Gouge Restoration.

[Joe]

More years ago than I care to think I found an old gouge in the shed. The handle was split and the business end utterly smashed. My Mother said she was pleased that it had turned up as it was a thing for getting nails out. Until recent days I hadn't got the means to put it right but now have.

I re-ground it yesterday and made a new handle this morning. The latter is mahogany which probably isn't the best stuff to use but is all I've got. When and if something more suitable turns up at least I'll have had experience at doing it.

Unfortunately I didn't drill a wide enough hole for the tang so on initial fitting it split. Luckily it glued back together fine and this is all part of the learning process. It's certainly ended up very nice.

   

- Joe

[Retired]

Hi,

It's good to see you practising and putting some lathe time in Joe; these small jobs are always most rewarding and as you rightly say it all adds to your experience.

Do you have any timber yards near you Joe? The reason I ask is that many timber yards have small offcuts that are very useful to practice with and cost very little. It pays to be a bit cheeky; call in at a timber yard and ask if they have any bits of timber suitable for you to experiment with on your lathe and say you would like to buy some. This also applies to joinery companies; we have a local joinery company that I've obtained lots of useful timber from and all it cost me was a box of chocs or biscuits as a thank you then I could go back again. They usually ask what type of timber and size you are looking for so be prepared; you've just got a lathe and would like to play around at making tool handles; candle sticks and lamp bases etc and that you are not too fussy about what the timber is; once you obtain your first lot of offcuts then you've got your foot in the door and on your next visit if you haven't been charged take along a box of "After Eights" or something similar and ask if they could supply more offcuts.

This actually sounds easy for us old timers used to doing such things but for a raw novice it can be rather daunting visiting these places but the worst they can say is "sorry we don't do offcuts" so don't be put off and try somewhere else.

If you lived nearer Joe I'd be more than happy to let you have some timber as I've always got bits kicking around and if you fancied having a go at turning green timber I've just got rid of six full car loads and I'm always finding more.

Have you got hand or power tools for cutting timber into suitable sizes for the lathe? A bandsaw is a very useful machine for such work.

Keep at it Joe and please keep sharing your progress because watching you takes me back many years to when I first started and everything seemed strange.

Kind regards, Col.

[Joe]

A decent power-saw is one thing I do lack and a band-saw is certainly on my wish-list. I've got a hand-held circular saw which I keep thinking about converting to a table version; it scares the wits out of me as it is - more so than the chain-saw.

The only wood-yard I can think of locally is Arnold Laver. That said I know there's a saw-mill somewhere in Ecclesall Woods. I'll have to find out just where it is.

As you say, it's fun playing about. I can get green timber myself but the drying process is something I still need to research more.

- Joe

[pwdrive]

Ok, I'm going to be really miserable now, people used to come in and ask for offcuts/sawdust etc when I was in the sawmilling game..."yeah but have you got anything bigger"..."p*ss off, I run a registered business not a registered charity" was the reply, yes I'm afraid it got to that stage, they failed to realise that back then my bandsaw cost £20 an hour just to run it, red deisel, saw doctoring, grease, oil, wear and tear, depriciation, down time etc and that was without my cut! One guy wanted some shavings, I let him shovel some up himself for free, he came back a few days later ranting and raving that the shavings had tainted the fur of the angora rabbits he was breeding (that'll be the tanin then mate)...Speechless.

Lawrence.

[pwdrive]

A decent power-saw is one thing I do lack and a band-saw is certainly on my wish-list. I've got a hand-held circular saw which I keep thinking about converting to a table version; it scares the wits out of me as it is - more so than the chain-saw.

The only wood-yard I can think of locally is Arnold Laver. That said I know there's a saw-mill somewhere in Ecclesall Woods. I'll have to find out just where it is.

As you say, it's fun playing about. I can get green timber myself but the drying process is something I still need to research more.

- Joe

Joe a lot of the wood turners used to use PEG to help stabalize timber, sometimes the old Arrowsmith kiln units turn up cheap, then all you need is an insulated plywood box, there are some excellent books on the subject of drying timber, I have one of the better known ones but can't remember what it's title and author was, it's buried away somewhere, if I come accross it I will let you know, I suspect a good library would have this particular one. Take some good advice from an old sawyer, beware of small saw machinery, these are the ones that bite!! A table saw should always have it's guard in place and the correct riving knife fitted, never crosscut on a ripping saw, I always prefered standing in front of a 25 ft band or 5 ft plate saw than the small stuff, they tend to give you warning signs, small stuff generaly doesn't especially crosscuts! Always use a suitable push stick when using a ripping saw.

Lawrence

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thanks for your comments Lawrence and of course you are right in that people casually dropping in can be real time wasters and some want everything for nothing.

I always try to play fair and find our local timber yards usually have offcuts stacked against the wall near the saw. I always offer to pay for offcuts or take something along as a thank you as it would be simply scrounging expecting to return time and again on the take.

I also support the timber yards that are happy to let me have offcuts as I buy my general timber and sheet materials from them so they don't lose out. There are always people who will spoil a good thing through selfishness and greed though.

If Joe lived nearby I would drive him around a few of my local places where I obtain my raw material from.

Your response to time wasters isn't miserable Lawrence and under the conditions you describe you are well justified in telling these people to get lost; I would do the same as I have already done so with some of our neighbours who believe I retired so that I could be their slave. A bit of fair play goes a long way and I've usually found timber yard staff to be friendly once the ice is broken.

I'd better not send Joe down to your place Lawrence or it might put him off for life.

Kind regards, Col.

[pwdrive]

Joe's welcome to come down anytime, he can have a free tree if he wants one.

Lawrence.