86 degrees, variable clouds from blue sky, wispy high shield, big puffs and thunder heads over the Everglades covering the sun. A very light breeze most of the time with some gusts every now and then, but mostly calm. This weather report is brought to you by the City Of Pompano Beach Department of Tourism.
THURSDAY
I got to the turning club meeting place very early so I gathered my yarn pieces and started tying them together into a single ball. I finished up all my smallest pieces just as the club meeting started. I learned later that this kind of ball is called an ODD BALL. When you hear that someone is an odd ball, it is a person who is made up of disjointed bits of yarn.
Odd ball and project I am crocheting.
The ball is made up of small segments of yarn tied together creating the varied effect of the fabric shown.
The turning demonstration was on adding fluting to a vase, the grooves that run up and down on the piece in this case.
He showed a table that fits into the tool rest base. He said that the pipe he got was too big so he ground it down until it fit. This is a brand new lathe and the he had to drive the table down to the proper height with his hand.
He then showed the "sled" that holds his pencil to draw the guide lines down the vase. The table is set so the pencil is at dead center on the lathe. He used the point of the tail stock to check it.
He then showed the sled the die grinder or router fits in. He ground away the wood where the tool extends beyond the body of the tool.
He showed the indexing wheel he uses and explained how he made it. He used a metric tape measure since it was in small increments. He turned the disk until it was exactly 96mm in circumference. He then marked each metric number around the outside both on the top and the edge.
He mounted it in the bandsaw with a sled that uses a nail for the center. He had fitted a disk into the center hole that was used for the turning. His sled was set center and he added blocks to limit the back and forth movement, and side by side movement, of his sled.
He would slide the disk into the saw blade to the stop, cutting right on the line. He would back it up, turn it to the next line and make another cut.
The way he made it, it slides onto the shaft of the lathe, rather than screw on the threads. The chuck tightened onto the shaft holds it tight. It won't be turning so that is not a problem.
He made a block that he clamps onto the top of the lathe and that has an angle iron that is thin enough to fit into the slots and is hinged so he can lift it slightly.
He decides how many flutes he plans to put onto the vase. 96 can be divided into many different numbers of divisions which is why it is used. For example, if he wants to have 12 flutes, he just counts the slots and makes a mark with a chalk that he can erase easily if he makes a mistake on every eighth slot. He continues those marks all the way around.
With the disk in place and the angle iron in place, he fits the angle iron into a marked slot. He then slides the pencil along the work to mark his line. He then moves to the next mark and draws a line. When he is done, he takes the grinder sled and sets that on the table and routes along the lines. He might do several passes, each time using larger and larger bits until he has the effect he is after.
We have a turning challenge for September. We are to make goblets. I have a number of ideas, both serious and silly. Will see what I come up with.
On the way to the turning club meeting, I stopped at the local INTERNATIONAL TOOLS STORE. I ended up buying a dremmel. I did not know it, but dremmel makes several and the number on them is important. They are priced accordingly. I got the 100 series. It has on and off only for speeds. their 200 series has two speeds besides off. The 300 has 3 settings, the 400 has four settings. I could not afford a 400 so got this one. It seems strong so it should do. I would love to have a real low along with high speed but can live with this. I used a gift card so I only had to pay about six bucks out of my pocket.
One speed Dremmel motor tool,
I found out that one of my favorite Jo-Anne's cloth worlds is moving. This was a small store so they had what was important, not just everything to fill shelf spaces of the larger Jo-Anne's near my mom's store. Everything was 50% and 75% off. I walked out empty handed as I have all the paint (and don't remember what colors I need) and yarn I need to do any of my projects.
FRIDAY
I stopped at Wallmart to see if they had curtains since I could not find my old one. I know it was not thrown out but have no idea where it migrated to.
At Wallmart, I saw that they had blinds for $20 that was for sliding glass doors. I got two. I checked measurements and found that they were too short for the whole sliding glass door, and two long to double end to end on the back of my room. I put one up just for the opening side of the sliding glass door. The other side is blacked out.
I considered taking the second one back, but the wall did not look right. On Saturday, I put up the second one, overlapping, but higher. That is not a problem as I don't have to open it all the way. The first one was level even though I could not find the level. This second one is slightly out of level. I think the last bracket was a bit high. It is not bothersome enough for me to change it. If I remove some shelving along the side wall, I would have to adjust the blinds anyway to go to the end of the wall. It definitely needed the second set of blinds.
SATURDAY
cacti in bloom in early morning
side view of cacti blossom.
This cacti blossom met me when I arrived. Mom and I got pictures before it would close up for the day.
We stopped at a couple yard sales on the way home from Breakfast. I picked up some pans and grates for a toaster oven at one yard sale. I then got some folding coffee tables at another at a very good price.
folding coffee tables.
toaster oven racks and pans
When we got home, Mom kid-napped me to work on her planter. We scraped up some gravel to try and save it. We figured out after the fact that it was more effort than it was worth. We removed all the movable plants and then laid down some weed fabric. I then dumped 12 buckets of gravel all over the fabric. 13 if you count the stuff we saved. Tomorrow I have to get more gravel.
I finally got into the back yard to do my work. I got my equipment out, and then sat to pet the cat and crochet a little bit. he was more irritated that I did not give him as much attention as a king is worth.
I finally decided to make a goblet. I chose a piece of log that would make a nice sized goblet and cut a piece off it. I then uncovered the lathe and found the tea pot I had started still on there. I changed projects to the tea pot. I thinned down the outside, getting rid of more of the under bark wood. I also worked a bit on the inside to clean that up more and reshape it to follow the outside better.
I removed the pot and mounted a piece of wood for the lid. I did not get any farther than that, deciding it was a good time to clean up and get going. I had a couple stops to do.
I stopped at Sears and could not find a part I was looking for. I saw it at another sears.
I then went to Home Depot. I used two gift cards and eight bucks to get an ARROW ET-200 electric brad nail gun. I also picked up three sizes of the brads to go with it. I figure we will use the longest ones the most, but got all three just in case.
I still have a Sears gift card otherwise, I have spent my Christmas Gifts.
Brad nailer with extra nails in three sizes
I stopped and talked to a friend of mine, telling about my fun with metal last week. Out of nowhere, a thought appeared. I don't have to get bolts and make special fittings to machine the piece of metal I failed to work last week. I can cut a slot on the flat side of the piece at a comfortable height, and then fit the clamps onto that slot. I no longer have to reach over the top of the piece when it is on edge. I just have to figure out where I want to put that slot. It will be machined out of existence later. That solves a lot of problems. he told me they will thread a hole during their work just to make their jobs easier even though later, the threads will be machined out of existence later.
Tomorrow I will get more gravel and scatter than in the planter. I like. I could do metal working. I also could carve. I could even start making the new box for my mini lathe to replace the old one.
I will see what I actually do tomorrow.
Year 11, Week 23, Day Two (week 597) (January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.) 06-19-11 Sunday
94 degrees, blue skies early morning with almost no breeze, then clouds built up as the day went on and with them the breeze. I had packed up to the sounds of thunder. I got into my truck to leave as the liquid sunshine started coming down. This weather report was brought to you by the city Of Pompano Beach Department of Tourism.
Last night, I put up the second set of blinds. I saw later that it was out of level. I also wanted to shift it for better a effect. After I got home today, I took it down. I had to relocate the brackets since they are only in plaster. I decided to put it to the very end of the wall, rather than stopping at the bookcase as I had it. I did not attach the last few blinds. I twist-and-tied them together and hung them from the bracket in case they are needed.
It is now level and looks better. I do see one of the brackets on the original blinds is coming out. I might try a different plan to lock it in place. I could put a band across it and screws on the ends of the band to hold it. Will see later. No rush right th is second.
blinds, half open half closed.
blinds both closed.
I arrived early in the morning. Mom was already at work on the planter. I helped her move some plants around, then I went to gather some gravel. I got 14 buckets of gravel, and then unloaded and dumped twelve of them. dumping the gravel was a whole lot harder than filling the buckets. Mom expected to have to get more gravel, but these appear to be enough. She has a small bit of the planter to do and is hanging onto the two buckets of gravel for that section. Otherwise, it appears to have been enough.
view of planter near house
view of planter from street
After we were completely done, I sat and petted the cats while sitting in front of the fan under the awning. The beast really wanted company and enjoyed the attention I gave him.
I set up the folding table I use for my metal working and emptied the lathe box. I tested out the brad nailer. It is not as powerful as I had hoped it to be. It sticks the brads in, but you have to hammer them into place for a lot of the materials. It will be useful though. Sometimes getting nails started is the hard part.
I drug out the wood lathe and started on the tea pot lid project I started on. I adjusted the mating surfaces of the lid, making the part that fits into the hole, a lot deeper. I mounted the tea pot in place with the tail stock into the centering hole on the bottom from when I first mounted that wood between centers. With the tea pot spinning, I shaped the lid to match the tea pot's profile. Once I got the edge right, I then worked on the inside and the top, creating a nob, before I parted it off.
Now will be the hard part, making the handle and the spout. The spout may well be easier, will see. I figure I will drill the spout first, and then give it the sweeping shapes through turning on multiple centers and grinding.
With the handles, I will select a piece of wood, or glue a couple pieces of wood together and cut it to shape.
Fitting the mating surfaces to the curvatures of the vase is the hard part. I never seem to get it exactly right.
tea pot with lid - front
tea pot with lid - back
I put the lathe away and settled to the metal lathe. I set it up for machining.
I had to draw onto the piece of metal for where I needed the metal to remain and where I will be grinding metal away. I had to turn my wooden mock-up around in all directions and match it up with the lines I had made before, in order to get it right. Once I decided where metal will be removed, I started mounting it to the platform. I then had to turn it around as I had it on the wrong side of the bit.
What I was doing was to cut a slot in the metal. That slot will be used temporarily to hold the piece down while I machine the end since my clamps are not tall enough to catch the high edge. I will remove the rest of that metal later.
I got everything set up and started grinding and it was not doing much. hours after the fact, I realize I should have used a small bit instead so the torque would be less than on the big bit I was working with.
I took my cell phone out to check the time, since I broke my watch last year, and the battery was dead. I went out to the truck to charge it up. I plugged it in, then since I was there, I decided to clean the front part and rearrange the back a little. I called my brother and learned he was not coming up. He was working on his engine, racing the liquid sunshine that was promising to come.
After hanging up with him, I found I had missed two calls from my mom. I called her back and missed her. She was going to stay at the meeting she had gone to.
I packed up and cleaned up my work area and finally left as the first liquid sunshine was coming down on us.
Next week I should work on the tea pot. I also have pieces to carve, metal to grind, wood that is begging to become something and Mom likely will have projects for me.
I will see what I actually do next week.
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