patron's Blog at LumberJocks.com

rosewood / curly maple /purpleheart / lacewood #5: GOT SOME LEGS ON THIS PRAYER !

patron — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:36:58 GMT

here is the last instalment on blogs ,
the next one will be a project .
i am waiting for some natural oil and wax .
i have had it with all the chemical finishes .
nothing but misery for me .
i have 4 projects i built before this i won’t show ,
as they are still being sanded after 2 months of agony .
when i became a woodworker ,
it was a trade by itself ,
the finishing was done by finishers ,
that was a trade by itself .
now that is a thing of the past ,
and we woodworkers are just expected to take over .
i’m not one of them .
so i found something called natural oil ,
( from a fellow LJ’s post )
in the old days , i built it , and sanded and maybe some thompsons water seal ,
or the owner would hire someone qualified to do finishing .
any way here is my new table sans finish .
as it is very hard and exotic woods ,
a surface chemical will just be like plastic i feel ,
and probably peel off over time .
thanks for looking , any comments are apreceated .
the legs just showed up as they were what wood i had left after the border .
the photos aren’t the best ,
as the sun was setting ,
hope you like it .

.

.

.

.

.

.

rosewood / curly maple /purpleheart / lacewood #4: well , i got this far .

patron — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:53:49 GMT

i’ve been having a bad hair month ,
but i feel better now .
special thanks to dustbunny ,
you have a way , girl .
i didn’t tell you that your lazy lisa ,
made me so impresed ,
i knew i had to add color to this !
and mario ( nototoman , where on earth did you get that name ? )
thank you for the surgery !
and mike ( littlecope ) ,
you are right , the past is where it belongs ,
in the past !
i can’t say how much i appreciate all of you LJ’s ,
you are all the best !

rosewood / curly maple /purpleheart / lacewood #3: operating in a vacuum !

patron — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:49:47 GMT

now i am glueing down the inlay , using west epoxy .
the problem being that i don’t like puting things ,
( like bricks , paint cans , bucket s of sand or water ) ,
and i dont have enough wood to make cauls .
so back to an old trick i learned in the fiberglass boating world .

as i think in a vacuum , it’s only natural to work in one too ?

so here it is .
.

.
a vacuum is not pressure , it is the absence of pressure .
when they went into space , it wasn’t like going down
deep in the ocean , where the weight of the water gets heavier
the deeper you go .
if you go out in space , a vacuum ( space ) ,does not get any more empty ,
than it already is . so if you want to travel in space ,
you only need to bring the pressure you want to operate comfortably .
the fuel and oxygen tanks and such , only need to be strong enough to hold the stuff together ,
not keep out the vacuum , as it just isn’t , zero pressure !
if you go outside without your ’ pressure ’ suit , the internal pressure in your body will rip you apart ,
because our body’s are not built to keep things in , but to keep things out .
air doesn’t weigh much , but gravity has more pull on it than the vacuum of space , which has no pull .
so to gluing my inlaid table down , i used a vacuum to let the air pressure in my house to force the inlay down ,
by covering it with bubble wrap the space between the bubbles lets the trapped air escape thru the vacuum cleaner ,
a cheap shop vac , thereby letting the air pressure force and hold the parts in place .
as i don’t have the money for an expensive vacuum forming bag , i had to improvise .
the shop vac is a far cry from a dedicated vacuum for this , as it sucks some air , but is not air tight .
but i’ll take what i can get .
air pressure at sea level is 14,5 lbs per square inch . so this helps quit a bit ,
and it is distributed evenly everywhere on the inlay !
.i start by laying out some stops at 90 degrees in the center ,
and sreading my epoxy with a notched trowel ,
in that quadrant , and placing the pieces in their place .
to keep them from sliding around , i put a strip a the edge and push them until they are even and tight ,
then tack it down with mi brad shooter .
the stick is mi radius , it lets me know when the back stops are even .
.

.
now i just mix enough glue for a quadrant at a time ,
and do the same for all of them .
.

.
here is my vacuum pickup adaptor , there is a dado in the bottom of it to let the air come to it , and not just snap tight to the wood beneath .
.

.

.
here is the pickup in place , with the bubble wrap ( smooth up ) .
.

.
here we are with the sheet of 4 mil plastic over everything and the pickup coming thru a slice in it ,
and the edges taped to the table board , to seal it off .
.

.
and here with the shopvac hooked up and running ,
notice the plastic is clearer than the last picture ,
because it sucked to the surface .
.

.
i let it run until the glue start to turn to honey , and has its own holding power .
then i will leave it to cure for a day before working on it again
total time to here ,15 hours over 3 days .
and my mind is still as empty as ever !

rosewood / curly maple /purpleheart / lacewood #2: heres the tutorial for the starburst .

patron — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:56:59 GMT

you asked , so here is the way to do this .

.
to start this ” cut and switch ” proses ,figure out your width of stock , by laying out your circle , and deviding it into as many ’ pie pieces ’ as you like , and as many concentric circles as you want .
at the edje of the inner circle , measure the width of the ’ pie crust ’ , and rip your wood wider than this ,
as it needs to be cut later to final size .and make somewhat longer for the same reason .

.
this is a sled i use to cut all of the triangles for my inlay .

.
now cut other diagonal , all the triangles want to be the same size .
there is a rail at the proper angle on the side ,
and a stop at the heel .

.
the angle of your triangles is determined by the number of polygon sides ,
they must have equal numbers , so the first and last are not the same .
they must come to square exactly , or as pictured here , be straight across .

.
the other color fills the other side .

.
this is a holder for cutting the curves in both pieces together ,
i mark one light one , and after cutting with its darker mate under it ,
use it to mark all of the lighter pieces .WHEN YOU CUT THROUGH
THE 2 PIECES ,FOLLOW THE LINE SMOOTHLY , NOT EXACTLY .
ANY HESITATION WILL MAKE THE KERF WIDER AND THE PARTS WILL HAVE GAPS !
only the 2 pieces cut together will match each other , don’t get them all mixed up !

.
glue the alternate pieces together , because of the cut , the parts are not lining up along the edges .
’ feel ’ the parts seating toghether , this is where the tight joint in this freehand cut pans out .

.
trim the edge that rides the stop best , since the triangle if slightly shorter ,
you need to ’ pad ’ the back stop to move the triangle up and it will move over on its own ,
cut this edje straight and stack all parts the same .
remember you have a right angle triangle , work with the ’ heel ’ and the square corner as your reference
in cutting these steps .

.
now with the good edge against the rail and a bigger ’ pad ’ at the ’ heel ’ ,
cut the other side straight .

.
crosscut all triangles to length , they should all be the same exactly .

.
if they go to square , you got it .
anything after this step is optional .

.
to get more out of my wood , i resaw them in half or in this case thirds .

.
then run them thru the sander on a sled . anything under the parts will make them
bump , and you will get a thiner piece than you want .

NOW FOR THE READERS DIGEST IMPAIRED VERSION .( LOL ) !

rosewood / curly maple /purpleheart / lacewood #1: new starburst table

patron — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:51:39 GMT

this is my new table from the rosewood .
so far i have 8 hours ( over 2 day period )

i will post the whole thing with all the tutorial pictures
when i get it finished .

inner circle is lacewood and purpleheart ,
outer circle is rosewood and curly maple .

the border and legs will be maple ,
and who knows what accents .

this is just a quick show , i need to sled sand these parts ,
and then glue them to the top .
it is 4’ diameter .

thanks .

here is one alternate ,same pieces .

dado for shelves

patron — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:24:51 GMT

this is a jig to do dados on the RAS .
the object , is to make accurate and repeatable cuts for shelving and whatnot .
and not cut the saw table or the backstop .
as with all of my RAS jigs , they must do these things ,
and leave the table , backstop and arm at 90deg. ,
so it does not get out of alignment .
.
this first pic. shows the crosscut dado .

.
this pic. is the grove with shelf ( imagine ) the depth of cut is regulated by
raising or lowering the arm , and this jig has its own stop , that can be replaced
if it gets messed up .

.
this shot is the jig in it’s normal state , not to big and heavy,
it is high enough to clear the saw fence .
it is 11 1/4 ” wide , by 32” long .

.
this is the jig with the wings extended , for longer boards ,
over all , it is 80” in length , and can be simply moved in and out by hand .

.
this is the registry dowels , that fit in holes in the table .
the bottom edge is shy of the table fence for sawdust ,
and the wings also for this reason .
put the jig on table and slide to drop it in to it’s place .

.
these are the holes for various other jigs that drop into place also .
when all is said and done , the saw is ready to crosscut or rip ,
and there are no clunks missing in the table or fence,
and the arm has not moved from its square position .
.

.
the construction of the jig , 4 groves 3/8” deep x 3/4” wide
are dadoed into 2 pieces of pb ( or whatever ) and the boards
screwed together and the ends cut for the wing rests .
4 – 3/4’ dowels are in the square channels formed ,
( see ma , i can put a round peg in a square hole ) !
and 2 dowels are attached to one wing , and 2 to the other .
this whole thing is screwed together , no glue .
in case i need to repair or upgrade it later .
the stop is screwed to the back , and is replaceable .

.
now that we got this far , i’m starting to think of stops for repeat cuts .
why it’s a good idea to screw this together without glue !
.
as usual call jim , and he can answer all your questions . 8-)
( thanks jim . i got to go split firewood now )

miter devider

patron — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:26:56 GMT

this is a jig i made years ago, it devides any angle for miters .
the circles have mesh teeth that rotate both sides together .
i originaly used sand paper , but it wore out quick , and the
circles slide singularly .
i found some rubber “v” grooved mat , and glued it to the sides
of the circles so they mesh , ( it’s not the best , but it works for now )i had to re-cut parts for this new improvement ,
as there wasn’t room for the mat .
it is registered to the table with dowels , that fall in holes for them ,
and is centered in the cut line .
with a board parallel to the RAS fence , i placed the stops on the circles,
so they are straight across and paralell to the fence.
( i will probably make them with smaller dowels also soon ,
and make various mounting positions for them on the wheels .
you turn the wheel , it turns the other one in reverse ,
put your adjustable angle against the stops , and turn the wheels until it
matches . in the front right of the jig , is a thumb screw that holds the wheel from turning .
DON”T FORGET TO RAISE THE SAW , or you will cut the jig !
this is just a model , maybe charles maxwell will teach us how to make gears sometime ?
the idea is that it could have positive stops at major angles , just like the chopsaws.
arms can be extended with stops for frames or multiple pieces .
.
this first pic. is just truing the wheels around its dowel

in picture below
NOTICE THUMBSCREW IN RIGHT LOWER CORNER for stoping wheel rotation
when set .

.
.
.
.

notice thumb screw in pic. below

new life for an old bird #1: eagle inlayed door re-use

patron — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:13:31 GMT

this is a door i made 20 years ago , for my then new home .
i worked in a production cab. shop at the time ,
and built it after work in that shop ,
every morning one of the owner’s would say ,
” that’s a nice door , but get it out of here ,
we need the room ” . not really true , as it was stashed away in a corner of the shop .
so i was under pressure to finish it !
it is 3’ 6” x 6’ 8” x 1 3/4” ( 42” x 80” x 1 3/4” ) exterior entry door .
the frame is pine morticed and tenon with a 3/4” ply insert ,
and the inlay was done in 5/4” redwood and pine ,
then re-sawed inlaid in door and glued to both sides .
notice the eagle looking in different directions .
it was exposed to the weather ( rain , snow , and very hot new mexico sun ,
for 5 years , before we could build a porch and roof over it ,
thereby protecting it somewhat . after an amicable divorce ,
my ex wife started renting the house , and the ensuing renters
somehow proceeded to slowly destroy the front door .
10 years of this abuse , with me fixing it as i could ,
finally led to a new door and casing , that we (ex wife and i ) ,
made and installed . so i got this back , it’s pretty beat up , and the inlay is gapping somewhat .
i plan on patching it up and filling the gaps with epoxy , and after another sanding ,
sealing it in epoxy and making a stand for it that i can have the door rest in ,
and turn it over once a year to reveal both sides to the sun ,
it will make a great table for my 20’ x 50’ deck !
watch for future progress !
thanks .

mid-term expo #1: what i've learned to date

patron — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:16:59 GMT

hello fellow woodworkers ! having looked in many nooks and cranys here in LJ’s for my time here ,
i have been very impressed with the skills and designs of everyones projects ,
from beginers to pros alike .
it is a joy for me ( and i’m sure others here too ) to watch as everyone’s talents grow ,
and their skill levels increase thru their own work , and the comments and help of others .
tots helping dad drive nails , working construction to pay for school , to getting away from
stressfull job’s in the shop !
they feel they could make better or cheaper , and some from watching ” how to ” shows
on t.v. or seeing articles in W.W. mags .
1 – what have you learned ?
2 – how does it apply to your work today ?
3 – where is it going ?

so i am proposing a mid term open exam ( ? )

kind of a science project in school .

1 – make something on your own , your design , your problem solving , your work .

2 – no copys of others work ( i.e . no downloads from net or mags with instructions and cut sheets ) .

3 – use whatever tool , processes , ideas , jigs , dreams that you may have .

4- show us how it’s done , what you encountered , and how you overcame the problems , what tripped you up and what you did to fix or change it .

5 – how does it make you feel now , what did you learn ?

6 – the time you take is up to you , the project should reflect what you know to date , and where you hope to take yourself in woodworking .
. i think many of you have many skills and talents , that have not been expressed here ,
possably in the quest to only post the best for review . i have not seen any critical comment from anyone here about someones work here yet ,
only comments on some detail or tecknique . there are no judges for this , only the usual comments and questions . you will feel the joy of your accomplishments ,
and we can all share in that .
, so please join me in this ,
and work safe !

jointer revisited #1: old tool , old guy , new idea ! and safe .

patron — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:49:40 GMT

for years ( 45 ) i have been using the jointer , and from day 1 , my shop master ( Lincoln Morinaga ) said that this tool was the most dangerous in the shop . in my work , i often have to joint 12’ boards or longer .
with or without a helper , this is a tedious and risky task , as you have to force the board down with lots of pressure,
to counteract the forces of gravity and increasing outboard sagging .
my thoughts , have allways led me to using gravity in my favor , and letting my ” fingers do the walking ” !
first i want to thank you topamax , for answering my electrical questions about the switch and motor 220 v
without frying everything in the middle of the night . line =In = power from electric panel .load = out =from switch to motor . you were there bud , thank you .
so here is my solution :

this is my chopsaw table , the motor for jointer has been mounted on the wall,
on hinged board , for belt tightening

i wanted kent to come and do this , but didnt have any bubinga to work with !
this is the inside of motor cover box and base for jointer to mount to.
with vacumn tube to isolate jointer from motor .
the 2 holes are for take apart belt from motor to jointer .
thanks for looking , and work safe !
and 3 bolt mounting holes for jointer .

box and jointer mounted . this platform is 6” higher than chopsaw table .
i needed to have room under the jointer to still use the rail ,
and adjustable stops for chopsaw . when platform is removed .

these registry holes 3 in fence and 2 in table ,one set either side of
jointer table .

correspond with dowels in bottom of jointer platform .
i slide platform along back rail until 1/4” dowels register ,
and drop down into 3/4” holes in table .
this way platform doesn’t move , and it cant tilt ,
because back dowels are holding it down .

platform in place

far end of table and registry mode . i still wanted to use the chopsaw to cut up to 3 1/2” behind platform,
so it was different atachment .

underside of far platform and “hooks” and dowels .
here i slide platform until “hooks” drop in holes ,
and slide back until “hooks” are grabbing table and drop down
in corresponding dowel holes , it cant move or tilt either .

platform in place , with space to use chopsaw still .

platform with dowel pins to fill space in front of chopsaw .

and in place .

infeed side attachement detail .

infeed platform in place , with folding leg ,
over all it is 18” long ! and it all breaks down for wall storage !
just 1 old guy working alone !

i just made this , i will get a guard soon !

finished jointer and first edge !

as soon as i get back from denver and see bibb about rosewoods and his wood ,
i will get a spiral cutter head from grizzly for this and feel better about jointing long boards ,
i still have a delta DJ20 long bed jointer on the floor for regular edjeing and face jointing