New Computer Desk

[Aerodyne]

The info regarding burning rings was fascinating, Col. I can see how dangerous it could be if carried out incorrectly but you explanation is very clear on that point. I like the matching Formica knob fronts, a neat touch, adding a great finish to a superb job.
Tony

[Yorkie]

You've done really well with the whole project Colin. As we both know, it's one thing making several items which look similar, it's quite another to make them look identical, and think you've done a splendid job on the knobs. As anyone who's used it will testify, oak is the very devil to work. You need really sharp tools which blunt again in the blink of an eye, and when it comes to woodturning, the grain is so open that it's difficult to get a good finish. The burnt rings look great - I've used the burning wire you kindly gave me several times to good effect, and I have to admit to finding the smell of the smoking wood rather agreeable, just as I do the smell of spirit-based pens. It's not an addiction you understand - it's all under control, but it's one of life's simple pleasures- small things excite small minds!

Sanding sealer is as good as anything for closing the grain of oak. Production turners and those in a hurry tend to use cellulose sanding sealer as it dries quicker than shellac sanding sealer, but shellac takes only a minute or two anyway, and what's the big rush? Depending on the turned item and its size, many woodturners will give a coat of sanding sealer, then sand again, and apply friction polish such as 'speed 'n eeze' followed by burnishing cream then speed 'n eeze again. Friction polish relies on the heat generated by the cloth to which it's applied, to melt the polish and give a smooth gloss finish (which isn't universally liked in woodturning circles). You have to be careful with thin-walled bowls and such like because too much heat can crack the wood. Also, on larger bowls (10" or so), you can't generate enough heat to melt the polish.

Examples of friction polish and burnishing cream:

http://www.stilesandbates.co.uk/browse.p...10/level/4

http://www.stilesandbates.co.uk/search.p...hing+cream&submit.x=25&submit.y=14

Not cheap but it lasts for ages - just a few spots on a cloth will do a 6" diam bowl for example.

As to woodturning chucks, the basic chucks aren't too expensive - it's all the add-on jaws for different applications that ramps up the price.

The Sorby 'Patriot' chuck was a reaction to other makes who unwisely outsourced their production facilities to China. It's made in the UK (for the time being at least) as are Axminster chucks. This site explains all the add on jaws:

http://www.poolewood.co.uk/acatalog/copy...Chuck.html

Many woodturners - particularly professionals - use a vacuum chuck for faceplate work. (No good for your knobs though).

The more inventive and practically minded make their own vaccum chucks - a DIY project which would be right up your street Colin!

Thanks for going to so much trouble to leave off time and againColin to take pics and update the thread as you've progressed towards completion.

[Retired]

Hi,

Thank you Tony; I'm pleased you found the ring burning to be of interest. It is a very old but little known technique that is so useful as it can turn a rather plain item into something more special with little effort and no cost. It could prove very dangerous to a novice hence I tried to give full instructions. I've never worn a wedding ring and am always extremely careful whilst working on machinery. I think the current health and safety laws go way over the top but in this instance caution is the way to go.

Your kind comments mean a lot to me David as I know you to be a top wood turner producing beautiful turned wooden items to very high standards. Woodturning is a wonderful hobby in its own right and a hobby that doesn't cost a fortune to get started in. There are usually plenty of woodturning lathes on eBay to choose from. I prefer cast iron lathes and my small Record Power DML24" lathe is solid and a delight to use. It will spin 9" maximum diameter and 24" between centres. It runs very sweetly without vibration and I have obtained longer bed bars should the need arise if I want to turn longer items. It costs very little to run and mine has served me well for around 20 years; Bron bought it for me as a Christmas present.

Thanks for the useful links and detailed information David. I used cellulose sanding sealer on the knobs as I've had this sealer for many years; it dries rapidly allowing wax to be added in short time. I like using Black Bison wax and find the smell to be pleasing. A tin lasts for years.

http://www.liberon.co.uk/wax-finishes/bl...4,464.html?&args=Y29tcF9pZD0zMDQmYWN0aW9uPWZpY2hlUHJvZHVpdCZpZD0xODYmfA%3D%3D

The Robert Sorby video brought tears to my eyes David when I saw the prices of the many different jaw sizes available; as you say the basic chuck won't bankrupt you but a full set of jaws could. I'm cheap and made do with a common Jacobs chuck to turn these knobs with but I'm not a novice turner so know the limitations allowing me to produce items at very little cost. I recently bought another new Jacobs chuck at Rufforth Auto Jumble costing £8.50 on a #2 Morse Taper. I have a Jacobs chuck on a #1 Morse Taper and for years have swapped this chuck from machine to machine using various MT sleeves. It's easy for a novice to think woodturning would be a very expensive hobby given the vast array of equipment and tooling available but in fact with a few chisels and gouges plus a pronged drive centre and say a face-plate a lot can be achieved with a bit of practice. I don't have lots of woodturning kit but its amazing what items I can turn.

For those where money isn't a problem then of course they can buy the best such as an Holtzapffel Rose Engine (Lathe). Years ago I saw one of these on sale with a full set of cutters in their proper cabinets and cutting frames etc. and the price was a cool £500,000. These Rose Engines years ago were used to put the patterns on bank note printing plates and are the Rolls Royce of ornamental lathes. The full 5 volume Turning & Mechanical Manipulation books I bought many years ago new set me back £105. I'm looking at volume 2 which alone starts at page 458 and runs to page 1,025.

http://www.ornamentalturner.com/Archive/HOLTZROS.HTM

http://www.turners.org/Articles/bower1.htm

Wooden mouldings can be produced on a lathe by gluing two pieces of wood together with paper between them; once the turning and finishing is completed then the two are separated with a wood chisel at the paper joint giving two perfectly matched mouldings as long as the wood is mounted accurately to start with. The same technique can be used to secure items to a wooden faceplate.

A vacuum chuck is very useful David for mass production but as you rightly say in my case I could make such a chuck easily enough in fact I've considered making a vacuum veneering press for wood veneering. Woodturning can become an obsessive hobby and is for many turners who devote hundreds of hours to a single item. I can see the appeal of ornamental turning but it's something I'll never do because I simply cannot devote the time to it but the turning I do both in wood and metal I enjoy a great deal and derive much pleasure from it. Even a novice with a little practice on a lathe can turn useful and attractive items.

A lathe is the only machine where an item can be produced from a blank to finish in one go without removing the item. A lathe is the daddy of all machine tools.

I enjoy adding my stories David of work in progress but confess to finding doing so to be very time consuming.

Kind regards, Col.

[Yorkie]

Another interesting post Colin.

Re vacuum chucks and other aspects of woodturning, one of my favourite professional turners - highly regarded in woodturning circles and much in demand as a demonstrator and tutor is Bob Chapman, from Bingley. He made his own vacuum chuck and details can be found here, along with other interesting stuff he's written on his website and in magazines:

http://www.bobchapman.co.uk/html/for_woodturners.html

Great guy.

Another highly regarded professional turner - Simon Hope - designed and markets his own vacuum chuck and other high end tools and accessories. Simon also makes 'small pipes' - bagpipes that is, in a range of tartans to order, using African blackwood which has to be turned and drilled with a high degree of accuracy to ensure that they're tuned properly. He embellishes the pipes with pewter ferrules that he turns. I've visited his workshop near Colchester, and coincidentally, he's demonstrating at our local woodturning club tomorrow night for the third year running.

These guys take woodturning to a whole new level.

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thanks for the useful information David and for the Bob Chapman link.

I've just spent a while looking at Bob's highly informative and creative website. I find such sites to be fascinating and most rewarding as many tips can be picked up.

Bob goes into a lot of detail regarding assembling and setting up his vacuum chuck system and it is every bit as good as a commercial system but without the high cost. The Air Press vacuum bag press system (veneering) I feel is quite reasonably priced from £430 and includes a bag big enough for most cabinet panels.

I mentioned bag veneering in a number of my posts as this is one area of interest to me; I'm phasing out my radio restoration activities and heading towards more demanding projects which hopefully will provide the challenges I need to drive me on. I've very much enjoyed my “woody” cabinet restorations over the years but now that I can fully restore a basket case bringing it to a full French polished finish I feel there is little left to challenge me so I am looking to doing more bespoke items of woodwork such as this desk. I was interested to see the Air Press Pizzi glue spreader as it reminds me I must go to the trouble of resolving spreading contact cement after the problems encountered spreading the EvoStik on this desk. I have done limited research and the problem I have would appear to be the wrong kind of adhesive. I've always considered “Impact” and “Contact” adhesives as the same so now I need to research more because I've watched many “You tube” videos showing laminate adhesive being spread very easily using a roller in quite a laid back manner with no panic involved. When I applied the EvoStik onto the desk panels it drove me mad as it didn't want to be applied evenly becoming stringy extremely quickly; I tried serrated plastic spreader as supplied with the adhesive; two different types of 4” roller and paint brush and none of these were satisfactory; I even sent an enquiry to EvoStik asking for advice but to date haven't received a reply.

Bob's excellent home made vacuum chuck system at around £140 is within most peoples price range and can be considered a one off payment but once the chuck is sorted out then it would be very cheap and convenient to use the vacuum pump to operate a veneering bag as it is the pump which is the most expensive item.

I did wonder whether a bad dig in would eject the work from the vacuum chuck and Bob mentions this saying light cuts are best at first until experience of using such a chuck is gained; I've had a wooden leg blank securely mounted between centres become detached at speed disappearing over my shoulder due to a nasty dig in whilst practising using a skew chisel so care is needed whichever mounting system is used as none are perfect; even screwing securely to a faceplate the blank can shatter from a wrongly applied tool. I've seen such vacuum chuck systems previously and have always been most impressed by them.

The oak bowl shown is a good indication as to he exemplary quality of work produced by Bob; oak is a difficult timber to turn cleanly unless very sharp tools are employed together with light finishing cuts.

It's strange David that you also mention bagpipes as I was also interested in having a go at making a set a few years ago and at the time there were a number of websites offering kits and I thought Craft Supplies offered such a kit but a quick check on their site doesn't show a kit. Woodwind instruments can pose a serious health hazard as some woods are highly toxic; a novice wanting to make a simple flute and wishing to experiment with exotic timbers has to be careful; this also applies to children’s toys. I've never wood-turned using Spalted Beech which is commonly available because of possible long term health issues. Whilst researching for the best timber to use for exterior window frames and doors I found Western Red Cedar to be ideal but this timber poses serious health issues; it can become frightening to learn what damage we can do to ourselves without even realizing it and some of the damage might only become evident many years later. I don't want to put anyone off from their workshop activities but the risks are there and if known can be avoided by the use of personal safety protection and extraction. Because I work in a black hole as it is today and it's usually pouring with rain as it is today; for years I ran my big woodworking machines wearing a dust mask; when I retired I constructed a nice big extractor and what a tremendous difference this makes; no longer do I work in a dense fog; a good layer of dust inside spectacles also impairs vision. I'm no health and safety freak not scared of knocking a nail in without wearing a full suit of armour but I do believe in common sense and taking precautions to safeguard my health.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis30.pdf

We've had a good couple of days weather so I've been making the most of it. Bron asked if I would remove some of the lower branches from the oak tree overhanging the patio as it was dropping rubbish which was staining the patio and the branches were getting too near the bungalow. Of course I was happy to oblige and was up the tree like a squirrel with my 24” bow-saw over my shoulder and the lower branches were soon removed leaving a lot of mess to clean up. The branches were cut into shorter lengths and dragged onto the drive; the leaves and twigs were trimmed off completely filling the car leaving the thicker sections. A couple of trips to the tip cleared all the small stuff then I set to with the 20” petrol chainsaw and cut the thicker sections into logs suitable for a wood burner storing these neatly until they can be collected by a guy who lives nearby who owns a wood burning stove.

Yesterday I actually placed some of the Myford lathe components onto the bench wanting to make a start on restoration and began scraping the paint from them but gave up as it was taking too long; during my next trip to Rufforth Auto Jumble I'll buy 5 litres of powerful paint stripper. I don't like paint stripper but it will speed up the work considerably. Today I'm on the computer as it is pouring with rain; extremely dark and cold in the workshop; if I pull the car out of the garage it will get soaked then I'll end up cleaning it to put it away otherwise the damp isn't good for all the cast iron work surfaces. This is supposed to be summer; what a joke.

Kind regards, Col.

       
Oak branches dropped onto patio.

[AlanBeckett]

Col,
What's the problem with Western Red Cedar?
People make Greenhouses out of it - http://www.gabrielash.com/products/six_b...house.html
Alan

[Yorkie]

Drifting off the topic of Colins new computer desk, there’s an informative report on wood dust hazards (including Western Red Cedar) at this link:

http://www.woodbin.com/misc/wood_dust_toxicity.htm

To quote from the report:

All woods should be considered potentially toxic but some woods are more toxic than others. For example, hypersensitivity reaction leading to asthma has been reported as a result of exposure to Western red cedar, Cedar of Lebanon, oak, mahogany, and redwood. Western red cedar is a particularly allergenic species that has achieved a certain measure of notoriety in the North American wood products industry. It has been estimated that at least five percent of forest industry workers in British Columbia exposed to Western red cedar dust are allergic to it.

Dermatitis caused by exposure to wood dusts is common, and as many as 300 species of trees - hardwoods and softwoods - have been implicated in wood-caused dermatitis. And it's not just imports or exotic woods but domestic species as well. NIOSH considers both hard and soft wood dust to be potentially carcinogenic but there is some evidence to indicate a greater risk of certain types of cancer related to hardwood dust exposure. For example, NIOSH states that certain species of hardwood including oak, mahogany, beech, walnut, birch, elm, and ash have been reported to cause nasal cancer in woodworkers.

End quote.

Many woodturners shy away from Laburnum, spalted beech, and particularly iroko, which isn’t a very interesting timber for woodturning anyway, but takes a reasonable finish. (See attached 5" bowl I turned in Iroko). The spalting to which beech is susceptible is a form of fungal attack and is said to be carcinogenic, yet it isn’t uncommon to see such things as fruit bowls and platters turned from Spalted beech.

Drifting further off topic, I mentioned that Simon Hope was to demonstrate at our woodturning club on Tuesday night, as indeed he did – an excellent evening. (I came to know Simon through buying a lathe from him some years ago). He demonstrated a vacuum chuck, and rather than the risk of a workpiece coming off the chuck, if the vacuum is too great, there is a risk that a thin-walled bowl or such like could collapse inwards, so the vaccum must be adjusted according to the particular task that it has to perform. The major expense is of course the cost of the vacuum pump.

Simon is one of the youngest turners to have been admitted to the Register of Professional Turners when he was 26. He’s right at the top of his game, and anything he makes and adds to his gallery quickly finds a read market, as will be seen on his website. He has designed and markets a range of high quality woodturning tools, including a vacuum chuck. He demonstrates all over the country and runs course from his home:

http://www.hopewoodturning.co.uk/index.html

some years ago designed the ‘Simon Hope’ sanding ball for sanding the inside of hollow forms:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Woodturning-Sa...0641169545

He also makes very high quality ‘smallpipes’ a type of bagpipes but more melodious (IMHO!) and similar to Northumbrian pipes. Whether or not one likes the sound they make, the craftsmanship is a joy to behold. All main drones and stocks are made from Pink Ivory - the rarest commercial timber in the world. Chanters are made from African Blackwood with a pink ivory mount. The main stock has a solid silver hallmarked ferrule. The drones are brass lined and dressed with African Blackwood and polished stainless steel.

Simon also casts jewellery grade pewter which features in some of his creations.

http://www.hopepipes.co.uk/first.html

The standard attained by some members of our club are extremely high and far exceed my capabilities. This week, one member, who is a country music singer who makes all his own guitars, brought his latest effort – a banjo that he’s made. It took him five weeks, and as well as all the woodwork, he rolled and brazed the metal ring that holds the skin in place, and had it chrome plated. He inlaid his name ‘BERNIE’ at the top of the fretboard, made the fretboard himself but had the abalone scrollwork inlaid by laser. I’ve attached some pics. He spends much of the summer in Spain playing country music around the clubs and teaching line dancing. He's a regular on the club scene in East Yorks. An all round great guy, and very modest in his achievements.

Country music isn’t to everyone’s taste, but what’s not to like about a guy who makes his own instruments, and plays and sings easy listening music like this?

http://www.countryuk.karoo.net/

Now’t wrong with that is there?

[AlanBeckett]

David,
I read the previous links about making a vacuum chuck - fascinating.
It wouldn't be too difficult to hack the chuck out of a solid block of Aluminium and thread it to fit a particular lathe. However, bigish chunks of Aluminium don't come cheap, as Rob will verify.
Alan

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks Big Al, I think David has answered your question about what's wrong with Western Red Cedar by adding the link. All wood can pose health risks but some are much worse than others. Any novice taking up wood-turning quickly gets the urge to try using exotic timbers; these timbers are widely available but tend to be expensive. Generally the shavings produced during wood-turning are not a problem unless the timber is one which causes adverse effects upon skin contact. The main problem is once the actual turning has been completed then comes the sanding and this can cause a fog especially in a small cramped workshop sealed against our terrible climate and wood dust hangs in the air for a long period. For turned items such as tool handles and knobs I like to burnish after sanding by pressing a stick against the revolving work; this makes a lot of difference as it case hardens the surface; a short length of quadrant moulding used as glass beading is ideal as the sharp edges reach into the corners of the work. The difference can be immediately seen as soon as burnishing begins.

For many years I used my big woodworking machines without extraction relying on a simple dust mask for personal protection. I machined lots of offcuts of Meranti and although this is a lovely timber the dust clings to everything including me; my eyelids used to become coated as did the insides of my glasses and after a good session ripping on the table saw there was a dense dust cloud which always worried me. Once the timber had been machined I would leave the garage until the dust settled. Not the ideal and fortunately I've not suffered any adverse effects but now I have a big home made 3 phase dust/chip extractor which makes a tremendous difference allowing me to machine timber without wearing a mask whilst the garage doors are closed. My nose is the best indicator because if it becomes blocked then I'm asking for trouble as the dust will also affect my lungs. I used to buy boxes of "Martindale" white dust masks; these masks were nothing more than a sandwich containing a middle of what appeared to be cotton wool and were held in place by a thin gauge aluminium outer having tabs that bent over to secure the mask and elastic which slipped over the head to secure the mask to the face. I found these reasonably comfortable leaving me with a clean nose but occasionally my glasses would mist.

What a wonderful wood-turner Simon Hope is David; thank you for introducing him to us. Simon's workmanship is impeccable and a delight to view. I've just been looking at his website through the link you kindly supplied. He charges a very reasonable price for his finished turned items and it's not surprising to see a number showing sold. Simon deserves to do well. I've also been looking at the other items Simon sells and the tool handles whilst being of the highest quality makes me wonder who would actually buy these other than a novice turner; as you know David; wood-turners usually turn their own tool handles after all this is what owning a lathe is about. I bought a big lump of beech many years ago and standardized all my tool handles at very little cost.

   
Selection of tools with home turned handles.

Looking at Simon's sanding blocks with the smallest measuring 45mm x 45mm costing £3.50 it wouldn't take much to run up a big bill. I certainly don't wish to appear negative regarding any aspect of what Simon does but when it comes to money I'm always on the look out for a bargain.

If you've used one of Simon's sanding blocks David then you can compare Simon's block against the U-POL sanding pads measuring 155mm x 115mm we buy at Rufforth Auto Jumble. I didn't know these U-POL pads existed until you kindly introduced me to Rufforth David and I'm amazed at their value; I believe you counted a roll of U-POL pads giving something like 37 pads per roll. I've now bought four rolls two each of fine and super fine and if bought in pairs of two rolls these only cost £5 the two. These U-POL pads must be bargain of the year and I already use them around the bungalow for general sanding duties as they are vastly superior to abrasive paper for rubbing paintwork down as they don't clog or coat and last for ages.

   
Bargain U-POL abrasive pads.

Whilst at Rufforth I also noticed boxes of 3M Stikit 125mm dia self adhesive abrasive discs at £5 per box. I bought a box as I'm fed up with my expensive Bosch random orbit sander ejecting expensive hook and loop disks and refuse to buy a new sander base. If this rain ever stops pouring down I hope to have a go at converting the sander base to accept these self adhesive discs or even make a new base.

   
3M self adhesive sanding discs.

Simon has a lovely workshop and although his bagpipe kits are expensive they are of the highest quality and worth the money. It must be hard for a wood-turner to make a decent living. Many professional wood-turners develop their own turning tools and market them; all these tools are well tried and tested but to a novice wood-turner it must be difficult to even get started as it would appear you need to be rich given the vast choice of expensive tooling available. I can assure anyone wishing to have a go at wood-turning this can be done cheaply; buy a second hand lathe and a handful of basic tools such as gouges and chisels and get cracking; my wood-turning costs me very little but is most rewarding. I bought a set of un-handled wood thread chasers and turned a set of beech handles; I believe these chasers came out of a school and I need to practice using them.

   
Thread chasers with home turned handles.

Bron and I enjoy Country & Western music David so again many thanks for the link. When we moved here 25 years ago NTL were laying cable TV down the street and we had it installed. At the time there was a channel called CMT that we watched a great deal this being Country Music Television. After a few years NTL wanted to raise more money so broke all the channels down into groups each group costing £? per month; we couldn't afford CMT and eventually CMT was dropped completely. We missed it as it was one of the best channels ever. Bernie has the voice and we've both been listening to him.

Aluminium turning blanks are indeed expensive Alan but I've bought offcuts from RDG tools quite reasonably the last offcut being of aerospace quality and it turned beautifully.

Kind regards, Col.

[Yorkie]

Thanks for an interesting post Colin.

Your thread chaser handles and chest look superb! Thread chasing is an acquired skill which some take to better than others. To start the thread calls for a touch like a butterflies wing till you get a rhythm going and remember to lift off at the end or you strip the thread. Some timbers - boxwood for example, take a thread easier than others.

As to chisel and gouge handles, you're right of course - like you I guess - I buy all my chisels unhandled and turn the handles from ash - it only takes a few minutes, and apart from the saving in cost, I think it would be beneath my dignity to pay for handles I can easily make myself. However, many professional demonstrators, production turners and a lot of amateurs these days seem to use quick change handles such as those that Simon designs and sells, into which single or dual ended tools fit - perhaps a bowl gouge at one end and a scraper or skew at the other. So, they have many chisels, but just a few handles. (Ashley Isles supplies a lot of the unhandled tools).

All of Simon's stuff is expensive, but good quality. Many hobbyists are older, debt-free and have high disposable incomes. As with every other product, it's a paradox that the cachet of the brand often jacks up the price to what the market can stand, and the price has little to do with the cost of manufacture. Higher prices often add to the appeal of the product - it works for everything - cars, clothing, whatever. 40% of Audi Quatro parts (running gear, brakes, steering etc) share the same parts bins as a Skoda Octavia, but it doesn't stop Audi Quatro buyers paying over the odds, largely because of the appeal of the brand cachet. It's why people will cheerfully pay £70 for a wooly 'bobble hat' like the one below, when similar hats of comparable design and quality can be had for a tenth of that price. Why? Because of the brand cachet - 'Paul Smith':

http://www.vanmildert.com/mens-1/accesso...ce=froogle&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=Paul+Smith+Accessories&gclid=CLyOzsDl4bACFU4lfAodBEpV0g

It's no use trying to rationalise this - logic goes out of the window when emotions come into play. How do we explain why people in their thousands up and down the land will camp out in the rain overnight to see someone run part carrying an Olympic torch when I wouldn't bother to look out of the widow if someone ran past my house with it? I just couldn't be less interested.

Back to the plot - A useful woodturning website here that might be of interest to a few: http://www.turningtools.co.uk/shop1/shopenter.html

(Click on the 'Woodturners Workshop' link at the bottom left of the homepage).

Waffled and dribbled Yorkie.