Issue 523 Archives - Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To

Prep Underway for 39th Utah Woodturning Symposium

Joanna Werch Takes — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 13:55:57 +0000

It’s just about a month away from the 2018 edition of the Utah Woodturning Symposium, which will feature not only traditional woodturning classes, but also classes on carving and piercing – as, according to board of directors member Susan Hendrix, “More and more carvers are turning items and more and more turners and now carving and piercing on their items, so it makes sense.”

The 2018 Utah Woodturning Symposium is the 39th annual edition of the gathering, which got its start in 1979. This year’s event will be held May 10-12 , 2018 at Utah Valley University in Orem.

Demonstrators from the workshops hail from places like France, Jerusalem and the United Kingdom, as well as across the U.S. Their topics cover a variety of techniques, including spindle turning, working with resin, sharpening, segmenting, threading wood for woodturners and more. Project-based demos include boxes, bowls, a walking stick and even a fidget spinner.

The symposium also incorporates special events, with one highlight being the Great Egg Cup Race, in which each contestant is given a 2.25-in. x 2.25-in. x 4-in. piece of hardwood prepared for mounting in a scroll chuck. Two lathes are set up, each with a tool-rest along the length of the wood and across the end. Contestants compete individually or in teams of two for fastest times and best accuracy based on a drawing – with most opting to go for the speed. According to a former Symposium participant, the late Bill Jones, “You can watch heaps of really good wood being totally ruined by the world’s finest turners.”

A swap meet, silent auction, banquet, workshop specifically geared to youth participants, and a pen turner’s rendezvous with literature and pen works on display round out some of the other activities at the Symposium.

Registration price for the Utah Woodturning Symposium goes up at the end of this month, on May 1. Find more information on the utahwoodturning.com website.

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Best Way to Re-glue Veneer?

Chris Marshall — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 13:50:31 +0000

I have a question on veneer application. I put a new birch veneer on our exterior door, using veneer glue. The problem is there are some small areas that did not adhere. Is there some way to inject glue with a needle and then lay a weight on it? – Joseph Raber

Tim Inman: By “veneer glue,” I’m going to guess that you were using a contact cement for your adhesive. The issue you describe is classic with contact cement. There is not a really good answer. But, “Perfect is the enemy of good,” as we so often say in the shop. Yes, you can inject glue into the void area and try to mend the bad spot. The good news is that if it works, you win. The bad news is that, if it doesn’t, you have even more failed glue underneath the wood where you can’t get to it anymore.

So, what to do? First, if you haven’t already, try applying gentle heat and pressure to the area to see if the old glue will still react and bond. I use an old clothes iron set low enough that I can hold my hand against the heated surface without burning myself. Gentle heat. Apply the iron long enough to heat all the way through both layers of veneer — the cross banding and the top veneer. You did apply new cross banding, didn’t you? (No cross banding equals veneer failures like you’re describing, too.)

Next, if that fails, select the adhesive you’ll want to use. More contact cement is probably not the right choice. If you have the confidence and the skill, Cyanoacrylate or “super glue” might be a good choice. It is a bad choice if this is a new glue to you and/or you have not built skill and confidence with its use. To use CA, I would suggest making a cut or slit with the grain using an X-ACTO® type knife. Lift one side of the cut and apply the glue into the void. Immediately roll or press the wood together and hold it in place while the glue cures. By putting a piece of plastic wrap over the veneer and between the weight you’ll use as a clamp, you can avoid bonding the clamp to the veneer – and the plastic can be scraped off with a razor blade, if need be.

Another choice that is more practical for most is yellow glue. Titebond II would be my choice for this. Work some glue into the void. Roll or press it out to assure a coating on both sides of the veneer and the substrate. Let it dry for half a day or overnight. Then use that gentle heat we mentioned above to “weld” the two surfaces back together. You will need clamping pressure (a weight) while the surface cools.

Finally, let me just say that if you applied new veneer over old with the grain on both running the same direction – without a cross grain piece, typically called “cross banding,” in between them — you’re doomed to this trouble erupting forever more. Cross banding is a must in veneer work.

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Shop-made Hook Rules with Magnetic Appeal

Reader Submitted — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 13:08:49 +0000

A hook rule is useful for woodworking, but instead of spending the extra money to buy one, I make mine with shop supplies instead. I use a couple of rare-earth magnets to turn conventional rules into hook rules. On thicker steel rules, just snap a large magnet right to the end, as shown in the photo here. It forms a perfect 90° “hook” to align the end of the rule precisely with the end of a workpiece. For thinner rules, place the magnet on the rule’s face so a portion of it extends past the rule’s end. Then affix a smaller magnet or even a machine nut under the larger one in the overhang area. Push the smaller magnet against the rule’s end to form the hook.

– Serge Duclos
Delson, Quebec

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Festool Adds Bluetooth® Connectivity

Chris Marshall — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 13:00:35 +0000

Festool now offers two Airstream 18-volt lithium-ion battery packs in 5.2- and 6.2-Ah sizes that are Bluetooth enabled. Their wireless connectivity is designed to communicate with the Bluetooth® module recently introduced on most models of the company’s CLEANTEC CT Dust Extractors. When retrofitted with these Bluetooth batteries, several of Festool’s cordless tools, including the TSC 55 Tracksaw, HKC 55 Carpentry Saw, BHC Hammer Drill, PDC Percussion Drill, C 18 and T 18+3 Cordless Drills, DWC Drywall Screwdriver and the Carvex Jigsaw can activate the dust extractor automatically as the tool’s trigger is pulled.

“The new Bluetooth battery packs allow professionals to benefit from Festool’s virtually dust-free system when working with Festool cordless products,” says Leo Zirkler, vice president of marketing at Festool. “And, they further extend the functionality and convenience of our recently updated CT dust extractors.”

An integrated LED display on the battery pack displays its charge status at all times. When used in combination with the SCA 8 AIRSTREAM rapid charger (sold separately), these battery packs charge quickly and effectively with active cooling during the charging procedure.

Also new from Festool is a Bluetooth® Dust Extractor Remote Control Set. It comes with a Bluetooth module that installs quickly and easily on older CT 26, 36, 36 AC and 48 dust extractors so they can be turned on or off with a Bluetooth wireless remote control mounted on the suction hose. (Note: the Bluetooth module is not compatible with discontinued CT 22 and 33 models.) The set also communicates with Festool’s new Bluetooth batteries, so older CT extractors will start automatically when select cordless tools (listed above) are turned on. The set comes with all the necessary retrofit hardware, as well as straps for securing the remote to either 27mm or 36mm suction hoses. Up to five remote controls can be paired with one dust extractor.

Festool’s Bluetooth-enabled Airstream 5.2Ah Battery (item 202480; $110) and 6.2Ah Battery (item 202478; $125) are available now. The Bluetooth Remote Control Set (item 202097) sells for $80 and is also shipping now. Additional remote controls (item 202098) can be purchased separately for $45.

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VIDEO: Small Box Table Saw Project

Rob Johnstone — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 12:10:52 +0000

The table saw is one of the most versatile woodworking tools. To demonstrate, we made all of the parts for this small box project using only a table saw. For this project we needed to make rip cuts, cross cuts, miter cuts, bevel cuts, and dado cuts. We also demonstrate how to use a crosscut sled and a sliding table saw jig. The ability to make so many different cuts makes the table saw the heart of many woodworking shops.

The ability to make so many different cuts makes the table saw the heart of many woodworking shops.

Download the Drawings and Materials List for this project.

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Red Pen Easier to See When Scroll Sawing

Dick Ayers — Thu, 19 May 2011 13:05:38 +0000

I used to get eyestrain from continually aligning the black blade with a black pencil line when doing lots of scroll sawing. Now I trace my patterns with a red pen instead. It provides a line that’s easier to reference against the dark blade. Old style Bic® ballpoints with the long tips work best, but if you can’t find one, any fine-tipped red pen will also do the job.

– Dick Ayers
Barron, Wisconsin

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