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The most useful tool in the shop. The Lathe.

While going around, getting pictures of that saw vise wannabe, could not help myself....I just HAD to do a little work on this cherry project.. Got out the Stanley#45 again. Set it up with a #11 cutter. Only needed the main stock, and not the sliding one. No room. Then added a fence. Used a part to set the depth of cut at ~ 1/2 way through. Something like this. As you can see, I already tried it out....hey ....this is fun, again And we have curlie Qs! Had to adjust the jig a bit, the top of the screw would hit the depth stop before the part would.. So much fun, I did another one! Hey, 2 for 2! Had to keep checking each and every part I put into the jig...yes, there is writing on the INSIDE, yes, the top of the part goes to the outside of the jig. Took a few tries to get things to go right, for a change Well both short sides are done, used them to double check the long sides. Once they checked out.....almost too long for the jig. This one needed some adjustment after the picture was taken....didn't have the part just right. Came out ok. Then got the fourth and final groove cut. Left it in the jig, for now. Used it and the short sides to mark the sizes of the panel. Next time down to the shop, I can cut it to the final size. then do a little P.Sellers trick,and raise the panel with a hand plane. Stay tuned...maybe another week of this, and I can put on the finish....

I found it easier to glue if I oriented the blank with the diagonal cut facing up. I use an old restaurant cutting board as a gluing work surface and pieces of the cutting board as culls and pads. In this picture, you can see the three strips to be glued into place. They measure 2” x 10 3/4” x 1/8”. Test fit the pieces first to make sure they will seat into the slot. (I now have a thick piece of Corian countertop for the gluing surface) On my first attempt, I didn’t use enough clamps- using more clamps and culls assured that all of the joints were tight. I probably overdid it with the amount of glue. A liberal coat over all mating surfaces. Clamped up After the glue has dried and the clamps removed, the blank is ready for trimming. I used to use a special table saw jig for this but found it was easier and quicker to trim off the excess insert length on the bandsaw just free handing it. Trim both ends and the side. At this point it is a good idea to “sweeten up” the layout lines, if the trimming operation removed them. Now it is just a matter of re-mounting the blank on the diagonal cutting jig and repeating the operations for making the second diagonal slot. The diagonal slots, glue ups and trimming operations are the same for each of the remaining three sides. On the lathe, ready to be turned. The final dimensions on this rolling pin were: 20” long; diameter at the center: 1 9/16”; diameter at the ends : 1 1/4”. I have tried two types of tapers. One started at the center and continued to the ends. The other starts at the ends of the ellipses and continues to the ends. Personal preferences will determine the tapers. After the blank is turned round, the layout lines for the taper can be drawn on the blank. To aid in getting it symmetrical, I started with an arc template. My turning skills leave a lot to be desired and there was too much variation from one pin to the next in diameter and symmetry. I considered purchasing a lathe duplicator but finances dictated this calls for another jig! Most of the hardware is standard off the shelf stuff- ¼” x 20 threaded stock, wing nuts, T-nuts, deck screws. The only thing “special” was the ¼” tool steel- which I purchased from a local machinist for 25 cents and then ground a rounded tip. This shape worked better than a point because it left the wood with a smoother surface. The base of the jig mounts onto the lathe bed. The back edge of the jig has the “reverse” arc of the rolling pin. The cutting portion of the jig sits on the MDF bottom and the bolt follows the arc to create the shape. The long bolt can be adjusted to position the cutter depth.

I been using remote controlled wheels on magnets to hold wood against the table saw fence. A little softer than the skate wheels. Oh and the magnets are from Grizzly. But now they are about half the price of other wood supply places so probably not worth a flip. In some peoples minds? The stand alone magnet on the left is about the best thing for repeatable lengths of cross cut pieces from the table saw in my little mind.

This thing came in the mail the other day..supposed to be a Carpenter's tool.. Ah one... ah two... ah three... ah four ( actually this is sitting upside down..) Ah one, two, three, four...supposed to help trim work while on a ladder....

Found this video interesting. We all have those old "dead battery" drills to make this from.

friend of mine is into that Black Powder stuff. He had a jig, to hold a revolver steady so he could reload it. he had this thing.. The butt of the grips sit into the gouge area...just doesn't sit in tightly, was cut at the wrong angle...Felt area... Is where the cylinder sits, with the hammer at half-cock....only..the hammer won't go that far...makes it hard to rotate the cylinder. hinge wasn't done the best, either. Bought some 3/4" x 4" x 24" White Oak..some new hinges, and a set of Dremel bits... Bandsaw to cut 2 pieces. Blade has way too much set...need to plane the rough edges.."shooting Board & plane? Not exactly. Stanley No. 3c. test fit the two parts.. Will do, for a start..set up the Dremel with a cutting disc..and, once I located where the cut needed to go.. I cut a line straight down. Old one was at an angle. Move the pattern out of the way, grab a gouge and a hammer.. Chop out the waste. Then lay out for the hinge's location.. To match the old one's location. Chop a recess... Make sure it fits... mark the locations of the screws.. Start a hole for the drill to follow ( they tend to wander a bit).. Drill a couple pilot holes...and.. wax the screws up, and grab a screwdriver. Laid out the other cut, and rough cut it to shape.. Not attached, yet. need to adjust to fit the revolver better, when Mr. Bishop stops by tomorrow afternoon...he can add his own felt, once the jig is stained and finished,, I even tried to match the grain to the old jig....hope it works like he wants it to... stay tuned

My oldest daughter and I make a craft item that we sell. I have made several different sleds to cut the material but have needed a way to locate a pilot hole for a screw eye exactly in the center with out measuring. The craft item varies greatly in size depending upon what material I am cutting. My first effort worked, somewhat, but with sales increasing I needed something better. This was made from a wooden hand clamp from Harbor Freight and scraps from the shop. Part of the scraps was a section of maple bowling alley. The first picture is the finished jig. The second picture is of the core of the unit. The threaded rod from the hand clamp is held in place so when it is turned the jaws would open. Did you know that you cannot find a left-hand acme nut? To hold the rod in place I made thick washers from some UHMW and held them and the rod in place with a nail acting as a roll pin. The most important part of this was making sure the wood and washers’ thickness was so, when the jaws were close, they both were snug against the wood. The third picture is how I had to modify the clamp jaw. I had to drill a relief, so the washes were not in the way of the jaw closing. By clamping the jaws to the center block I was able to drill holes for guide rods. This was necessary to keep the jaws parallel since I was only using one of the threaded rods to operate the unit. The fourth picture shows how I had to cut the center block and the jaws for an aluminum track. The fifth picture shows the completed unit at my drill press. Sorry the picture is up-side down, but I tried to correct it, but nothing worked. The sixth picture is another view of the jig where you see a black knob to the left. Once the jig is centered and clamped to the drill press table, I need to move the jig to place the bit over the place I want the hole and then tighten it down. I made a centering block to positioning the jig. I located the center of the block and drilled the hole. I then turned the block 180 degrees to test it. I was off by 1/132” Not bad. That is more than enough for the craft item.

The old dogwood tree, in the backyard, has its' blossoms almost open. I replanted that tree as a small "sapling" when I moved here over 50 years ago. Spring can't be too far away. Our Patriot Turners- @Steve Krumanaker has been turning more honey dippers and lids. He utilized his shop built laser and decorating "elf" to embellish the turnings. Steve received lots of comments and questions on his procedures- Steve also showed us a walking stick he is making, One of the additions to the stick he has used in the past is to mount a small compass in the handle. Unfortunately, he is having trouble finding a source for his original compasses. Check out Steve's post and maybe you can give him a source for this very specific piece of hardware- Steve's decorating of his honey dipper lids inspired @HandyDan to post his version of the "decorating elf". Just goes to prove there is more than one way to accomplish the same ends- Dan shows us how he made his tool in this post- @Ron AltierPosted a timely image of his Easter Eggs. Timely not only because of the holiday but also the method of decorating. See more of his Easter basket in his post- New member @Mijohnson1984 was offered a deal on a used lathe and asked our members their opinions on it. He received lots of feedback on it. Check out his post and see if you can add anything- Matt also showed us his first turned bowl- Lots of praise and comments for his work. Read more- What’s Coming Up- If you are in the Washington DC area, the Smithsonian Craft Show is coming up- Click on the above image for a link to the wood turning information. Captain Eddie is having a contest. He wants us to send pictures of "tops" that we turn. He is giving away some cool prizes. Here is his video explaining the contest- the contest information starts about 11 minutes- For The Newbies- One of the problems I had as a new turner (and truthfully still experience) is creating something that has pleasing proportions. If I had paid attention is school, I would probably have been aware of the "Golden Ratio" and how it can help create well proportioned designs. Well, ratio implies math- another of my weaknesses- so I probably would have avoided learning about it anyway. Fortunately, for those of use who are math challenged, there is an easy to make measuring device to eliminate any calculations. Mike Peace recently posted a video describing the construction of a Fibonacci gauge that can be used to help get turnings more pleasingly proportioned. Expand Your Horizons- Our very generous sponsor- Easy Wood Tools ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools ) shared a video from Heath Knuckles. Heath is a fantastic turner who does much of his work in acrylic/wood hybrids. His abilities and imagination are wondrous. Heath is a champion of the new Easy Wood Tools negative rake cutters and for good reason. Watch and be amazed- New Turning Items- Woodturners Wonders have several great deals available. Here's the link to their main site- https://woodturnerswonders.com/ Everything Else- Carl Jacobson just added a video of a shop made "off-set" turning jig. What I found interesting was that the jig could allow for the addition of counterbalances that would help reduce vibration for those of use with lighter weight/benchtop lathes. I'm not really thrilled with his mounting method. See what you think- Safe turning

stumbled across this DIY jig It looked interesting

Well it that time again coming up on the Dec. Woodworkers club meeting I always have made some little thing for the members, we usually have 15-20 members show up. This year I made a doweling jig. Here are the picture of the build. Herb

I have a production project in the plans which will require mortising and bent lamination, so I took the time to build a mortising jig and a beam compass. I will be test driving them after the project design is approved on Labor Day weekend. Mortising jig The mortising jig design is original, but has features borrowed from Jeff Miller and Philip Morley. It is approx. 16”x 30” x 5” with a ¾” x 5” x 36” base boards. The primary materials used are 4/4 maple lumber, ½” Baltic birch ply, and ¾” Prowood birch U-V ply. The red stops are made from scrap cherry painted. The jig can be easily clamped to a work bench and all of the accessories can be stored in the back of the jig. The work piece is referenced on primary, secondary, and ternary surfaces. The primary surface is made from two pieces of birch ply glued together. Clamping takes advantage of the Microjig dovetail clamp riding in a 14 deg. dovetail track groove. If your work piece is difficult to load and reference when the jig is up-right position, the jig can be positioned horizontally, so that it takes advantage of gravity loading. The clamps have a limitation of a 4” opening with 595 lbs. clamping pressure each. The router edge guide maple runner was machined at the same time the guide groove spacer. During assemble a paper shim (~0.004”) was added to allow the guide to run parallel to the work piece. All surfaces received a light coat of Johnson paste wax. Beam compass The compass was built from scrap ¼” x ¾” x as needed cherry material. It can make an approx. 14” radius. The design is not original. Danl

Years ago I came up with this idea for cutting strips by using my wooden feather board. I submitted it to a wood magazine. I won $25 and signed away all rights. As you can see, I just installed roller bearings. It worked very good. 3 months later, in a wood working sale flyer, there it was and labeled as "Dual use feather board, exciting new tool" That was my last submission of any kind.

Guys, I got myself a used one of these and was wondering if anyone had one that might have some insights on setup and so forth. I bought at a very fair price and it's in real good condition. Thanks for any input, Pat

....submitted a thin strip cutting jig to Woodcraft magazine in Nov. 2005. Charles Neal has a huge woodworking channel on YouTube and a huge following. In one of his videos, he shows how to set up and use Lew's jig. Lew and Woodcraft are now recognized by Charles' world wide YouTube audience. Way to go, lew! Take a look.

Good morning guys, I'm working on making some larger panel cuts and am wondering what size you make your TS sleds? I have a very nice small one but the width just doesn't allow me to cut things like cabinet sides. Would love to see some pics to gleem some ideas from. As a side note I need to cut some plywood with some oval cut outs, I don't have the luxury of a cnc what would be the best way to reduce tearout in these cuts?

In the middle of digging the router table out of it's hide-out....something came out as well... Just three pieces of scrap, glued and screwed together.....into a rip/crosscut jig.....or fence. Long ago, I made this little jig, to replace the cheapo fence on a DeWalt Job Site saw...You can barely see a cleat under the near end...it was sized to ride on the fence's rail. Couple of c clamps to attach to the rail. Have since used this as a saw guide for crosscuts with the circular saw. Also can guide a router for doing dados. Might just set it up as a rip fence for the bandsaw.. Something like this? Figures, now that all the rip cuts are done, this jig shows up.... May do a story about how this was made.....as the story in the old WOOD forum is long gone...

While putzing around, I saw this and thought it might be of interest to turners. The Miterset works as well, but for those who haven't ordered one....yet, this might be of service.

While building some cabinets for a kitchen remodel, I had to apply edge banding to several shelves. OK, it was 14 of them! I had seen a Woodsmith video where they demonstrated how to trim the edge with a router, so I tried it. That was easy and went fairly quick also. Basically, you do two or more shelves at a time. Put them on edge with a spacer in between. Then run a router with a flush trim bit along the edges. Zoom, zoom! I think the pictures tell the story better than I can describe it. The wooden hand clamps worked very well to stabilize the whole thing. Well, I might have used a couple more clamps to keep everything stable.

I made this corner spline jig a few years ago and man, it's been a lifesaver..... Accuracy is very good. Just thought I'd share in case anybody wanted to make one...

Here's a neat tip for squaring the drill press table- http://www.woodsmithtips.com/2015/10/15/drill-press-checkup/?utm_source=WoodsmithTips&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=9998

Came across an oldie but goodie tool. Dad dropped a few things off at my place a year ago, I stashed them for later. During my cleaning I came back across this neat old Kreg Jig. I don't think he ever used it. He loved Wood Magazine, this would have been in the late 80's he purchased this, no doubt because it was Wood Magazine top choice rated. Even says so on the box lid. Pretty cool eh!