Pixman

I have a long hose to my dust extractor. The end of the hose runs alongside the arm of my saw and is held in place while I use it by some wrap around strips of Velcro. My bellows are still OK so the dust is blown off the blade and goes straight up the hose and away. There's virtually no dust to worry about. Trust me ... I'm an asthmatic! If your bellows pump gives up don't forget that a good option is an aquarium pump to keep the blade clear. Magic

I don't worry about the thickness. I would draw it up and cut it except for the notches, leave them until last. Hold all the bits together and you will see what , if any, adjustment is needed. Re-sketch the new positions and cut them. Magic

OK Merlin - what about - "I found it on our door step this morning" Magic

Don't rock the domestic boat. Try ... "Honey, look what I won in a raffle" ... it might work. Magic

I understand the Jack Daniels, but what do you use the Loctite for ? Great Project. Now add mini speakers for music while you work Magic

I sell at craft shows to finance my hobby. Some stuff goes as gifts. Magic

I just use a standard spray can of white enamel primer, let it dry hard and then follow up with the enamel paint I want to use. If you want to use a water based paint make sure the undercoat is also water based. Magic

Here's one of my latest efforts. The pattern is by Gayle and its cut in 10mm [3/8] New Zealand Beech. Ignore the watermark on the photo. Its from an old website I had. My picture resize program keeps dumping it on everything. A new website could be ready by the end of the year under the same name. Magic[attachment=0]The Birdwatcher.JPG[/attachment]

I clamp the work FACE DOWN on a piece of scrap plywood and then give the back of the work a gentle treatment with a blowtorch. Then use a soft paint brush to flick away the ashes and burned fuzzies. A soft wire brush is OK too. Make sure the your piece is clamped flat all over so the flame so black smoke can't reach the face of your work. Magic

Hey Malc. I've often used a simple glue stick to fix the pattern down. If you think it might lift then put some clear tape over it. Magic

Good to see you again. Sounds like everything can only get better from now on ... or .. "As you continue to slide down the banister of life may all the splinters point in the right direction." Magic

Has anyone heard how Rick is getting on with the reinstatement of the Free4all site since the hosts suddenly decided to migrate to a new server ? I'm still getting error messages. Magic

The host decided to move to a new server without telling Rick. It all ended up a shambles with other sites as well. Rick's working on it but it might take more time to sort it out. Magic

Glad to see Yew on the chart. I turned a bowl from a piece of Yew a few years back and ran into deep trouble when I fired up the woodburning pen and put a pattern on it. I used a fan beside it but must have sniffed a bit of the neurotoxic smoke. I lost my complete balance for two days as a result. Interesting experience but I wouldn't like to repeat it. Moving around the house was like playing snooker or shooting pool. You focused on the target, worked out your pattern and then cannoned off the walls until you arrived. Too much of the smoke could have finished me off according to medical advice, so don't do any woodburning on Yew!! Magic