Workshop Update – a bit of turning and buying
Helped out at a working bee / wood clearout at Shire Woodworking club during the week and was able to restrict myself to only bring a small amount home. The PNG Rosewood block has some major cracks so will need to be cut into pieces for turning. The narrow pieces are oak and I am intending to use these in a chopping board (I have not made one yet). can’t remember what the branch is but apparently good for turning although has a serious crack so will have to see. The half round piece needs tidying up and will make a good clock; not sure if I should use a full insert or just the hands.
Finally utilised a ruined stabilised burl pen blank into a key ring. I had to insert a dowel and then drill a 7mm hole for the insert, as you can see in the photo I wasn’t exactly in the middle but was close enough.
Posted a question on Facebook group ‘Pen Tuners Help and More’ about the best turning speed and was advised that 3500 rpm is a good speed plus you need to use sharp tools and take small increments off; I had been turning at 1500. After adjusting the speed I went too aggressive on the key ring again and the result is an even shorter piece! I have now learned my lesson hopefully
Visited the Sydney Working with Wood show last month and managed to keep my spending down and only bought the items shown; the burl offcuts only cost $1-2 each. The show was very disappointing again so I didn’t even need a long lunch break.
Interestingly the multi saw was available from a stand where only selling this but I bought the same thing from Carbitool for 25% of the price. Good for cutting the brass tubes for the key ring as discussed above.
Have been using the hand sander plugged into my dust extractor and quite impressed with the result. The sandpaper was quite expensive but supposed to last a lot longer; definitely not clogging up so far.
Details from their website:
Abranet mesh sanding discs from Mirka combine excellent dust-collection, a uniform surface finish and a far longer lifespan than traditional abrasives. Thousands of tiny holes in the mesh material result in superior airflow that dramatically reduces dust when used with a shop vacuum. Unlike traditional discs, there is no need to match up hole patterns. Due to their better ventilation, Abranet discs also run far cooler, resulting in less clogging and a longer life. Abranet discs are used for wood, metal, composite materials and for sanding finishes. They perform beautifully for topcoat sanding, with virtually zero pilling or corning.
Features:
- Hook-and-loop design for easy grit changes
- Aluminum oxide grain is durable and long lasting
- Rugged resin over resin bonding
- Thousands of small holes for dust free sanding and compatibility with any hole pattern
- Excels at sanding putty, primers, lacquers, composite materials and much more
- The polyamide fabric on the back of these discs cuts the hooks of the sanding pad unlike ordinary sanding discs