CT Valley School of Woodworking

Bob Vandyke demonstrating a blemish repair technique to the class.

If you live within driving distance of Manchester, CT I recommend you try a class at the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking. This school attracts people from northern New York State to southern New Jersey  and Pennsylvania. Over the years I have attended  several classes there and have always come away with a good knowledge base on the subject of the class and a basic skill set to accomplish the task.

At the end of this month there is a class on beginning hand planes. This class is taught by Bob Vandyke, the founder and director of CVSW. It covers the finding, re-habbing and sharpening of a flea market or ebay find for use in your shop. There may still be an opening. I have sat in on this class several times and it is very thorough and comprehensive. If you are new to hand planes this is a great course.

This school has a large, well-lit, modern shop equipped with the latest tools and machines. And it attracts world-class instructors. In the coming months there will be classes by Chris Schwarz, Glen Huey, Phil Lowe, and Will Neptune just to name a few.

A view of the CVSW shop.

The class sizes are limited so there is plenty of bench space and instructor time for everyone. If you have never been to a woodworking school I highly recommend you try one. It is a lot of fun. You get to hang around with fellow woodworkers while learning some new techniques and skills from some of the best teachers in the industry.

The magazines and TV shows are a good place to learn woodworking, but they never tell you everything, there just isn’t enough space or time. That is not the case at a woodworking school. There, the instructors take the time to tell you everything you need to know and are there to answer any questions and give you one on one instruction when needed.

For more information on the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking check here.

I have no connection with this school.

As always thank you for stopping by and please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question.

 

Flea Market Sunday

A good view of the market.

I will be setting up here on Sunday 5/5.13. If any of you are in the neighborhood stop in and say hello. I might even bring some antique tools for sale.

 

 

A Shop Necessity

My first dial calipers. Purchased in 1969

The 0 – 6” caliper pictured above is, in my opinion, a tool that belongs in every shop. The one pictured above is the first one I ever owned. It was purchased in 1969 for the princely sum of $35 when I was a toolmakers apprentice earning $90 per week. This type of caliper is still available today. Also available are the modern digital versions and they are also available in a version that reads out in fractions of an inch. To me the fractional versions are a paradox. This measuring tool is capable of accurate measurements to 0.0005”. So why would you want to waste this accuracy reading out in fractions? I wrote an article clearly stating my opinion of fractions in furniture making so I won’t go into it again here, but for those who may be interested the article was posted on 2011/02/24 so you can look it up if you like.

I own several of these useful tools and there is always one on my bench or within easy reach. It is a very versatile tool. It can measure inside, outside, and inside and outside diameters as well as depths, using the depth bar that come out the back of the tool. In my shop it is used to measure tenons, the thickness of stock, the diameter of screws and drills, the actual width of a chisel to be used for a mortise, and many other things.

So if your tool chest doesn’t have one of these indispensable tools I suggest you purchase one soon. It is one of those tools that will make you wonder how you ever got along without it. And you can buy a good quality 0 – 6” caliper today for less than what I paid for the one pictured 44 years ago.

As always thank you for stopping by and please feel free to leave a comment.

 

New Shop Addition Part 2

The new bandsaw.

The blade I ordered for the new shop addition finally arrived. Great! The saw was assembled just waiting for the blade, in a few minutes it would be cutting profiles in cherry, or so I thought. At this point I had no idea of the great challenge that lay ahead. Although, when the saw came out of the box with the factory supplied blade installed, tensioned, and tracking in the center of the wheels that should have been a clue that the road ahead might be rocky. I have never seen a bandsaw shipped like that. The factory supplied blade is usually packaged for the customer to install and adjust. I now know that the factory installs and adjusts the blade because it is a trying and complicated process.

The lower wheel adjuster.

Before getting to the guide adjustments the blade must be tensioned and tracking properly in the center of the wheels. Most bandsaws have only two adjustments. A tension adjustment, and a tracking adjustment on the upper wheel. This saw has a third tracking adjustment on the lower wheel. This can be seen in the above picture. This lower adjustment allows the lower wheel to be adjusted in two planes, up down, and side to side.

The first step is to remove the factory installed blade. Since the table is slotted towards the front the fence guide rail must be removed so the blade can pass through the slot. That explains why the guide rail was attached with wing nuts. I don’t particularly care for this setup, but I noticed that all of the Rikon bandsaws are made this way, unlike the usual slot coming out the side of the table as seen on most saws. However, this was not a big problem. With the original blade removed I installed the new blade and re-installed the fence guide rail.

It was time to adjust the tension. I did. Then adjust the tracking. I did this, while rotating the wheels by hand. When done I noticed that the blade was not in the exact center of the lower wheel. This slight tracking error is not a problem. My 14” Delta has been like this since it was new. It is most important to have the blade tracking dead center on the top wheel. Bandsaw wheel tires are usually crowned and when the blade does not track in the exact center of the upper wheel you get the condition commonly referred to as “blade drift”. You are often instructed to set your fence to the “drift angle” to compensate for this. In my experience if the blade is tracking in the center of the upper wheel, and the blade is sharp, this problem does not occur. With these adjustments made I closed the doors and started the saw. BANG! The blade popped off the backside of the wheels as soon as the saw was started. This was the beginning of several very frustrating hours spread over several days because of other time demands.

What I learned was that all three adjustments are inter-related. Thus when adjusting one you are changing the others, though to a much lesser degree. Also learned was that the blade did not track the same under power as it did when rotating the wheels by hand. Most of this frustrating time was spent learning this. Once learned the adjustment process went relatively quick.

The dark area at the right end of the slot is where material had to be taken out to facilitate proper adjustment.

With the blade installed and adjusted it was now time to move on to adjusting the guides. I chose to adjust the lower guides first because they appeared to be the most difficult. To make this process easier it is best to remove the table. So off comes the fence guide rail again. The table is held to the trunion with four bolts and it is a quick and easy job to remove these. With the table off adjusting the lower guides is a snap. Simply follow the instructions and you will be OK. Don’t let the side guide bearings come in contact with the blade. I set them about 0.003” away using a piece of paper as a feeler gage. Done. Next I set the rear guide bearing, or should I say tried to. There wasn’t enough movement in the bearing carrier to allow the bearing to touch the back of the saw blade. The rear bearing and carrier assembly was removed from the saw and the adjustment slot was ground about 3/32” farther forward. (see above pic) This unit was re-installed on the saw and the adjustment set. And the table and fence guide rail were re-installed. Next the upper guides were adjusted per the instructions and all went smoothly here, even the rear bearing adjuster worked as it was supposed to.

Dust collection port hooked up to my shop vac.

A flawless cut in 1 1/16″ cherry.

Next the saw was turned on and a fine India stone was used to dress the back and rear corners of the new blade. This helps when making tight radius cuts. The dust collection was hooked up to my shop vac with an appropriate adapter, as can be seen in the upper picture above. A test cut in 1” cherry was made as can be seen in the lower picture above. The cut was as expected and the saw performed flawlessly. The machine runs very smoothly with no noticeable vibrations and sounds good with a solid hum. It is definitely not a toy. Finally a lot of ten totes were cut from their blanks and the 3/16” 4 TPI blade performed flawlessly. I couldn’t be more pleased. This machine will do what I purchased it for and save time.

You might wonder why I didn’t return the saw? After all, the problems I encountered certainly shouldn’t have been. My reasons for not returning the saw were simple. First I needed the saw. It was a web purchase and it would have taken weeks to get it replaced and I doubt the next one would have been any different.. Second I got a very good deal on it. At more than 40% less than the high priced version I was willing to spend some time and frustration on the machine.

I can’t say that the high priced versions of this saw are exactly like the one I bought even though, after close examination, the only visible differences are the colors. The more expensive machines may have better bearings and closer manufacturing tolerances, but I wouldn’t spend the money on one to find out. So, I can recommend this machine with the understanding that you may have to put in some extra time and frustration to make this saw work as it should. But, with patience and care you will end up with a very solid machine. One that is far superior to the little toys that I found in the big box stores.

As always, thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment.

 

 

 

 

 

New Shop Addition

The new bandsaw.

This bandsaw is the latest addition to my shop. It is a Craftsman 10″ model. This saw is made in China and sold under many different brand names with prices ranging from $169 to $289. I looked at the high-priced saw and could find no difference between it and the lower priced versions. It appears to be a good quality tool. The frame and doors are steel and the table is cast iron. The blade guide system is of the ball bearing type using 3 bearings in the upper guide and 3 bearings in the lower guide. I’m waiting for delivery of the 3/16″ 4 TPI blade I need so I haven’t used the saw yet.

Lately I have been changing my 14″ bandsaw back and forth between re-sawing and profiling so I decided to buy a small bandsaw to be setup strictly for contouring and profiling. The time saved here will pay for this saw in short order.

After the saw is used for a while I will post a full review. For now I think this tool is well worth the money, though I don’t see the value in the high-priced version.

As always, thanks for stopping by and please feel free to leave a comment.

Easy Simple Finish

After sanding this is all you need for a good quality finish.

Many of you already know my feelings on polyurethane varnishes. For those of you who don’t look here. The General Finishes gel varnish pictured above is the main part of a simple finish that I use that will give your next project a high quality, professional look.

Does this sound like you? You spend countless hours in your shop fretting over the tiniest of details. Finally your latest masterpiece is done, you brush on several coats of big box store varnish and call it finished. It has been my observation that most woodworkers spend far too little time applying the finish to their projects. A good furniture make once told me that it takes one-third to one-half of the total time spent on a project to sand and finish it.

A good finish starts before you even begin to assemble your project. All parts should be finish sanded before assembly, and some need to be finish sanded before the joinery is cut. For example, if a shelf is to fit into a dado that shelf needs to be finish sanded before you cut the dado to fit it. If you sand the shelf after cutting the dado the joint will be loose. You can eliminate a lot of sanding by using a well tuned smoothing plane to prepare your surfaces, but that is a subject for another article.

Begin sanding with P120 paper and progress to P400. Don’t skip a grit. You can use a random orbit sander for this, but the last grit should be done with a cork padded block by hand. After assembly a light hand sanding with P400 is all that is needed. If you have compressed air blow the dust off of all surfaces inside and out. If you don’t have a compressor use a good vacuum to clean your project. Now cover your project with a clean cotton bed sheet or something similar and let the dust settle for at least an hour.

After allowing the dust to settle you can apply the first coat of varnish. As you can see from the picture I use General Finishes Gel Topcoat satin polyurethane. It is called wipe on and you certainly can apply this varnish by wiping it on with a rag if you like, but faster results can be obtained by using a foam brush. Brush on a thin coat and let it dry overnight. The first coat of any finish on sanded bare wood will always raise some grain and this needs to be sanded down. Use the finest grit that will leave a surface that is smooth to the touch. This is usually P320 or P400. Fold the paper over twice to give you a pad that is three thicknesses of paper and about 3″ by 5″ in size. By hand without a block lightly go over the entire piece being careful not to sand through the varnish. Feel the surface with your hand and go back over any areas that don’t feel smooth.

Wipe off all surfaces with a rag dampened with mineral spirits. And I said dampened not wet! Let the mineral spirits dry and apply a second coat and just like the first let it dry overnight and lightly sand with P400. Now apply the third and final coat and in the morning you should have a very good-looking finished project.

You can leave the finished piece as is and it will look great for many years. If you would like to rub out your finish give it at least a week to cure. For a quick rubout I use 4/0 steel wool lubricated with paste wax. Let the wax dry and buff. Then apply another coat of wax with a cloth and let this coat dry and buff to a beautiful satin sheen.

This finish will give you a finished piece of furniture you will be proud of.

As always thanks for stopping by and please feel free to leave a comment.

Millers Falls #2 Crank Knob Replacement

Prototype MF #2 eggbeater drill replacement crank knob.

For the past several months I have been working on a replacement knob for the Millers Falls #2 eggbeater drill crank handle. Today I finished the first prototype, pictured above. There are a few minor details to be worked out, but the project is almost ready for release to my customers.

Here you see the underside of the crank assembly showing the attachment method.

After working out the minor issues all that remains is to put the red varnish on the knob. The replacement knob will come with all the necessary mounting hardware. All the user need do is grind the peened head off of the original knob stud thus allowing removal of the original knob.

As always thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment.