I just had to try out some of the new turning tools so I turned a candy bowl out of yellowheart, or pau amarello. It is approximately 7″ in diameter and 1 3/4 ” high and finished with beeswax.
Yellowheart is a hardwood from Brazil. It’s yellow color is fairly bright though I expect it to darken somewhat over time.
I just lucked into a great deal on some woodturning tools through the local classifieds and picked up seven ‘almost new’ Henry Taylor’s:
From left to right:
1 1/2″ Roughing Gouge
1″ Oval Skew
3/4″ Square Nose Scraper
3/4″ Round Nose Scraper
3/4″ Gouge
3/8″ Spindle Gouge
1/4″ Spindle Gouge
I had a small square of Zebrawood and because of it’s coarse texture I wanted to know how it would turn on a faceplate so I turned a small (about 3″) plate. The plate fit perfectly under a candle that we had so, voilà, it became a candle plate. At my wife’s suggestion I turned a couple of thingy’s to accent the candle with:
I mentioned in the last post that making the angles for the picture frames was rather easy using a miter jig so I thought I’d post a bit more info about the jig.
The problem with cutting 45 degree angles is that if your table saw is out of alignment by any amount you will not get a perfect 45. This may not be noticeable when putting only two pieces of wood together but when you have to make a square with 4 pieces you’ll find that there will be undesirable gaps at the miters. A 45 degree cutting miter jig, or as I call it - The Perfect Picture Framer Jig, will eliminate this problem.
Here is a top view of this simple jig:
Because we are in the midst of a bit of redecorating here at home I had a good excuse to switch over to doing up a couple of picture frames. Since my wife and I have collected quite a few photos and pictures over the years these are just two of many more frames that I hope to make over the coming weeks.
These two are 8″ X 10″ frames made from some scraps of cherry with a beeswax finish:
1. Don’t check your lathe toolrest by running your fingers along it while turning a pen blank. The square edge of the blank will catch your fingertip, ripping the skin away from the nail causing great pain and distress.
2. Always, always, always wear your face shield when turning.
3. Measure twice, cut once is not enough. You must ensure your measurements are correct first, then measure twice and cut once.
4. The higher the clamp pressure, the thinner the glue line. The thinner the glue line, the stronger the joint. Most woodworkers are probably underclamping their joints.
5. Create an ebonizing stain by using equal parts of vinegar, water and steel wool, allowing to soak for two weeks. Store in a glass jar with a breathable lid to allow hydrogen gas to escape.
These are just a few tips that I picked up over this past week. They come from a variety of sources including books, magazines, newsletters, online and from personal experience.
There are more Woodworking Tips and Tidbits located here.
Back to the shop…
I thought I was turning a bowl until it turned into a spin top! And boy, did it spin… right into my face! I was merrily turning a bowl out of cherry when out of nowhere it just shattered and the pieces went flying.
One piece hit me square in the face and then continued on into the air. Luckily, I was wearing my new, dandy face shield that I told you about last week.
Continue reading 'A Spinning Bowl Is Not A Toy!'
This month’s meeting of the Nova Woodturner’s Guild featured a presentation by Guild member Stuart Taylor who demonstrated how he creates his works of art that he simply calls ‘turned flowers’.
Working with a branch of wet wood he deftly created a unique, one-piece turning of a wooden flower. The wet wood allows the turning of the slender stem, along with a lot of skill. 
Continue reading 'A Bouquet Of Wooden Flowers'
1. Logs cut during a tree’s growing season will have bark that is easy to remove while logs cut during a tree’s dormant season will have bark that is hard to remove. This is because during the growing season the tree’s cambial cell contents are quite fluid and making the cambial layer fragile. During the dormant season the cell content thickens and the cambial layer stiffens becoming less vulnerable.
2. Wipe exotic woods with a little acetone to clear the oils before gluing.
3. To slow checking as you turn a piece of green wood you can spray with water.
4. After you rough turn a bowl using green wood seal the outside only, leaving the inside unsealed. This will speed up drying and allow more even drying.
5. If you have one of those vacuum sealers used for food they also work great for keeping your used paint brushes from drying out overnight, minimizing the need to clean them between painting sessions.
6. To mark a straight line on a dowel place it in the miter slot of your table saw and then draw a straight line where the edge of the slot meets the dowel. If your dowel is smaller than 3/4″ round cut a smaller dado in a scrap piece of wood and use the same technique.
These are just a few tips that I picked up over this past week. They come from a variety of sources including books, magazines, newsletters, online and from personal experience.
There are more Woodworking Tips and Tidbits located here.
Back to the shop…
Here’s a project I started a few weeks ago. It will be a Craftsman style coffee table that will be 45″ X 28″. This is the first piece in a set of 4 that will include the coffee table, 2 end tables and a sofa table.
The wood is red oak from a couple of church pews that I picked up almost a year ago. A local church was moving and I was able to get 2 pews at a good price that yielded about 100 square feet of wood at 3/4″ thickness.
Here’s a photo of one of the pew backs:
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