Made by Peavey Manufacturing, Eddington, ME since 1857. It’s a good one.

I have some wood that came to me as firewood sized pieces in my little shed. I tried it out on some walnut and ash. It works very well. actually. The most work is lifting the mallet I made. Hackberry, it’s gotta be good for something.

This is from a log I chainsawed in half. I used both halves doing this.

One good whack will do it.

I split a piece of ash into quarters.

I mounted each piece between centers on my lathe and used a drawknife to remove the bark and roughly square up the blanks. It’s not quite S4S, but it’s good enough for spoons, spindle and bowl blanks.They’re going to hang out with me in the basement while I see how the rest of the drying goes.

One of the walnut halves showed a little crack, so I split it at the crack. The other half shows the same crack, I’m going to keep my eye on it to see what happens.

I chainsawed the logs into halves and sealed the end grain before putting them in my shed back in May 2011. Today I wrote the date, weight and moisture content on each piece.

All this took little over an hour, including clean up time. That’s a days work for me.

If you want to know the right way to do this, here’s a link.http://www.leevalley.com/us/shopping/Instructions.aspx?p=67296

I marked the center on a piece of printer paper. I made several copies. I put the inside and outside dimensions on the paper. I drew half of a heart, then I used carbon to make a mirror image . If you’re better at drawing than I am, do it the way you like. The crosshairs keep it all lined up.

More carbon paper gets the image onto the blanks. I marked the outside, and only the inside and outside dimensions on the insides of the blanks.

How the image is transferred determines the grain direction of the finished piece. I could have marked the center of the blanks from the sides, that way I could have had the grain go horizontal or vertical. I marked the blanks corner to corner, the grain runs diagonally.

I used double sided tape to hold the blanks together. A little goes a long way.

I cut the corners off at the bandsaw. These plywood blocks go on with d/s tape. I have center lines on the plywood. Put a plywood piece on top of the blank on center,on both blanks and mount between centers on the lathe. This way I don’t put holes in the blanks with the center point, but more important is it is all mounted on center to the lathe.

Turn it down to the outside dimension marked on the blank.

I made a new mark to locate the grain match before removing any tape.

I hollowed each half to the inside dimension mark. The depth is half of the thickness of the blank. Sand it smooth, you won’t get to after it’s glued.

There is enough long grain surface for a good glue up. I used 220 grit sandpaper on a good flat surface to get a good joint.

After the glue dried, I used a bandsaw to reveal a heart shape. I used handtools to clean up the rough edges left from the bandsaw.

I made a cradle for the heart to sit on. I put blue tape on each piece, marked center lines on the tape, and used Titebond 3. Squeeze out on the outside is ok, the inside is difficult to clean out.

All the center lines make this work. I have some ideas kicking around for other shapes. This is my test piece. There are things I will change next time.

The only Before pic I can show is #3 in my workshop.. I had been using a USB hard drive as storage. It no longer works, now most of my pics are gone.

My storage for hardware and assorted junk has always been jars and coffee cans, that hasn’t changed. I finally have them all in one place. I can move it out of my way when needed. This could also work for tools, turning blanks, or whatever you need.

I ran the stock through the jointer and planer, then cut tongue and groove joints on the table saw.

I glued the stiles and rails, got the assembly square, and nailed the joints with an air nailer. Cleats are glued and screwed to the inside, and plywood just lays on the cleats.

It seems to be working the way I hoped it would. It’s open enough to see everything, and strong enough to hold anything that will fit. 24” x 24” x 48” high.

On the surface it looks like I’m just adding more stuff to a confined space. All the cans and jars that were on the shelves are now on the cart. Other stuff has taken their place on the shelves. But that’s the whole point. I just stuffed another 10 lbs. into a 5 lb. sack.

It was in use up to when the owner recently upgraded. It’s in great working shape. It was missing 1 small part that I was able to fabricate. The drawer mount was busted, and there is a big hole cut in the bench , under the saw,right where the drawer is. I moved the drawer to the back of the bench, and use the hole as a dust collection port.

I made a crosscut sled and a miter sled. Big thanks to stevinmarin for the miter sled video. It really is that easy

The on/off toggle switch is built into the motor, so I added a switch in the cord where it is easier to use. The saw has a 1/2” arbor, so I’m using 7 and 1/4” circular saw blades with adaptor rings from 5/8” to 1/2”. I have 1 and 9/16” of blade above the sled. If I need more tablesaw than that, I’ll move the cars.

It’s a tilting table, not a tilting arbor. I spent some time making sure the blade was square to the table, then adjusted the stop to keep it there. I thought this was a good time for a Wixey. I set it on the table , zero it out, then crank the table to what angle I need.

With the saw, the Wixey, a half sheet of 1/2” baltic birch plywood, the dust collector fitting, and a new sawblade, I’m right at $120. These old saws are well made and easy to adjust and maintain. If you’re in the market, give these old tools a second look. There’s a lot of work left in Old Blue.

This has been on the back burner for many moons now. I recently got a smoking deal on a Jet 1220BE 28” lathe bed extension.But I had nowhere to put it.

I did have a workbench with a miter saw station bolted to it. I recycled it from a 12’ x 4’ workbench/table that was great for building motorcycles, but sucked at being a chopsaw bench.

Really all I had to do was lower the work surface. This was also a good time to add in some pegboard.

The first step in adding the bed was to remove the handle at the tailstock end. I cut the heads off of two 5/16” coarse thread bolts and rounded over the cut end. Now I have guidepins to line it up very easily. This is easier than holding up a heavy piece with one hand and trying to start bolts you can’t see with the other. After you get it together, just remove the pins, 1 at a time, and put in the bolt.

I followed the directions.Line the pieces up, snug the bolts, install the tailstock centered on the joint,
and clamp it down,then snug up the 4 alignment set screws. Move the tailstock out of the way and place a level on the lathe bed lengthwise. Adjust as necessary. They make it sound easy.

I had a 1/4” gap in the center, with good contact on the ends. I could get it even in the middle, but then the tailstock would jam up going over the joint. The more I adjusted , the worse it got. Then it dawned on me. The lathe itself was just sitting on the bench, not secured to it.

I started making progress when I bolted the headstock end of the lathe to the bench. I used shims under the boltholes at the tailstock end of the lathe bed to bring the extension up to the level. I found out that I had to tighten the bolts holding the lathe to the bench, AND the bolts holding the 2 sections together, a little at a time. If I tightened a bolt, then the next and then the next and so on, it was always wrong. It’s kinda like torquing head bolts,keep working your way through the pattern, getting a little tighter with each pass.

Lightly clamping the level to the lathe bed keeps it from falling off.

Success at last! And nothing hangs up on the joint.

The tailstock end of the extension has leveling adjusters, but no way to adjust them with the weight on them. I cut screwdriver slots with a hacksaw. If I get bad vibrations, I will remove the adjusters and bolt/shim the extension to the bench.

I really should turn something before I start bragging about it, but, too late for that. I did put a long, twisted, out of balance, not quite square spindle blank between centers to see what happens. Walnut, 43” x roughly 2 and 3/8 . Very roughly.

I had it up around 1800 rpm with no problems. That’s faster than it will be going when I do turn it. I’m happy.

I used hex bolts instead of the allen bolts supplied. Much easier to tighten in close quarters. And after all hardware was tight, I removed each, one at a time, and applied never-sieze, and re-installed. These bolts will come apart 20 years from now with no problems.

A few hundred pounds of tools should keep it from walking away.

That big fat lip on this bowl is now this leaf shaped handle.

I think of what I want the handle to look like, then I think about how it looks in profile, the side view.When I have it how I want, I cut off what must go. I used a bandsaw, but it could be done with hand tools. In this case it looks this way.

I use a combination of hand tools and a Dremel tool to shape the handle. Whatever works.

Grain orientation is important here. You want the long grain for strength in the handle.

These were done basically the same way.
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/48540
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/34144

Another example.

You can turn a fat lip into whatever your imagination can dream up. I’ve got an idea for a bird bowl, but so far all I have to show is firewood.

Going back to that same piece, I cut it up on sawhorses with a handheld saw. My plan was to get at least 2 good cane blanks and whatever else I could get, and to keep each piece as large and clear as possible. There is a lot of defects in this piece, it is the worst of the bunch.

I was able to get 3, plus some good sized spindle blanks, a few spoon blanks, and some to be determined. The biggest cane blank is 2 and 1/2” x 53”.

It took 4 hours going nonstop. I didn’t use the plainer, but I did joint 2 sides, and squared it up on the table saw. It’s all downstairs with anchorseal on the end grain. Later I’ll write the date and weight on each piece. I like keeping track. I’ve got wood that’s gaining weight, sitting on a rack in the basement. I know I gain just sitting around, why not walnut?

I got all I could get out of it. What I did get is pretty good looking stuff.

It’s time for a shower and a nap.

The first step is to mount the blank in a chuck, and turn it to a cylinder. The hole is drilled before shaping the handle.

I measure the tang with a drill index. I use a white pencil to mark 3 dimensions, roughly 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 of the length of the tang. I mark bits of those sizes for the depth I want to drill. I have the bits lined up to show how deep to drill.

The smallest bit is drilled first, to a depth roughly 1/4” deeper than than the total length of the tang. The next bits get drilled to the marked depth.

I use a cone live center in the hole for tailstock support, and turn the handle to shape. If I am going to use a ferrule, I put that on before shaping the handle. I’m skipping the photo’s for that step in this blog, but it’s basically the same as this project.

I part it off and clean up the handle end in a chuck.

That’s about all there is to it. They are a good tight fit, and you can glue them in if you want. Here’s a chisel I picked up at a flea market. The old handle was loose and cracked. I use it to cut a groove when I burn a line into a turning. It’s also good for a small parting tool.

And a few other handles done the same way.

This is what I got done today, little more than half of the pile. I use Anchorseal as close to cutting as I can. I have had walnut crack by the next day without it.

!https://s3.amazonaws.com/ljimg/llenb96.jpg!

I noticed something I have never seen before. The wood was sprouting new growth, right out the side of some of the logs. This has been cut some time now. The will to live is strong. In theory, this tree could live forever.

I need a hot soak in the bubblebath and I’ll be all right again.

I cut off the other part for another day.While it was between centers I turned a tenon to be held in a chuck. Now in the chuck, I rough turned the outside, leaving the neck of the funnel very thick. The neck is now a tenon to hold the piece in the chuck. I left a big thick bead around the top, more on that in a bit.

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The next thing I did was drill a hole all the way through the piece. On this one, the hole is 1/2”. Then I hollowed out the inside using forstner bits. I worked my way in using progressively smaller bits, always double checking depth and wall thickness. Once it was drilled I used a round carbide scraper to clean it up.

I used cole jaws to hold it for final turning the outside.Earlier I left the neck very thick to be a tenon, now I cut that part down. Being right handed, I stood on the other side of the lathe and reversed the motor direction to get away from the jaws.

Here’s where I quit taking pictures. The only thing left is to make the hanger portion. I marked what I wanted to KEEP on that big thick bead around the top, and cut the rest off. I drilled the hole before making the cuts. I used one of those hex drive bits with the countersink, no drill – just doing it by hand. I started with the smallest and worked my way up the sizes to get what I liked.

And yes, I do take pictures of most of my projects in progress. I might want to make another one,most days I can’t remember what I had for breakfast.

This is the first one I did. I don’t know if I have these out of my system yet, but I won’t post anymore. When you’ve seen one…

It did inspire me for a future project. More on that at a later time.

It is THE most amazing show I have seen. If it’s coming your way, go see it.

I’ve been having fun with some multi axis turning. I want to share what I have done, and hopefully , someone with more experience will share too.

I started with a piece of cherry. 2” square x 10” long. I normally mark the center from corner to corner. Marking this way makes it easier to keep it in line. The compass is set at 3/8” point to point, that will be the offset. This would be a good time to use an awl to make a starting point for the center, and also the other points too.

I marked off an inch on each end for waste. This way I won’t turn away my points of reference. Then I marked off another 1 and 1/2 inch, a total of 2 and 1/2” from the end. I drew a circle, no special size, whatever will fit and leave room all the way around.

I took 2 jaws out of the chuck, and used the tailstock to center it.

The bowl of the scoop depth is half the thickness of the wood. I used a drill bit to start a hole, then I used a carbide cutter to scoop it out. I turned this at maybe 400 to 500 rpm. A catch here could be very hazardous. This thing sounded like a helicopter. If you try this, be careful. This is way out of balance.

I removed the chuck, and used Steb centers to hold the piece on center, between centers. The cool thing about these is, if you catch , the wood will spin and not be a problem. I roughed out where the scoop will be, and made pencil lines to see it better .I used a parting tool to give myself some room to work on the ends, then a 3/8” bowl gouge.

I moved from the center to the top mark on both ends. I turned the outside of the scoop like turning a bead.I only turned the scoop bowl at this time, not the handle. I put some CA glue on a crack to keep it together. This will be out of balance, but it’s not too bad, once you get used to it.

I put the headstock end back on center, and kept the tailstock end in the top position. This cuts more off one side than the rest . It also will make something round go to something flat. It’s cool! If you go too far, it’s just round again. I only cut the handle portion, I left the scoop alone.

I did move back and forth between center and top position on the tailstock end , to get the shape I wanted. I would stop and see how it was looking, and adjust to get what I liked. I ended up with a handle that tapers, is part round and part flat.

Here’s a couple of earlier attempts. Yes, they are goofy looking. It’s all good.

I’m not saying this is the only way, or the best way, it’s how I did this one. There are many variables involved in multi axis, and I am only scratching the surface in figuring it out. If you have any input, I’m all ears. If you try this, be safe.

Today I decided it was time to finally make an outfeed table for the tablesaw. The rain has been biblical of late. I just finished cutting a piece of plywood, when I realized what was happening.

It doesn’t look like much, but it was almost an inch deep running for about 30 minutes. I had been working out there for close to an hour when this snuck up on me.

. Had to start over. And it was one of the first steps. It’s a good thing I don’t believe in omens.

. Taken the dust collector apart to retrieve a piece that came off of the dremel. The first time to get the drum that holds the sanding sleeve onto the the bit. The screw came loose, that bounced off of my foot. The second time to get the ring, the one by the collet. Now it’s taped on.

Luckily I changed bags Tuesday, not much in there.

. Found out that if you’re using a burr, sometimes the wood is tough as concrete, other times you can take off too much just by looking at it funny.

.Thought that there needs to be another word for this, it’s more than a challenge.

.Realized that this is great fun?

I bet I’m not.

You can go high tech or low tech. Use what you have. I used a bandsaw, a file, a sanding block, and a workbench vise and f clamp to hold it. You can make these with less than that. Router tables, jigs, and power sanding equipment could put you in production on a larger scale . These took about 30 minutes each, not counting time to take pictures. Make it as simple or elaborate as you like. Play around with it until you get what you like.

I had 2 similar sized scraps available. Walnut and cherry, roughly 1 and 3/4” wide by 12” long x 1/4” thick.I drew on the design and cut it on the bandsaw.

I used a medium file to round over the edges, get it to where it feels good in your hand. Splinters would take all the fun out of using these.

Put an edge on a knife blank. No sharp edges or points. Just give it a profile of a knife.

I used 100 grit sandpaper in a block to smooth everything. I don’t see a need to do more than get the scratches out.

Creating this blog is much more challenging than this project. Pics just give me fits.Some of these pics are out of sequence, and I give up trying to fix it. I hope you get the general idea. Anyway, now that it feels good in your hand, rub in some mineral oil. These have 1 coat so far, more to follow. I just put some in the palm of my hand, and massage it in. These are not dishwasher safe. Handwash and rinse, apply more mineral oil as needed.

Feel free to come up with what works for you. The cherry piece is a knife, the walnut is more of a double ended spatula. These will be good for soft cheeses, butter, cake frosting, you name it. It could become a fork, or wider spatula / scraper depending on the size you have to work with.

Have fun, make some of these, I’m hungry!

Today I got off my can and got started on a project I’ve been kicking around for some time. I cut off the split end on that piece on the left in the pic above. I used a handheld circular saw. I know, no pics = didn’t happen. I didn’t think about a blog until I was into it.

It had a bow in it, so I cut it pretty much in half before jointing.

I have to get the vehicles out to use the garage tools.

It’s worth what I gotta do to do it. I wound up with 6 spindle blanks, and very little waste. I’m still waiting for the right project to come along for the rest.
2 2" x 39"
1 2” x 28”
1 2" x 17"
1 1 & 3/4 ” x 12” 1 @ 1 & 3/4” x 11”

And now for the hard part. I’m going to let them sit in the basement for a few weeks before I do anymore. Just to see how much they’re going to mopve on me. I don’t expect a lot. Those slabs were cut more than 10 years ago.

I only have 1 project in mind. I hate to stop when I get going on a project that I really want to do. I think about it going back and forth to work, and spend every minute I can on it.I love walnut.

I hope your day was as good as mine.

The mobile base was a piece of trash when I bought this. The former owner said he had nothing but trouble with it. I replaced the lift caster, and it almost worked, but didn’t last.

I finally went and got the Rockler all terrain mobile base,and the B set of extensions.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=21257&filter=mobile%20base

I cut a 4×4 in half, and placed them crossways under the table. Then another crossways under them.These were all held together with clamps. I then placed the base of a ramp used for getting a vehicle off the ground as a base for a hydraulic jack. Here’s how I did that.

Then it was just using the jacks to get the saw off of the base. I used a stand roller to stabilize the end of the table after it was up.

With the saw off of the ground , now I could move the old base out of the way. I cut a piece of plywood to fit inside the. base. Then I slid the new base into position and lowered the jacks. About this time, the guy next door comes over with some boards he wants me to cut. It was cool, I was ready to remove the 4×4’s and jacks.After I took care of him, I bolted on the legs to the base.All of this took about 2 hours.

I wish I had done this before, this mobile base is a good one.

I have some more plans for the saw in the works, I hope they are as successful as this.