Chain Saw Bars - How to Tell When Yours Needs to Be Replaced
Woodturners tend to bend and reach into awkward Ted’s woodworking Review poses and place strain in places where it should not be put. However, we can do a lot to keep fit and continue turning in safety and enjoyment for years to come.Darrell Feltmate is a juried wood turner whose web site, Around the Woods, contains detailed information about wood turning for the novice or experienced turner as well as a collection of turnings for your viewing pleasure. You too can learn to turn wood, here is the place to start. Wondering what it looks like There are many free videos on the site dealing with everything from sharpening to making a bowl.
One of the changes in woodturning over the past few decades has been the increase in artistic turning, particularly in faceplate turning such as bowls and vases. This has occasioned the use of woods such as burls, spalted wood and cracked or otherwise injured wood. Many of these require extra caution on the lathe.Many burls contain bark inclusions, extra knots and wild grain. There may be hidden splits and areas of half rotten wood. All of this means that the burl may give beautiful patterns that are found in no other kinds of woods, but also may deteriorate on the lathe. By its very nature, a burl tends to be unbalanced because the of the varying nature of the wood within it. Thus it will set up vibrations as it rotates on the lathe much as does an unbalanced tire on a car.
Prior to mounting on the lathe, burls should be checked for loose wood and bark. Any loose material should be pried off or glued down with cyanoacrylate glue. Burls should be started on a lathe at the lowest speed and turned until some semblance of balance is reached. Before turning on the lathe for the first time and at each subsequently higher speed, the woodturner should be standing out of the line of fire. Although the loose wood should have been secured, surprises happen especially under the vibration of unbalanced wood.
Spalted woods and cracked pieces as well as those of beautiful but wild grain such as crotch wood, may require special care when mounting. Be sure that screws are strong and well seated. Self tapping sheet metal screws have extra deep threads for a good hold. If using a four jaw chuck, not only should the chuck be well faced to a flat surface but special care is needed to ensure that the recess into which the jaws fit or the tenon that they grab is made of solid wood.
Comments
Post a Comment