sjwoodturn

FINALLY! Drum Sander Pics

2012-01-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

This has been a major work in progress. It is still not done, but it is a working prototype. It does what I need for now. I used cut disks of MDF and glued them together to make the drum. I then turned it as true as I could.

To lift the bed (creating the thickness) I have a large threaded rod and a bolt. I don't like having only one point to raise and lower the bed, as it is not very stable, but I will find a way to fix that in the future.

If you have any thoughts/suggestions, please feel free to share them with me.

New Things

2011-12-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

I have been quite busy for a few months. My family is finally in a house (our first!), and I started Graduate School this fall (EMPA from BYU). I've been able to produce a working prototype of a drum sander jig for my lathe. I hold the drum with my chuck/jaws which seems to work well. I turned and sanded the drum so that it was flush and parallel with the bed I made (piece of thick, flat, particle board hinged to a small 2x4 frame). I staples a small strip of 80 grit sand paper around the drum to give it a test and put a couple pieces of wood through to test, it seemed to work quite well. I have a lot I want to do to perfect the jig, but for now it works for what I need. I started a new inside-out turned ornament yesterday which it was nice to have my drum sander to make sure my pieces were all uniform in size. Pictures are to come (I promise).

Drum Sander Revisited

2011-06-15T12:16:00.001-06:00

Yes, it has been some time now since I last posted, and no, I still have not completed my drum sander. I was able a couple weeks ago to get a bunch of blocks of MDF glued together so all I have to do now is get it turned round on my lathe. The one thing that I'm still trying to figure out is exactly how I'm going to attache the drum to my lathe. I'm worried about making sure that it turns square to my table each time I put it back on my lathe. I also need/want to re-build my sander bed so that I have a little more depth available to work with between the sander and the bed.

In the mean time I have worked on a couple small projects. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of these. I turned a plate and made a stand for it for a lady at my work. She gave me a picture of her kids to put on the plate and I made a small plaque that said "Happy Father's Day 2011". She wanted to give it to her husband for fathers day. It turned out pretty nice. Also I have put together a small case to hold some hand tools that I use most often. Right now it is hanging on the wall behind my lathe. I used my Kreg Pocket Hole Jig to put it together and it seems to be holding up great.

Drum Sander Continues

2011-02-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry, but I have not yet taken any pics of my drum sander I'm making. I have had a couple of issues. I used contact cement to glue together disks of plywood, which I have learned is not the best way to join these disks together. There have been a couple of joints between these disks that have failed and I am back at square one on creating the drum for my sander. I have the bed almost completed, and should have pictures soon of that, but I'm going to have to start over with making my drum. I'm planning on using regular wood glue and cutting the disks out of MDF. I promise, pictures are to come!

Jerry Sloan Resigns Today

2011-02-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

This blog is mainly for my woodworking projects to be shown and discussed, however, I learned some news today that I thought deserved a post. Jerry Sloan, the 24 year Coach of the NBA's Utah Jazz, is being reported to resign today along with his assistant coach Phil Johnson. I have always been a fan of the Jazz ever since I was a young boy planing in the Jr. Jazz community leagues. I love going to their games and watching them on TV. Learning of the departure of Sloan is a bitter-sweet moment for me. On one hand he has been the coach for so long, it will be odd to see someone else in his place. On the other hand, I have felt for the past couple of years that if the Jazz had a different coach, would they possibly be able to get over the hump and win a championship? Don't get me wrong, Sloan has been a great coach, but I do think that it has been some time coming for him to part ways with the Jazz. I'm excited to see who will take his place, and to see how his replacement will revamp the game strategy of the Jazz. They have a great team with a lot of young talent. I see good things for their future. GO JAZZ!!!

Thickness Drum Sander

2011-02-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for a little while at homemade thinkes/drum sanders. I have seen many made with motors from old dryers, some made with a drive belt attached to a table saw, and some powered by a lathe. I decided to give it a try and have started making one to be powered by my lathe. I have made a bed that is adjustable and am currently working on the drum which will be turned between centers on my lathe. The way I have it currently there is only approx 1 1/4 in max thickness that can be sanded, so I'm sure I'll take another crack at it some day, but for now I'm kind of prototyping to see if I can at least get one made that will work. My main reason for wanting to make one of these is so that I can do some more segmented turning. With this I will be able to ensure that my individual rings are sanded flush and parallel top to bottom. I'll take some pictures of what I have so far and post them, then put up another post when it is completed and discuss how it works.

Engraved Name Boxes

2011-01-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

My Co-worker who purchased all of the Pen/Pencil sets in my previous post had asked me a couple of times if I could engrave the names of those to whom the items would be given. I advised her that I did not quite have the equipment nor the skills to do that. The more I thought about it, however, I realized that there was a possibility I could give it a try. There was one Pen/Pencil set that she was giving to her husband (Ray). After I completed that set, I grabbed my Dremel Rotary Tool with my Plunge Router attachment and a scrap piece of wood. I had designed a few letters to attempt to engrave Ray's name, and my test on the scrap piece of wood was successfull. So I decided to go ahead and engrave his name on the top of the box for his Pen/Pencil set. I wanted to do this for him as a gift as he had given me earlier a bunch of raised pannel doors that he no longer had any need for. When I presented the pen/pencil box to my co-worker, excited does not even begin to describe how she reacted. She loved it. I let her know that if she wanted to I would go ahead and engrave the names on the rest of the boxes if she would like. She decided that she wanted me to do that and here are the results:

Pens for Christmas

2011-01-27T13:19:00.000-07:00

I've been a little buisy, but I finally decided just to take a moment and post some picutres of a few pens that I made and sold to a couple co-workers for Christmas. These were all items they purchased to give to family/friends as Christmas Gifts.

Pen Style: El Grande

Wood: Pink Ivory

Pen/Pencil Style: Comfort Grip Slimline

Acrylic: Camo

Letter Opener: Apprentice

Wood: Cocobolo

Pen/Pencil Style: Comfort Grip Slimline

Wood: Cocobolo

Pen/Pencil Style: Comfort Grip Slimline

Acrylic: Crimson Crushed Pearl

Pen/Pencil Style: Comfort Grip Slimline

Wood: Dakota

These were all a lot of work, but great fun to build and give to my co-workers. They really enjoyed them and have told me that their family memebers that they gave them away to were quote pleased also.

Quilting Frame

2010-12-29T12:31:00.004-07:00

My wife is so proud of me. I actually planned a little ahead for Christmas this year. She (and her father) are notorious for having Christmas presents bought for at least one year prior to giving them. I came of with the idea in the middle of this summer to make her a Quilting Frame, and was lucky enough to come across some cheap wood to build it with. I was walking through my local Home Depot and saw that they had a FABULOUS sale on their Douglas Fir Clear lumber. I learned later that they were no longer going to be carrying that particular species of wood, so they were trying to get rid of their inventory. Score for me!

I went ahead and purchased a few pieces and started looking online at some different types of Quilting Frames to get some ideas. I drew up a few rough plans and worked out some dimentions over a few weeks in July. Most of the parts of the frame were completed by August/September, I just had a few small details to finish prior to Christmas, which gave me plenty of time. Currently the height of the frame is approx 4 Ft, so I'm going to be drilling some more holes down the legs so that the frame can be lowered to a more comfortable level for sitting and quilting. At the current height it is great for standing only.

Christmas Is Over and Projects Were Completed In Time

2010-12-29T12:22:00.003-07:00

WHEW!!!! That was quite an ordeal to get all of my projects comeplted in time, but I made it. I was able to complete the quilting frame for my wife. I made some puzzles for my nephiews, and I made some pen-pencil sets for my co-worker to give to her family for Christmas Presents. I'll have some picutres posted of some of these along with some details and ramblings (sorry I don't have picutres of the puzzles yet, I'll have to get some taken and post them later.)

Projects in the Works

2010-12-09T13:47:00.002-07:00

I'm feeling more and more every day how few days we have left 'till Christmas. I have almost completed all 5 pen/pencil sets for a co-worker. A couple of puzzles are in the works and also close to being completed (just need to cut them out and glue down the borders to the backer boards). I also have just a couple very minor details to finish for my Wife's gift. If there is time I do have a couple of other items I'm going to try to make (spinning tops for the kid).
The blank of Cebil wood I had issues with a couple of weeks ago, I've decided to try something different with. As soon as it is completed I'll post a picture for your viewing pleasure. I showed the idea of what I was going to do to another co-worker, and she said "I was just looking at one of those in the store the other day!" I told her not to buy it from the store, I'll make it and she can buy it from me.
It is kind of funny because most all of the people I work with are working on their MBA's and keep giving me advise on starting a business and how to run/market it and all of the things I'm making. I keep telling them that for now it is a hobby and I sell mainly just to feed my hunger for the hobby. If the occasion arises down the road, I may start a small business, but for now, just a hobby.

Drill Your Pilot Holes!!

2010-11-22T13:11:00.003-07:00

I attempted to turn a block of "Cebil" wood that I purchased from Woodcraft. I cut the corners off at the bandsaw so that I could turn the block round more quickly. I debated inside my head for a short time if I should use a glue-block or screw it directly onto my faceplate. I decided screw my blank directly onto my faceplate, and also decided to just drive the screws into the blank without drilling pilot holes.
A BAD idea for a couple of reasons: First, the screws did not secure the faceplate completely to the face of the block of wood. Second, the screws I used must have been really cheap because two of the heads broke off while trying to drive them into the block. So . . . with only two screws only somewhat holding my block of wood onto my faceplate, I decided to mount the wood onto my lathe and give it a whirl. Not thinking of myself as a complete idiot, I started my lathe at the slowest speed possible and stood out of the line of fire, just in case.
With no wood flying across the shop, I decided to turn up the speed (a little) and start making some chips fly. After a couple of minutes (the block not even completely round yet) I decided to stop the lathe as it seemed as thought the block was not spinning true anymore. I was correct in my thinking. Due to the roughing out process of trying to get the blank round, the screws were holding the blank a little less secure and it was starting to wobble. I tried to tighten the screws (remember only two of them were actually holding the blank) but they just would not pull the blank securely into the faceplate. At that point I decided to stop before I caused myself any serious injury.

A couple lessons learned:
1- If you have a little thought in your head that says "hey. . you should probably drill some pilot holes for that . . . " take the time and do it!!
2- Don't buy screws from Wal-mart, their heads come off!!
3- If you don't feel 110% confident that your blank is secure, DON'T TURN IT!

What I'm grateful for:
1- My Family
2- My Faith
3- Not having a piece of wood fly into my face! :)

New Temporary Shop

2010-11-15T08:55:00.002-07:00

I've been living with my inlaws for a few weeks now and this weekend I was finally able to start working in the space my father-in-law had given me to use my lathe. The space he has given me is great and will work perfectly for me this short time we are planning on living there. He has a few extra tools up there that he told me that I could use also. He has a band-saw, small miter saw, and a drill press. They are all old used tools that he was able to get at great deals, and they all work quite well.

On Saturday I was able to spend a little time actually turning some pens a friend at work has ordered from me for her family Christmas gifts. They turned out quite nice (pics to be added soon). I have a new pen finish that I'm using and it seems to work really well. It is called HUT Crystal Coat and I bought it from Woodcraft. I'm quite pleased with the results. It leaves a nice shine on the pens, and it only takes a couple of drops on a clean, dry cloth.

Christmas is comming all too fast!!

2010-10-26T14:05:00.004-06:00

Wow, October is almost over and Christmas is just around the corner. Normally I do not like to think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving (especially when it comes to Christmas Music, and that rule stands), but this year I have a number of projects in the works which I will be giving and/or selling to people as Christmas gifts. I have a co-worker who has ordered a few Pen/Pencil sets from me, so I have to get those started soon (just waiting for all the parts I ordered to arrive so that I can get them started). I also am making some gifts for family which will take some time. I'm hoping this weekend to get a really good start on many of these projects. . . We'll see how that goes. (luckily I have one major project almost finished, but it is a surprise so I will make no more mention of it for now).

2011 Calendar

2010-10-08T14:42:00.003-06:00

I had mentioned below in a previous post that I was planning on submitting a pen picture into a contest to get it onto a calendar. . . well. . . that did not happen. However with my El Grande Pen (pictured below), I was able to submit a picture for a chance to make it into the calendar and I believe it was just chosed as one of the pictures to make it into the 2011 calendar from http://www.woodturnersresource.com/. I'm really excited!! There are some other submissions to the contest of other types of turned projects which are absolutely amazing! I can't wait to see the full calendar!!!

Amendment 12/6/10
> Sadly I found out today that my picture was NOT accepted into the calander. It was just accepted into the contest. I misunderstood. I did get to look at the calander though, and the pictures that were chosen were of some AMAZING turnings. Maybe next year . . .

El Grande Pen with Bloodwood

2010-09-25T20:45:00.003-06:00

I had a chance to spend a little time in the shop today (baby was sleeping!) and I made this pen. It is a great pen that writes REALLY well. There is a lady at work that is looking for some Christmas presents to share with her friends and families this year and this is the type of pen that she decided to purchase for herself. I've not yet decided on what type of wood to use on her pen yet. This is my 'prototype' for this pen style as it is the first one I have made of this type. Not bad for a prototype.

FINALLY . . . A Changing Table

2010-09-01T17:20:00.003-06:00

So it has been a LOOOOONG time since I have posted anything. Mostly because my time working on things has been primarily devoted to making this changing table. It is my first "real" woodworking project, and I think that overall it turned out quite good! I hand turned each of the spindles along the rail. I was planning on making doors for the little section below, but I'm not sure that will happen any time soon (if at all). This was a fun project and am glad to have it finished so that the next kid can use it (it was supposed to be made in time that this kid could, but he is a little to big now).

First Segmented Turning

2009-02-13T16:36:00.003-07:00

So, I have been working on this for a couple of weeks, and I finished it this Monday. It is a little toothpick holder I made from Cherry and Walnut, it is approx 2 1/2" tall by 2 1/4 wide. The technique used is called segmented turning, which is where many small pieces of wood are cut at precise angles, glued together to form rings, and then the rings are glued together. When all glued up it is put on the late and turned to the desired shape. I had fun making this, but it takes quite a while to get everything all glued up and set right.

Some New Pens, Finally!

2009-02-09T09:27:00.003-07:00

Well, I know it has been a while since I have added anything new to here, so I figured I should do something. I haven't been to the shop that much this winter because, well it is cold and I don't like working in the shop when it is that cold. But here are a few new pens. The style of pen is called Wall Street by some pen suppliers. From left to right they are made from Cocobolo, Cherry (with stain), Purple Heart (my favorite one!), and a Blue and Green Acrylic. The blue and green acrylic is like one I made for Sabrina. The Cherry and Cocobolo were given away as B-Day presents to Sabrina's family. The picture is not the best, so sorry about that. I have a new phone with a 3.2 MP camera in it. I thought the pic would come out better, but I guess not. I'll have to play around some more.

This pen is a Purple Acrylic Slimline. I am going to be playing around with taking Pics of this one and try to get it into a calendar for 2010. There is a forum I follow, and get a lot of tips and ideas from other woodturners. They do a calendar every year and I would like to get a pic added for next years. (Kristy, once I get a Pic that I am happy with, I may be enlisting your help to doctor it up a little).

Bracelet Helpers

2008-11-03T11:03:00.002-07:00

These are called Bracelet helpers. The little alligator clips can be used to hold one side of the bracelet while you use the other hand to clip it together. These are for another lady at my work for her family at Christmas. These are not wood, but an acrylic. Not as fun to work with on the lathe, but that look great!

Back Scratcher

2008-11-03T10:57:00.002-07:00

A co-worker wanted me to make her a back scratcher for her to give to her father for Christmas. Wood is Cherry. When I showed it to Sabrina's family, they all tried it out and said that I would probably not be getting it back. I had to tell them it is already sold so they could not have it! It is about 14" long.

3 New Pens

2008-11-03T10:55:00.002-07:00

Here are three new pens I have made. Two are made from Putumuju, the third is Purple Heart. I like the Purple Heart the best!

C&T Goblet

2008-09-09T11:32:00.000-06:00

On the forum I follow at http://www.woodturnersresource.com/ those who manage this forum issue a chalenge and trade every once in a while. The latest challenge was to make a goblet and embelish it somehow. How to embelish our own goblet was up to the individual wood turner. I decided to use various types of wood and created what is pictured below. Made (from top to bottom) Walnut, Butternut, Walnut, Maple, Walnut. It is about 6" X 2 13/16".

Two More Pens

2008-09-08T11:22:00.000-06:00

I made these two pens last weekend. I made the blue and black one for a lady at work. The wood one is made from Bocote (from Brazil). The quality of the pic's are not that great, I'm not sure why.

Freedom Pens!

2008-08-18T10:14:00.001-06:00

I met a gentleman online that is collecting pens to send to our troops currently at war. I know it is not a lot, but it is my little way of doing something for them. Apparently they really need pens and love seeing the ones made by pen turners. These three pens are going to be shipped out today. All are made from American Black Walnut.

Green Pen/Knife Set

2008-08-18T10:06:00.000-06:00

One of my co-workers is purchasing some items from me to give to her boyfriend on Christmas. This pen/knife set is one thing that she is going to be getting. She is also buying a duck call and goose call (her boyfriend is a hunter, can you tell). Anyway, these are not made from wood, but acrylic. It is a pain to work with because you have to be very careful not to get it too hot and melt the blanks. I have not had any big problems like that yet, but I'm sure I will some day.

Knife Closed:

Kife Opened:

Ring Box

2008-08-04T09:57:00.000-06:00

Last weekend I got to spend some good time in the shop playing around with some wood that I had been given b0th by my Dad and my Father-in-law. This piece is from a branch of poplar my Father-in-law gave me a couple of weeks ago. When I was looking through some books on woodturning, Sabrina saw a ring box project and mentioned that she would like one of those. So this weekend I played around and made this. The top is not a choclolate chip like my sis-in-law thought at first sight. It is out of a small srap of African Ebony wood. Let me know what you think!

A Couple More

2008-07-22T11:08:00.000-06:00

Last weekend I spent some time preparing and turning a few more ornaments. Here are two that I was able to finish.

This ormament is made from hickory. I had some issues glueing up the blanks so that everything matched up because they were not all exactly square, so the diamond does not match up exactly. Not bad looking none the less. My wife really likes this one.

This ornament is my favorite one I have made so far. The wood is Ipe, which looks a lot like walnut. The design came out quite well, and the blanks matched up quite well, better than the one above.

Hickory Ornament!

2008-07-15T08:59:00.001-06:00

Last weekend I spent some time getting some wood ready to make some more Christmas ornaments. Unfortunately this is the only one I was able to finish all the way. These take quite some time to make, but they are fun.

Another Pen!

2008-07-15T08:56:00.001-06:00

Here is the latest pen I have made. Wood is Cocobolo.

CHEESE!!!

2008-07-15T08:35:00.000-06:00

My wife grew up with a wood handled cheese slicer. She says that you can not find them anymore, so I made her one. Wood is Bocote.

Christmas in June!

2008-06-26T10:51:00.000-06:00

I have seen many sites on-line that talk about and show how to do what is called inside-out turning. These two ornaments are some of my first projects I have made using this method. I really like how this method of turning creates unique ornaments. I have seen people also do candle sticks and vases using this technique. I will be doing more of these as they are quite fun to make.

A Couple More Pens

2008-06-26T10:45:00.000-06:00

These are a couple of more pens I have made recently that I just didn't have time yesterday to post. The top one is made from Bocote wood from South America, and below is made from Kingwood.

SOLD!

2008-06-25T11:17:00.000-06:00

A couple of people at my work have seen my pens I have been making and wanted me to sell them some. Below are a few of these pen's, etc., that I have recently made and sold. I have simply put the name of the wood below each item.

Wand made from Tulipwood.

Rapala Lacewood.

Unknown wood. I purchased a bag of Kingwood blanks and this was randomly in with the blanks. Not sure what it is.

Kingwood. I made a matching pencil and sold both as a set.

Father's Day Gifts

2008-06-25T10:50:00.000-06:00

I gave this pen to my Dad for Fathers Day. We enjoy golfing together, so I really wanted to give him one with a golf club clip. The wood is Canarywood.
Sorry this picture is fuzzy. This pen was given to my Father-in-Law. My wife wanted to help, so I showed her some basics to turning. She rounded out the blank and burned in the black lines. It was a lot of fun. The wood is Brazilian Rosewood.

My sister-in-law wanted to have me make a pen for her husband for Father's Day. This is a Broker style pen made from African Ebony wood that I made for her.
Last of all for Father's day I made these three viles for Consecrated Oil. I kept one, gave one to my dad and one to my father-in-law. They are made from Olivewood from the Holyland.

Two New Pens

2008-05-29T07:47:00.000-06:00

After my wife and I got back from our summer vacation in California I went over to the shop and made a few more pens. This top one is made out of Putumuju wood from Brazil. It turns really easily and finishes well. This pen is made of Cocobolo wood which has a very interesting multi-toned grain. I had way too much fun making this one!

Happy Mother's Day! Revisited

2008-05-13T09:07:00.000-06:00

This pen is made out of Tulipwood. I gave it to my Mother-In-Law for Mother's Day. She was quite impressed and excited to get her very own pen. The two-toned grain gives this pen a beautiful look.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T17:12:00.000-06:00

Happy Mother's Day to all moms! This is a pen I made for my wonderful mother for mother's day. The wood is Pink Ivory, which is becoming one of my favorite woods to turn for pens. It looks so nice when it is polished!

My Wife's Pen

2008-05-08T07:16:00.000-06:00

This pen I was really excited to make for my wife. She does a lot with music and when I saw the Clip with the Treble Clef, I had to get it for her pen. The wood is Pink Ivory which shines really well when polished. I put 5 black lines behind the clip in an attempt to make it look like a music staff. She really enjoys her pen.

My First Pen

2008-05-08T07:03:00.000-06:00

My good friend Sam and I have talked about wanting to start a woodworking hobby. This year he bought a mini wood lathe and had me over to let me play. We went to Craft Supplies USA here in Utah and bought a couple of pen kits. This pen was my first attempt at making a pen. I had a lot of fun and am now addicted to wood turning.

First Chip Carving

2008-05-08T06:56:00.000-06:00

This was my first attempt at Chip Carving. I used x-acto knives, as I do not yet have any actual chip carving knives. This box was a surprise for my wife on Christmas 2007. I added some purple velvet to the inside so she could use it as a jewelry box for the necklace I also got her for Christmas. For not having any training, I was pretty impressed with how it turned out.