Courtland

Don't delete the entry Ron, take a picture of the project and post it here regardless what it looks like! Part of us learning from others is seeing what a disaster looks like because we all have em! I'd be very interested in seeing the turning either way.

29 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

Looks like a good job cliff. Nice clean work.

I love my ponys and my F style Jorgys, too. The F style has wooden handles that can be drilled to accept a 3/8" dowel or steel rod that will give you plenty of leverage.

I just bought 8 of the 36" Irwin Quick Grip XP600. Those things are surprisingly strong. I do use them to close M&T joints.

Gene, I own the F style Jorgys too, I literally used channel locks to turn the handles for troublesome clamping, problem with that is my handles are getting destroyed, never thought of drilling holes in the handles to insert a dowel or steel rod, thanks!

18 minutes ago, stevem said:

I did the bearings on my 70 year old 1160 tilty a year ago as well as new belts, noisiest thing now is the breeze from the blade

Steve, what belts did you go with, standard engine belts or the fancy ones with links?

Great job Steve, and thanks for the tutorial. You would not believe it, but in today's disposable world we live in, folks actually throw a saw away when it becomes dull.

1 minute ago, stevem said:

I have to admit that I love my leigh jig

done a few by hand, biggest were in my tage frid style workbench

I guess you had not choice but by hand on that one right Steve! Those types of joints should be called Eagle tails, too big to be called Dove tails.

10 hours ago, Ron Dudelston said:

The belts make more noise than the arbor.  

Time for new belts, or is it just the way it is at this point?

Let it have an honorable death John!

Love it!!!!!!

The project is looking good Cliff!! Nice and clean and professional. A thought about your Bessey's, I just got done Googling and looking for any complaints about the Bessy's not being strong enough I was hard pressed to find any. My first instinct when I saw your clamping was that first off, those clamps are better fitted to panel and case glue ups, the handles are not made for max torque, because you cannot get max torque from spindle handles, the grip is just not there, those C Clamps you are using are waaaay better suited to provide the clamping power you would need for small bulky glue ups like you are doing in that image. The proper clamps need to be used for certain glue ups, just like we need the proper tools for certain aspects of woodworking, clamping is no different. Once those joints swelled from the glue, those K-Body's were not the right choice to grab and try to bring that joint to close. The C clamps were definitely the proper clamp for that job.

Those Pony pipe clamps are really good too at closing troublesome joints, you can get a ton of torque with the lever style handles, unlike the smaller spindle handles of the Bessey's. Again, you used the proper clamp for the job. I see you really torqued down those Ponies by the looks of the pipe flexing, this is where the Ponies excell, I have a good stash of the Pipe Clamps myself and love them for large glue ups and for troubled joints.

I have no doubt if you put a pipe clamp up on the handles of the Bessey's you would be able to close the trouble mortise and tenons in your earlier images. That is the biggest difference between the clamps you used, the handles, you can apply waaaaay more torque with lever handles such as you have on the C Clamps and the Pipe Clamps. Again, the proper clamp for the job is very important here.

The Bessey's excel at large frame and panel glue-ups, that is the original intention for their use. 

2 minutes ago, lew said:

I wish mine did! If you opened my head it looks like a Chinese Fire Drill.

I did think of that Lew, I figured once I get to turning, I'll have the tools I use most in locations I remember, in other words the tools I use most will make their way to the area I reach down to the most naturally. I am counting on my tool remembering feature I have built up in my brain over the last 30 years working in construction and I am able to reach into a tool box or into my pouches out of memory and without looking and grab what I need. I don't know if that will work here, but I am counting on reaching down without barely looking at the display of tools and come back up with the proper tool. That's how my brain works.

Glad it worked out Ron! How does she sound now too?

Sounds reasonable Lew, I am just being a big baby about my tools is all. I made a nice little tool holder for my lathe yesterday, well not that nice, just a board with holes drilled in it and placed as a stretcher between the lathe legs. I have a whole lot of tools for turning that my good buddy included when I purchased his mini lathe. I got a screaming deal on it all, a friend deal for sure. Now I need to go through them all and figure out what they are used for. Most of them are mini tools, for the mini lathe, but this seemed like a good place for now to get them out of the box, and displayed for use.

16 hours ago, steven newman said:

Those saws with 15-20 ppi are way too slow.   9ppi or lower, works very nicely, and fast. 

Awesome suggestion Steve!

Hey turners, is it a practice to glue felt or some other type of padding material to the surface of the tool rest where the tools meet the rest? The reason why I ask, and I know this is dumb, but I have a couple shiny turning tools, and putting them up on the metal surface tool rest, well, they'll just get all scratched up, the tools that is. Do you guys try to protect the finish on the shaft of your turning tools, or is it just what it is, grit the teeth and get those new scratches on your new tools. Thanks for any help.

I see some artistic ability there too David! Feathering in the black face to the body, great job! I like these whimsical banks, they look fun to make too.

Looks like a nice and comfy handle Steve, what condition is the saw plate, looks pretty good, sharpness?

Thanks sir!

1 hour ago, David Sudekum said:

I have done these kind of joints both way and prefer by hand.  I am not the fastest doing them but they fit and look good and that is what counts in the end.... oh and i enjoy the challenge of doing it by hand.

 

DW

Also Dave, we are in the midst of the "Maker Revolution" and being able to state your joints were hand cut is a huge selling point for your projects, if your selling.

Awesome David, thanks a heap, and I'll look into that book you recommend. Thanks!

Great read Lew, thanks for the topic!

Just a question, what do you recommend for the go to glue for turning blanks?

David, sorry for the late reply back on this, thanks for the great information. As far as finishing, or sanding I should say, how much leveling is required if any at the glue joints?

Pretty cool Lew. There are definitely times to use one over the other. As for me right now, I am not quite at the hand-cut stage yet anyway. I can do them, but I am soooo sloooooow. Nice battle!

Busy indeed Allen! We just put those exact fans into our kids bedrooms, nice clean design and a great price too. 

Lew, that's a right handsome piece of furniture. When does the actual construction take place?

Steve, get to the VA now, today, and get in there and get the exam scheduled etc. My dad a few years ago had his glasses done at the local VA and it was only a couple weeks from exam date to receiving his glasses. They are pretty good with things like this, as a matter of fact the VA in many locations is just as a good as any private doctors office. And if you do have a slow VA in your neck of the woods, than at least you'll have gotten the ball rolling, and worse case scenario you get your VA glasses in a month, but meanwhile you found a better resource that gave you your glasses much sooner, you'll then have two sets of glasses.