Vol.12 / Issue 4                              Tennessee Valley Woodworkers                             Editor, Richard Gulley                                     April 1997

I know you’ve all heard the saying "Time really flies when you’re having fun." Folks I’m here to tell you, if that’s true, I’m having the time of my life. It seems like I’m putting out this newsletter twice a month.

I was talking to Henry the other night about this month’s letter and I realized that this month is a "quick month". That means SPLINTERS has to go out early and that means I have to get to work. Hang on, here we go.

1. Exhibit was discussed- We still need a good name for our first public display. If you have any good ideas, tell Tom Cowan or Loyd Ackerman. Final project data needed by 1^st of May so Loyd can get the placards made. Also needed are monitors to give out information and watch over the displayed pieces.

2. Winter Workshop- A good time was had by all. A lot of idea sharing - for example : Do you know why a woodworker might want an old waterbed mattress? You really shouldn’t miss a TVWW seminar. Thanks to all who planned and prepared. A special thanks to Bob Eubanks for hosting us again.

3. Workday at Fall’s Mill - The dates I have are April 16^th and 19^th, if that’s not right we’ll straighten it out at this month’s meeting. It’s a good cause and promises to be a lot of fun. August 30^th has been set as demonstration day for us at Fall’s Mill.

4. Show & Tell - Sort of slim but, since I didn’t bring anything, I don’t think I’ll complain. How about you? Show & Tell is one of the great things about our club.

5. The Program - Anytime Phil Bishop is in charge of the program you can be sure you will learn something. Bondo and woodworking - who woulda thunk it.

Here’s another little tidbit that was floating around at the seminar. Thanks to Loyd Ackerman for preparing and sending this in.

Your item on drawing an ellipse (see FWW#119, p.16) shows an excellent and very simple method. However I notice trial and error is recommended as the way to adjust the location of the push pins and the length of the string. These two things can be calculated very easily to give the exact ellipse that you want. First, determine the length and height of the desired ellipse. The total distance between the push pins will he given by this formula:

where L equals total length and H equals total height. After placing the push pins on the major cut a piece of string several inches longer than the total length of the ellipse, and form a big loop using a slip knot. Tension the loop with the pencil, slip the knot to make the correct size loop and then tie off the knot so it can no longer slip. The loop of string should be tied so that when it is stretched with the pencil, the loop is exactly half the total length of the ellipse plus half the distance between the pins.

Use a low-stretch string for the job, and when drawing, keep the tension on the pencil the same all the way around.. A tiny grommet on the pencil point will help the string slide. They are readily available from hobby stores and electronic stores.

Loyd, be prepared to demonstrate this technique to the few who will doubt, not only you, but fine Woodworking as well.

Carving on the Net - The following goodies came from a new woodcarving e-zine (electronic magazine). If you have internet access point your browser to the following web page: http://www.terranet.ab.ca/~bjudt/WWWoodcarver/WWWoodcarver.html

These tips are a compilation of messages to an email listserver dedicated to woodcarving. Carver share information and answer questions concerning carving.

SELECTING YOUR FIRST CARVING KNIFE AND MAKING CUTS BY HAND

From: "Danny E. Cook" ([email protected]):

May I recommend that you do not buy your first knives by mail order. You need to hold a knife first to see if it is comfortable in your hand. Most mail orders are reputable (I use them all the time) but since you are just starting out and have not had the opportunity to handle carving tools, you need to try the knife before you buy it.

Have you looked around your area for a carving club? As carvers we all own fists full of tools. I have yet to meet a carver who wouldn't let you handle their carving tools.

Look around for a carving show. Almost all of them will have a vendor or two. See what's out there first, then you can wade through those catalogs.

([email protected]):

The first cut I learned to make with a carving knife was a cut toward me. It is designed for both safety and control. The handle of the knife is grasped in the four fingers and pulled by the fingers toward the thumb that is steadied on the carving. The position of the knife in the hand is such that the cut of the knife is stopped by the thumb. That is to say, the handle of the knife is pulled toward the thumb with the fingers. This provides many short, controlled cuts to remove the wood.

The second type cut is with the blade facing away from your body and uses the thumb as a fulcrum. The cuts are small and controlled. The knife is not used to hog out wood. It is a patient process of small, controlled, safe cuts.

In my experience, accidents happen when I am tired or when I get impatient and try to do more than I should with a particular tool.

PROTECTING YOUR CARVING TOOLS

Marty Springer ([email protected]):

Tool protection tip: Use 5/8th inch diameter transparent flexible hose for fitting over the business end of carving knives and chisels. Since the material is transparent, you can see the tip of the blade for tool selection. I find it protects tools when I want to put a few in a case for "field trips." I purchase the hose at a locale hardware store. It is used here on milking machines and comes in different sizes. You can buy it by the foot.

USING SUPERGLUE AND HOW TO MAKE QUICK REPAIRS

Arthur Morley ([email protected]):

Am I alone in finding cyanoacrylate glues (Superglue) temperamental? Sometimes "Those little accidents" mend superbly, other times the darn stuff won't stick, except of course to yours truly. What's best to repair the little bits that fall off a carving?

Ainslie L. Pyne ([email protected]):

I thought I was the only one with problems with cyanoacrylate glue. I think part of the problem could be associated with the type of wood it is used on. If you use too much glue it takes forever to mend. Try using a little less glue and hold the piece in place with something like a strip of tape. Short of that, you can hold it in place for a couple of minutes until the glue takes hold. If there is a chance this could cause your skin to become stuck to the piece, try using a little plastic film between your skin and the wood. You can then pull this away and sand off the residue. Easier than losing some skin!

Camille Courtright ([email protected]):

I put my vote in for Elmer's! I usually use it to fix a finger, ear, or nose. If you don't use too much and hold it tight for about 10 minutes it will stay in place. Then I usually just lay it down and 24 hours later it is ready to go. The joint is usually stronger than the surrounding wood.

Sheri ([email protected]):

I learned a cool trick this summer in a Bob Guge seminar. When preparing to glue a joint, broken or planned, apply wood glue like Elmer's to the surfaces, then add a drop of super glue and hold it together. The superglue fastens it quickly while the wood glue dries and holds it permanently.

Mike Wells ([email protected]):

I have another good idea for filling gaps in the wood. You take a scrap of the type of wood you are carving and sand it down with a piece of fine grit sandpaper. Then gather up the fine dust and mix up a concoction of dust and Elmer's wood glue. This makes a good gap filler and it takes on the color and basic texture of the wood that can be almost impossible to locate later.

FINISHES FOR WOODEN UTENSILS

Harry L Stewart ([email protected]):

I have a friend who is a federal meat inspector and another who is a cabinet maker. Both tell me that to finish a cutting board or other wooden utensil to just use plain mineral oil. First cleanse the item with a salt solution or a disinfectant soap. Then let it dry and then apply the mineral oil. I keep a bottle on hand to go over the cutting boards I use. I usually recoat them every few months. The mineral oil should be applied and left to dry over night. I find this works well. No odor or taste. Just remember to disinfect.

PRICING YOUR CARVINGS

Jo Craemer ([email protected]):

After all these years, it still is hard for me to price my work, but I'll give you some of the guidelines I've used for myself.

1. You have to be careful not to price your carvings too high at first. If you get lucky

and sell a few pieces at an inflated price, then discover that you can't maintain that

price, you are going to have some very unhappy "prior customers". You'll lose your

credibility.

2. You deserve to get a fair price for your work. Charge the same price that others of

you ability are charging. You won't create any enemies or embarrass yourself. If

you've priced your work a little low, and your work is selling well, then tell all your

previous customers that they got a great deal. You can always raise your price later.

3. Putting a price on your work is a psychological art in itself. There are so many

factors to consider. Is your work GOOD? If you are the newest Michaelangelo on the

block, then don't be afraid to charge accordingly. You'll never sell anything the

purchaser despises. But when you're charging a large amount for "art", some

customers will want a "validation" for their purchase. Validation means reassurance

that they are making a good purchase. Sometimes, high price will reassure a potential

buyer. Some seem to think, "If it costs THAT much then it MUST be good."

Sometimes a professional presentation, such as a nice brochure with your biography

and credentials, is reassuring. If you've taught a class, judged a show, written some

articles, won some ribbons, or whatever...have that information discretely available to

the buyer.

TRANSFERRING CHIP CARVING DESIGNS

Dale R Lombardo ([email protected]):

I'd like to survey you chip carvers on the listserver about LAYOUT. I've been laying out my designs directly on the wood. I don't like leaving the compass needle marks around my rosettes. I have not tried transfer paper and tracing over a paper layout. Will that technique work well for geometric designs?

D. Rowe ([email protected]):

If you prepare the design on blank paper then make a photocopy of the design, you can then transfer the photocopy onto the wood with an iron. This works because the photocopy ink has a low melting point and so will melt from the paper to the wood.

Remember you get a mirror image so this may cause a problem in some cases. This transfer method also works with laser printer images.

Todd Moor ([email protected]):

Use graphite paper to transfer rather than carbon paper. It's cleaner and more accurate, and best of all comes off very easily with isopropyl rubbing alcohol! Just dip a q_tip into the stuff and rub it on your drawing marks. They just lift right off. The wood gets a little wet but that dries off very quickly. It's never given me any problems when I've gone to finishing.

DUST CONTROL

Jo Craemer ([email protected]):

Collection of sawdust is both a health issue and one of keeping the house clean. The fast rotary handpieces create dust that consists of much smaller particles than most shop tools. Very fine dust, when inhaled, goes right down into the deepest part of the lungs, unlike coarse sawdust which is collected by sticky mucus in the upper airway. No inhaled dust is good for you, but some species of wood are more toxic than others, and may also contain fungus, bacteria and mold spores. Some, likeTupelo, are highly allergenic. As if the health issues weren't enough, fine sawdust also has a way of getting on and into everything in the carving area.

So what do you do? I've found three ways to handle airborne sawdust in a home carving environment:

1. DUST MASKS: Even the cheapest mask is better than nothing. I find any mask to be annoying and uncomfortable for wearing hours at a time. They beat death by sawdust inhalation, but not by much.

2. TABLETOP DUST COLLECTORS: These usually consist of a box, a filter and a fan. You work in front of the air intake area, and the dust gets sucked into the box and is collected by the filter.

(a) Commercial versions are available from most of the catalogs that cater to woodcarvers. They are usually expensive. Any woodworker will take one look, and say "I can make one of those."

(b) A CHEAP homemade version can be made by taking a cardboard box and placing one of those blue furnace filters into it. Cut an "intake" hole in the front of the box. Place a fan in the back of the box, behind the filter, and aim the airflow through a hole in the back of the box. I've found that these collectors are effective, but bulky.

You must also do your carving (grinding) close to the intake area where airflow is fast. This doesn't allow very many comfortable ways to sit and carve.

3. IN_LAP DUST COLLECTOR: (This is the method I use now) I bought a commercially built unit after seeing one demonstrated at the Wildfowl Carving World Championships in Ocean City, Maryland. The unit consists of a dust collection bag, a fan, a length of 5_inch or 6_inch flexible tubing, and an attached "lap board". The lap board has a hole in the middle, covered by a very coarse screen (so your dropped tools won't get sucked into the fan). The lap board can also be clamped to a workbench.

If you can get your hands on a good squirrel cage fan, like a new or used furnace blower motor, there is no reason you can't make your own for a fraction of the cost.

FOR SALE

CRAFTSMAN 15" DRILL PRESS, BLACK & DECKER BELT SANDER,

CRAFTSMAN 3 1/2 HP AIR COMPRESSOR, WOODMASTER DUST

COLLECTION SYSTEM, AMT 12" LATHE, FREUD BISCUIT JOINTER,

AMT 12" TABLESAW, WOODMASTER 18" PLANER, BLACK & DECKER

MITER SAW, ROUTER TABLE WITH ROUTER, RELIANT 14" BAND SAW, DELTA 6" JOINTER, SPRAY GUNS, CIRCULAR SAW BLADES, PIPE CLAMPS, BAR CLAMPS, AND DRILL PRESS MORTISING ATTACHMENT.

ALL STATIONARY EQUIPMENT IS SET_UP AND READY TO TEST RUN. ANYONE INTERESTED IN THIS EQUIPMENT CAN CONTACT HENRY AT 393_3191 FOR DETAILS AND/OR AN APPOINTMENT. A MORE DETAILED LIST INCLUDING PRICES WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE APRIL MEETING.

HENRY ALSO HAS MANY OTHER WOODWORKING AND SHOP RELATED ITEMS WHICH HE PLANS TO SELL AT A "YARD SALE" ON SATURDAY, APRIL 19.

HENRY AND JUDY WOULD LIKE TO INVITE ALL MEMBERS OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY WOODWORKERS TO A SPECIAL MEMBERS AND FRIENDS ONLY "PRE_SALE" SALE ON FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL 18, STARTING AT 6:00 PM. REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED INCLUDING JUDY'S FAMOUS "STORE BOUGHT" COOKIES.

DIRECTIONS: FROM TULLAHOMA TAKE HWY. 130 (OLD WINCHESTER HWY.) APPROX. 4 MILES, TURN LEFT ON BLUE CREEK ROAD (RIGHT IF COMING FROM WINCHESTER) AT NORTH LAKE CLINIC, S&J MARKET IS ACROSS THE ROAD. FROM BLUE CREEK ROAD TURN LEFT ON DELIGHT LANE, (APPROX. 1/2 MILE). THIS WILL BE THE FIRST STREET ON LEFT. DAVIS HOUSE IS LAST HOUSE ON LEFT.

AND BRING A FRIEND!