You know by now that I do a lot of woodturning, and one thing I do dislike is chips falling down the front of my shirt. A few years ago I made up a turning shirt by taking two old work uniform shirts and cutting the shoulder yolk and collar off one and attaching it to the front of the other. It looked like one of those old western movie shirts with the buttons down both sides and a clerical collar at the top. Worked like a champ, too.
As I got more skilled at turning though, I felt like my attire was holding me back. Perhaps I could be a better artist if I were wearing a better turning outfit. So I bought the red turning smock from Highland and whether or not my work is better, I sure do look better when I'm working.
Now I do have one bad habit when sanding finished bowls. I tend to hold the bowl against my body while sanding with the electric drill so that the dust goes down the dust collector hose. Unfortunately, I sanded a hole in my beautiful red turning smock. You've heard of chiseled abs; I have sanded abs.
Well the answer to that sanding problem is one of the new leather aprons as found on the front cover of the new Highland Woodworking catalog. These leather aprons are beautiful! I went by the store today to look at them and I suppose I am just partial to leather, but when you walk in the front door of the store, there are at least 40 aprons on display all over the place. (You really need to come see the store at Christmas.) They are made of four basic pieces of leather stitched together with four pockets added to the front. The two larger lower pockets have riveted flaps over them to keep chips out and the other two are made for pencils, calculators and this time of the year, candy canes. The back of the apron is the naturally rough leather and the front is smooth and finished. I looked at a bunch of them before picking the one I wanted and the naturally occurring marks on the leather really add to the appeal. Some aprons are slightly thicker than others and have more marks, and some are lighter or darker in overall color and appearance. I was also very surprised when I picked one up and found how lightweight they actually are. This thing will not weigh you down. I bet if you call the store and ask them to pick out some particular feature for you, they will do it. With the light and strong flat straps across the back, and a quick snap connection, the whole thing is supported by your shoulders and still easy to get on and off. Beautiful!
If by some very small chance you don't want this one, you could get one of the others that Highland carries, such as the ballistic cloth turner's apron, the leather turner's apron, the belt apron, or a regular cloth apron. But the really good leather ones are on sale, and come on people, this is Christmas. Get the good one!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Saw Sharpening Service
Have you tried the new Sharpening Service that Highland Woodworking now offers? Maybe you didn't know there was such a service available, but there certainly is. I thought I would give it a try and let you know how it works.
I had one very dull twelve inch sixty tooth carbide tipped saw blade, and five each half inch carbide patternmaker router bits, the ones with the bearing on the bottom. And no, they did not know it was me giving them a test for the blog, as if that would have made a difference. It was a Wednesday afternoon when I took the whole package to my local retail shipping outlet and asked them to pack the stuff up for me and ship it to the service in New Jersey. I live in Atlanta so they checked all three shipping options and decided on UPS to get it there on the following Friday afternoon. They charged me $12.80 for the minimum five pounds plus $2.00 for the box. Both the other shipping options were within a dollar or so. (If I'd shipped it myself via Priority Mail using one of the Post Office's free Flat Rate boxes, It would've cost around $5.00 to ship.)
The finished tools came back Thursday a week later. They are all sharpened perfectly as nearly as I can tell so far. I used one of the router bits all day yesterday routing the window openings for a new house and it performed very well.
The charge for sharpening the saw was $22.00 for 60 teeth and the return shipping was $12.00. Total cost for shipping everything and sharpening the blade was $47.00. The router bits were additional cost. Was it worth it?
The actual sharpening cost is right in line with other services I have checked. Of course I could take my blades to a local guy working out of his backyard (no offense here people) but two problems come to mind. If I pay $135 for a top of the line Forrest blade, I darn well am not going to take it to "Ralph's Pretty Good Saw Shop" and take a chance on getting it completely messed up. Plus if a tooth needs to be replaced, I don't think I want Ralph doing it for me. One definition of a bullet is a carbide tip coming off a table saw blade.
The shipping is what adds to the cost. There happen to be two professional sharpening firms within about forty minutes of my house. If I deliver my blades to one of them, it will cost me four one way trips plus the time. On the other hand, my time is pretty cheap these days.
I conclude that even in an urban area with professional shops fairly close, if I need high end blades sharpened, I will accumulate as many as I can and ship them all together to save on shipping costs. (And if you send them at least five carbide sawblades to sharpen at one time, the return shipping is free.) I think the service is well worth it under that circumstance. On the other hand, if all I have is one $35 blade, then I'll probably let Ralph do it.
I had one very dull twelve inch sixty tooth carbide tipped saw blade, and five each half inch carbide patternmaker router bits, the ones with the bearing on the bottom. And no, they did not know it was me giving them a test for the blog, as if that would have made a difference. It was a Wednesday afternoon when I took the whole package to my local retail shipping outlet and asked them to pack the stuff up for me and ship it to the service in New Jersey. I live in Atlanta so they checked all three shipping options and decided on UPS to get it there on the following Friday afternoon. They charged me $12.80 for the minimum five pounds plus $2.00 for the box. Both the other shipping options were within a dollar or so. (If I'd shipped it myself via Priority Mail using one of the Post Office's free Flat Rate boxes, It would've cost around $5.00 to ship.)
The finished tools came back Thursday a week later. They are all sharpened perfectly as nearly as I can tell so far. I used one of the router bits all day yesterday routing the window openings for a new house and it performed very well.
The charge for sharpening the saw was $22.00 for 60 teeth and the return shipping was $12.00. Total cost for shipping everything and sharpening the blade was $47.00. The router bits were additional cost. Was it worth it?
The actual sharpening cost is right in line with other services I have checked. Of course I could take my blades to a local guy working out of his backyard (no offense here people) but two problems come to mind. If I pay $135 for a top of the line Forrest blade, I darn well am not going to take it to "Ralph's Pretty Good Saw Shop" and take a chance on getting it completely messed up. Plus if a tooth needs to be replaced, I don't think I want Ralph doing it for me. One definition of a bullet is a carbide tip coming off a table saw blade.
The shipping is what adds to the cost. There happen to be two professional sharpening firms within about forty minutes of my house. If I deliver my blades to one of them, it will cost me four one way trips plus the time. On the other hand, my time is pretty cheap these days.
I conclude that even in an urban area with professional shops fairly close, if I need high end blades sharpened, I will accumulate as many as I can and ship them all together to save on shipping costs. (And if you send them at least five carbide sawblades to sharpen at one time, the return shipping is free.) I think the service is well worth it under that circumstance. On the other hand, if all I have is one $35 blade, then I'll probably let Ralph do it.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Just the Spax, Ma'am
I love Spax screws. I bet I have ten different sizes and lengths of screws in my shop and I use them all the time for all sorts of things. My primary use is attaching the faceplate to a new chunk of wood to put it on my lathe. With my little impact driver I can put in six screws in about ten seconds and I am ready to turn
I went to the Spax website and checked out their history and would you believe 1823? The company started in Germany and has been in business all this time and is still very successful today. While you are there, take a look at the neat little games on their web site. There is a car racing game, a retail counter service game to see if you can sell enough screws fast enough to keep the customers happy (that's a new one on me), and a football game that is really a soccer game — they are German, remember?
The secret to the screws is in the shape of the barrel of the screw and in the shape of the threads. The bottom threads are wavy with serrations which act like a miniature drill to cut right through most materials. The net result is effortless work without having to drill pilot holes first unless you are running them into masonry. That's right, the same screws work for mounting things to a masonry wall. And oh yes, the same screws work on sheet metal up to 24 gauge without pre-drilling. Are you getting the idea here? THESE THINGS JUST WORK.
Of course Highland has all the Spax screws you could want. Go try out an assortment to begin and then find the ones you really need on a regular basis.
I went to the Spax website and checked out their history and would you believe 1823? The company started in Germany and has been in business all this time and is still very successful today. While you are there, take a look at the neat little games on their web site. There is a car racing game, a retail counter service game to see if you can sell enough screws fast enough to keep the customers happy (that's a new one on me), and a football game that is really a soccer game — they are German, remember?
The secret to the screws is in the shape of the barrel of the screw and in the shape of the threads. The bottom threads are wavy with serrations which act like a miniature drill to cut right through most materials. The net result is effortless work without having to drill pilot holes first unless you are running them into masonry. That's right, the same screws work for mounting things to a masonry wall. And oh yes, the same screws work on sheet metal up to 24 gauge without pre-drilling. Are you getting the idea here? THESE THINGS JUST WORK.
Of course Highland has all the Spax screws you could want. Go try out an assortment to begin and then find the ones you really need on a regular basis.
Friday, October 30, 2009
James Krenov
James Krenov has died. I don't know how I missed the notification, but I just heard about it this week and I found it deeply saddening.
Krenov was able to write down his ideas about woodworking as evidenced in his work and his thoughts have endured for many years. So many people in the hobby have been influenced by his work and his writings. All of us aspire to his standard of excellence and wish we had his design sense.
For an idea about what this is really all about, consider this image of a lovely little 12" x 18" storage box that appeared in an out-of-print book. The King of Sweden collected little ceramic pieces and needed a box to store them. This one works just fine, thank you very much.
The scale of his pieces is what is amazing. Should you buy the books still in print, look carefully at the size of the pieces and you will realize that bigger is not necessarily better.
Last year I was surfing the net and happened on Krenov's web site. At the time he had stopped making his iconic pieces because of failing eyesight, but continued to offer planes for sale. I bought one. I think I paid $300 for it after several e-mails back and forth with his wife. After they shipped it to me, I looked at it briefly but needed to set it aside because of some illness in my family.
After hearing of his death, I looked for and found the plane I had bought from him last year. Look at his initials on the front of it. I thought he had put the blue masking tape around the throat and blade simply to keep the pieces in place for shipping, and I debated whether to take the tape off. Finally I did take it off and lo and behold, the throat was full of the most beautifully delicate shavings. Shavings put there by the master. I left them there and I don't know if I will ever take them out...
Krenov was able to write down his ideas about woodworking as evidenced in his work and his thoughts have endured for many years. So many people in the hobby have been influenced by his work and his writings. All of us aspire to his standard of excellence and wish we had his design sense.
For an idea about what this is really all about, consider this image of a lovely little 12" x 18" storage box that appeared in an out-of-print book. The King of Sweden collected little ceramic pieces and needed a box to store them. This one works just fine, thank you very much.
The scale of his pieces is what is amazing. Should you buy the books still in print, look carefully at the size of the pieces and you will realize that bigger is not necessarily better.
Last year I was surfing the net and happened on Krenov's web site. At the time he had stopped making his iconic pieces because of failing eyesight, but continued to offer planes for sale. I bought one. I think I paid $300 for it after several e-mails back and forth with his wife. After they shipped it to me, I looked at it briefly but needed to set it aside because of some illness in my family.
After hearing of his death, I looked for and found the plane I had bought from him last year. Look at his initials on the front of it. I thought he had put the blue masking tape around the throat and blade simply to keep the pieces in place for shipping, and I debated whether to take the tape off. Finally I did take it off and lo and behold, the throat was full of the most beautifully delicate shavings. Shavings put there by the master. I left them there and I don't know if I will ever take them out...
Saturday, October 24, 2009
A Krenov Plane
About a year ago, I was clicking around the internet and happened upon the web site for James Krenov. He was offering planes for sale since his eyesight had failed to the point where he would not do woodworking any more, so I bought one. I think I paid $300 for it. It came and I glanced at it and then life got in the way and I put it aside. Somehow I missed the death notice for Mr. Krenov until last week and I went and got my plane out. It was still wrapped in bubble wrap and there was blue tape all around the throat and blade. I debated a long time whether to unwrap it or just leave it as some kind of museum piece and collector's item. I have this vision of Mr. Krenov making the last little shaping cut with his knife and then testing the shape and the feel and the blade set by running a few cuts and adjusting the blade and trying it again. When I unwrapped the throat it was indeed filled with the most beautiful thin shavings. Maybe he did exactly as I envisioned it. How can I take them out?
Think about it, this is not a Krenov "style" plane, this is a Krenov plane, hand made by the master himself.
Think about it, this is not a Krenov "style" plane, this is a Krenov plane, hand made by the master himself.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Wood Stripes
You know, one of the things I love in my shop is the vertical stripe on the wall behind the lathe. I turn green wood most of the time and when you get a blank up to speed and really going, it flings water out of the piece and makes a stripe on the wall.
People who are not familiar with wood and wood turning will ask why green wood? First of all it is cheap. If I want to make a bowl which ends up five inches deep, then I need a blank about five and a half inches thick. Try going to the wood place and buying a piece of dried wood that thick and it will cost a fortune, even if you could find one that size. It is better to make your own and in fact, I leave my wood out in the weather until I can get around to shaping it for the lathe. Green wood is mostly free for the taking, and if you put it on the lathe and turn away most of it and then let it dry naturally, you can get a nice bowl for much less money.
Second green wood is so wet that it tends to cut very easily. Chips just fly when you present the tool to the wood at just the right angle. When it all fits together, the work is a joy indeed.
People who are not familiar with wood and wood turning will ask why green wood? First of all it is cheap. If I want to make a bowl which ends up five inches deep, then I need a blank about five and a half inches thick. Try going to the wood place and buying a piece of dried wood that thick and it will cost a fortune, even if you could find one that size. It is better to make your own and in fact, I leave my wood out in the weather until I can get around to shaping it for the lathe. Green wood is mostly free for the taking, and if you put it on the lathe and turn away most of it and then let it dry naturally, you can get a nice bowl for much less money.
Second green wood is so wet that it tends to cut very easily. Chips just fly when you present the tool to the wood at just the right angle. When it all fits together, the work is a joy indeed.
Monday, October 12, 2009
CHIPS
I love the wood chips all around my lathe. People who have never been to the shop are shocked to see all the chips on the floor, but I take great joy in walking over the pile and standing on top of the pile to turn a new piece. Even with my dust collector and the floor sweep installed right behind the machine, I still leave the chips on the floor more than I should. Every now and again, I do sweep them up and mulch the flower bed with them. The colors of the wood for the first few days is just beautiful. Of course eventually it all fades to the same color and keeps the weeds down.
In the book about Bob Stocksdale, "To Turn the Perfect wooden Bowl" by Ron Roszkiewicz (www.highlandwoodworking.com) there is a picture of a store window where Stocksdale had set up his lathe to demo turning some bowls. The chips had piled up several feet high against the window with beautiful stripes and layers like some ancient geological formation. I thought it was lovely and I am so envious. Maybe somebody will ask me to turn in their window.
In the book about Bob Stocksdale, "To Turn the Perfect wooden Bowl" by Ron Roszkiewicz (www.highlandwoodworking.com) there is a picture of a store window where Stocksdale had set up his lathe to demo turning some bowls. The chips had piled up several feet high against the window with beautiful stripes and layers like some ancient geological formation. I thought it was lovely and I am so envious. Maybe somebody will ask me to turn in their window.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
