Vol.11 / Issue 3 Tennessee Valley Woodworkers Editor, Richard Gullcy March 1996
Well it’s time for all you wood chucking
leprechauns to come out of hibernation and start thinking about Spring things -
Like gardening and mowing and cleaning and just maybe if you’re not too tired
after all that - a little woodworking!
Last month’s meeting was, dare I say, a
doozy! Show-N-Tell was above average (which would probably mark it for
greatness). Milner’s presentation on the possibilities of having your own
lumber sawn was fascinating. No up and coming woodworker should have missed it.
I like to hear someone speak about something they love and know first
hand. It was evident Milner was that kind of guy. Hey Doyle - when are we going
to Milner’ s house for a meeting.
Next month’s meeting promises to be just
as good as the last. This March program will be Dust and Noise Damage to the
Woodworker presented by Dr. Lavelle. His career was in the ear, nose, and
throat field of medicine and he specialized in ear surgery in the later part of
his career. He is now specializing in tree farming and woodworking. Everyone
make plans to be here for a very informative program.
COMING SOON!
April- The wooden toys of Crocia
Robertson.
May- A tour of the Stanley Tool Company
in Shelbyville.
June- The 10th anniversary banquet -
picnic -potluck supper woodworkers meeting. No one should miss that!
TEN YEARS AGO THIS MONTH
Time for another trip in the old time
machine. I’ve set the controls for March 1996, let out the clutch and the smoke
is starting to clear —
Loyd Long gave a very interesting program
on saw blade (circular) sharpening. Hmm-m maybe still a good program topic.
The close-up was on the
vice-president and program chairman Phil Bishop. I knew Phil had a solar
kiln butldidn’t know he ran a sawmill.
And finally, Jack Townsend was featured
on channel 8s Tennessee Outdoorsman.
Well, not Jack himself, but everything that is good and noble and
that truly shouts JACK TOWNSEND — his clocks.
Back To The Future!!
MID-WEST
TOOL COLLECTORS
The Mid-West Tool Collectors Association
is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study, preservation and
understanding of the early tools, implements and devices used by owr ancestors
in their homes, shops, on the farms and on the seas, and to a better perception
of the industries and crafts in which these tools were used as well as the
craftsmen who used them.
Founded in 1968 by a small
group of avid collectors, the organization has rapidly become international in
scope with a membership of over three thousand who arc scattered to all corners
of the globe. Included are individuals from all walks of life as well as
libraries, museums and other related institutions.
MEMBERSHIP IN MID-WEST ENTITLES YOU TO:
Attend with your spouse, the two annual
national meetings as well as numerous local or regional meetings which are
planned throughout the year. Featured at these meetings are tours and visits to
appropriate museums, restorations and other sources of historical impact as
well as lectures, seminars, films and interesting demonstrations of early
crafts. Members are encouraged to display outstanding tools from their
collections and to bring items for sale and trade. Programs for the ladies are
an integral part of these meetings.
A subscription to our magazine, THE
GRISTMILL, a quarterly featuring stories about and of interest to M-WICA
members as well as articles of educational importance written by and for tool
collectors.
(Unintelligible Paragraph)
Membership dues are $20.00 per year for
USA, S28.00 for Canadians and $33.00 for Foreign members payable January 1 of
each year, in US FUNDS. Applicants joining after the annual fall meeting will
be considered paid up members for the ensuing year.
If you feel that your interests and
objectives coincide with those of the Association, we would welcome you as a
member. For more information contact:
William Rigler
RR 2, Box 152
Wartrace, TN 37183
NEWS FROM THE NET
I was born naked, wet
and hungry - and then things got worse.
More is better, too
much is just enough.
NO MONEY SPENT ON
TOOLS IS WASTED
The Directory of Forest Products, Wood
Science, and Marketing contains several pages of interest to those involved in
woodworking and the woodworking industry. Currently, the Directory contains
over 600 unique links. The URL to this WWW page is: bttp.//weber.u.washington.edu/~esw/fpm.htm
All links have been categorized by
subject areas. Areas include supplier
manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, financial I statistics I
stocks, commercial I consultants, academic I research,
industry associations and councils, sustainable and certified forest products,
and
General Woodworking Tips
by Gary Straub
o Lay out your lumber and figure which board
will be used for what pert, taking care to observe grain and color. Try to make
each part compliment other related parts. Example: don’t laminate a straight
grained piece to a wildly figured piece, unless intentionally.
O Don’t cut any wood until you arc sure of where you
want to cut. Think and re-think this point, as it only takes a second to mess
up a lot of planning.
O Whenever possible make the piece a little
larger than needed There are many things which can screw up a cut Such as:
internal stress can cause a perfectly straight board to move, planers can
snipe, jointing and sanding/planing can take more wood then expected. It is far
easier to remove a little wood than to replace it.
o Mark all pieces as to where they go as soon
as you determine this, unless you enjoy jigsaw puzzles. ;-)
o Always test any machine setup on a scrap
piece, preferably from the same lumber as the piece. Be careful that the scrap
isn’t off the end with snipe. This will make it
thinner.
O When hand
planing a surface, do the backside first. This will prepare you for any
surprises. The same applies to sanding, so the face side doesn’t get damaged
while sanding the back
O Always dust everything off Many mysterious
dings, and poor fits are the result of a small chip or two. A small chip
against a fence can cause misalignment. Chips under a board going through the
surface planer can cause uneven planing A small chip on the shoulder of a tenon
can keep it from snugging up. etc.
O Try to split the line when sawing. Sawing on
either side of the line can make for an almost perfect joint, splitting it will
usually be right on the mark. This depends on the thickness of the line. A
thick line will be easy to split but you can still be off Keep your pencil
sharp.
o Any lines which will ultimately be cut with
a chisel should be made with a knife. A knife mark will act as a guide for the
chisel. It is hard to keep a chisel
straight on a pencil line. Also any crosscuts
should be scored with a knife first. This eliminates any tendency for ragged
edges.
o Always test your fits prior to gluing. It is
best to clamp your pieces together as if you were gluing, first off. This will
prevent any surprises with glue on the pieces, and will assure that you have
all the clamps that you need and ready to use. If you find that you need to
really crank on the clamp to get a good fit, you probably need to make an
alteration. The quickest way to glue
failure is to put unnecessary stress on the part. lf you haven’t done so now is the time to mark
every piece as to where it goes. If everything fits fine in that order
why take a chance, even though many parts arc ‘identical’.
0 It is best
not to wipe of the wet glue after clamping, as it will spread the glue around
and make finishing difficult. However the glue should be removed before it is
cured, if it is water based glue. The moisture in the glue raises the grain a little
and when it hardens the moisture is trapped. Then when it is removed later the
wood shrinks and a glue line becomes perceptible. If you use a scraper or
chisel when the glue skims over it will come off in nice strips. Washing the
glue off with a wet cloth works but you must be careful to get all off or it
will be everywhere.
o A very sharp chisel will remove any glue
from inside corners. If carefully done you can skim a little wood with
the glue, making sure there is no glue left to obstruct the finish.
o When finishing its VERY important to allow
the finish to dry well before sanding or steel wooling between coats. Bits of
sand dust or steel wool in the corners are a tell tail sign of preceding too
fast. Use a vacuum and tack rags judiciously throughout the finishing process.
It is imperative to treat the finishing process with as much care as you put
into the building process A good finish can make a mediocre pieces look great
and a poor finish can make a great piece look mediocre.
O A sharp hand scraper works very well to even
up mating surfaces, after gluing.
O Keep your expectations high, but realistic.
Fine workmanship is acquired
through practice. If each piece you make is a little better than the last then
you should feel good.
Gary Straub gstraub~mail.coin.missouri.edu
Columbia, MO
Hope to see you all
the 19th of March at 7:00.
If your significant other lets you have
money, bring it - I still have two planes for sale (or trade). By the way -
Watch out for SPLINTERS!