Ron Altier

I switched to carbide turning tools and still use them 99% of the time. I especially like my EW parting tool. No more ruining a great turning tool by mis-sharpening it. There is a learning curve using carbide and it took me a while. I use the mini lathe carbide tools and really like them. I have not used the hollowing tools for a good reason, I've tried with conventional tools and failed. I didn't want to invest in carbide hollowing tools, if I'm not smart enough to do it right, guess I should take lessons the next time a pro comes to my area. I also sharpen my carbide cutters on a flat diamond hone. It does a great job, if you don't wait too long and dull it up badly before you try. One big lesson I learned the hard way.......carbide tools chip/dull badly........when pushed into a spinning chuck.

Gerald, here is the old clock. Over the years I glued and reglued the hands, altered the pendulum, it now has a fine machine adjusting screw and too many other things. It just never ended. I still marvel that it just keeps on coming back. The gears and pivots have to be very sloppy. You got lucky and as I took the picture, you got the bird too

Gerald, I was an instrument tech for many years and some of those old mechanical devices took hours and even days to calibrate. So I have a lot of mechanical patience, however with my wife, not so much The clock is still running, so it must of worked. I'll take a picture tomorrow.

About 50 years ago, my wife and I were gifted a black forest cuckoo clock. It was a gift from some special people and means a lot to my wife. I have repaired, replaced, reworked, etc so many times that I don't know how it keeps on working. One time a I was putting it back on the wall, it actually collapsed in my hands. The old tiny plywood had dry rotted so badly that it fell apart. I actually put it all back together, with new wood, and had to fabricate the bellows that makes the noise. I know the gears have to be so badly worn that it HAS to totally fail sometime. Well, it quit working again. So this time I took it to my shop, opened and I just sprayed it with a super lubricant that is supposed to be even slicker than teflon, of so they claim. I know that spraying a mechanical clock is a NO NO, but at this point in time........it has been running for 2 hours now........I don't care.

NICE!

I've seen them at some hardwares including ACE.

I always get a lot of wood chips and dust on me when I turn. My wife made me a turners apron/jacket. It worked OK, but did not cover my arm or neck area. Last year she surprised me with a full coverage leather jacket. It covered all areas. I didn't have the heart to tell her that is was a welders jacket. It was made of very heavy suede leather.

I think John "nailed" it. Creation took a lot of carpentry, masondary, sod, mud, mountains and lots and lots of wood trees.

I've got to make a slight retraction on this entry. This glue bottle worked just great. However as time went by it became plugged as much or more than the original container. Now I am back to the squeeze container that Titebond come in. Yes it plugges, but is much easier to clean out than the new type.

I never gave it much thought, then saw the old time workshop on public TV. The only electricity he uses is the TV lights. I found it very interesting and those old guys of yesteryear were very creative and inventive. I learned to appreciate all the things the old timers did and how it has passed down. Having said all that, I am not ready to go back to the pre-electric days nor am I ready to adopt a computer driven device that does all the planning, layout and work. I'd rather make my own mistakes.

The courthouse in Coshocton county in Ohio was built in the 1800s. It is a large brick building with a huge mechanical clock in a spire. I'm sure that most of you have seen an old building like this. I have been in it many times over the 40 years I lived there. When you enter the building you have to go thru 2 huge black iron doors. Or at least that is what I thought. Once while waiting in line, I saw a guy I knew, who was a janitor there. He told me that the woodwork was all black walnut, including those huge (iron) doors. All I could say was,"WOW" Fast forward a few years and my last visit I drove by and discovered those doors were replaced with modern glass and aluminum doors. I sure would like to know what happened to all that black walnut.

I found some Ultraviolet light curing glue at a supermarket bargain bin. It featured a tiny bottle of glue and a tiny UV light. It was normally $10 and was reduced to $2. I bought a couple. It did work well if used properly. I ran out of glue and went on Amazon to buy more. Much cheaper there. That is where I saw the new finish. I tried it and it went well. Hand sanding with 400 seemed best. Then I sprayed with clear finish and it came out like a glass surface. I am still experimenting and will post results soon

You are right about movements, which brand do you go with?

What Artie said Your work is always beautiful, and imaginative. Kudos to you.

Yes, very nice