Looks like I'll get a little turning doe this week! I subbed at school for 2 days and, while there, the Culinary Instructor gave me a rolling pin needing a new handle. The pins must roll off of the tables, breaking the wooden handles when they hit the floor.

 

My latest issue of Woodcraft Magazine arrived this week. Great article about sharpening lathe tools. The author, Nick Cook, explains how to sharpen the basic turning tools. He is an advocate of free hand sharpening- which means you don't need a bunch of expensive, time consuming jigs to setup. 

 

The "Cutting In" segment, of the same issue, says goodbye to Jim Harrold. He has been the editor of Woodcraft Magazine for some time. He helped me get my first article published- Thanks, Jim and best wishes for what ever comes next!!

 

I found a short little video, by Carl Jacobson, showing some clips using Easy Wood Tools. It's only a little over a minute long and fun to watch the curls flying off of the wood-

https://www.facebook.com/carljacobson68/videos/10203480456725214/?fref=nf .

 

As turners, we often refer to hard and soft woods. I always thought those terms referred to the "hardness" of the species. We think of pine as a "soft" wood and oak as "hard". Recently, I discovered this article which explains what those terms really mean. It's an easy read- http://gizmodo.com/the-difference-between-hard-and-soft-wood-has-zero-to-d-1705444075

 

Finally, here's a short video portrait of master woodturner and artist Steven Kenard-

https://vimeo.com/126545288

 

 

Safe Turning

 

 

 

Thanks Lew!

I have not received my Woodcraft mag this week yet. I am sorry to hear about Jim Harold, he's been a piece of the Woodcraft pie for a long time, it's name that you get comfortable with reading from.

Lew the article on Hard and Softwoods was really cool. I did not know that about the true definition, how interesting is that!

I can now sound very smart when my friends and folks I run into ask me that question, about the hard and softness of wood and how it's determined, thanks! The Janka test is very interesting, and crude!

Strangely enough for some time (and fairly recently at that-they were still being made in the United States in 2002) some Below-Knee Prostheses were made of Balsa Wood.  It really WAS a wooden leg.  At least recent ones were solid balsa with a laminated socket affixed to the top and a prosthetic foot affixed to the bottoml.  Referred to as Exoskeletal Protheses.  They've been pretty well replaced  by endoskeletal prostheses  which have a metal pylon between the socket and the foot. 

My little midi lathe went up in smoke this weekend in the middle of a project. The box with the on/off switch and variable speed control just started smoking. I shut it down and not sure what to do . I'm hoping I can jus replace the box but because of the Holliday weekend I won't know if that's possible. The lathe is less than two years old so I'm a little frustrated.

Jaime

What brand Midi-Lathe do you have? Is it still under warranty?   Dependant on what you have, parts might be almost as much as replacing the lathe.  However another option for a Midi lathe is a Penn State Replacement motor kit  It's referred to as the "Variable Speed Midi Lathe Conversion Kit" and is part TCLVSKIT and it's $119.00 for the whole thing -- including variable speed control box.  Said to "fit virtually any lathe!".  Right now there's 10% off at Penn State through Wednesday so that would make it a little better price.  Really a bummer when you're in the middle of a project and your equipment  quits on  you.

Jamie,

As Ernie mentioned, what brand lathe and how old??