Week 547 Wood Working

year 10, Week 25, Day One (week 547)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
07-03-10 Saturday


86 degrees in the morning, an got up to 90, but then the sky clouded up and I forgot to check the temps. We did have some sun, but most of the day was heavy clouds with blue sky between them, though at the end of the day, storms over the Everglades and to the north in palm beach shaded our area. this weather report is brought to you by the City Of Pompano Beach Department Of Tourism.

Friday,

I went down to Dania with some of my latest work to show off. Dania Water Gardens are changing their display around and my stuff will be right in the entry rather than in a back room.
I had some platters in yellow pine. She had one glance at them and did not like them. The platters she saw the first time were a tighter ring pattern and softer difference between the light and dark rings. The wood I used for the platters are very pronounced ring pattern and widely spaced.
I showed her my butterflies, and she said there was not enough work in them. She showed no interest in my mice or lady bugs. She liked my flowers but did not need them right now.
I had my incomplete face vase with me to show what I am working on and she said she wants that in her display.

I went to the antique shop. He has moved across the street. His place looks really good. His old place was dark, dingy and because it was smaller, it was hard to really see anything. He still has some stuff to move but is not really rushed on that.
My work is still in one of twenty boxes he has not had time to dig into. It will be a while before he can locate which box they are in and get them on display.

I then stopped at the thrift shop in Dania They had what looked like a palm router. I got a good deal on it. What it really is for is to route, trim laminate. I don't have it in front of me right now so I cannot tell you exactly what brand and type it was, but when I put in the name, among the first links listed was about using these to pick locks. I need to examine it more and do some more research to see exactly how to use it to my advantage.

Saturday

I started the morning, after breakfast and yard sales, petting the cats. The beast seamed to really want attention this morning. It was so cat like, it was uncanny.

I remember seeing a carving apron and decided to see if I can find it. I took a bunch of stuff out of the shed to see if it was deep in. I found a few things I could use, I emptied a box and consolidated it with another box. I found a couple pieces of wood I need to do something with. there is a whole lot more wood in there that needs to be worked with, but I decided that these two were priority.
At the Dania Water Gardens, I saw a couple interesting vases. They are standing evening gowns. There is no person in them, Even the straps are up high. Looking at it, I can hollow the piece fairly easily, and then do much of the shaping on the outside with the lathe. Then some additional shaping on the outside by grinding wood to flatten and add proper curves, and it should not be too difficult to get acceptable results. I have a piece of ash that looks like it might work for this project if I choose to do it. I got the ash out so I can grab if the time for the project becomes available. there are better woods for this, but the ash is the right size.

I found a small tackle box with the two trays that nest on top of each other, but scissor apart when the lid is opened. I decided I would move my dremmel stuff from the dremmel box which has some problems, and use the tackle box as my dremmel box. I have a whole lot more room inside with only a slight dimension difference between the outside of the two boxes. The big difference is that the dremmel box is designed with an interior intended to nestle the equipment inside and keep them from moving around. I need the room as I keep ending up with more stuff to fit in the box.
Last week, mom gave me a whole bunch of dental bits she used in wood working with her motors. Today, I laid them out based on the type and size of bits. I then picked out the best pair of each for my uses, and then changed my mind and picked out just a couple of my selection for use. We put the rest some place we can find it, if we remember they are there.
I did some sanding on the face vase, but really accomplished nothing even in that. Lunch time came and Mom intended to go to the Festival Flea Market a bit later, so I packed up my work and got ready so we could get going.



I hope to do a whole lot more work tomorrow. Will see how things go.



year 10, Week 25, Day Two (week 547)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
07-04-10 Sunday

78 degrees, unbroken clouds, afternoon gully washers. It appears as if a cold front is passing through. This weather report is brought to you by the City Of Fort Lauderdale Department of Tourism.

I got to mom's house at my normal time, but I was there only for a short time. I petted and fed the cats, but not as much petting as they expected. I then got together the stuff I needed for the day's session. I did have to go back for something I forgot, and then forgot something else later.

I had made arrangements to work with one of the Mentors in the Turning club. I wanted to show him how my method of making platters worked, and then wanted him to help me make my system better.
I gathered my platter blanks, tools and materials. I had to go back to Mom's house as I forgot the double sided tape which was the key to my system, and I found out I forgot my face shield, which he had a spare for me to use.

I have a system of using wooden face plates and double sided tape to make platters. The face plates do double duty. They are on the other side of the double sided tape, holding the wood to the lathe, and they also are used for measurement of the "foot" of the plate and the inset inside the plate.
I showed my friend the process of making the platters with my system. He was working on another project but when I got to a change point, I showed what I was doing and explaining how it worked.
The big thing he showed me was how to do my cuts without getting tear out, and how to sharpen my tools better. I got berated at how dull my turning tools were. To be sharp, the edge should catch on your thumb nail.
When I was done with my work, he told me that he heard something about this process being done, but he had never seen it before. he said that many in the club will be able to use the concept in other projects.
I got some confidence that my system actually works. I was impressed myself.

I do need to practice the tool work and the sharpening. Otherwise, this was a fun session.

I hit rain on the way to Mom's house. I was looking around for Noah's ark at one point. There was a bit puddle in front of Mom's house. there is road work being done and the drainage of the area is really messed up.
I petted the cat, put my stuff away, and then headed home.

I decided I need to finish the face vase. I have a lot of work to do, so I will be going to Mom's house tomorrow.

will see what I actually get done tomorrow.



year 10, Week 25, Day Three (week 547)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
07-05-10 Monday

80 degrees, high interlaced feathers with random low puffs in the morning. dark heavy clouds moved in, in the late morning. Another wave of a front is passing through long after I left. don't have to water the plants today. This weather report is brought to you by the City Of Fort Lauderdale Department Of Tourism.

I saw that we were expecting some weather, so I decided to get an early start in the morning. After breakfast and petting the cat. I turned to get started in a project and realized that I left the face vase at home. that killed my big reason for working today. I wanted to remove the tenon on the base of the face vase so I can concentrate totally on sanding the vase. I can do a lot of finishing while the tenon is on the piece, but there is no way I can place it in the linseed oil to develop the finish I hoped to get.
I decided I would make the dress vase I saw Friday. I started hollowing it in Ash. I then remembered something. There is a reason one uses ash for baseball bats. It also shows up when you are trying to hollow it. it is not an easy wood to remove the wood from it.
I do have one problem. I need what is called a STEADY REST, in order to really do this right. A steady rest is a set of wheels held in a frame. One rounds the outside of the piece and then put the steady rest around the piece, and bring the rollers in contact with the outside surface. The steady rest holds the piece in the middle or near the end, to prevent it from wobbling while you are working on the inside.
The wood I am working with, was a bit too long for the chuck to hold it in place alone. When I took the tail stock away to work inside, the piece started wobbling instantly and it just got worse.
I decided I would hold off on doing more on that piece. The strength of the wood and the wobble was more than I wanted to mess with today.
I then took a small piece of wood and decided to try the idea smaller. I ran into the same problem, even though the pine two by two was softer. I also think I made the hole too big. What I am seeing, is that this really should be more like a weed vase, where it is essentially a hole straight through the piece. Because of the carving that is needed to get the precise shape needed, anything more than shaping the top of the hole to fit the upper part of the dress, any real hollowing would break through the wood some place where the wood is shaped if the hole was not simply straight in.

I cleaned up my mess, pet the cat and came home.

At home, I have sanded on the face vase and am sorting through decorations, placing them in a tackle box I got a couple months ago.

I do want to finish turning the face vase, and get it so I can add a final finish to the piece. I also have several projects to work on.

I will see what I actually do next week.