond tipped dressing
tools are good but can be damaged easily.
Devil stones are
excellent and do a good job - not over expensive either.
I have tried several methods of storing and dispensing liquid polishes and sanding sealer. Of course, any container must be able to be sealed easily. The material that such a container is manufactured from is also important as it must not contaminate the contents. The answer lies in a plastic tomato ketchup bottle which has the added advantage of being able to be cleaned easily - polishspills and drips can simple be wiped off.
Plastic shampoo bottles with screw on and snap shut lids can be used for storing small amounts of ready to use sanding sealer, finishing oils etc. All should be appropriately labelled with contents and dilution percentages:
e.g.
Sanding sealer 50% dilution
Sanding sealer 25% dilution
Finishing oil (Liberon, nut oil, liquid paraffin, etc.)
By using a clear
plastic lemonade bottle and inserting a spindle gouge you can see the angles
that are possible to achieve, for the spindle gouge can be used in many ways
and not just for spindle turning.
It can be used for boring like a drill bit into end grain and also for turning
hollow forms.
This is where the bottle comes into it's own as you can see what angles you
want to cut at. By leaving one of the angles of the gouge slightly proud on
the leading edge it is possible to enable it to work through a very small
hole.
You can turn pieces without spending a lot of money on fancy tools.
To find the cemtre of gravity of an odd shaped piece of wood, pin a length of string from about 6 different positions around the perimeter, drawing a line across the face which is in line with the string when the item is suspended. Where the lines cross, that point will be very close to the centre of gravity. This will greatly assist in turning an irregular piece of timber.
When mounting a finished piece of work on a glue chuck, use masking tape to protect the surface from the penetration of glue into the grain.
When a lady came
into the shop the other day she purchased a piece of wood and I joked with
her saying "Mind you don't hit your thumb when you drive the nails in".
"I never do that" she replied, "I use a comb to hold the nail.
I place the nail between the teeth of the comb and hold the comb so my hand
is nowhere near the falling hammer".
Such a simple solution for those fine nails we all have difficulty holding.
1. To prevent splitting
when nailing very thin wood it is a good idea to cut off the point of the
nail or panel pin with a pair of pincers before driving it into the wood.
The blunted point will shear the fibres and not split the wood whereas a sharp
tapered point will penetrate the fibres and not force them apart, splitting
the wood.
2. To protect a new file rub chalk over the file. This greatly reduces the
tendency of the metal to stick between the teeth and it acts as a lubricant.
The chalk should be rubbed well in between the serrations.
How often have
you broken the stem of a wine glass, leaving the body of the glass intact?
An attractive way of utilising what is left of your glass is to turn a base
with a recess into which the broken stem will fit.
The stem should be glued in with araldite glue or similar and this is one
of those instances when you might want to think about varnishing your work
to provide an impervious finish.
Over the years you may even build up a complete set of glasses, but in the
meantime it will make an attractive container for a variety of uses including
flowers, sweets, peanuts etc..
If anyone has
any woodturning tips that you would like to share with us and allow us to
enter on this page then please contact
us.