In my quest to find the perfect finish… ah, it’s every woodworker’s dream… but seriously, as I mentioned in earlier posts I’m in the process of trying different finishes so I picked up the double whammy combo of U-Beaut’s Shellawax Cream and EEE-Ultra Shine.

These products give a finish that looks like a French polish that brings out lights and grain in the wood. It adds a whole new dimension to a turned item in a matter of seconds. Sounds too good to be true, but it is. They were initially designed for use on high end, exhibition, museum, gallery and collectors quality, woodturned items.

Shellawax Cream is a friction polish that also doubles as a buffing polish. On the lathe it gives a brilliant shine in seconds, can be handled immediately, is non toxic and water resistant. On woodcarvings and flat surfaces it gives a rich deep shine in a matter of minutes. It is a fusion mixture of pharmaceutical grade white shellac and a number of highly refined, non-toxic waxes with a shelf life of several years.

EEE-Ultra Shine is a cut and polish paste wax containing Tripoli powder, an ultra fine abrasive. The polish is designed to be used in conjunction with the Shellawax Cream.

Continue reading 'U-Beaut Shellawax And UltraShine Polish'

Since the object of Woodworking Safety Week is for woodworkers to focus on safety in the workshop I did a review of what equipment I use to make my shop safer, any problems that I may have with this equipment and areas where I could improve it.

It certainly was an eye-opener, realizing the good and the bad. Here is my workshop safety review:

Dust Collector

Continue reading 'A Safety Review Of My Workshop'

I turned some handles for a few files and a drill chuck key today. Using the skills I learned at the recent course on Turning A Tool Handle I quickly, and easily, completed them within a few hours.

They are all made of maple with copper ferrules made from some old pipe that I got from a good friend. I left them unfinished to enhance their grip. Each one is shaped a bit different just because I wanted to have some fun with spindle turning.

The second one from the top sports some burn lines made by first making a slight groove and then holding a thin wire tightly against the turning wood. The chuck key is for my drill press and the longer handle will allow more torque as well as being a bit easier on the hand.

Continue reading 'Fine Handles For Files And Chuck Key'

I just picked up a 1/2″ three-jaw Drill Chuck with Morse Taper Adapter from Lee Valley. It can be used in either the lathe headstock or tailstock for drilling and in the headstock as a turning chuck.

Here it is mounted in the tailstock:

Continue reading 'Drill Chuck And Morse Taper'

Last night I turned a handle for a spindle gouge. The handle is made of maple and 12″ long and it was left unfinished for better gripping. I turned a large bead at the end and a smaller bead at the gouge end to accent the plain, sweeping curve of the tool.

The gouge itself is a 10mm (3/8″) spindle gouge made by Patience & Nicholson (P&N) of Australia. Their turning tools are made of hard-wearing, M2 high-speed steel and valued for their robust construction and ability to hold an edge.

I started with a piece of maple approximately 2″ square and 14″ long and mounted this between centers:

Continue reading 'Turned Spindle Gouge Tool Handle'

Since I am quite pleased with the last finishes that I bought I thought I would try a new finish, something with more of a shine. I decided on the Turner’s Polish from Lee Valley:

It is a shellac-based lacquer formula that is made especially for use in woodturning and it produces a very hard, high-luster finish.

It is applied with a lint-free cloth pad while your turning rotates at a low speed on the lathe.

You can use shellac/lacquer thinner for diluting the first coat or to increase gloss in the final coat.

Back to the shop…

I just got a pretty good deal on a Veritas Low-Angle Block Plane from the local classifieds. I picked it up for less than 1/3rd the cost! It’s in great shape and looks to have been used very little:

This is the first quality plane that I have owned and I’m looking forward to working with it. Already, with the little playing around I’ve done with it, I’m already wondering why I never had one before.

Continue reading 'The Plane, Boss, The Plane!'

In preparation for the mortising I have to do for the Craftsman Coffee Table project I’m working on I built this simple mortising jig:

Although there are quite few different plans and ideas for building a mortising jig, as well as commercial jigs available, I chose this one because it’s quite simple and quick (an hour or so) to build - cut 1/4 hardboard (still commonly referred to as ‘masonite’) to size. Drill the holes to match your plunge router. Route out the slots for the guide screws. Cut the guides to length and drill the holes for the carriage bolts.

Continue reading 'A Simple Plunge Router Mortising Jig'

I got tired of searching through the shavings looking for a particular gouge and decided to build this tool box. It sits behind the lathe on an angle giving quick access to the tools.

It was just quickly banged together from some scrap fiberboard I had lying around but I believe it will serve the purpose.

Back to the shop…

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

Continue reading 'A Real Deal On Woodturning Tools'