A Learning Adventure in the Workshop

Newly turned woodcarver's mallet and pepper grinder

I've managed to spend a little time in the shop over the past two weeks and "turned" out a couple of small projects (pun intended).

First is a woodcarver's mallet.  I needed a traditional round faced woodcarver's mallet for an upcoming hand-cut dovetail class that I will be taking at Ernie Conover's wood shop in Ohio.  He recommends this style of mallet (rather than a square faced carpenter's mallet)  in his tool list for the class, and I just couldn't see buying a mallet when I could make one.  Besides, I wanted a tradition lignum vitae wood head, and you can't buy those easily now-a-days.  Hard maple seems to be norm for purchased mallets these days unless you get one with a man-made material wrapped head.  Ernie does not recommend those due to "bounce."

I turned this one with a hard maple handle attached to the head with a  wedged through tenon.  The head is made from Argentinian lignum vitae wood that I got from the local Rockler.  I was surprised to find a large enough block of the lignum for this project.

The wedge is a scrap of ebony, and then I buffed on a carnauba wax coating.

The mallet is about 10" long with a 3" radius at its widest point.  It weighs 20 ounces overall.

Turning the lignum was easier than I expected given its incredible density.   BUT....don't try and saw through it  with your delicate Japanese hand saw.  The teeth of the  saw with lose the battle with the wood.  Don't ask me how I know.

Below is my first attempt at a pepper grinder.  I turned it from Kingwood and then buffed on a carnauba wax coating.  I used a "crush grind" ceramic mechanism for the internals.  This type of mechanism allows for you to adjust the grind from the bottom of the mill, so that you do not have to have an adjustment know sticking through the cap.  I found the mechanism to be first-rate.

I enjoyed doing the mill, and will likely do more of these.  They are fast , fun and useful.

 

New Router Table Fence

Well, I made my decision on my previous post and decided to buy the Incra router table fence to make the drawers for the desks.  Totally necessary?  No, but should make this and future projects easier and I too know a good opportunity to buy a tool when I see one.

I bought the Incra LS positioner (see http://www.incra.biz/Products/LSSuperSystem.html) and once it arrives and is installed on my router table I will sell my current like-new 36" Bench-Dog ProFence to help to defray the cost.  If anyone is interested in buying it before it goes to e-bay, email me an offer.

I have already extended the back of my router table to allow for the mounting of the Incra jig (it requires a lot of room behind the bit), and the table is now ready to go.

I will post my opinion of the Incra once I have had time to experience it.

"Pirolette"

This website has a really cool idea for something called a “Pirolette”!

I'm going to put this on my list on things to make someday....looks like a fun challenge for the lathe.

If you aren't going to make one yourself, order one from Tom Beshara at his website.

 

Oneway Mastercut Handle

I replaced the handle on the bowl gouge that I broke a few posts ago with a metal handle made by Oneway.  I love it!  It is heavy and stable and gives the tool a great feel.  This is one handle that will never break.  Click on the link below for info on the handle:

Oneway Mastercut Handle

Woodworking Magazine and Blog

I have really enjoyed the four issues of the new Woodworking Magazine produced so far.  It is not sold by subscription and is not on a regular publishing schedule...yet.  It accepts no ads, similar to "Cook's Illustrated" magazine which is my wife's favorite magazine (and I like it too).  It blends power-tool woodworking with traditional hand tool methods just like I like to do.

Even better, I enjoy Chris Schwarz's new blog that is hosted on the magazine's website.

Click here for  Woodworking Magazine's site for the blog.

Sioux Right-Angle Sander Repair

I bought a handheld right-angle sander last year at Edric's recommendation.  I use it sand pieces while they are still on the lathe (with the lathe turned off).  I bought a Sioux brand sander and the unit has worked great and I would recommend it...but, I broke the trigger a few weeks ago by bumping the trigger side-ways during a sanding operation.  The trigger is long and fragile and has no lateral strength.  Cracked right in half.

I ordered a new part from Sioux and fixed it myself.  At least it is easy to fix, but they need to make the trigger stronger.

Mulberry bowl complete except for drying and finish

I finished turning the large mulberry bowl (green wood from my in-law's tree) on the lathe on Sunday.  It has turned out well so far.  A few early drying cracks that I have tried to stabilize with instant glue...otherwise looks good (Maybe 15" diameter and 5" deep). 

It now needs to dry the rest of the way before final finishing.  I am going to try to use the microwave to speed the drying, but I need to watch out for cracking as it is an end-grain bowl that includes the pith.

This was the bowl that "injured" me a few posts back, so I am determined that it will be completed properly.

A Close Call

I had a close call last night.

I was turning the interior of a green 19" mulberry wood end-grain bowl when suddenly the shaft of my 1/2" Crown brand bowl gouge split from its hardwood handle and kicked back toward my face.  My face and left hand got hit with shards of wood from the handle, leaving some scratches, but otherwise I am OK...Thankfully I was wearing safety glasses (I always do) and so my eyes were protected.  The tool's metal shaft is OK, just the handle broke.

I am not sure if I had a bad catch on the bowl (I don't think so), or if the handle was cracked when I started and the turning caused the split to occur.  Since the bowl is undamaged and the lathe did not hesitate, I don't think that I had a bad catch.  When I have had a catch before, it has always caused damage to the work piece...

Well, it scared me enough that I will now purchase a face-shield for my woodturning rather than just safety glasses...and again remind myself that woodworking should not be done when you are tired. 

Now I need to fix the handle on my bowl gouge.

Progress on the CNC Wood Lathe Project

I'm not happy with the way the initial rails turned out for my CNC wood lathe-mill project. The long rails are held to the short cross-rails with screws and nuts and small L-brackets. I just can't seem to get them to hold together as tightly as I would like, and I am afraid the vibration of the final machine will shake the screw/nut combinations apart too quickly.

So, I've scrapped the original design and I've begun making a new design for the side pieces of the railbed using plywood. I laminated the hardwood-plywood up to 1" thick, and then I used the hollow-chisel mortiser to cut 1" square openings for the long square rails. Seems like it will work, but we'll see tonight. I'm still working out the best way to secure the rails to the plywood ends with the adjustable-accuracy and a minimum of movement that I want. I'm over-building the rails a bit because my plan is to modify John Kleinbauer's design (after I have it working as John did) to allow for several different tools to ride on the tool-sled. Also, I intend to install a 3rd stepper motor on the lathe's axis through the lathe's hollow handwheel to allow for rotary motion. Will it work??? Maybe...I am sure it can be done, the question is whether "I" can do it. I'm a woodworker, not a machinist. Software to operate the rotary motion may be the hard part. Rube Goldberg, watch out!

I also made the anti-backlash nut according to John K's instructions, and I really like his design. It is simple, sturdy and I think it will work very well. I made it out of the plastic from an old router table insert that I had laying around that doesn't fit my current router table. The antibacklash-nut is ready to be mounted to the rail assembly as soon as I complete the new rails.

The stepper motors and Economy FET-3 controller board arrived from Stepperworld.com over the weekend and the parts look good. Now I need to get the old computer that I have stored somewhere in the basement functional again to drive it. According to all I have read, any old computer will do, no real computing power needed. This is good, because the old computer that I intend to use is at least 8 years old, maybe more. It hasn't even been turned on in at least 3 years.

To keep them straight in my head, I'm calling the CNC Lathe attachment that I am currently making the "Mark 2" as the "Mark 1" was the machine that I built last year with unsatisfactory results (too much vibration and wiggle in the cutter head). The "Mark 1" was not CNC, it used a fixed template for guidance. The "Mark 2" is largely a clone of John K's Wood Turtle CNC. After I have the Mark 2 operational to the point that John K took it, I will build a new tool sled for it of my own design. This will be the "Mark 3" and is my ultimate goal.

First "Hollow-Turned" Bowl

I put the finish on my first hollow-turned bowl last night.  I made it out of a piece of still "green" black walnut from my in-laws tree pruning, so it needed a couple of weeks to dry after turning.  I had actually done the turning a couple of weeks ago, but couldn't finish it till now.  I used standard turning tools, and they limited my reach inside the bowl a bit, but for a first effort it turned out OK.  A couple of drying cracks formed near the rim from my microwave drying.  I got a bit impatient.