The Dungeon Creek has risen!    Usually right where I need to stand.   Too much rain this week...

22 hours ago, Woodman said:

Palm-sanded (folded paper in hand) 220 320 400, then buffing sticks 1500 - 12,000. 400 would have been plenty fine if I had a finish for the edge. A sample of Rubio Monocoat Pure is coming in July. That is my choice.

 

 

I've not worked with heart pine like this Jim.  Does all that resin not interfere with a finish?

Usually the wood is very dry. I've had luck with a light coat of spirit varnish. That one piece was so 'wet' I had to clean my plane sole. It's got a good shine with only the polishing sticks but I will hit the edge-only with the Rubio when I get it.

5 minutes ago, Woodman said:

Usually the wood is very dry. I've had luck with a light coat of spirit varnish. That one piece was so 'wet' I had to clean my plane sole. It's got a good shine with only the polishing sticks but I will hit the edge-only with the Rubio when I get it.

Jim, what is spirit varnish? And, which of the different mixes of Rubio do you use? 

Thank for asking, Gene. Varnish that is spirit-based. The stuff I have is c.2016 violin varnish. No good for a fine instrument (probably)  it works for my dust catchers. I use Behkol to water it down. Here's a link to the blog article with a few thoughts from Behlen's Phillip Pritchard:

 

 

https://americantoolbox.com/2017/11/05/behlen-behkol-solvent/

 

The guy who gave me the walnut - I'll get the Delta chop saw from him in July - is giving me his Monocoat samples. I know Pure is one of them and there will be a couple of others, tinted. I saw the Pure on a piece of oak. It looked FABulous! Really good. A nice old look of hand-rubbed wood, like there was nothing on it at all.

 

Here's average longleaf with maybe two coats of spirit varnish.

 

 

Thanks, Jim. Great info.

You're welcome.  Alcohol-based varnish is dry to the touch pretty fast.  

 

You do not brush over areas to "straighten them out". The learning curve, for me, was is a series of speed bumps and removing finish. 

 

The next step is making shellac from scratch. Maybe.

I've sometimes heard shellac referred to as "spirit varnish", but I think technically it's any resin dissolved in alcohol.

Maybe pros use alcohol-based shellacs more often?  Growing up everything was oil-based. And water-based. So getting involved with spirit fiddle finish was all new to me.

Bench is a bit full..

3 other panels are sitting over on the tablesaw...

Parts is parts..

Panels, stiles, rails, dividers....

1 hour ago, steven newman said:

Parts is parts..

Panels, stiles, rails, dividers....

 

 

 I thought this was supposed to be a June project. 

What is on the bench?

Kind of messy...same amount as is on the floor...

Some parts get more than one groove...

 

Looks like you've been shaving up a storm.

The "Williamsburg Tray" of c.1880 hemlock made it to auntie. She loves it!

 

 

 

Got a new tray / box under construction, very hard heart pine. Darn those saw blade burns.

 

Well...went from this..

To this...

To..

to..

This.Took about 1 hour....tablesaw wasn't much better..

Needed all this removed, saw rotated 90 degrees to the left...didn't help much

Still filled up, again...

Edited June 11, 20223 yr by steven newman

16 hours ago, steven newman said:

To this...

That is one nicely battle-scarred bench. Last week a fancy Sjobergs came up on CL for $350, was gone in two days.   An older model? 61", two vises, nine dovetail drawers, extras.  I'm still at the kitchen table  .... 

 

The rebate on this box lid is not working out as planned. Plan B - table saw ... 

 

Yes, that is an ebony violin peg remainder on the bench. Woodman's signature ebony pegs in action, four of them through the rabbeted corners of the box.

 

Can't get to the 4 larger Mitre boxes...so..

This will just have to do...Bench vise to hold the box still..

6" F style clamp to keep the cleats still....

Love the handle on that back saw.

So..what is on the bench, today?

Does this count?   6 edges jointed, 3 board glue up, for a lid's panel...

Let it sit a day, or 2...