RangerJay

Thanks everyone for your responses and very kind comments. Rob: I did pretty much my normal finish which in this case was 6 coats of Minwax polyurethane spray (semi-gloss) followed by furniture paste wax that is applied with 0000 steel wool. I sprayed the piece with the burl face flat - I did not want to create even the hint of any opportunity for the polyurethane to slump or run. The only other thing different that I did was add a coat of Claphams Beeswax Polish to all - first time I've done this - I don't really think it made any special difference to the walnut or elm - but (at least in my mind) it did seem to make the colours and swirls of the burl a bit richer. Wombatie: I had never heard of Red Mali before but was really taken with the look of the grain - once I started working it I was surprised at how hard this wood was - my only other experience with a burl was on Maple but it was nowhere close to the hardness of this Red Mali. I also have a burl slab from a Yellow Box tree which is heavier and feels even more dense than the Red Mali - I'm guessing it will also be difficult to work with - any hints?? Thanks again everyone, Jay

Here are a pair of bookends I just finished up for a Charity Fundraiser Golf Tournament in September. It is the 2nd Annual Presidents Golf Tourney and Auction put on by the Canadian Hearing Society to raise scholarship funds intended to support Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students in their post-secondary schooling. The burl is Red Mali (Australia), the backing is Red Elm, and the base is Walnut.. The patterns are re-purposed from from Sue Mey clock patterns. The burl was a bit of a challenge - I had originally wanted it to be somewhere in the neighbourhood of an inch thick - didn't take me long to figure out that wasn't going to happen - I did try an experiment at 1/2 inch and was steadily breaking drill bits and blades - so finally settled on 1/4 inch - which went OK - but still broke a couple of drill bits. Anyway, I'm reasonably pleased with how it turned out - the grain of the burl is stunning (the pictures do not do it justice) - but I think I would do a little more pondering on how best to cut the golf shaft - and pretty sure I'd do it a little differently ..... Comments welcome, Jay

In my thoughts and prayers. Jay

Happy Birthday Don!!

Enjoy a great day!

Not sure about others but I have always stayed incredibly loyal - (others might say obsessive) - to my finishing products and processes. Think that grows from the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" philosophy of life ...... and a literal fear of experimenting with something different on a piece of work that I have spent a lot of time and effort on ..... Having said that .... My own go-to finish is Minwax semi-gloss rattle can polyurethane. I do not adhere to the 72 hour rule. If I can I do work to apply at least 2 coats within a two hour(ish) window (no sanding between) - if I can't hit that window (usually because it's time to call it a night) then I wait till the work is dry and hard enough to be sandable - this is usually just overnight and is easy to determine. To help the drying effort I have adopted the habit of turning a small fan onto the drying table as soon the finish is sprayed - I do not recall ever having to wait more than overnight (the exception to this may be when the first spray coat is applied over stain). Sanding effort is thorough but very light. My sandpaper between coats is 220 and on the last coat I will use 400 before the final spray. Each coat is applied with 4 passes from 4 directions. I will use between 4 and 6 coats of finish - the number dependent on the species of wood - less for closed grain (i.e. maple) more for open grain (i.e. walnut). Not sure whether this has any great bearing on drying time - but I also keep a de-humidifier going in the shop during humid summer times - this is more for my own comfort and that of my tools - but I think I can imagine that a drier shop environment is also better for drying finishes. Should also add that I "finish" the "finish" with a top-coat of furniture wax that has been applied with 0000 steel wool - this gives the piece a very smooth, soft lustre. With the exception of a switch from a brush to a spray can about 5 years ago I've followed this process for decades and I do not recall there ever being any subsequent issues with the finish. Jay

You've got some good advice here Kevin - time to take a break, get some professional help, do some personal "regrouping" and do what it takes to get yourself back on an upward spiral. Jay

Happy Birthday!! ..... go ahead ..... take the rest of the day off ..... you deserve it! Jay

I also use the larger sawtooth hangars - even for my heavier pieces - on the heavier projects I attach the hanger with screws instead of brad nails and I also bend (bow) the hangar slightly to accommodate the head of a larger wall screw - finally - include an anti-slip pad (see example below) in each bottom corner to facilitate a more stable hanging (one that is easy to level - and stays level). http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=70272&cat=1,43456 Jay

Kevin, You have always worn your honesty on your sleeve - and you are well respected for it .... .... but your health issues have also been worn on your sleeve ..... .... meaning it might be good if you got a personal doctor - and followed the advice you receive ..... ..... not a criticism - just an observation - but it is an observation that comes from a selfish viewpoint - when you aren't posting pictures of your work on the forum then the forum is a lesser place ..... ..... so look after yourself. Jay

I do a couple things to dry to deal with warping: as already mentioned - try to get quarter sawn wood. only purchase as much as you can use at a time - or stack whatever you can't use - then weigh it down to encourage it to stay flat. if warping does begin then you can try introducing moisture to the cupped side (a damped dish cloth or towel rung out as dry as you can get it works well) - and as soon as it flattens out (the wood will respond quickly) remove the moisture source and then weight it for a couple days to allow the wood to stabilize . if I can I try to avoid 1/4 wood for larger projects - will usually opt for a minimum of 3/8 and most often 1/2 or 5/8. regardless of thickness I seal all sides of the wood during the cutting with both painters tape and clear packaging tape (many of my projects will be on the scrollsaw for up to a month or more). I will also weigh the wood down on a flat surface between cutting periods (my tool box is ideal for providing a hefty weight). once cut - I will apply a sealing finish to the back of the project as well as the front to try to minimize moisture exchange. I should add that I do not purchase thin wood - I always purchase stock that is 2 or 3 inches thick and rough cut - then plane and resaw as needed for each project. Once resawn and prepared I will immediately tape, apply the pattern, then weight the piece down till completed and finished. I have done this regularly for several years now - not to say I have never had cupping - but - with one exception - it has always been minimal and very manageable - the one exception was when I didn't follow my own rules ..... Hope this is of some help. Jay

Looking really good Kevin - here's hoping that cash register burns itself out ringing your stuff in!! Jay

The scroll saw - at least in my view - is about the slickest thing ever invented for a wood worker - and for a variety of reasons - among those reasons (and in no particular order): - the rhythm of the saw is about as therapeutic as it gets. - in its consumption of wood the comparison to the gas mileage of a smart car comes to mind - a small amount of wood goes a real long way - in fact, when other projects make wood waste for the campfire the scroll saw always finds a use for it. - you can work with kindergarten kids next door - easily encourage them to use the saw without fear - and when they actually make something the pride in their face when they deliver it to Mom just doesn't get any better - or - when working for your own enjoyment you can make a genuine and complex piece of art that is pretty much out of this world. - the "WOW" factor in a well finished piece of complex fretwork is about as good as it gets. - a TV, the scrollsaw and the SportsNetwork go hand-in-hand - meaning you can sit and cut at the scrollsaw through an entire hockey game - actually get something accomplished - and still follow the entire play ..... what else is there? - as far as dust and mess is concerned - the scrollsaw is pretty hard to beat - an afternoon at the table saw sends me into the house dusty, gritty and spitting sawdust ..... an afternoon at the scrollsaw? - well - sends me in for a Martini ..... I know I can easily come up with more scrollsaw benefits - but my Martini is waiting ...... Jay

The phrase "No Pain, No Gain" applies to a lot more than just sports training. Ditto on all the thanks you've received. Jay

I've always enjoyed viewing antique cars and trucks that have been cut on the scrollsaw so thought I would try my own hand at it. The patterns are from our own Pattern Library and both are done by "Wild Bill" - a 1933 Chevrolet Coupe and a 1933 Dodge Pickup. Thanks Bill! I learned a bit here - both patterns were shrunk for the purposes of this "key rack" project - I like the size of the final cutting but the grills in both patterns became an issue - they weren't tough to cut but the 1/8 inch Baltic Birch was too thin between the grill lines - it began to chip out or break between the cuts - if I were to do it again I think I would do some experimenting before cutting the pattern to see how to best do it. You will see in the pictures that once I saw this starting to happen I reduced and staggered the cuts and tried a wood burner to fill in the visual representation of the grill - it didn't really turn out all that well. I'm wondering if maybe a thicker BB?? or another type of plywood?? also thinking that maybe actually changing the pattern around the grill to reduce the number of vertical cuts?? course I could always pick a future pattern that doesn't have this kind of grill ..... I have no idea what the wood is - was among a number of boards given to me by the wife of a friend who passed away. I've included a picture of the raw wood before staining for anyone who would like to take a stab at identifying it: the one piece has a strong greenish colour that is represented fairly well in the picture. It is a very soft wood - sands and marks easily - in the piece that I used you can see that it has any even softer pith. the other 3 pieces also have a greenish tinge which is not really seen well in the picture - it is also extremely soft and when cut or sanded has a pronounced perfume odor. It has an oakish look about it, particularly when stained, although the grain is much finer. This was a fun project to do - I'd been wondering if there might be some interest among the antique car owners in town - despite a small populations these folks make a pretty good showing when they all get together - but I'm not going to get the opportunity to gauge their interest - these pieces have yet to get out the door and they've all been spoken for by family (two sons) or neighbours ..... maybe next time ... Comments welcome. Jay

I top feed as well and, and like Jerry, do a bit of mental imaging. After completing a cut and you are lifting the blade out of the hole then take notice where the blade positions itself immediately after it leaves the wood - then use that "spot" to help target where you need to position your next hole for cutting. You will find yourself developing other benchmarks over time that will help you visualize and confirm the centre of the table - I also sight down the arm of the saw for side to side positioning. For front to back positioning I draw an imaginary vertical line that descends from the upper clamp straight down. Jay

A couple things that are pretty neat about how Travis runs this place are: being responsive to the need to upgrade the forum and getting it done when it needs to be done. being sensitive to the needs of of SSV followers - keeping all of us in the loop from the get-go by advertising the changes, letting us know when they are going to occur, carrying them out in a timely manner, maintaining the look and feel of what we've been used to on SSV (as much as possible), seeking feedback on issues, responding to those issues quickly and ultimately shepherding the entire transition through in a way that made it as quick and pain-free as it might possibly be. He makes it look easy!! ...... (which I am sure it is not!!) .... Pretty hard to ask for anything else!!. Thanks!! Jay

Travis, You're right - I usually use Chrome - tried it just now - was able to scroll through the Pattern Library using the bar at the side but not the scrolling wheel on my mouse - closed and reloaded Chrome - works just fine. Also tried Edge - also OK. Thanks - and sorry for the false alarm. Jay

Had trouble with the Pattern Gallery tonight - was trying to browse through the Transportation section and could only view the bottom row of each page - would not scroll back above the bottom row on any page. Jay

That is a serious beauty - any idea of the age?? Congratulations on a great find. How did you luck into it?? Jay

Thanks again folks - the piece was delivered to the organization today - will be presented next week. Jay

Thanks for the great feedback everyone - I really love doing projects with a lot of detail - but somewhere about 2/3 of the way through the cutting I question my sanity ...... Jay

Anyone who drives on the Canadian side of Lake Superior from Thunder Bay to Sault Ste. Marie will drive past this spot and will almost certainly pull over and spend some time taking pictures and having a picnic. On a drive that is filled with spectacular scenery this spot is arguably the most spectacular and certainly the most iconic. It was quite an honour to be asked to create this specific scene in wood (complete with brass plaque and government logo) for a former co-worker who is retiring. This was my first landscape and there were a lot of lessons to be learned - among them was how to cope with what I'm calling incremental shading - after getting great suggestions from this forum I ended up using stain. The wood is walnut and I used dark walnut stain applied in multiple coats with an artist brush - I did not wipe the stain - but did sand after it dried with 220 grit till I got the shade I wanted. The sides of the work had to be cut with a knife to avoid bleeding into the surrounding wood. This was a bit of a nail biter experiment to start with but it turned out to be pretty forgiving of mistakes (except for the bleeding part ..... ) - in the end I like the way it turned out and would feel very comfortable doing it again. Thanks for the help everyone. Also gotta thank DonR. Don has moved back and forth between pattern-maker, tutor and mentor for me over several years now. This particular scene was a bit problematic, important for me to get right, and I really appreciated his involvement. Comments welcome. Thanks, Jay

That is more than impressive - congratulations on a superb achievement - incredibly motivating for the rest of us. Jay

I am continually amazed by what you squeeze out of a day - but falling asleep at a running scrollsaw might be a bit of a tiny hint that your body is telling you your day is past done!! Great looking work. Jay