Fire some time I have been trying too find a good way to store sanding disks.
After many failed attempts using various containers a shop made container seems to fit the bill.
Made with a glue up with 2 prices of 1/2 inch mdf drilled with a 3 inch forsner bit.
The lid is 1/16 inch fiber board. The lid is latched shut with two sets of rare earth magnets. Gold duct tape forms a hinge.
For more grit choices create multiple wallets.
Thanks to James (site engineer) there’s an app for this! .
Its easy to use, no downloading, it free and its simple to install.
To install:
On your iPAD open Safari and go to this site turnedoutright, you will see a new interface.
In Safari select the “arrow in a box” just to the left of the address bar and then select “add to home page” from the drop down menu. This will put the app icon on your desktop, likely at the end of your app pages.
This video link may be helpful www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_vASkxYUMU
After this installation you can click directly on the apps icon to access the “Turnedoutright” iPAD app.
You will need to be connected to a network for this app to work.
Enjoy and let me know in the comments below what you think!
A friend just had a newborn….
Rattle designed (but not tested) to meet
Specs:
1 3/8 diameter x 4″ long (used 2×2 blank)
Basswood: ideal as it is light and close grained (otherwise the rings tend to break). Holds up well to moisture.
Finish: mineral oil, (Baby oil can also be used)
Warning: infants should never be left unattended and unsupervised with any rattle.
Note: You manufacture, provide and use rattles at your own risk. This post in no way provides assurance, warrants or implies that this rattle design is safe for use.
See photos below:
Basswood Rattle
Basswood Rattle 2
Lots of wood
I was in Paderborn, Germany this week.
Knowing my luv for wood, the team there arranged a tour of a local and family owned furniture factory.
The shop had an impressive array of woodworking machinery along with meticulous attention to waste recovery. All the sawdust and scrap wood is collected and burned, heating the surrounding houses via underground ducts…. Amazing.
Of course I had to pause at the template guided lathe. I was surprised that the cutter was actually a circular saw blade cutting from the backside.
I was given a turned gavel cleverly made into a bottle opener. Will create plans for this later and post.
Attached are phone pictures I took while at the factory:
Lathe w template
Lathe cutting head
waste burner
Bottle opener
No worries followers I haven’t defected. I decided to work on some new turning tool ideas and needed a machine shop. Added this to the back of my shop.
When I want a bright finished piece I rotate my lathe @ 60rpm and spray thick coats of lacquer. This technique allows fast layer build up without drips.
I protect my chuck while spraying by wrapping it with packing plastic.
You can get it @ Walmart in spools. Its easy to put on, connect it to the chuck and turn the lathe on at low speed to wrap it.
I generally leave my chucks wrapped in it, it has reduced my chuck cleaning to Zero.
I also use it to wrap wet pieces between turning sessions and also on pieces that I store for later turning.
This vase was drilled vs hollowed. I used diluted soap in a spray bottle as a lubricant and it worked terrific.
It was sprayed with a light coat of wiping oil using an air brush to give it a overcoat that matches the kitchen.
My turning mentor (Greg) visited recently and we collaborated on a Boxelder burl bowl.
I like to watch Greg take a blank put it on the lathe and “let it talk to him”, which it did.
The design consisted of a traditional shape with a recessed upper edge. The blank had multiple inclusions that we left as “characters”. The upper rim was burned with a repeating pattern using my “flame thrower” burner.
The color is red mahogany water based dye.
The attached picture is after 5+ coats of Deft sanding sealer.
Note: I have settled on a lacquer finishing regime of 5+ coats of Deft sealer followed by 5+ coats of Deft lacquer (semi- or gloss), followed by polish after a few days drying. I leave the piece on the chuck and turn it @ 50-60 rpm while heavily coating it. I don’t sand (with grey pad) until 5 coats of sealer.
Next I am going to patina the recessed edge of the piece using “sophisticated finishes” patina green regime. That’s on today’s shop agenda 
Posted remotely from my Torch!.
Adding “burnings” as surface treatment to a piece is an easy and effective way to embellish a project, turning it into a work of art. As a minimum, I like to sign my turnings with a burned figure, date and wood type.
As I experiment with pyrography I have found that my taste in burn heat is higher than most wood burners and pens tolerate.
A friend turned me on to the “Priddle” style wood turning system, I used this as a starting point for the one that I built.
The “Priddle” article does a nice job of describing the necessary parts and procedures to build the base unit, so I will not repeat them. I was able to procure all the parts. Of importance is the selection of the battery charger and the burning wire gauge.
I found nicrome wire @ Jacobs Online and choose 18 ga (NW18008).
Next I looked up the autoignition temperature for wood which is between 500 & 900 deg F. These values are clearly more than one might need for simple burning but the name of this device is “Flame Thrower” and I did not want to under design this new toy.
Next I went back to the Jacobs site and checked the Temperature-Current table and found that 10A would provide heat temperatures of 1000 deg F using 18ga wire. 10A became my goal for the battery chargers top current.
I was lucky that I had an old HF battery charger that I could modify that had a winding with 10- 50A capacities. Note to readers, you do not need or want 50A, believe me I tried it…. I have recently seen a different version of this battery charger in HF for under $40.
As the “Priddle” plans show, an electronic dimmer switch is used in series with the primary to adjust the output current of the burner. I found this control method to be sufficient but lacking in granularity. I will investigate a switching power control method later on.
I modified and mounted the elements as shown in the photos. One important mod was the removal of the charging control circuit. You do not want any current limiting or control on the output of the transformer in this application. Luckily on this unit it was modular and could be removed and wired around easily. I would provide more detail but every battery charger that has charging control will need a unique set of modifications.
I built the pen generally using the Priddle approach. As you can see in the photo I used PVC instead of wood with a substantial stain relief in the handles butt. The copper wires that connected the handle to the burning wire terminals were bent into ripples to help remove heat. I made this change during testing.
This burner provides plenty of burn capacity and can light almost any wood species on fire. In fact in some types of wood it will simply vaporize the surface (not that useful, but fun to watch). The corrugated copper connections and PVC handle provide excellent heat isolation. At very high temperatures my hands were very comfortable and the terminals did not melt.
Make sure you use heavy duty lamp cord for the pen connection to the unit to minimize the wire heating.
I am using this in my shop for on-the-lathe surface treatment for high heat applications. I plan to keep experimenting with the use of purchased tips (more choice of shapes) and a smaller handle. I am also considering designing a more modern power supply with a larger range and granularity than most available over the counter. I imagine a digital control with automatic electronic shading adjustments.
Pictures are below, so enjoy!
Battery charger from HF, with dimmer & jack
Body, terminals, copper & tip
Body, terminals, copper connections & Nicrome tip
Cable restraint
Iceing on the cake
My daughter likes icing cupcakes.
She came up with an idea for a rotating holder that is a natural turning project.
The results are seen below.