Grizzly T10010 Wet Grinder Review Follow Up

Posted by cabute at 11:27 AM Labels:
A while back, I posted an initial review of the Grizzly T10010 Wet Grinder; you can read the review here. Well, after having used the machine for a while, I thought I would post a follow up and give some more thoughts. First, I still love this machine for sharpening and honing; it is SUPER fast and easy. Second, you will need some "3rd party" accessories. Ive read that the best, most economical setup for this machine, as compared to a Tormek, is to buy this machine, but use the Tormek accessories since they will fit. I have to say that I TOTALLY agree! Out of the box, I was fighting the Grizzly straight edge jig that comes with the tool; its just not very good. So, the first thing I bought was the Tormek Square Edge Jig from Highland Hardware. That was a huge impovement, but I still wasnt getting a completely square edge and had the feeling that my wheel was not completely trued up. So, my next purchase, from Highland Hardware, was Tormek Truing and Dressing Kit. This was perfect! I found that my wheel was about a 32nd of an inch off from end to end, but also was not perfectly round. So, after a couple of passes with the truing tool, and I had a nice level, perfectly round, surface. I then went to town on my hand plane blades and got them nice and flat for a change; so much better.
So, bottom line is, if you dont want to fork out the money for the Tormek system, can recommend the Grizzly T10010 Wet Grinder, but I would save some money to also buy the Tormek accessories; it makes a big difference!
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0 comments Saturday, April 2, 2016

Excellent Chair Maker and friend of the MWA +Charles Brock has opened his new school.

Posted by cabute at 5:43 AM Labels:
Excellent Chair Maker and friend of the MWA +Charles Brock has opened his new school.
The man. The hat. The chair.
Brock recently moved from Georgia to Spring Hill, Tennessee to take up woodworking opportunities in the greater Nashville area and be closer to his Daughter & Grand Daughter. Along with a new abode he has opened a new school facility. Hes now booking sculpted rocker classes in October and January.
Charles is a former full time educator. His vast teaching experience shines when he teaches woodworking. Though Ive not yet taken a formal class with him, I know this from attended some of his lectures and I having had the pleasure of speaking with him on Episode 28 of the Modern Woodworkers Association Podcast.
The man and his chair.
If youre near Spring Hill, or have some vacation time to use for a class, be sure to check out Charles new school. Ill be jealous of the chair you make.
Dont forget about the +Modern Woodworkers Association Podcast. We talk woodworking with Guests from around the world of woodworking every other week. Subscribe to the RSS feed or iTunes today.
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Pole turning

Posted by cabute at 4:14 AM Labels:
Hi Everyone,
Here is a blog devoted to pole turning. I think the author lives in Bucklebury, in the UK, the same place Kate Middleton comes from.
Go to:
http://www.stuartking.co.uk/index.php/the-bucklebury-bowl-turners/
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Gregs Top

Posted by cabute at 6:47 PM Labels:

My friend Greg up in Fairbanks gave me this awesome top. This thing really spins forever. Well, it does if my son doesnt grab it - he just cant resist stopping it.
You can read more about it over on Gregs blog. While youre there, check out his gorgeous guitars and ukes.
Thanks Greg!

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0 comments Friday, April 1, 2016

Two Gauges

Posted by cabute at 5:39 PM Labels:

There is a rule in woodworking that is universally held to be true:
1. You can never have too many clamps.Ive apparently discovered another rule:
2. You can never have too many marking gauges.Yes I know they are adjustable, and in theory one gauge can handle all my marking needs. And yes, if I were putting together a "Desert Island" list, I wouldnt put multiple gauges on it (well maybe one pin and one cutting...)but it seems like every time I set a gauge for the next dimension I end up needing to reset it to make one more mark. Its just a lot easier to have several gauges, each set to mark a different measurement. Besides, you can find them on the cheaper side. Thus my kit now contains a surprising number of marking gauges.
Lately, I added two more. They each needed a little work to be usable - heres the rundown.
The first gauge (or gage in the older spelling) is a Stanley #77 that I picked up on the Bay. Its a mortising gauge with a two-pin adjustable side and a single pin on the opposite side. I already had one (see rule #2 above) that I like so even though this one was a little rough and missing a small part I bought it. Its the closer gauge in the photo below.
As you can see in the photo, it was missing the brass guard inside the fence that protects the arm from the thumbscrew. It still worked that choice, but the rosewood arm bears the scars of years of being crunched under the screw. The fence is stamped "Hanover Schools", so we dont have to guess how that guard went wandering off...
I didnt have any brass plate to use, but a short run out to the Blue Borg netted me some solid brass I could adapt, with plenty left over for future projects.
A hacksaw, hammer, vise, and various files made short work of crafting the new guard.
Heres the new guard and the one from my other #77 for comparison:
And a shot of the finished guard in place in the rehabbed gauge. Besides sharpening the pins with an auger file (safety edges protect the arm from being scored), all I did to the rest of the gauge was give it a light going over with mineral oil and a 3M gray pad. My goal was just to get it cleaned up and back in working order, so I didnt go for the polished brass look.
The second gauge was found in a junk bin in an Oregon store last spring. Its a bit of a mystery, as it has no makers mark or identifying marks. It has two patent dates, one for the sliding arms and one for the brass plate on the fence (for curved surfaces) but I havent been able to run those down on Google Patent yet. Im pretty sure that it is a Stanley #72 - the beechwood of the #71, but of course, I could be wrong...
It has a two part arm (the arms slide on a tongue and groove joint) with independent thumb screws. Each arm has one pin.
This one just got the pin sharpening and oil treatment. Oh, and a little beeswax/oil on the T&G to help in slide smoothly.
A pleasant couple of hours in the shop and two more gauges join the stable.
Hmm. For some reason Im reminded of a Python sketch - Mr. Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson.
Mr. Dan "Nine Gauges" Klauder...

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Part 2 Hand carving a spoon

Posted by cabute at 2:59 AM Labels:
Hi Everyone,
Ok, Im back.
I love to carve wood and I began carving as a child. But as Ive grown older, Ive developed some arthritis in my hands and hand carving has become just too painful to do anymore. I really miss carving and Ive been searching for a way to carve without too much pain.
I received a request for a set of hand carved spoons last summer and I attempted to make the spoons using a whittling knife and a set of hook knives. It didnt work out and my hands hurt for months afterwards.
Fast forward to last week: I was looking at a catalogue that I get ever once in a while that consists of hand carving tools and in the catalogue was a selection of draw knives. These are knife blades, typically 5 - 11 inches in length with a handle on both ends instead of on only one end of the blade and I decided that carving with both hands at the same time might be the way to carve something:
 So I went and purchased a 5 inch carving knife this morning and a block of basswood and after the bowl turning this morning I roughed out a spoon blank on the bandsaw and sat down and proceeded to carve away:
Here is a photo of how a drawknife is used. These types of carving knives are used to shape the exterior of an object:
Here is the blank after about 1 hour of carving:
This is the block about an hour later:
And of course there are always shavings to deal with:
Well, my hands arent hurting at all. Very good.
Now tomorrow, we have the big problem to deal with: hollowing out the bowl of the spoon. That will have to be done with a hook knife, which is a knife with a single handle and thats going to be more difficult.
As its a holiday weekend in the US, Ill just be taking it easy this weekend but I probably will be working on the spoon and if I do, Ill post more photos.
Lets all take some time off this weekend and remember all the people who have served our country.
VW
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A Post About My Posts

Posted by cabute at 2:53 AM Labels:
I love Google+. I find its a great social network for sharing photos, videos and for conversation. Their Circles method of sharing and Communities function both let me focus on who I want to share with without spamming my other friends.
Standard Blogger Comments or Google+ Comments?
Hows a guy to decide?
Because Im heavily invested in other Google properties (Gmail, Drive, Blogger, Picassa, etc.), I find the Google+ integration across Google platforms particularly helpful. When Google announced Google+ Comments for Blogger, I was excited.
Google+ Comments lets you bring the following conversations together in one place, right under your blog post:
  • Comments made on your Blogger blog post
  • Comments on the blog post that you’ve shared to Google+
  • Shared content on Google+ that links to your blog post
This seemed great. During the week or so I used Google+ comments, I saw the same lively discussion as Google+ right in the comments of each post. Then tonight I read the full About Google+ Comments page.
Readers will need a Google+ page or profile to comment on your blog. 
This line made me pause. While I think Google+ is fantastic, I know not everyone agrees.
So here is my question: Should I use standard comments or Google+ comments? Is universal  availability to comment more important than great conversation in the comments? Would I be discouraging comments by requiring a Google+ profile of the commentators?
As you are the commentors, Im hoping youll weigh in. Please answer the following survey. Ill review it and then decide if I should turn Google+ Comments back on. If youd like to comment, please do.
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