Showing posts with label update. Show all posts
Showing posts with label update. Show all posts
Friday, February 21, 2014
Poplar Bowl and Art Project Update
Hi Everyone,
I decided to go down to the shop for a couple of hours this morning to continue work on the poplar bowl and begin completing one of the art show pieces. Off to work we go:
Poplar bowl
Youll remember from last time that the surface of the bowl needed more work. Looking at it after the first coat of varnish dried showed that the surface was scratched from sanding and the end grain areas had a lot of pitting and crushed grain fibers. This needed to be corrected before proceeding with the rest of the varnish application so I took it down to the shop and put it back on the lathe.
I began sanding the inside with 120 grit sandpaper and 900 rpm. While the bowl is spinning I drag the sandpaper across the surface of the walls of the bowl very slowly and from the inside of the bowl to the edge of the bowl wall. I dont press hard on the sandpaper either, instead I just let the weight of my hand press down on the paper. The point here is to very gently shave the surface of the wood to remove any crushed grain and reduce the pitting on the surface. I went from 120 - 600 grit paper and this produced a smooth, shiny surface that was ready for another application of varnish:
Here is the bowl after its been sanded:
And while I was doing this I gave the coffee wood bowl another coat of salad bowl varnish too:
Both bowls will require another 1-2 coats of varnish before theyre done so stay tuned for more photos. The poplar bowl will be re-mounted on the lathe after Im done varnishing it so I can clean up the underside of the foot. So it has a little more time in the shop before its done.
Apple wood box
After looking at the apple wood box, I decided not to turn it any more but to instead sand it and get it ready for finishing and thats what I did. Here is a photo of the lid on the lathe:
The lid needed finish sanding and the finial needed a little more turning so as not to look stubby. I also wanted to shave the surface of the finial more so I wouldnt have to do so much sanding. I took my skew chisel, sharpened it really well and very gently cut the surface of the finial until it was smooth and a little narrower. I also sanded it with 400 grit sandpaper and got it very smooth:
The box portion presents a different challenge as the surface is comprised of both solid wood and tree bark. I didnt want to accidently knock off any of the bark so I placed the box on the lathe and locked the lathe in place and hand sanded it. I used 120-400 grit paper on this and I got it really smooth without damaging it:
Its now ready for a finish to be applied. For this Im going to use a spray lacquer so as to get the finish applied evening to the surface and into all of the nooks and crannies on the bark areas:
Heres the lid after one coat of lacquer:
And here is the box. Ill continue to use spray lacquer for several coats and then Ill take it off the lathe and gently polish the surface by hand:
While the above pieces are making their way through the finishing process, Ill continue working on the art pieces. The next project will be working on the black ash tea box. More about that tomorrow.
VW
Read More..
I decided to go down to the shop for a couple of hours this morning to continue work on the poplar bowl and begin completing one of the art show pieces. Off to work we go:
Poplar bowl
Youll remember from last time that the surface of the bowl needed more work. Looking at it after the first coat of varnish dried showed that the surface was scratched from sanding and the end grain areas had a lot of pitting and crushed grain fibers. This needed to be corrected before proceeding with the rest of the varnish application so I took it down to the shop and put it back on the lathe.
I began sanding the inside with 120 grit sandpaper and 900 rpm. While the bowl is spinning I drag the sandpaper across the surface of the walls of the bowl very slowly and from the inside of the bowl to the edge of the bowl wall. I dont press hard on the sandpaper either, instead I just let the weight of my hand press down on the paper. The point here is to very gently shave the surface of the wood to remove any crushed grain and reduce the pitting on the surface. I went from 120 - 600 grit paper and this produced a smooth, shiny surface that was ready for another application of varnish:
Here is the bowl after its been sanded:
And here is the bowl after a coat of varnish. Its hard to see but the surface looks much better:
And while I was doing this I gave the coffee wood bowl another coat of salad bowl varnish too:
Both bowls will require another 1-2 coats of varnish before theyre done so stay tuned for more photos. The poplar bowl will be re-mounted on the lathe after Im done varnishing it so I can clean up the underside of the foot. So it has a little more time in the shop before its done.
Apple wood box
After looking at the apple wood box, I decided not to turn it any more but to instead sand it and get it ready for finishing and thats what I did. Here is a photo of the lid on the lathe:
The box portion presents a different challenge as the surface is comprised of both solid wood and tree bark. I didnt want to accidently knock off any of the bark so I placed the box on the lathe and locked the lathe in place and hand sanded it. I used 120-400 grit paper on this and I got it really smooth without damaging it:
Its now ready for a finish to be applied. For this Im going to use a spray lacquer so as to get the finish applied evening to the surface and into all of the nooks and crannies on the bark areas:
Heres the lid after one coat of lacquer:
And here is the box. Ill continue to use spray lacquer for several coats and then Ill take it off the lathe and gently polish the surface by hand:
While the above pieces are making their way through the finishing process, Ill continue working on the art pieces. The next project will be working on the black ash tea box. More about that tomorrow.
VW
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Update Christmas decor and Door project
This week Ive been working on some diy Christmas decor.
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Ill show you how Im using them next week, but you can probably guess that at least some of it will be going on the tree!
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We also worked on the door project. Still very ugly, but I am hopeful!
Ill be back Monday with an update!
It is supposed to be rainy for the next few days, so looks like it might be an inside projects kinda weekend.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Friday, January 24, 2014
An Early Update Regarding The Saw That Never Was
When I posted the previous article entitled, "The Saw That Never Was" last night, I notified Mr. Edwards it was there and asked for his approval on its content (God, can you image the poor guy having to slug through all the additional nonsense in that post just to get to what he said?)
This morning, I received a reply from him which stated the following:
The "scies a moulures, pour scier sur les boltes a recaler" is directly translated as "saw for moulding, for sawing on the mitre jack" There is no direct word for word translation of the tool name, as it is specific to the trade of menusierie.
Of course, for me, this brought up the question of what a "menusierie" is, so it was back to Google Translate again, only to get a translation for "menusierie" as "Menusierie".
Always one to push my luck, I sent off a quick email Mr. Edwards to see if he would offer up a translation.
I didnt get what I was looking for, but I did get something better. What Mr. Edwards said was, basically, to explain what a Menusierie is, he would have to explain to me 300 years of French history. Even though his reply stated that he was "not being rude or short", my first reaction to it was, "Yes you are". Taking a few moments to investigate the translation further, though, and I quickly discovered that he is absolutely correct and truly wasnt being rude or short, but instead, actually being a good teacher.
One translation for "Menusierie" is "Carpenter", but that didnt end up making much sense to me because doing more research into the word resulted in information on plumbers, mill wrights and aluminum fabrication, just to name a few.
At this point, I still cant give an accurate translation for the word "Menusierie", but researching it has opened my eyes to the fact that in France, craftsmen are treated far differently than they are in the Anglo world. Categorization and recognition for the different crafts have been something the French government started to nurture and develop over three hundred years ago and still deals with today.
As it turns out, one little French saw has given me a great deal of joy and knowledge, and the reality is, I havent even cut through a piece of wood with it yet. But it has also taught me my limitations. Im the guy who has trouble ordering an omelet in a French restaurant. At my age, taking on the task of understanding the history of French woodworking is beyond my capabilities. Hell, I have enough trouble trying to figure out the Stanley plane timeline from the last century and a half.
As it stands, this is my very first purchase of a vintage French tool. It will be, Im sad to say, also my very last.
My thanks to Mr. Edwards and Mr. Shepherd for making this such an enjoyable experience for me.
Peace,
Mitchell
Read More..
This morning, I received a reply from him which stated the following:
The "scies a moulures, pour scier sur les boltes a recaler" is directly translated as "saw for moulding, for sawing on the mitre jack" There is no direct word for word translation of the tool name, as it is specific to the trade of menusierie.
Of course, for me, this brought up the question of what a "menusierie" is, so it was back to Google Translate again, only to get a translation for "menusierie" as "Menusierie".
Always one to push my luck, I sent off a quick email Mr. Edwards to see if he would offer up a translation.
I didnt get what I was looking for, but I did get something better. What Mr. Edwards said was, basically, to explain what a Menusierie is, he would have to explain to me 300 years of French history. Even though his reply stated that he was "not being rude or short", my first reaction to it was, "Yes you are". Taking a few moments to investigate the translation further, though, and I quickly discovered that he is absolutely correct and truly wasnt being rude or short, but instead, actually being a good teacher.
One translation for "Menusierie" is "Carpenter", but that didnt end up making much sense to me because doing more research into the word resulted in information on plumbers, mill wrights and aluminum fabrication, just to name a few.
At this point, I still cant give an accurate translation for the word "Menusierie", but researching it has opened my eyes to the fact that in France, craftsmen are treated far differently than they are in the Anglo world. Categorization and recognition for the different crafts have been something the French government started to nurture and develop over three hundred years ago and still deals with today.
As it turns out, one little French saw has given me a great deal of joy and knowledge, and the reality is, I havent even cut through a piece of wood with it yet. But it has also taught me my limitations. Im the guy who has trouble ordering an omelet in a French restaurant. At my age, taking on the task of understanding the history of French woodworking is beyond my capabilities. Hell, I have enough trouble trying to figure out the Stanley plane timeline from the last century and a half.
As it stands, this is my very first purchase of a vintage French tool. It will be, Im sad to say, also my very last.
My thanks to Mr. Edwards and Mr. Shepherd for making this such an enjoyable experience for me.
Peace,
Mitchell
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