22-06-2012, 10:58 AM
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.
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.
Happiness is a wreck of a cabinet to restore.
