Vol.12 / Issue 2                              Tennessee Valley Woodworkers                             Editor, Richard Gulley                                     Febuary 1997

February is the "month of love" and I sure would love to be out in the shop. It’s still a little too cold when the shop’s not heated and between work, classes, a major building project and this newsletter, it’s hard to find the time as well.

I have news that could be good or bad depending on your perspective. I have another daughter getting married this summer. This is the last one (and the baby at that). I can’t be held responsible for my actions until after the wedding. Enough of that - on with the show.

A short review of the January proceedings:

Of course there was the usual great show-and-tell that make every meeting worthwhile.

Bob Reese gave the program. He harped on harps for the longest time. - - And I enjoyed it all. I did appreciate the point Bob made that, although we probably wouldn’t run out and make a harp, we could all make use of the methods used to solve construction problems.

It was good to see several new faces at last month’s meeting. There are a lot of woodguys (and gals) out there who don’t know about Tenn Valley Woodworkers. Spread the news.

Tom Cowan will present the February program. One of Tom’s strong points is design and that’s what he will try to impart to us. The fundamental’s of design and proportion are not top-secret so rest assured Tom will be breaking no laws by revealing them to us. Be sure not to miss this informative program.

The trip to Powermatic this week to attend the opening presentation of their new wood turning lathe was well attended. There was about eighteen people representing the Tennessee Valley Woodworkers and there was people there from Nashville, Huntsville, Chattanooga and Atlanta that we know of. The lathe was demonstrated by John Jordan and others. There was a tour of the manufacturing area and I guess the best accepted event was the dinner that Powermatic provided. Thanks to our host for the experience. Doyle

By Sal Marino

Many woodworkers like to use oil finishes instead of lacquer, varnish, polyurethane or water-based finishes because oil finishes are much easier to apply and much more forgiving when mistakes happen. However, one of the main drawbacks of an oil finish is that one cannot achieve a glass smooth finish on open pored woods (like oak, mahogany etc.) like one can when applying a lacquer, varnish poly or other topcoat finish. When using a topcoat finish on open pored woods, you can either build up the finish by applying multiple coats and sanding back down until the pores have been filled or you can first apply a paste filler to fill the pores, then apply a topcoat finish. Oil finishes are thinner and contain much less solids than topcoat finishes, therefore it would not be practical to apply multiple coats and sand back until the pores have been filled. This would take much too long. Also oil finishes need to penetrate the wood in order to work properly. Once the finish penetrates, the solvents evaporate and the resins solidify actually making the wood itself harder. If the pores have been filled with paste filler (which is silica) a very finely ground glass, the oil finish will not be able to penetrate the filler.

While leaving the pores open when using an oil finish is OK and many times even desirable on some pieces of woodwork like a chest of drawers, chair or clock, for other pieces like conference tables, dining tables, pianos, jewelry and music boxes may look much better if the pores were filled so a glass smooth finish can be obtained. In the end, it still comes down to solely a matter of taste.

Many years ago, I read somewhere that one could wet sand some oil finishes to achieve a higher sheen. The article mentioned nothing about whether this was to be done with open or closed pored woods. At the time I was using an oil finish that I still use quite often today, it is called Watco Danish Oil. This finish is very easy to apply and leaves a beautiful satin to semi_gloss sheen, depending on how many coats are applied. It should only be applied to raw wood so it can penetrate properly. It is available in a natural as well as many colors such as shades of walnut, cherry, golden oak and others. I decided to run some tests using the Watco natural color on various hardwoods.

I first tried cherry and maple. First I prepared the wood in my normal manner by sanding with coarse, medium and then fine paper. I then applied a generous amount of Watco Danish Oil to the surface and started to wet sand with 600 grit silicon carbide wet or dry paper. After applying 3 coats of the oil (one per day) and wet sanding each coat, I compared the wet

sanded pieces with samples of maple and cherry that I just applied three coats of oil (without wet sanding). The results were disappointing. I did not see any signs of the wet sanded samples having any higher sheen than the pieces that were just oiled. If anything these pieces were a little duller than the samples that were not wet sanded.

Next I ran some tests using oak and walnut. I proceeded in the same manner as described above, but this time the results were much different. The wet sanded samples did have somewhat of a higher sheen, but what was more impressive to me was that the surface of the wet sanded pieces of oak and walnut were much smoother than the samples of oak and walnut that were just oiled with no wet sanding. It was then that I realized what had happened, why the surface was smoother and why the sheen had increased. By wet sanding, the Watco

Danish Oil mixed with the sawdust that was being created by the sanding. This created a sort of slurry or paste. As I continued to sand, the paste was forced down into the pores of the wood. Basically I had filled the open pores of the oak and walnut by using its own sawdust in combination with the oil which worked as not only a finish but also a binder to hold the sawdust down in the pores and level the surface. The reason why a higher sheen was achieved was simple. Once the pores are filled, much more light reflects off the surface in contrast to when the pores are open the light gets trapped in all the nooks and crannies of the open pores. The author of that article I read must have been using open pored wood.

Although the sheen was somewhat higher by wet sanding on open pored wood, there was not a dramatic difference. I believe the author of that article missed the most important advantage of wet sanding. That is, of course, being able to fill the pores of wood to achieve a glass smooth surface when using an oil finish. Now the term glass smooth may be somewhat confusing. many people associate this with producing a high gloss finish. This is not true. You will not get a high gloss sheen (like you would when using lacquer, varnish or other topcoat) when using any oil

finish. The term glass smooth refers to how level the surface is and how smooth it feels.

The Process

Over the years I have developed and refined the process of wet sanding on open pored wood. The following is the method I currently use:

1.Prepare the wood by sanding with coarse (100 grit), medium (180 grit), and fine (240 grit) sandpaper. Make sure to wipe off all sawdust after sanding.

2.Apply a generous amount (almost flood the surface) of Watco Danish Oil to the surface.

3.Over the years I have found that it is better to use 320 grit silicon carbide wet or dry paper rather than 600 grit. The 320 grit paper will create the paste quickly and the paste will fill the pores better. Immediately after the Watco Danish Oil has been applied (while it is still wet on the surface) wrap a piece of 320 paper around a sanding block and start to wet sand with the grain. Continue to oil and wet sand until you feel enough of the paste has been worked down into the pores.

4.There will still be a substantial amount of paste left on the surface. Don't wipe it off right away. Let the surface dry for about 10 minutes, then wipe off the excess paste using a lint free rag. Wipe against the grain, trying to cut the paste off at the surface, this way the paste in the pores will remain and not be pulled out. Let dry overnight.

5.Before you continue, there may be a small amount of paste that is still on the surface. This needs to be removed, if not visible now, it will be when you apply additional coats. Because this has dried overnight, you will need to sand it off. Take another piece of 320 grit paper, wrap it around a block and DRY SAND lightly with the grain. You need only to take a few passes, just enough to remove any excess paste that has remained on the surface.

6.I have also determined that in most cases wet sanding need only be done on the first application. Therefore, you need only wet sand once (in step 4). Now it is just a matter of applying additional coats of Watco (without wet sanding) until you achieve enough protection and the desired sheen. Usually I apply three to four additional coats after the first wet sanding coat. I let each coat dry overnight and very lightly scuff between coats with 0000 steel wool.

7.After the last coat has been applied, I let the finish cure about 1 week and apply a coat of quality paste wax. That's it. Try it, I am sure you will be very happy with the results.

Sal Marino is a woodworker and a finishing expert from New York. He works for Constantine's. He teaches woodworking classes at Constantine's, offers private instruction, lectures around the United States and is a finishing consultant to many woodworking and restoration companies. He is also the author of numerous woodworking articles.

Tennessee Valley Woodworkers

Power Tool Survey

Introduction

At the January meeting, the members agreed that a survey of power tools would be of interest. Accordingly, typical power tools are listed on the attached tables. We ask each woodworker to complete the attached chart.

This survey should be of general interest to the members but might be useful to someone who needs to barrow a tool for a special task or who might like to ask about a tool before purchasing one of their own. Tabulated summaries of the survey will be distributed to all members.

The survey is limited to those power tools used for, or in support of woodworking. There are two charts; one for hand-held power tools, another for bench-mounted or floor-mounted, stationary power tools. The chart has only one line for each tool type. If you have multiple copies of any tool or a tool not listed on the attached chart please list them on the chart at the bottom of this page. Please use numbered notations for reference.

The column entitled "size" is nonspecific so use common nomenclature such as blade size, Throat size, width of table, chuck size or horsepower rating, as appropriate.

Including your satisfaction with your tool is optional. Ratings for both quality and general performance are asked based on beauty pageant criteria, 0 to 10.

If you have special accessories that enhance the capabilities of your tool you may list them in the "remarks" column.

Multipurpose tools, like Shopsmith, should be listed once as opposed to listing under several basic capabilities provided by the unit. However, it is important to list any accessories such as jointer or bandsaw under the appropriate line on the charts.

The survey by Workbench Magazine in 1992 showed that 87% of woodworkers owned table saws; 45% had radial saws, 73% owned band saws, as examples. It will be interesting to note how we compare.

Please return your response to Doyle McConnell or Ross Roepke.

Name______________________________Date________

My three_year_old asked for a foot stool to help her reach the water when she brushed her teeth and washed. I selected this pattern because it was just her size. In addition to giving her a boost to the sink, the stool has hosted a few tea parties since I made it!

Construction is straightforward. Cut and shape the pieces. Cut the top a little overwide __ it's easier to trim it later than to reduce the width across the aprons. I found it best to use a fly_cutter in my drill press to make the circle for the bottom of the legs, then separate the legs after the circle is cut and legs rounded over. During my first run of these stools, I nailed the aprons to the legs. I now do it differently. It requires a little more work, but I think it's worth the effort to cut a quarter_inch dado in the aprons to receive the legs. Adjust the notch in the legs accordingly. Assemble the aprons and legs with glue, then screw the aprons into the top from below. Finally, trim the top to width and round_over all its edges with a 3/4" roundover bit. Apply a durable finish.

Although this is a simple piece, it makes an exceptional gift that will be appreciated for years to come. Select a suitably attractive wood. (Found this plan somewhere on the information highway- Editor)