Woodworking 101--Tools and Tips

[jimreed2160]

Use your stock wisely

When I worked on projects with my dad, he would call for stock and I had to fetch it. There were many learning lessons here as he would always reject my first offering. After toting many boards back and forth, I finally decided to listen to his advise.

Before he started his carpentry projects, he would draw out his cut plans on the back of an envelope. He seemed to enjoy making these cut list and plans and approached the task like it was a big puzzle.

His goal was to finish every project with only sawdust on the ground. I marveled at how good he was at using every scrap. Of course, these habits were passed on and I find myself looking over stock like a diamond cutter. Here is a good example.

Notice the large red stick of padauk in the box of exotic cut offs. I need that for a project.

The stick is about 1 1/2" square by about 2 feet long and I need a piece that is 5/8" about 5". But that is a big stick. Where do I start?

Well, flipping it over reveals a big crack.

The defect starts at one end, extends about 1/3 of the length, and then starts up again in the middle. That means that one side of the stick will have random defects. If I split it correctly, I will end up with one perfect stick and one stick with splits.

So here it goes. I split off the defective side and then split that side again.

I was able to cut my needed pieces from above and below the defects. Waste minimized--more padauk available for another project.

Lessons learned in life can stay around a long time.

 

[jimreed2160]

A tale of two sticks

The first thing I did when I acquired my table saw was to make a push stick. It stays handy and I have been using it ever since.

I also bought a nice push stick when I worked for Rockler. But I never use it.

I prefer to use the tool I made. It is wood, not metal, and is kinder to the blade. It is also LONGER and keeps my precious fingers further away from the spinning action.

Store bought does not always mean best.

 

[drivesitfar]

AK: thanks for posting up your COOL PROJECTS and even better when you showed your JIG and the clamping involved in making those curves and your laminates.

Jim: does your wood push stick actually HIT THE BLADE ON YOUR TABLE SAW? you mentioned that the metal push stick wasn't the best material to use and hoping you have never hit it on your blade or have you?

 

[jimreed2160]

Drives--I don't often run the stick into the blade INTENTIONALLY, but it does take some nicks. I have already reshaped the bird's beak once to cut off a few misadventures. I often rip stock for the dowel maker and all of it is less than an inch wide. So those small thin cuts are always full of adventure. And the beak does take a nip or two.

 

[jimreed2160]

If you are dealing with snow and ice, then this is for you. Come on down (virtually) to north Florida for a bit. I need to spray some poly on that infill plane now that the staining is complete. First comes the tape.

Here is a shot from the spray booth (yard?). Notice the begonia--it never consults the thermometer.

Looking nice and shiny. I will knock that down a bit when it is dry and then follow up with some paste wax.

They are inside drying now. We should be able to take a test drive in a few days. You can now resume your snow shoveling.

 

[jimreed2160]

Making pens on the lathe, Pt I

OK, I promised a pen session and here it is. If you have a lathe, making pens is a lot of fun and they are always appreciated as gifts.

Here is a story before we begin. My dad retired from veterinary medicine after 45 years and spent the next few as a lumber magnate. He went all over the countryside gathering cherry and walnut logs, took them to the mill, and then stacked the wood in a shed. He had thousands of board feet of lumber. He would show me the stacks every time I visited but all I could get out of him was a single twisted board. When it came time to sell the lumber, he almost had to pay to have it hauled. Being a frugal sort, he specified that the sawyer cut exactly at 4/4. Due to poor storage, most the wood warped and twisted a bit and could not be planed to a usable size. He was crestfallen. But when he was in assisted living, I made him a pen from the cast off stick he had given me. I had to explain where the wood came from and that I made the pen on his old lathe. He was top dog resident for days as he showed new treasure to all of his buddies. "The boy made this from some of my cherry stash. It was a huge pile. I designed the log trailer."

Back to pen making. The pen mech is designed to fit around two brass tubes. Making a wooden pen is as simple as gluing wood to the tubes and then turning down to slightly larger diameter. You purchase tooling and kits which have parts for one pen--add wood and presto, you have a pen. So the first step is the wood.

I chose Padauk for this project because it photographs well. This African hardwood is phototrophic, that is, it responds to light. Padauk is red when cut and then turns brown with exposure to sunlight. American cherry is also phototrophic. It starts out pink and warms up to dark reds and browns.

Remember this stick of Padauk? It's baaack!

Here is a class photo of the tooling needed.

There are two Padauk blanks, a mandrill for the lathe, a drill bit for boring the hole, an end reamer for squaring the wood to the brass tube, and two tubes.

I cut around the defects and got two 5/8" square blocks that were about 2 1/2" long. I measure from the tubes--you need about 1/16" free at each end.

Then you mark the ends for drilling.

Here is our block at the drill press.

Make sure you are squared up for your hole. As you can see, we need to adjust.

So now we have two drilled blanks and can proceed to the tube insertion.

But Houston, we have a big problem! WTF? This kit, a 7mm, requires a 7mm hole. I thought I had the right drill bit but maybe it got mixed up after a few years. Drilling for tube insertion does not have to be precise because the process is self correcting. BUT not this much. Time for damage control.

This is why I like to have indexed drill bit sets around. I don't have a bunch of 7mm drill bits, but I do have an indexed set of bits. If you want to start a firestorm on GJ, just ask about drill bits and the metalworkers will commence to hollering like a hurt pup. No problem, I understand. Drilling holes in metal is an art and a science which begins with a quality bit. Not so with wood, which is more forgiving. Inexpensive indexed drill bits are great for woodworkers and really come in handy in times like these. I drilled a few test holes and settled on the 9/32".

Here you can see them together. The 9/32" is still a bit large, but it will work just fine. The mystery hole, however, is a disaster. That blank will never become a pen.

With blanks in hand, I smeared gel superglue all over the tubes and inserted them in the blanks. It is important to get the tube all of the way inside the tube. I like to do this operation over newspaper because it is messy. The gel gives enough set up time to move things around. That is important because I glued up the first tube in one of the rejected blanks. I recovered before it set and was able to apply more glue and get it into the proper blank. Of course, I cut the blanks a tad too long.

That is no problem because we are going to use this tube reamer to create a wood shoulder.

Just run the guide rod up the tube and drill away. Just make sure the blank is in a vise or a woodscrew. Otherwise, this is a great way to hurt your fingers.

The end result looks like this.

So this is the end of Part I. This penmaking process conveniently breaks down into three basic steps. The first step is to select and prepare your wood blank. The second step is to turn and finish on the lathe. The final step is assembly.

It is rare to follow this process for only a single pen. Whenever a ww is crafting a bunch of pens, it is quicker and easier to do a batch for each part. Blank preparation is the most time consuming step--once you get it out of the way, things move quickly.

 

[jimreed2160]

Making a pen, Part II--Turning

We have our blanks prepared and now we need to mount them on the mandrill for the lathe. But there is a problem. The mandrill is rusted around the morse taper.

And it is rusted on the rod.

I cannot stick that MT into the lathe without scaring up the receiver. And the bushings cannot slide on the rusted rod. This is what happens to tooling when it is not used. Woodworkers should spend time in their shop just to keep the rust at bay. Let your significant other know this. Otherwise everything will turn to rust.

Fortunately I have lots of used AO sandpaper over at the sharpening station and the fine 800 grit takes care of the rust. It is then a simple task to mount the pen blanks for turning.

The mandrill assembly goes into the lathe and is ready for some spin time.

My oversized gouge turns the blanks round very quickly.

I finished turning by using a skew chisel and then went to sandpaper.

I started with fine paper and followed with extra fine. Remember the split in the wood? It was caused by a knot that ended up in the middle of one of the blanks. I decided to use it because it would be decorative. But it did leave a bit of tear out. No problem, the finish will hide it.

All you need for this shellac based liquid finish is an old sock. I grabbed one from my handy sock dispenser. Apply it while spinning.

The finish brings luster to the wood.

I follow the finish with wax--brown followed by white (hard).

Just hold the bar and press it to the spinning workpiece. Hit it with the sock to warm it.

And it makes the parts shiny.

Remove the pieces from the mandrill for assembly.

This ends Part II. Turning and finishing is quick and fun. Starting with prepared blanks, a good turner can easily knock out a dozen finished pen parts in an hour.

Assembly is our next and final step.

 

[jimreed2160]

Turning a pen, Part III--Assembly

OK. So far we have prepared our blank, turned it on the lathe, and applied finish while spinning. Now we need to assemble the pen.

With a little help from our TV dinner plate, we have gathered everything for assembly. Here are the turned pieces along with the pen mechanism.

I like to start with the writing end. It needs to be pressed into the tube.

An arbor press comes in handy for this step but a vise or even wood clamps will do.

Next, the turning mech needs to be pressed into the end. It is too long for the arbor press. But that is where Mr Athol comes in.

Then you need to press the clip into the other end. The arbor press works just fine. Now you have both pieces done.

Just insert the cartridge, slip the ring over it, and join both pieces. Voila! A pen is made.

Making pens is a fun pastime for those woodworkers with a lathe. The pens make great gifts to your friends who work in cloth covered boxes. Hope you enjoyed the tutorial.

 

[CSRPenFab]

Excellent tutorial Jim! There are lots of ways to reach the same end making pens. I do my drilling on the lathe and I end mill using a sanding disk and jig. Here's my latest work for a USAF Fire Chief who is retiring. These multi piece laser cut inlays are a chore, but it turned out great with a multi-coat CA finish:

 

[jimreed2160]

CSR--Wow! I bow to the master pen maker.

That is a great pen and an outstanding gift. You have taken a craft and elevated it to an art form. Thanks for the pictures.

 

[Teenager with old tools]

I find a soft wooden mallet and a piece of pine board can press parts together very nicely with a few taps
I was really bored and had a piece of poplar from Home Depot I'd rounded out and made the head from that. Been using my new 5/8 bowl gouge for roughing lately and I first practiced it on the poplar. Works faster than a 3/4 spindle gouge but I foresee a 3/4 or 1 inch roughing gouge in my future. By the end of this week I should have a bowl made. my first pen that I made. Was in such a rush to assemble I forgot to put a finish on it. But ones i've made since have gotten a superglue finish.

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[Alchymist]

Excellent tutorial Jim! There are lots of ways to reach the same end making pens. I do my drilling on the lathe and I end mill using a sanding disk and jig. Here's my latest work for a USAF Fire Chief who is retiring. These multi piece laser cut inlays are a chore, but it turned out great with a multi-coat CA finish:

Some nice work right there.

jimreed2160 - Pretty good synopsis of how it's done. With that said, looks like some of the pics are "different", shall we say.

Anyway, there are many different ways to make a pen. First off, you need a lathe. First pic attached is my first one, which is entirely shop made. Second pic is some of the first pens to come off it. Third pic is what happens as the "hobby" gets addictive, and the last is some of the pens that came off the new lathe. Not much difference, just the ease and convenience between the two lathes. (And the cost, of course).

 

[jimreed2160]

Teen--Good lathe work there. Let us know how your bowl turns out.

Al--Your pictures depict the natural progression of most pen makers--start simple and keep going. Lathe work is just fun. I love lathe work of all kinds because I can see something take shape right before my eyes. It is intoxicating sometimes.

 

[Teenager with old tools]

Teen--Good lathe work there. Let us know how your bowl turns out.



Al--Your pictures depict the natural progression of most pen makers--start simple and keep going. Lathe work is just fun. I love lathe work of all kinds because I can see something take shape right before my eyes. It is intoxicating sometimes.

I made one of the bolt action pen kits with acrylic it turned out nice. Slimlines however are a pain in the rear to try to do acrylic for atleast for me. All three acrylic slimline attempts the acrylic cracked and I ended up regluing the cut off of the blank in to replace crack. But for fatter pens it does nicely


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[ztorres]

I've got a question. What does everyone do with their shavings and saw dust? I feel like there has to be a use instead of throwing them all away


Zach

 

[Teenager with old tools]

I've got a question. What does everyone do with their shavings and saw dust? I feel like there has to be a use instead of throwing them all away


Zach

I have been saving them with intent to make those fire starters out of wood chips but haven't gotten around to it


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[Toolfool]

I've got a question. What does everyone do with their shavings and saw dust? I feel like there has to be a use instead of throwing them all away


Zach

I used to have a mountain of dust and chips behind my shop. Then I met a guy who has a composting toilet. He comes by every few months to fill construction trashbags until his Volvo is stuffed. Win win.

 

[CSRPenFab]

I made one of the bolt action pen kits with acrylic it turned out nice. Slimlines however are a pain in the rear to try to do acrylic for atleast for me. All three acrylic slimline attempts the acrylic cracked and I ended up regluing the cut off of the blank in to replace crack. But for fatter pens it does nicely


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So true and very ironic. Almost all new pen makers start out with an inexpensive slim line pen kit. The thin wall makes it very difficult, and even more so when using brittle acrylic. I always encourage newbies to make a simple Sierra twist one piece in some nice wood like maple.

 

[cheechi]

The pens are all very nice and all. Just hobby turning is way too popular topic often mistaken for woodworking. Much better defined as time wasted that could be woodworking, or creative use of scrap.

I'm glad this hit 50+ pages before we devolved into pens. I will check back when it gets back to woodworking.

I know i'm a wet blanket. Feel free to hate me.

 

[ztorres]

To cheechi's point here is a project in working on now. It's a tray for shot glasses and a bottle of bourbon


Zach

 

[Alchymist]

The pens are all very nice and all. Just hobby turning is way too popular topic often mistaken for woodworking. Much better defined as time wasted that could be woodworking, or creative use of scrap.

I'm glad this hit 50+ pages before we devolved into pens. I will check back when it gets back to woodworking.

I know i'm a wet blanket. Feel free to hate me.

Nope, no hate here! To each his own I always say. Just don't forget that pen turning (or any lathe work) is for many, just one facet of woodworking. I sometimes use the lathe to make sizable turnings as decorations for other woodworking projects. And how would you make round table legs without a lathe?

 

[cheechi]

You're right many if not most wood shops need a lathe. But it should be called a time machine. 5 minutes becomes a week when you turn on the lathe. They've sent search parties for a few friends of mine.

 

[jimreed2160]

Sorry we hit a nerve there, Cheechi. But I really like turning. I do agree that a man can have too many pens. But a lathe can do so much more for a woodworker. I like to restore tools and have found the lathe a welcome addition to my bag of tricks. A metal lathe would really be handy for tools, but the wood lathe does come in handy.

But your point is well taken. Without a little self control, the ww can be seductively drawn into the lathe time warp.

 

[ztorres]

Another project that I quick whipped up:
A salt cellar

My dad asked me for one for his kitchen


Zach

 

[Teenager with old tools]

So true and very ironic. Almost all new pen makers start out with an inexpensive slim line pen kit. The thin wall makes it very difficult, and even more so when using brittle acrylic. I always encourage newbies to make a simple Sierra twist one piece in some nice wood like maple.

First I made was a summit pen kit. But I like slim pens. The one I made for my great grandmas 99th birthday came out good I haven't made myself one yet. Rockler has good blanks but some are as dry as a desert in summertime. So now I'm gonna need to make a display cabinet for pens because i've been looking into a both at a fair to try and sell a few pens and a few spinning tops. Make some display stands for pens to sell as well so if anyone has a suggestion for a cabinet to display mine I can make and little display things to sell with pens that would be nice


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[jimreed2160]

ZT--That salt cellar is a clever project. I'll bet your dad will be tickled.

Teen--I made a few window displays when I worked for Rockler one summer. They turned out so good that the boss put me in charge of displays and exhibits. If I were you, I would tune into my audience and find something that will attract them enough to stop and look. You cannot sell a pen if they do not stop and look. And the longer that they look, the greater chance that you will make a sale. Here are a few ideas:
Empty antique clock cases
Old cigar boxes
Nice figured wood
A large burl
A sweet smelling red cedar plank
Crumpled up paper in an old mason jar to hold the pens
A pretty scarf
Grandmom's cut glass water tumbler
A flat mirror to reflect the underside

You can also display some of your tooling--like the mandrill. People will stop and inquire. You can tell them how it is done. Smile a lot and sell hard. Sell yourself and the pens will sell themselves. Good luck.

 

[Teenager with old tools]

ZT--That salt cellar is a clever project. I'll bet your dad will be tickled.



Teen--I made a few window displays when I worked for Rockler one summer. They turned out so good that the boss put me in charge of displays and exhibits. If I were you, I would tune into my audience and find something that will attract them enough to stop and look. You cannot sell a pen if they do not stop and look. And the longer that they look, the greater chance that you will make a sale. Here are a few ideas:

Empty antique clock cases

Old cigar boxes

Nice figured wood

A large burl

A sweet smelling red cedar plank

Crumpled up paper in an old mason jar to hold the pens

A pretty scarf

Grandmom's cut glass water tumbler

A flat mirror to reflect the underside



You can also display some of your tooling--like the mandrill. People will stop and inquire. You can tell them how it is done. Smile a lot and sell hard. Sell yourself and the pens will sell themselves. Good luck.

I'm not normally attracted to cases I normally just see what I like and go to it so I want yalls advice. What if I took a log hollow it out cut in half and put hinges on it. Have it open with pens displayed inside? Would that attract people to it?


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[jimreed2160]

Teen--The hollowed out log idea is great! A good execution is necessary to stop traffic. It may take a few tries to make a real attention getter. Good luck.

 

[McFarmer]

Ztorres- cut a verticle slot and it becomes a stamp dispenser. Drop a roll in and let the end out the slot.

 

[McFarmer]

I'll try and pitch in, I'm not that practiced at woodworking but here is an idea I found helpful.

Put some Masonite under your miter gauge head, slippery side down:

It really helps, nearly as good as a cut off box.

Here's the same thing with Formica :

I make a lot of picture frames, I like this cut off jig. The two legs are oh so slightly adjustable with a slot for the outside bolts.

Thanks for looking.

 

[ztorres]

Ztorres- cut a verticle slot and it becomes a stamp dispenser. Drop a roll in and let the end out the slot.

If I were to flock the inside it could be used as a ring box


Zach

 

[McFarmer]

That tall fence would be nice for compound miters. Any adjustability ?

I also like your push stick storage.

 

[drivesitfar]

Jim: thanks for the pen tutorials and contrary to another member's comment you give lessons on anything you like. i'd love to see how you make a piece that small for the pen on a lathe though. and the holes in it for the pen wouldn't be easy for most of us to do correctly the first time either.

Z: i'm not sure how that salt cellar is used that you made, but it's cool looking non the less.

CSR: WOW NICE LOOKING PEN!! any chance you could show us how you put the design on the pen? also did you make the case and how did you put the Fire Dept. logo on it (burned in?)?

ALL: i'm not quite sure how these 45 degree picture frame sleds work so i might have to watch a few youtube videos of them. thanks for sharing all of you!!

 

[jimreed2160]

ZT & McF--Thanks for the pictures of your souped up miter guides. I am glad you see your tools as a good starting point and add your own handy user upgrades. My granddad was a country doctor and he repaired everything with adhesive tape. It was a material that he was the most familiar with. Like him, us ww all have wooden accessories in our workshops because it is what we know.

And ZT, to your question about scrap sawdust, etc., I do not have a good answer. I have heard about making camping candles by mixing sawdust with melted paraffin in a paper cupcake liner. I guess it is OK but I am not a camper. I'll bet most of them use battery powered LED lights. I do mix sawdust with glue to make a filler but that does not take much sawdust. Large sawmills burn their waste wood for heat and to run boilers. Some of it is compressed into charcoal briquettes and fireplace logs. You can use it as mulch in your flowerbeds and it would be good to use in a compost pile. I am lazy, however, and I just throw mine away.

 

[drivesitfar]

Teen: looks like you are having fun with your wood lathe. nice looking little hammer. are you teaching your 10 year old brother how to use a wood lathe safely and maybe letting him watch and learn too? i like the old log display for pens or whatever if you can pull it off.

good luck

 

[ztorres]

Drives: the salt cellar works by pouring salt in it and scooping or pinching some out. It's more so for cooking then use on the table


Zach

 

[hunterguy86]

This is a simple serving tray I made from a slab of cedar I cut with my chainsaw.

I flattened one face and one edge with a Stanley #5 and then squared the rest with a planer and the table saw. I then smoothed everything with the plane and card scrapers. The edges were rounded with the plane as well.

The finish is just food grade mineral oil.





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[jimreed2160]

My computer "desk" is a 200 year old table frame with a plywood top. Yes, I know I am a woodworker and should fix the top. But that is a long story. The broken cherry top has been on my project list since 2005 and I hope to get to it before the end of this year. I want to do a great job on it and just need to ponder a little more.

Until then, I have a plywood top. As you know, most plywood has a good face and a not so good face. Well as luck would have it, this piece had a major corner defect on the good face. I could live with it but my granddaughter made fun of it. So a repair was effected. I mixed some really pretty pink cherry sawdust with Titebond III glue and paddled it around with a pocketknife until it was a little thicker than toothpaste. Then I smeared it all over the defect. I really packed it in. After a few hours, the paste had hardened and I mashed it down to compact it. I left it to dry for a few days and then attacked it with a sharp chisel. No more snags and no more disses from granddaughter Big A.

 

[jimreed2160]

Hunter--That tray is stunning. I love red cedar. One of my first projects as a teenager was making a pair of lamps out of a weathered red cedar log.

 

[Teenager with old tools]

Teen: looks like you are having fun with your wood lathe. nice looking little hammer. are you teaching your 10 year old brother how to use a wood lathe safely and maybe letting him watch and learn too? i like the old log display for pens or whatever if you can pull it off.



good luck

He's been watching I let him try once got to clean the shorter workbench off though because mine is too tall for him. If only my other brother was interested too


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