30-11-2011, 12:40 PM
Hi,
It's nice to see such a simple thread generating interest and replies which encourages further postings. Although I enjoy tinkering around with cabinet and chassis restorations it makes a change to diversify and fortunately this forum accommodates such activities.
Thanks Alan, I know an average wooden pit prop will withstand 60 tons load before failing so I think these legs will hold up a chaise longue. The curtain idea would be good if I could partition the far end of the garage off but really isn't needed as I made the garage doors and they are a good fit excluding the weather; it was just that I had to move the woodturning lathe to make bench space for the Myford lathe I have in kit form and the new position is very near the doors. I don't know what it was doing outside as I turned yesterday afternoon but it looked like a waterfall down the outside of the doors and it could have included sleet or hail; I didn't pop my head out to have a look.
Thank you for your kind comments David. Oak is indeed a difficult timber to work with; not only in a lathe but in general cabinetwork as well. Tools need to be good quality and kept sharp. I roughed the legs down with a gouge which as you know leaves a poor surface on oak so I then changed to using the skew chisel which gives the best finish possible from the tool leaving little sanding to complete each leg; I like to go over with a stick or dowel pressing quite hard whilst the lathe is in motion and this burnishes the surface whilst compressing the fibres giving a nice shiny hard surface. The only problem with using a skew chisel is the risk of losing a few front teeth.
I do need to sort out better tool sharpening; I used to own a Denford 16" Sharpedge but sold it to free up space; this machine had a 16" diameter horizontal grinding wheel power fed with honing oil and a decent guiding system to hold the tool being sharpened; it would leave a dead flat bevel on chisels and plane irons. I made a belt sander and yesterday tried to sharpen the skew chisel only to end up with a double bevel as I was sharpening free hand; the 60 grit belt removed metal OK but I intend to look into various types and grits of belts together with making a proper guiding system as the belt sander once set up is a good machine for tool sharpening and doesn't overheat the tool to the same extent as a double ended grinder. I paid £15 for a diamond "oil stone" and it is absolutely useless; perhaps dear diamond grit stones are better but this one has put me off for life. If I do sort out a decent tool sharpening method then I'll post the details on the forum.
Thanks Lawrence; yes my lathe is a Record Power but the 24" model although I do have very long spare bed bars. Bron bought this for me from Tabwell Tools who used to have three tool shops in Bakewell; it was a Christmas present and at the time I think was £199.99, I was not at all amused after owning the lathe for a short while to see the same model on sale at £99. I've had this lathe for over 20 years and although basic it is a very good lathe and enjoyable to use. You can't beat good old cast iron for decent machinery.
Converting timber from log is indeed a very heavy job; a newly felled tree is heavy due to the water content (sap) and expensive handling equipment is needed as well as decent saws. I remember many years ago watching a fascinating New Yankee Workshop episode on TV covering a huge sawmill in America. This sawmill was so gigantic it had a rail-road feeding it with logs and it converted six million board foot per week; now that is some serious quantity of timber.
When I left work I wanted to start up my own solid oak furniture business and contacted "Arrowsmith's" who sold kilning equipment. I spent £1,000 and bought the drying equipment and was referred to a sawmill near Ripon who used this kilning equipment and could see it in action. I was most impressed and this sawmill was to also slab the timber I needed. The more I looked into starting my own business I retired aged 53 in disgust as no one bothered whether I succeeded or not as long as I was ripped off and could employ people from the dole queue. Incentive to start my own business was negative even the rent of the old mill unit I was after attracted VAT. I'm glad to be out of it.
That's a lovely piece of turning David and up to your usual gallery standard; thanks for sharing it with us.I've never turned spalted timbers having heard how dangerous they can be to health as can many un-spalted timbers. I believe newly converted Sycamore has to be end reared to prevent serious staining and perhaps Lawrence will care to expand on this also any other such information would be most interesting. Some woods are referred to as "sneeze wood" whilst others are called "Stinky wood". Am I correct in thinking Olive wood can destroy both lathes and tooling because it causes rapid rusting? A few months ago we were watching TV and the guy I believe was in New Zealand; he stated that one particular shrub was so poisonous that to brush against the leaves has led to many people immediately committing suicide in horrendous pain.
I can't agree with you more David regarding the relaxed atmosphere of this forum; I wonder how it would have fared had it been restricted entirely to radio and TV restorations? I've always thought there can't be many ways to change a cap or resistor and once a top class restoration has been completed; what then? I do like to see other members restorations and of course highly encourage them but for myself I'm a bit lost because I've completely stripped radio chassis and restored them and have restored basket case cabinets both of which were highly enjoyable but I am always on the lookout for something new to tackle and to learn new things so I try to diversify into areas of our hobby that are little covered such as the wave winder restoration and making pot tracks from scratch. I don't mind unusual projects that frustrate and wind me up as these are the ones I learn so much from.
Even this simple thread is interesting as I'm learning all the time from the replies; I've seen another of your beautifully turned items and Lawrence has added an interesting post regarding his sawmill days. What a great forum this is.
Kind regards, Col
It's nice to see such a simple thread generating interest and replies which encourages further postings. Although I enjoy tinkering around with cabinet and chassis restorations it makes a change to diversify and fortunately this forum accommodates such activities.
Thanks Alan, I know an average wooden pit prop will withstand 60 tons load before failing so I think these legs will hold up a chaise longue. The curtain idea would be good if I could partition the far end of the garage off but really isn't needed as I made the garage doors and they are a good fit excluding the weather; it was just that I had to move the woodturning lathe to make bench space for the Myford lathe I have in kit form and the new position is very near the doors. I don't know what it was doing outside as I turned yesterday afternoon but it looked like a waterfall down the outside of the doors and it could have included sleet or hail; I didn't pop my head out to have a look.
Thank you for your kind comments David. Oak is indeed a difficult timber to work with; not only in a lathe but in general cabinetwork as well. Tools need to be good quality and kept sharp. I roughed the legs down with a gouge which as you know leaves a poor surface on oak so I then changed to using the skew chisel which gives the best finish possible from the tool leaving little sanding to complete each leg; I like to go over with a stick or dowel pressing quite hard whilst the lathe is in motion and this burnishes the surface whilst compressing the fibres giving a nice shiny hard surface. The only problem with using a skew chisel is the risk of losing a few front teeth.
I do need to sort out better tool sharpening; I used to own a Denford 16" Sharpedge but sold it to free up space; this machine had a 16" diameter horizontal grinding wheel power fed with honing oil and a decent guiding system to hold the tool being sharpened; it would leave a dead flat bevel on chisels and plane irons. I made a belt sander and yesterday tried to sharpen the skew chisel only to end up with a double bevel as I was sharpening free hand; the 60 grit belt removed metal OK but I intend to look into various types and grits of belts together with making a proper guiding system as the belt sander once set up is a good machine for tool sharpening and doesn't overheat the tool to the same extent as a double ended grinder. I paid £15 for a diamond "oil stone" and it is absolutely useless; perhaps dear diamond grit stones are better but this one has put me off for life. If I do sort out a decent tool sharpening method then I'll post the details on the forum.
Thanks Lawrence; yes my lathe is a Record Power but the 24" model although I do have very long spare bed bars. Bron bought this for me from Tabwell Tools who used to have three tool shops in Bakewell; it was a Christmas present and at the time I think was £199.99, I was not at all amused after owning the lathe for a short while to see the same model on sale at £99. I've had this lathe for over 20 years and although basic it is a very good lathe and enjoyable to use. You can't beat good old cast iron for decent machinery.
Converting timber from log is indeed a very heavy job; a newly felled tree is heavy due to the water content (sap) and expensive handling equipment is needed as well as decent saws. I remember many years ago watching a fascinating New Yankee Workshop episode on TV covering a huge sawmill in America. This sawmill was so gigantic it had a rail-road feeding it with logs and it converted six million board foot per week; now that is some serious quantity of timber.
When I left work I wanted to start up my own solid oak furniture business and contacted "Arrowsmith's" who sold kilning equipment. I spent £1,000 and bought the drying equipment and was referred to a sawmill near Ripon who used this kilning equipment and could see it in action. I was most impressed and this sawmill was to also slab the timber I needed. The more I looked into starting my own business I retired aged 53 in disgust as no one bothered whether I succeeded or not as long as I was ripped off and could employ people from the dole queue. Incentive to start my own business was negative even the rent of the old mill unit I was after attracted VAT. I'm glad to be out of it.
That's a lovely piece of turning David and up to your usual gallery standard; thanks for sharing it with us.I've never turned spalted timbers having heard how dangerous they can be to health as can many un-spalted timbers. I believe newly converted Sycamore has to be end reared to prevent serious staining and perhaps Lawrence will care to expand on this also any other such information would be most interesting. Some woods are referred to as "sneeze wood" whilst others are called "Stinky wood". Am I correct in thinking Olive wood can destroy both lathes and tooling because it causes rapid rusting? A few months ago we were watching TV and the guy I believe was in New Zealand; he stated that one particular shrub was so poisonous that to brush against the leaves has led to many people immediately committing suicide in horrendous pain.
I can't agree with you more David regarding the relaxed atmosphere of this forum; I wonder how it would have fared had it been restricted entirely to radio and TV restorations? I've always thought there can't be many ways to change a cap or resistor and once a top class restoration has been completed; what then? I do like to see other members restorations and of course highly encourage them but for myself I'm a bit lost because I've completely stripped radio chassis and restored them and have restored basket case cabinets both of which were highly enjoyable but I am always on the lookout for something new to tackle and to learn new things so I try to diversify into areas of our hobby that are little covered such as the wave winder restoration and making pot tracks from scratch. I don't mind unusual projects that frustrate and wind me up as these are the ones I learn so much from.
Even this simple thread is interesting as I'm learning all the time from the replies; I've seen another of your beautifully turned items and Lawrence has added an interesting post regarding his sawmill days. What a great forum this is.
Kind regards, Col
Happiness is a wreck of a cabinet to restore.
