This Week Starting a home woodworking business

#1: Starting a home woodworking business its good

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100 Small & Home Business Start-Up Tips For Entrepreneurs WinWeb

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to have to look in to when starting a woodworking business from home

Useful Starting a home woodworking business

Starting a home woodworking business ,
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Thompson Turning Tools Up for Review

Over the years of exploring wood turning forums, a name began appearing, Thompson Lathe Tools.  

You know how it goes, you see a reference of a new tool and think "Huh, wonder if its any good?"  After seeing this brand pop up more and more, I visited his website and took a look around.  I realized that Id been missing out.  Id read others rave about the extreme edge holding ability of these tools, but I didnt realize that a lot of the professionals that make a living by turning more and sharpening less were using these tools too.  Thats when I told myself that when I could, I was going to check out these tools for myself.

I still had a few questions before my decision to purchase was set.  

Such as: 
Do I have to have a CBN wheel for sharpening these tools? 
Which 3/8" spindle gouge with a fingernail grind is used for small finial work?
Whats the advantage of the U shaped or V shaped bowl gouge?
Ill be turning some large platters.  What scraper would you recommend for cleaning up the inside?

I called the company owner, Doug, on a Friday at a quarter to five and had to leave a message.  I figured he was doing the same thing I was and had called it an early day.  To my surprise he called back that evening around 6 and answered all of my questions and then some.  He said that sure, some people use CBN, but you dont have to.  Youll get a finer edge with a CBN wheel, but that the edge created by a 80 or 120 grit aluminum oxide wheel will serve you just fine.  Doug recommended his regular spindle gouge with a sharp fingernail grind for creating delicate finials.  He also recommended the V shaped bowl gouge for the large pieces I was planning to make.  The V shaped bowl gouge is a bit more stout than the U shaped and has proven to be an excellent choice.  I also have a fingernail grind on this tool and have enjoyed every minute of it.  We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the three larger sized scrapers that Doug offers for some time and decided on the 1 1/4" scraper. This size is large enough to reach a fair amount over the tool rest and flatten a big platter, but not so big that I cant use it for 5" plates or bowls.  

After mulling it over for a while, I purchased the 5/8 V shaped bowl gouge, the 3/8 spindle gouge, and the 1 1/4" scraper.  Upon the arrival of these tools, I was quickly impressed.  I feel that packaging says a lot about a person, and while this has nothing to do with edge holding ability, it does enforce the message that Thompson Lathe Tools sends.  These tools are of utmost quality and pride is reflected by each item being shipped in sturdy plastic tubes or sleeves.  Of all the tools Ive purchased, these are the most sturdy.  Even before placing these tools in handles, they just have more presence than any other gouge or scraper Ive handled.  The bowl gouge and spindle gouge both have a heavier cross section than my other gouges, which makes them incredibly sturdy and resistant to chatter.  I cant say enough about the 1 1/4" scraper though.  Wow, just wow.  Its made from 5/16" thick stock and doesnt even attempt to fuss when youre cleaning up the bottom of a big platter or bowl.  It should be noted that this isnt the heaviest scraper that Doug carries.  The two larger scrapers are made of 3/8" and 5/8" steel.  WHAT?!  

Doug Thompson sells his tools unhandled, which keeps costs down.  If youre a do it yourself kinda guy like I am, you can make your own handles and save some cash.  However, what if youre too excited about trying out your new toys?  Cough cough.  Sorry, tools.  You can purchase interchangeable handles from Doug as well.

So, I quickly made some metal handles to try out my new gouge.  The first victim that fell prey to this awesome 5/8" gouge was a piece of hickory that was 21" X 4".  I was absolutely amazed with the results.  I had to sharpen my gouge once after starting this piece and had never had so much fun burying myself with shavings.  I was floored with the edge holding ability of this tool and knew that the other tools were sure to be just as amazing.

About a month later, it was time to get started making ornaments.  I pulled out my new 3/8" spindle gouge and went to town making finials.  This tool has great control and quickly felt like an extension of my body to shape wood with ease.  Again, I was impressed with this tools ability to retain a sharp cutting edge.  Making small finials requires a lot of repeated cuts with the 1/8" tip of a fingernail ground spindle gouge.  I could complete numerous finials per sharpening before performance was even noticeably compromised.

Like most scrapers, these are equipped with a rectangular tang.  For this tool, I made a wooden handle and enlisted the tool for active duty.  Anyone who has used a scraper knows that the heart and soul of a scrapers viability is the burr that creates the cutting edge.  With my standard M2 HSS scraper, I was constantly going back and forth to the grinder or burnishing the edge to bring the burr back to life.  Ill never go back!  You cant make me use an M2 scraper.  Maybe Im over reacting, but geez, this thing just keeps going.  Now, youre not going to see that same time interval as you would with a gouge, but its a scraper, people, and the Thompson scrapers are the ones you want next to your lathe.

Thompson Lathe Tools doesnt just provide tools, they provide satisfaction and excitement.  These tools are just fun to use.  They respond as expected and seem to become an extension of your body that acts and responds instinctively.  Doug is a great person to do business with and I will happily continue to support him with future business and reviews.

Also, I was not compensated in any way by Doug or Thompson Lathe Tools for writing this review.

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an interesting overview

for a while earlier this year i had katie rubick from route 7 social helping me with my dorset custom furniture facebook page .. while i sort of paid attention to what she was doing, she really dug back into my blog and found some interesting stuff.  heres a link to my photostream ... lots of links there.  lots of pictures, in no discernible order .. an interesting ramble ...

 good job kate ..

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Setting up a home woodworking shop

This Setting up a home woodworking shop must try

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Woodworking Seminars Blog » Tips for Setting Up a Great Home Shop

Wood Shop Layout Ideas - Fundamentals Of Woodworking

Looking to set up a small home bar with some

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another round dining table

trevors on the home stretch on this expanding wlanut dining table.  

its another 60" round pedestal style table with leaves for expansion.

the clients placed the order while we were working on the mid century style table below, 

and the modifications to the design of the base we came up with together.

the model was helpful too ..

low down view, with the runners hidden by the apron

we used some fine walnut from our friends at irion lumber

cad drawing

blog post here

and this one

and one like this one in april

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a pop up tv cabinet

 

we sent a new pop up tv cabinet off to california last week.  weve done a few of them over the years and we thought when we started out that it would be an exact copy, only slightly larger, of the piece below we made back in  2006 or so.  hardware above from horton brasses ... click the photo to enlarge them ...

as it turned out, while the designers (a famous california firm) were working on the project, the clients changed the main motif from country to something more contemporary , like mid century modern, which required a different finish. we sent it out ready to finish and well all be interested to see what it looks like when it is installed later this week.

 

its basically a plywood box with a decorative exterior composed of panels hung on it.

 

to keep the total height lower, we recessed the base of the lift into the base of the cabinet.

post and frame and panel construction throughout.

its pretty wide at 68", so luckily the doors will only be opened to access 

and set up the audio/video components inside

home stretch

 the cabinet sits in front of an open stair railing and all sides and ends are visible.

theres a 25 second video of the lift rising at this link

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Ornament Tutorial Assembly

Get out the super glue and keep your fingers apart at all times!  Lets get this ornament tutorial wrapped up!

As with most things in life, get a plan in place and get to work.  I like to layout my pieces to be assembled in a neat little space.  I have three components here (sorry yall, I already glued the finial and collar together) that need to be married.

I find that starting with the top piece is easiest.  This way, Im not pressing a piece into the globe with a delicate finial in my hand...  No, I havent broken one during assembly.  Oh wait, yes I have and it was because I put the finial on first which then broke when I tried to put the top on...  I do like to make the tennons fit rather snug.  Not "go get a hammer tight", but you get the idea.  I feel that the glue should act as insurance if you will.  Its there if you need it, and you have to pay for it regardless.

For gluing the top, you must be conservative with the glue!  Unless of course you like the way glue running down the side your ornament looks.  Each to his/her own...  I apply glue only to the tennon, depending of the diameter of the collar.  For this ornament, I added the slightest amount around the base of the tennon also.

Here we are with the top glued in.  I had already glued the eyelet into place before putting on the top.  I make these out of spare guitar strings by creating a loop, I then wrap one end around the other so that the eyelet has threads, so to speak.  Put a drop of super glue in the tiny hole in the top and thread the eyelet in.  Done!

Flip er over and repeat the same procedure as above.  Wait at least 10 minutes before you let anyone pick the thing up!  Youve made it this far.  Its ok to be a touch paranoid.  I dont care how pretty she is either.

Ive been using these cutsie hangers that my wife found for a while.  They work really well and Ive gotten a number of complements on them.  

Be sure to send a picture if you make one, and best of luck!  As always, feel free to ask questions or leave feedback.

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Chip N Dip On The Way!

Its been quite a while since Ive turned a chip-n-dip platter, so its good to be making one again.  This is a beautiful piece of ambrosia maple with some lovely birdseye and lots of character.  Ive rough turned the piece and its now soaking in a denatured alcohol bath.  Ill be fitting it with a little glass bowl so that your favorite salsa or dip of choice wont stain the wood.  Only four weeks till its dry enough to finish.  I cant wait!

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Making Ornaments Finishing Up the Globe

Alright, back on track.  Lets get to making the globe for a Christmas Ornament!

There are two ways to approach the design elements of any turning project.  You can either work from a sketch, or sculpt your piece as you work at the lathe.  There have only been a handful of instances when I work from a drawing.  Thats not to say that I dont sketch regularly.  I like to immerse myself in and around good design and art regularly.  This is critical to making something that is pleasing to the eye and has a spirit of its own.  Bad design is thrown into the trash pile in my shop and unfortunately makes for very time consuming firewood.

So, onward to making chips!  Before we got to this point, I mounted the wood onto a glue block.  The glue blocks are made of Poplar and the globe Im making is Bradford Pear. 

For shaping the globe, I mainly use a 3/8 bowl gouge with an Elsworth grind.  While this may sound a bit hippy, I develop the form of the globe by hearing what shape the piece wants to be.  I work towards a pleasing shape and visualize a center line around equator of the globe.  If I want a symmetrical piece, I establish the "equator" and begin to mimic the right half (farther from the headstock) to the left half (closer to the headstock).  Once I get the shape established, I shear scrape the surface with the wing of the gouge and sand the piece appropriately.  I generally start around 220 grit and work up to 600 grit before starting with Scotch Brite.  I finish sanding with the white Scotch Brite and then burnish the surface with shavings from the piece.  Before I start hollowing, I apply a coat of paste wax to the surface and buff again.  The last step before hollowing the globe is to drill out the center with a 3/8" drill.  Reduce the lathe speed and smoothly advance the drill through the globe.

After making our entrance hole, we can begin hollowing the globe.  I use the 45° hollowing tool to start off with.  Since the only reason to hollow an ornament is to make it lighter, Im not too concerned about the interior surface finish.  Unfortunately, the 3/8" hole I normally use is too small to maneuver the tool adequately.  Ill either need to make a smaller tool (dont worry, I will) or open up the hole.  For the time being, I go ahead and enlarge the hole so that I can effectively use the tool.  I alternate between the 45° and 90° tools to clear out the bulk of material in the globe. 

Apparently, I got just a bit too aggressive with this piece and it popped off the glue block.  You can see that the opening of the globe was damaged when this happened.  Now I have to figure out how to finish the globe...  Dont worry, I know what to do!

Little did I know Id also be giving a lesson on jam chucks in this tutorial.  I cant over emphasis the importance of being able to make a jam chuck.  Being able to make these will be a huge aid and could even get you out of a uhhhh...gulp...detour you didnt think youd be taking.

Since I had already drilled my 3/8" hole through the globe, I used a jam chuck I had previously made for this size.  My first step after mounting the jam chuck into my scroll chuck was to press the globe onto the tennon of the jam chuck.  I then cleaned up the opening that was damaged when the globe decided to free itself from the glue block.  Once that was finished I made a new jam chuck to fit the opening I just worked on.

Here are the steps I took to make this jam chuck:

• I left the glue block I was using in the scroll chuck and turned a tennon larger in diameter than the opening in the globe.
• I form the tennon with a tapper on it with the smaller diameter farther away from the headstock.
• With the lathe off I check the fit of the tennon.  If the globe just barely fits onto the tennon, then I have a great starting point.  Turn the lathe on and firmly hold the globe against the tennon.  You will see a polished section develop on the tennon.  This is the exact ID of the opening in the globe.
• With the reference point established, reduce the rest of the tennon just shy of this diameter and check your fit once more.
• If the globe just snugs up against the large face of your jam chuck, then youre done.  If the tennon is still too big, then take off just a little more material and check again until a very snug fit is achieved. 

I like to "back up" a piece on a jam chuck with the tailstock when I can.  This just gives an extra measure of insurance to keep your piece from flying off the lathe...again.  

If I had to work without the tailstock, I would use high quality masking tape to secure the globe to the glue block.  You secure a piece in this manner by laying multiple strips across the work piece, finished with a strip laying across the tag ends.

As you can see, I mimic the profile to create a symmetrical globe.  Light cuts are a must when working on a jam chuck.  A heavy cut will easily result in the piece grabbing and spinning on the jam chuck.  This can also cause your piece to not run true.

Here we are, all finished up in about twice the time it should have taken.  Maybe Ill be more careful next time!  This globe has been sanded and finished.  Now its just waiting for finials and a hanger!

As always, please feel free to comment or ask questions.  If you have made or make an ornament, send me a picture.  Id love to see how it turned out!

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whas up

well, its fall ... and after almost seven years of blogging and about 700 posts, i think i may be running out of steam a bit ... my last post was about 3 weeks ago. it is fall though and the outdoor activities/distractions are daunting .. i was talking with sam yesterday, and i realized one could theoretically do some fly fishing in the morning, have lunch, play nine holes of golf.  then hit a couple apple orchard covers for some grouse or woodcock in the late afternoon, play some paddle tennis around 5:00, then have a shower and dinner, and still have time for some pottery before bedtime.  so many options; so little time. 
this post will be just a bunch of pictures and short descriptions to summarize our recent activities .. not much detail needed .. click the photos to enlarge them.

the two photos above are a revisit to the hill farm project with some more work .. we reworked the funky pedestal thing above into a bar table ..

fixed bob marleys lion chair and took it to be upholstered .. very cool chair with a made in italy sticker .. appeared to be from the 50s

and we inlaid some mother of pearl poker chips into a table top.  will had to engrave a couple of them below

and weve got a new slab headboard bed going ..

another one, just like the other one ..

big and heavy, but very interesting ..

       

and i took a little trip to see emmy lou and bela fleck and abigail washburn at fresh grass

it took place at mass moca ( mass. museum of contemporary arts), down the road in adams mass. an awesome musuem and worth the trip just to see the buildings. 

       

courtyard d

and a great concert venue.  for emmy lou in joes field, i was able to stroll my way up to pretty close ..

and trevor just finished a custom walnut king bed

lots of xs  .. luckily we have done a million of em

 

 

all in.  all done

more on the fall light later  .. it particularly lights up the figured cherry on our bedroom bureau at this time of the year

pretty tough to photograph though ..

and kit has gotten the harvest in

and back in the shop, weve got another lutyens style desk going ..

this ones bigger though .. 28 x 72 .. gonna be a beauty .. lots of burl

and chris is off to australia and new zealand for three weeks on saturday ..

sam made the gates below for the side door of a local restaurant and we had to make a sign to keep the customers from using them

and sam made some funky parts for a friends gasifier furnace

some old will mosheim wood burnings surfaced in the office .. probably from about 1990 .. love the tiger ..

the pop up tv cabinet is waiting for a decision on the finish ..

and we made a new mahogany top for an antique table pedestal

amd more news from the metal shop with this custom wood rack and adjustable grill for a peter moore fireplace up on the mountain

and i think we might have had our last outdoor shower for the season.  with temps in the 40s in the morning and 30s soon, im going to have to shut it off and drain the lines soon. along with taking down the screen doors, just another fall chore.

im going to miss the view

and speaking of views, about this time of year, for a couple days we get the reflection of the rising sun off the metal roof of the gondola shed at the top of stratton mountain about 25 miles to the southeast.  its another one of those seasonal markers .. all for now ..

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