Biweekly meeting

December  04 ,11, and 18 , 2012

Scott MacLeod, a new member, attended tonight.Jim Maclean, J Hiltz, Paul, Brian, Roy Troke, Rick were also in attendance.

We continued to work on the serving trays.
Most people have the tray glued and the feet parts ready to cut to shape.
Leo explained how to round the edges of the tray using hand plane and spokeshave and sand paper.
The edges are then coated with a bond: whiting or porter cement and acrylic bond.
Layer this along the four edges and sand it off once dry.

Leo also gave some instructions on making a rolling pin.
The wood glue up was explained.

Once piece for the center 7/8 inches thick by 2/12 wide:
Glue up two different color woods for the outside
and bisect them on the diagonal, lengthwise.

We will make a center dowel.
Bring a length of wood a little more than 3/8 thick and 22 inches or so long for the next workshop.
We practiced making this dowel with Leo's special dowel maker, which worked like a charm.

Paul, J Hiltz, Naq, Miles, J Maclean, Lawrence, Rick, Brian, Charles McGuigan (new)

Work continued on the serving trays.

The leg pieces were cut.
The stock is about 1 1/2 inches wide and 7/8 thick and about 16 inches long.
The curved recess is done on the table saw  by running the piece across the blade  in a perpendicular direction, thus scooping out a recess. The blade is positioned just a shade above the table top for this and a fence is placed across the top of the table near the blade.

The profile is then scraped using a curved scraper  as close as possible to the shape desired.
Then it is sanded.

The bottom edge is then passed across the jointer to get a 29 degree angle.

The piece stands  on this edge and is held , end on, against the tray(which is supported on two sticks to raise it up) and a pencil mark is made to draw the curve that  matches the bottom curve of the tray.

This profile is then cut by making various passes on the jointer .
It is finished using a hand plane and sanding.

It will be then profiled  using the band saw and a jig to hold the curved edge flat on the table.
This is a flat thin strip glued to the bottom of the foot piece .
Once profiled this way, the stick is cut off.
It is then screwed onto the tray bottom and the sanding jig is used to make the bottoms even.

Staining:

Folkart outdoor metalic gold paint (Walmart)
Mohalk black stain, Salad bowl finish

Apply 2 coats black
Salad bowl finish
Gold coat
Sand off the gold.
The grain will highlight in gold
Salad bowl finish several coats

See photos.

Paul distributed cans of Behlens Salad Bowl finish at a bargain price.

Curved serving tray

Serving Tray

Miles, Brian, J Hiltz, J Maclean,Paul

We discussed the fall show and decided that it would be better to work on an Easter show as it is late in the year now.

Leo went over some Tips;

Paint brushes can be suspended above bottom of the jar in the thinner layer to keep the bristles straight; wrapping the bristles in a foil wrap also helps.

When cutting plywood, use a hollow ground blade with no set in the teeth and use a sled. He made one that has a masonite base. Each side of the masonite can be tapped into the blade to creat a zero clearance cut and this results in no splinttering of the stock cut.

A piece of wood can be hollowed out by running it perpendicular across the blade. Various shapes can be done this way (See photos)

We decided on a serving tray project..Japanese style curved tray.

This is done using layers of plywood eg one 1/4 inch and one 1/8 inch piece. The finished thickness needs to be able to accept screws for the feet so don't have it too thin.
These are glued together on a caul that can be adjustable. Use yellow glue. After the clamps are tightened, wait a few minutes and undo them since the plywood pieces slide on the first tightening. Reposition them and retighten.

The photos show the jigs used to do this.

The feet are cut from a hardwood like walnut..a contrasting color.

The project will be about 14 x 11 inch .

The feet will be 8 1/8 x 2 1/8 with a curved profile.
The feet are positioned 3 3/4 inches from the end of the tray.

Use a piece of stock about 7/8 thick to do this.

Leo will buy the necessary plywood and lend us the jig to make the glue-up.

We want this done before Xmas.

Curved serving tray

Paul, Rick, Jim

Paul brought an applewood blank and Leo took us through the process of mounting it on the new turning tool and measuring out the dimensions needed to set the tool. The process was very smooth and the bowl was hollowed out in very short order.

Leo also reviewed the process of turning vases and finding and boring the center hole.
The lathe needs to be lined up perfectly to do this.
The blank needs to be secured solidly in the headstock.
A short stout bit the same diameter needed for the finished hole is used to start the hole.
This creates an accurate center hole and then one can change to a longer bit which will follow through the first hole more accurately than if it were used alone to make the hole.

Next session is in two weeks.
Some visitors from the Halifax woodwork club will be visiting Leo's shop.

Blacksmith, forge project

Leo helped me (Paul)  go through the forge technique.

Made a sturdy chisel for rough cutting and a "cold  chisel"

Start with good coal..heat forge up to hot fire

Spread coal around periphery of center flame to bake

Hold the piece in the flames until cherry red (keep withdrawing to check the color; white hot is too hot)

Hammer the piece to shape on the anvil  and reheat and continue the process until the desired shape is attained.

One can then grind the piece to refine the shape and the edge and to get a clean surface so as to tell the colors in the fire for the next step.

Reheat the tip slowly to a cherry red and dip in oil to cool.

Clean it off on the grinder to expose clean surface.

This is so that you can see the color changes in the next step.

Place the piece in the fire and slowly bring the color to a yellow-brown.

Withdraw frequently so as not to pass this temperature.

Cherry red is too hot and you woul have to recool the metal in oil and start again.

When the yellow-brown colow is attained, check the edge to see if it will file off. If it is still too hard, it won’t file off and that means redo the process to get the yellow-brown color.

Clean up the piece and sharpen it as needed on the grinder.

The first  meeting of the year was held tonight.
present were Paul, J Hiltz, Miles, Brian and Robert.

We decided to start the forge course.
Leo suggested a chissel and demonstrated one that would be good to make.

He then went over his new invention for rounding out the inside of a bowl.
This tool takes all the hard work and most of the sanding chore out of the project.
We did not have any suitable bowls prepared to work with but by next session people should make a bowl with the outside finished and make a dovetail base on it.
This will be mounted in the lathe to use the new tool.

Leo then demonstrated the method  used to drill out and shape vases from rough stock.

Rick, Jim Hiltz, Jimmy MacLean and Paul and Mike

We continued to practice dovetail joinery.
Leo assisted Paul and Rick and Jim with the salad bowl project.
Agreed on a lobster party July 6, friday starting at 6 p.m.

That finishes the year's schedule.
We will start up this fall on the forge workshop.

Mike, Peter, Rick, Paul, Miles, Brian, Naq

Naq brought in several bowls that he ahs completed. It was obvious that he has advanced his skills at turning.

We continues to do practice cuts on scrap wood to perfect the through and half-blind dovetails.

Leo worked on the salad bowl container for Paul and Rick as well.

We decided that another meeting will be the last..next Tuesday.

Lobster party for July 6, Friday at Leo’s.

We decided that another Fall Show would be a good idea again.
We decided that a Forge workshop would be a good way to start back in the fall.

Peter, Mike, Paul, Rick, Miles, Chris

We continued to work on the dovetail joinery. 
See the photos as it is hard to describe how this is done.
Leo discussed finishes for the tables.

Leo demonstrated the half blind dovetail for the drawer fronts.

Tung oil is good to use. It wipes on and several coats can be appklied a day or so apart. It can be waxed with carnuba after that.

Use 800 grit sand paper to apply carnuba. A very small amount is used.

 Use a denim cloth to rub mor on if necessary. Do not use a soft cloth. 


We discussed a summer party.
July seems to be the only time suitable.
We will work on a time but not all members will be around for it unfortunately.

Table project

J Hiltz, Chris, Lawrence, Miles, Paul
Side Table Project

(For the salad bowl finish project, get a 3/8 nipple and a 4 inch web clamp)

Dovetail joinery:

Cut stock absolutely square

Align the mating pieces and mark the tops with an arrow for orientation on assembly.

For regular dovetails, cut pins first and space them evenly.

Make the end one large because a groove will be cut for the drawer bottom.

Use a sharp pencil.

Use the mating piece to scribe the pencil line along the bottom end of the pieces.

The pencil line is a guide. Later the exact width will be scribed with the marking guage.

Bring the pencil lines down along the sides perpendicular.

Cut down on the pencil lines with a saw.

Now use the marking gauge to scribe a groove along the bottom of the pieces that will be cut away (the waste) only. Don’t scribe along the part that is to be left in.

This way the finished project will look better..more professional.

Chop out the waste, using sharp chisels.

Chop out half the depth and then turn the board over to get at he rest.

Clean out the spaces with a sharp chisel making sure that the bottom of the slots are square.

Next cut the mating tails by first aligning the pieces and using a very sharp pencil to scribe the cut lines.

Cut down along the mark, leaving the line visible.

This makes for a tight fit.

The use the marking gauge to scribe the sharp groove on the bottom of the pieces to be chopped away.

Cut off the end segments and the waste pieces in the center and do a practice fit.

Clean up as necessary.

Don’t keep reassembling the joint as this will make it loose.

Table project

Table project Instructions

Make sure the table saw is tuned up square before beginning

Make sure that the wood is well dried

1 Design the table and write all measurements for the legs, aprons, top

2 Choose stock--material list: Height-24 3/4: With 20-24: Depth 17-18

Top-3/4 to 13/16 thickness

Glue up , flatten with planer or hand plane, and then clamp it straight and let it accommodate for a few days to prevent warping.

Aprons-same thickness as the top usually. Make sure that your measuremnts include the tenons length.

3 Legs

Make a Story-stick with all the rounds and profiles drawn on and use it to make identical turnings

Start with squared stock at 2 inches width or a fraction less

Measure off where the Pommel ( the top square part) will end

Draw lines around all four sides at tis point

Wrap Masking tape along the line edges (to prevent tear-out when turning)

Start turning well below the end of the pommel and work up towards it.

Try to cut straight in by the masking tape

Profile the rest of the leg
  Sand the legs 

4 Drill the mortices in the legs on two adjacent sides where the aprons will join, bringing the apron edge in about 1/8 from the edge of the leg

Mortices should be deep and less than the length of the apron’s width so as not to create a visible gap at the bottom of the apron.

5 The leg edges are in about 3/4 inches from the table top along the front and back and about 1 1/4 in from the sides. Use this measurement to figure out the apron lengths and don’t forget to allow for the tenons when cutting the stock for the aprons

6 Cut the tenons on the ends of the aprons, making sure that they are cut squarely.

Do this using a tenon jig or the table saw.

The final thickness of the tenons is reached using a jig and hand plane ( rabbet) 

to make the tenon the exact thickness that the mortice openings are ,less a hair!

7 Cut the profiles on the tenons so that they interlock when assembled (haunched mortice and tenon joint). Make the joint snug.

8 Dry assemble the table parts and mark the tops of the legs with a mark to denote the inside corner. The best faces will be on the outter visible sides and flawed faces on the inner sides. Mark the tops of the aprons with an arrow pointing inwards so that when doing the grooves for the buttons, they are  cut on the correct side of all four pieces.

9 Mark the opening for the drawer, choosing the best apron for the front.

Bring the lines right around all four sides of the aprons.

Make the edge of the drawer opening at least one inch from the top and bottom of the apron because groves will be cut on the inside edge and you want lots of room for this so that the groove won’t weaken the remaining part of the apron opening.

Cut out the long sides of the opeining on the table saw, carefully, using stops or markings on the fence to know where to stop the cut.

Use a hand saw to bring the cut all the way down to the markings

Then use a sharp chisel to chop out the opening waste. 

Start the chop in from the line and chop it down to the center and then turn the apron around to chop out the other side.

Use a sharp chisel and then a file , preferably a planemakers float, to bring the cut down to the lines on all four sides of the opening. A jig is used to do this.

10 Next cut the grooves for the buttons all around the top inside edges of the aprons (tops only). Usually this is a 1/4 inch groove. The button will slide into the groove and be screwed to the underside of the top. This keeps the top flat and yet allows for movement of the wood.

11 Make enough buttons to secure the top...depends on the length and width how many are needed.

12 Drawer runners are next.

The ones at the top will have a tenon that will fit into the groove that was cut for the buttons but the thickness of this piece is shy of the top a little.

The ones at the bottom will fit into a mortice that is cut on the bottom inside of the front and back aprons.

Paul, Lawrence, Rick, J MacLean, Peter, Mike, J Hiltz, Chris

(Mr. Hiltz was conspicuously quiet this evening; Leo was vigorous)

Reviewed the table assembly. Leo has his table completed. (See photos)

The drawer opening should be cut neatly and the end section finished with a file, using a jig in the vice to keep it neat and flat.

Reviewed dustcovers , which are panels that go between each layer of drawers.

The back end piece of the drawer is usually lower to avoid striking and to allow air flow so that the unit opens and closes smoothly. The drawer should close with the sound of a bank vault door.

(Leo surmised that this should not be a problem for  most of us, as the air should flow easily through the dovetail joints)

There is a slight dip along the sides of the drawers from the front end near the dovetails, again so that the drawer slides and does not bind. This is planed or scraped off.

Leo went over orbital sanders.

Use a slow speed and pass the sander in a straight line and slowly down the length of the work piece.

Leo explained various styles of files.
A certain amount of profanity and swearing ensued.

The “Bastard” has grooves cut obliquely. The term is derived from ancient sailing terms that refer to cutting the triangular sail. The hypotenuse edge of the sail was referred to as a "bastard " cut, while the base and other side were square cuts.

Leo explained how to use limestone and masonary bond to make a paste to bond the salad bowl assembly unit. Using this allows one to soften the bond with thinner and rework it , if it needs a tighter bond.

The limestone can be screened using one of the coffee maker filters...(The ones with the fine mesh).

Tips: triangular scraps can be glued up to form a triangular cutting board. No waste!
Curved chair top ends can be reworked as curved serving trays.. like oriental pieces.
You could let on they were done deliberatley.

Wonderful evening.
See attached photos for this evenings workshop.

Table project

Peter, J Maclean, Chris, Rick, Mike, Paul, Miles, Brian

Tips:

Thicknessing:

Bevel the end of a board to minimize snipe or cut the board on an angle. The snipe will be on the pointed waste end of the board then.

Table saw tune-up: 

1 Square the blade to the slot (may require shifting the table top/trunions) Test by running a piece across the blade powered on and listening to hear the ring as the wood hits the near side and then the far side. If one ring is not heard, the blade is not square with the miter slot. 

2 Square miter to the fence by running a board through the blade as a cross cut and seeing if it then abuts squarely against the fence and does so again if the piece is flipped 180 degrees over 

3 Square fence to table top. This may require that you add a wooden piece to the fence and jimmy it to get a square fit 

4 Finally square blade to table top using the tilt mechanism of your saw

Salad bowl  finish container  

Cut hardwood squares to laminate and Glue up the squares and turn to a 3 3/8 diameter cylinder and 2 inches height Drill hole in top 9/16 diameter Turn a “shelf” 2 1/2 inches

Table continued:

It is very important to mark all the members with arrows to denote proper alignment for glue up and subsequent work such as grooving.
Use arrows to point which way the member aligns.
Mark a diagonal line on top of each leg to denote which part is inside on assembly
Do the same with aprons

Cutting out the drawer opening:

Draw the outline  or the opening precisely around all four sides of the front apron
Set up a jig on table saw to cut the long side part ..see video
Use a jig to chop out the end lines precisely

Table project

October 26/10 meeting

Jim Hiltz, Jim Maclean, Paul, Chris, Frank, Naq, Miles, New member Wayne, new member Matt Wilcox, New member Brant McGowan

Leo discussed ways to re-use carbide cutters that come from a spiral cutterhead of a planer.
The pepper mill project went ahead a notch.
Paul had a piece of stock.
The stock is drilled out to the 1 1/16 bore with a forstner bit

Leo suggested we make a mandrel out of wood to run up the center of the stock. A notch is cut along the side into which is placed a piece of plastic which will act as a choke and jam the mandrel against the inside of the workpiece, thus allowing one to turn the piece properly centered.




Leo discussed the Longhorn chuck and noted that this was an old invention.



Table saw tune-up: squaring the blade to the fence and miter gauge

The fence must be parallell to saw blade.

Rotate blade 180• to check to see if it is straight.

Then square the fence to table top AND  PARALELL TO THE FLAT OF THE BLADE

Then use the flat of the blade (not the teeth)  to set square to the table

Finally, set the mitre gauge to blade flat 

Then  this should be automatically square to the fence.

(Leo's adivce)

sanders on ebay

hi guys, Miles here. just looking on Ebay and found 2 sanders like Leo's dual pad one. go to Ebay's advanced search and look up item number 300691762140. it is a Sundstrand and there are 10 available. the other is a single  Stuhr 4000F-1 it is item number 160777651928. I'm not personally interested but if anyone is and not in Ebay's system let me know. I don't mind buying for others.

Tips on staining

POTASSIUM DICHROMATE

(Bichromate of Potash)

Potassium Dichromate is a water soluble chemical stain that reacts with the tannin in the wood. The oxidizing action replicates and accelerates natural aging and darkening associated with UV exposure. The results are rich tones, with clarity of
the wood grain and pattern. Traditionally Potassium Dichromate is used to darken Cherry, Mahogany, Oak or Walnut.

Preparation:
-- Mix in Plastic or Glass only.Dissolve the Potassium Dichromate
•• 1 teaspoon in 8 Oz, of hot water
or
•• 4 oz by weight into 1 Qt .hot water (100g into 1L).

Test the result on a spare piece of wood.
The color can be darkened by adding more powder or lightened by adding water.

Directions:Apply with the grain using a brush, rag or sponge.
Use two successive coats to help eliminate lap or streaks and
to assure a more even tone when dry. Wipe off any excess with a rag.
Pre-wetting the surface, just prior to application, will aide in even absorption of the Dichromate solution. Use Clean water and a damp (not dripping) sponge or rag.

Allow to dry at least 12 hours, then rub down lightly with a
fine synthetic pad or #0000 Steel Wool, before applying a finish.
Any finish can be used over the 'stained' wood.

Danger: Strong Oxidizer -- USE Eye and Skin Protection.

Avoid contact with eyes, skin, & clothing.
Avoid Breathing dust. Use with adequate ventilation.
Wash hands thoroughly after handling.
If eye contact or swallowed, call a physician.

Most recent meeting minutes:

Paul, Lawrence,Rick, Peter, Mike, Miles,  J Maclean, Chris

Leo has perfected the salad bowl finish container and he showed how it works. We will all do one. We need to turn a top to approximately a diameter of 3 5/8 and height of 2 inches. (Make it a little oversized first.) We need one liter IV bags. The bags can be heated a little and they will stretch to fit this top diameter. (3 5/8). The seal will be done with concrete bond and white cement.

The top should be made by glueing up layers of hardwood. Don’t use plywood.

Leo went over several tips on accurate thickness planer use.

1 Lift the wood as it enters the infeed and again lift the exiting end as it leaves

2 The rollers should be accurately adjusted to be just a hair above the platform so as to grab the wood that enters and leaves

3 Run wood in at an angle to minimize snipe 

4 Use a planing board to plane thin pieces. Make it as wide as the thicknesser will accept and snip off the ends at an angle. Make the board exactly one inch thick ( end stop included) so that the guage on the thicknesser can be used.

Tenons:

Can use a dado on the saw or a tenon jig and fence.

Be accurate.

Use the jig shown in the photos to hand plane a tenon.

For a 3/4 board with a 5/16 tenon, the jig should be made with 17/32 size guides and add a strip of paper under the guides to get an accurate tenon. See photos.

A rabbet plane is uses to plane the tenons. 

Table project

March 20, 2012

Miles, Chris, J hiltz, J MacLean, Rick, Brian, Mike, Peter, Paul


Leo discussed the layout for turning the spindles, i.e the drawing  that should be used to make a series of identical turnings.

He then turned to the morticing machine and demonstrated how to set the morticer up and align the wood, how to insert the bit and how to prevent splitting of the chisel.

He then showed us the technique of hand embellishing the legs by using a hook knife made from a file and a steady rest on the lathe to carve out flutes. An indexing system is needed for the lathe so as to get evenly spaced flutes.

Interlude: He showed us how to use dovetail glue joints to make a strong frame from thin stock. The drill press is used to drill out half circles on the ends of the joints and the holes filled with a spline and epoxy.

Using a router to make flutes leaves burn marks at the ends of the flutes. Use a dark stain to fill the flute and contrast with the rest of the leg. Salad bowl Finish is sprayed on the leg first ( 2 coats and into the groove). Then the dark stain is applied into the flute using a felt brush. Wipe off the edges of the grooves with a cloth.

(Buy a ladies felt hat at Value Village and cut it up!)

Hint:  Heating the salad bowl finish and the wood is a good way to get the finish to take quickly and prevent running.

Leo says to go slowly with the table. We will use hide glue for the joints!

Table project

Table continued

Peter, Mike, J MacLean, J Hiltz, Chris, Paul, Brian Harpell, Rick

 Leo says:  use a sharp marking knife to scribe lines eg on the legs to mark off the pommel length (the top square part of the legs) : bring the scribed line around all four sides. Then place masking tape along the edge of the line. This can help prevent split out when cutting the tapers. Use a sharp skew to cut the pommel edges and bring the blade of the skew in perpendicular to the cut if you want a square cut finish. Leo went through the marking method to mark off where the mortices will be cut.



 See photos.

 For next session have all four legs ready for marking and drilling mortices. Leo showed how to properly sharpen a carpenters pencil.

Table project

Excellent video

Table continued

Wayne, Peter, Mike, Rick, J MacLean, Miles, Paul, Lawrence

Leo discussed glueing up panels.Once stock is planed, stand the pieces on edge and clamp together with spacers for a week so that air can circulate and let them accomodate to the humidity equally and prevent a warp.

Once glued up, routing grooves on the underside invisible surface can prevent warp. (Don’t rout right out to the end of the panel however as then the groove will be visible on edge.
If you intend to profile the edges, leave enough width so that you can rout the end grain edge
( which results in tear out) and then rout the panel to final width and routh the other edges (with the grain).

Once the top panel is done and the legs profiled, next is to cut the aprons to fit the assembly. Apron ~4 1/2 inches wide. This allows 1 1/2 inchs top and bottom for the drawer to fit.
The tops of the legs are spaced differently from the sides and fonrt/back of the panel.
The distance on top is 3/4
Side is 1 1/4
See the photos attached to this posting for a better idea of what this means.

Leo discussed planes and plane blade angles of attack, cap iron sharpness.
The primus plane is the best for flattening a top. The blade is adjusted by tapping the plane. The ones with the knob on end to advance the blade are more tedious to operate.
He then discussed scrapers and how to use and sharpen them.
Remember to take the sharp corners off the cutting edge.
Hint: Don’t use diamond stones to sharpen ferrous metal blades.
It wears awary the diamonds.

Table project

January 28,2012---Naq's new Lathe

Many of the members (Rick, Paul, Jim MacLean, Jim Hiltz, Peter, Chris, and guest Donnie Campbell (Yes the famous Donnie!)) met at Tim Horton's for breakfast and the proceeded to Naq's house on St. Peters Road to help assemble his new General International lathe.

Lots of fun!

Meeting

Jim Hiltz, Jim MacNeil, Peter, Mike, Chris, Miles,Wayne, Paul

We began work on the table project.

Step 1 Sketch a design
Eg top 18x16,, drawer, leg shape

Step 2 Material list

Choose stock for top: 6-8% moisture content is best

Leo chose a large board of cherry and cut it into 18 inch pieces--three for the top
Flatten one side on the jointer, choosing grain direction to minimize tear out
Flatten the second side on the thickness planer again being careful with grain direction

Leo demonstrated a jig to use the jointer as a thicknesser..see photos:

When one side is flattened, run the board along the table saw to make a cut along the top and bottom edges; there will be a rough section left in the center; run the board along the sled jig to remove this section until that side is flat and it should be parrallel with the opposite face now.




Next joint the edges of the boards.
Place the first board “marked side” in to the fence and the next board “marked side” out so that any discrepency in the jointer fence is cancelled out as the boards meet.

When boards are planed, align them with the end grain patterns alternating up and down if possible but the main thing is to get the top surface matching for pattern and grain direction.
Line them up and draw a reference mark along the top so that they can be reassembled correctly.

Glue up the panel , making sure the edges are flat and the joints flush.
Pinch together one end of the panel with a clamp. If the opposite end separates, the joints are not good.
Leo demonstrated his new jig for bowl turning.
He went over carbide blades, describing microcrystalline manufacturing.

Leo described how a thickneser works.
There are rollers that drag the wood through and the cutter rotates on top of the board.
The rollers tend to tip the board as it enters and leaves, leaving snipe at both ends.
The best machines have four rollers..two at each end so that the board is kept level as it rides along two rollers on entry and again on exit. Click the picture below to see a sketch of what this means!

From Table project

We need to make the panel and turn four legs by next session.

Table project