What did you do in your shop today?

Completed building the basement shop many years ago but never got around to changing out the original contractor stairs and finish the trim in the hall. Picked up the oak steps, risers and deck material today, will get the 16’ sideboards and handrail tomorrow, raining today, and will finally bring it up to standard.

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Jonkou said:
Completed building the basement shop many years ago but never got around to changing out the original contractor stairs and finish the trim in the hall. Picked up the oak steps, risers and deck material today, will get the 16’ sideboards and handrail tomorrow, raining today, and will finally bring it up to standard.

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I love stair building, I would probably put a winder on that landing. They probably don't meet code but I think they are cool. In a house my son owned we went up 2 steps to a landing then put 2 winders on the landing. We were dealing with not enough run to get in the required number of risers, putting 2 steps on the landing solved the problem. Anyway looking forward to seeing the finished product.
 
More parts selected and cut this afternoon. Wanted to get most of the heavy cutting done while we still have decent weather. Starting tomorrow it gets iffy and after that it just gets cold and wet.
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Oh, I also get my ornament ready to mail. Wanted to make a little more substantial box for it because it's a little fragile. But it's ready to go now. Have to take my mom to the dentist tomorrow, which will eat up a big chunk of the day, so probably won't get to the PO until Thursday. It's so exciting.
 
Each year when I visit SWAT new lathe tools seem to draw my eye. This year was no exception and I came home with some tools from Trent Bosch, Cindy Drozda, and Doug Thompson. Today was the day to make handles for the medium hollowing set from Trent Bosch.

The handles are walnut, the ferrule is a copper pipe fitting from the big box, and epoxy holds everything in place. Sanded to 320, multiple coats of shellac & lacquer sanded between coats. The ferrule is sanded to 3000 grit and then polished on the buffer. All overkill for a lathe tool, but too much is sometimes just right. The handles are smooth and feel nice to the touch.

5 more to go. It looks like I won't be travelling for work for the next 3 weeks, I'll try to knock these out soon. I'm looking forward to using them.

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Nice looking handles. It's always worth the effort if it makes you feel good making and using them!

I'm the same way when it comes to handles.....
 
JonathanH said:
Each year when I visit SWAT new lathe tools seem to draw my eye. This year was no exception and I came home with some tools from Trent Bosch, Cindy Drozda, and Doug Thompson. Today was the day to make handles for the medium hollowing set from Trent Bosch.

The handles are walnut, the ferrule is a copper pipe fitting from the big box, and epoxy holds everything in place. Sanded to 320, multiple coats of shellac & lacquer sanded between coats. The ferrule is sanded to 3000 grit and then polished on the buffer. All overkill for a lathe tool, but too much is sometimes just right. The handles are smooth and feel nice to the touch.

5 more to go. It looks like I won't be travelling for work for the next 3 weeks, I'll try to knock these out soon. I'm looking forward to using them.

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Great job. I so enjoyed doing mine.
 
JonathanH said:
Each year when I visit SWAT new lathe tools seem to draw my eye. This year was no exception and I came home with some tools from Trent Bosch, Cindy Drozda, and Doug Thompson. Today was the day to make handles for the medium hollowing set from Trent Bosch.

The handles are walnut, the ferrule is a copper pipe fitting from the big box, and epoxy holds everything in place. Sanded to 320, multiple coats of shellac & lacquer sanded between coats. The ferrule is sanded to 3000 grit and then polished on the buffer. All overkill for a lathe tool, but too much is sometimes just right. The handles are smooth and feel nice to the touch.

5 more to go. It looks like I won't be travelling for work for the next 3 weeks, I'll try to knock these out soon. I'm looking forward to using them.

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Congrats! Very well done! Nice that you have a break from traveling to get them completed. Now looking forward to a review on the actual tools. Chuck
 
It's fun and very rewarding to make your own handles. I enjoy making mine too.
 
Nature Man said:
Congrats! Very well done! Nice that you have a break from traveling to get them completed. Now looking forward to a review on the actual tools. Chuck
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Chuck, these tools are high-quality and are certainly capable of better work than this novice turner can turn. Most of my lathe tools are older vintage and came with the lathe when I bought it. I'm slowly upgrading those as I learn what I like to turn and learn which tools work best for those applications. A lot of trial and error on my part. Good tools do not make a good turner, just make it easier for a novice to end up with slightly improved pieces. :wink:

An example, I've found many times that I wanted to use a detail gouge so I bought a small used Sorby gouge. It works but has so much flex that it chatters if not fully supported right at the cutting edge. Undoubtably user error but this has caused tear out several times when I was otherwise finished with a piece. The pictured 1/4" & 3/8" detail gouges from Thompson seem to be much stronger. I look forward to trying them out and see if that flex and resulting tool chatter are gone.
 
Still didn’t use my lathe, but I was in the real shop and not under the Cherokee!! Boug some more shelf supplies and unpacked 3 boxes. That was so nice, didn’t get everything put aw where it will finally end up, but felt good since they have been sitting there getting shoved around the floor for over 3 years.

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Bought this Rpidgin Jointer from the guy I bought the drum sander from. For my use, I believe this will clean up great and be much better than my little bench top Jointer.

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While out at my friend’s shop yesterday, I picked up some additional jigs for the segmented turning and admired one of his pieces. He calls it an experiment, but I think it looks great. I am also going to copy his cone jig and he was kind enough to cut birch plywood for me. More pictures to come on what he provided me. Oh, I believe he said the open segmented piece was 32 pieces around.

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More organizing in the shop. Got my sander out and reachable instead of being stuffed into a cabinet. Mounted my new sanding disc towers next to it. Been working on this end of my workbench since before the weekend and making progress.

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Then after 3 years I finally mounted some doorknobs. I know….i put off some easy tasks. The hole ab the left knob was the former “knob”: a screw.

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trc65 said:
Rainy day, so grabbed an hour at the lathe. Inspired by Steve's hollow form baskets and a guy on another forum who has been using walnut for basket illusions.

Was just going to make a small bowl to play with the walnut, but realized there was enough to make a seed basket. Got it shaped and beaded, will hollow it when I get time. This one will have a lid of some sort.

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Cool project Tim, that sure looks like some pale walnut…
 
barry richardson said:
Cool project Tim, that sure looks like some pale walnut…
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A lot of our local walnut looks that pale before a finish. It's also a little bit darker than the picture might show as I have some pretty bright, almost harsh lights over the lathe.

One thing I like to do if I get fresh cut walnut, (like this piece was) is to cut into blanks right away to start drying. If it sits for a long time in log form, a lot of those lighter colors are lost as the dark leaches across the whole log.

Doing anything on this piece is probably going to wait until after Christmas, just too many other things to try and get finished.
 
Finished the stairs and hall to the basement and shop today… almost, still need a handrail. Nothing straight in the 16’ one I want at the orange and blue stores, will order from a local supplier.

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Yesterday I got a small splinter from the meanest wood I've ever worked. Tiny, but hurt more than any I've gotten since I started this Hickory job. Went into the house, grabbed my loupes, needle, and tweezers and proceeded to remove it. Got it out and went back out to get this job done.
About 15 minutes later, I got another splinter. It was in the same exact spot as the other splinter, and hurt even more. That has never happened in the 47 years I've been working wood daily.

I'll repeat that Hickory is the meanest wood I've ever worked. I probably have gotten over 75 splinters from 300 bdft. I don't think I've gotten that many in all those years.

I have a 1982 Rockwell Unisaw that I put a 5HP motor on, and when cutting this wood it will pinch the blade to a complete stop. I have to yank up on the wood to keep it from tripping the motor to off. When planing or routing, it cuts good until you get close to the size you're after and then it starts tearing out, even with sharp router bits. ............ Nubs
 
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