woodturning tips & tricks - arizona...
Post on 07-Feb-2018
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Woodturning Tips & Tricks
Darryl Stephison
Bottle Stoppers
• Drill bottle stopper blanks on the lathe rather than the drill press
• True up the face of the blank so it is perfectly flat and perpendicular to the hole
Bottle Stoppers
• Drill the pilot hole (5/16 in.) then put thin CA glue in the hole, shake out the excess, and allow to harden before tapping (3/8x16)
Bottle Stoppers
• Apply wax to a bottle stopper screw chuck (mandrel) to make the piece easier to remove when done
Bowl Blanks
• Make round templates for rough cutting bowl blanks
Bowl Turning
• Make a pilot hole in the center of a bowl to gage the depth inside
• Use a small piece of vinyl tubing on the drill to mark the depth desired
Chuck Jaw Gages
• Make inside and outside gages for chuck jaws
• Counter top laminate material works well
Clean Air
• A box fan with a 20 inch pleated filter taped on will help to reduce airborne dust in your shop
Color Coding
• Color code hex recess screws and Allen wrenches to quickly match sizes
Color Coding
• Color code tool handles for quick spotting
Cutting Technique
• Whenever possible use a shearing cut in preference to a scraping cut
Cutting Technique (continued)
Scraping cuts leave a rougher surface and thus require more sanding
Lathe Speeds
• Higher speeds make turning easier and better quality
• Be careful however – if the speed is too high, it can be dangerous
• Never exceed 7000 / Diameter (inches)
• Use 3000 / Diameter for out-of-round or out-of-balance pieces
Magnets
• Use a magnet to find a screw or small tool in a pile of shavings
Magnets
• Use a magnet to keep small tools (like a steel ruler) handy
Magnets
• Use two or three magnets in the corner of the Wolverine vee arm to make a secondary bevel on gouges
Magnets
• Small magnetized bowls from Harbor Freight are great for keeping screws when changing chuck jaws, face plates, etc.
Mineral Spirits
• Use mineral spirits (painter’s thinner) to reveal sanding scratches before finishing
Sandpaper
• Use clean new sandpaper for each new sanding job
• Woodturner’s joke “Use sandpaper like a three year old uses toilet paper”
Sandpaper Grits
• Don’t skip sandpaper grit • Start with 60
• Multiply by 1.5 for each next grit
• Follow with 100, then 150, then 220
• Apply sanding sealer
• Repeat 220 then 320, 500, 800, 1200, 2000
• When you can’t see or feel the difference between grits, then quit
ScotchBrite Pads
• Use WD-40 and a ScotchBrite pad to clean tools, bed ways, tool rests, etc. and prevent rust
Sharpening
• Sharpen your tools before you put them away – then it is easier to tell which ones need sharpening
Sharpening
• Mark the bevel on your tool with a black marker before touching the wheel to see where metal is being taken off while sharpening
Sharpening
• Hone the inside of the flute as well as the outside to make a really sharp gouge
• There is no such thing as “too sharp”!
Small Turnings
• A Jacobs chuck can be mounted on the drive spindle to hold very small pieces for turning
Superglue
• Avoid stuck fingers by applying paste wax to fingers before using CA glue (Superglue)
Superglue
• Use thin coffee stir straws to apply small amounts of CA glue
Tape
• Use duct tape to cover shirt pockets to prevent collecting wood chips
• Woodturner’s joke – You know if you’re a woodturner if there’s more wood chips than lint in the dryer filter
Tape
• Use nylon reinforced strapping tape to prevent bowl from flying out of jumbo jaws
Vinyl Tubing
• Use vinyl tubing to protect tools (and fingers)
Waste Blocks
• Use a hole saw to make waste blocks quickly and easily
Waste Blocks • Drill a 1/4” hole in the
center of waste block
• Apply glue to waste block and bottom of bowl
• Insert a dowel with a pointed end
• Put the point into the center punch hole in your bowl
• Slide the waste block down the dowel for perfectly centered waste block
Wood Chips
• A plastic bag filled with wood chips makes a great pad for holding your piece while doing hand work
Wood Flaws
• Use cork to fill a knot hole in a bowl
• Mix sawdust or ground coffee beans with epoxy to fill voids
• Try using Epoxy with a colored dye to show the voids rather than hide them
Wood Flaws
• Use Inlace nuggets to turn flaws into features
Work Light
• A $10 work light from IKEA attached to a magnet can be moved around to illuminate various parts of your bowl while turning
Wood Glue
• If you want your wood glue to dry harder, add 5% household corn starch
• Caution – Don’t do this for segmented turning – the segments need some flexibility in the glue to avoid cracking as the wood moves
• Avoid glue slippage by adding a pinch of fine sand or salt
Miscellaneous
• Lubricate screws with wax to make them easier to get in and out
• Rubbing wax or an oily rag on the rails will make the banjo slide easier (this also prevents rust when turning wet wood)
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