Popular Woodworking - 018 -1984.pdf

8/17/2019 Popular Woodworking - 018 -1984.pdf

1/48

1.95ssue 18

P a c i i c

o o d w o rApril/May 1984Crispin Hollinshead

Miniature Maker

Inside this issue:

ow To Sharpen arving Tools

Marketing SellingThrough Galleries nd Stores

Andy oldman s

StaveConstructed

Bowls


2/48

PleKA SAWTHE QUALITY YOU WANT AT A PRICE YOU HAVEN T SEEN INYEARS

3 HP . 50 Phose115 /230 V(pr9'N'ired 115V ) or3 H P 3 Pho e ,220 /44fN ; 00 221M

4.200

34-

36- «rr

Net Weight lOs o corc x.):

S p j n d ~Speed RPM)MotOl ( WIthmagnet ic controlswitCh )

T LE :HeightSize (with tableextensions )(without tableextensions)Overall Dimensions(mm:imum)

CTAS 1Q 1 , Sgl. Pho seStock No .: 708520CTAS 1 ·3 3 PhoseS ock No ,: 708521Sow Diame ter 1()

Arbor HoleDiameter : ~C A P C l T l E ~

~ l m U mDepthof Cut . 3-Max imum ThlCkneuof Cutat 45°: 2 '-Tobie in Ffont ofSow Blade attJox imum Cut 1 ltv'ox imumWd hof Dodo 13/16 -

SPECIF ICATIONS :

Features :Th e sturd y, box -type body i s

made o f steel plate , completelyenclosing all moving parts

to en sure safeoperation ,with the extra rigid ity neces

sarry for day-in , day-outworkloads .

The lar ge table is equipped withlO-inch extension wings for largewo rkpiec es. And yo u can perform

ripping , moulding a nd dadoingpr ocedures with ease.The

spin dle issupported by a onepiece housing incorporating tw oenclosed precision ball bearings.

It also moves vertically with theright sid e handwheel control , andtilts up t o 45 ° with the left hand

wh eel control. The motor isequipped with three V-belts to

transmit smooth, balancedpower.

SLI IN TAB ESAW

The T tilting arbor table saw isa hea vy duty , rugged tool , de

signed to produce accurate , precise work for cabinet makers and

th e construction industry .

The easeof a panelsaw. The flexibilityof a tablesaw.

1 799 00, Complete)

JET TILTIN

ARBOR TABLESAW he perfect marriage

v s precision imported economy

Biesemeyer ssuperb .TSQ fence mounted

on jets 10 3 HP saw . 1,399 00 wooden extension table not included )

jets basic 10 Saw withstandard lever fence 1 ,199For 3 phase add 50jets 2 blade x arbor 1 799Order before ay the first andreceive a FR 40 tooth carbideblade with an y purchase

VISIT US AT THE WORKIN WITHW O O SHOW O N APRIL 6-8, 1984

AT TH E TRADE SHOW CENTERIN SAN FRANCISCO.

MACHINERY WITH THE SERIOUS WOODWORKER IN MIND• achinery

Used

ew

Traded

• Brokering• Custom Financing

• Visa Maste rcha rge

• e ses

• Purchase plans

• Call for ou r listing of

ne w an d used machines

2 Pacific Wood worker


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acific Woodwo rker (ISSN 0277-576X) isublished six times a year by EGW Pub-shing Co 1300 Ga laxy Way, Suite 8,oncord, CA 94520.opyright © 1984 by EGW Publishingo . Reproduction without prior permission i srohibited .

ubscription rates 9.95 per year, 15 .95or two years. Single copy: 1.95. Address

ubscription inquiries to Subscription Dept . ,acific Woodworke r 1300 G alaxy Way,uite 8, Conco rd, CA 94520. Can a da add.00 per year. Rates for subscriptio ns out

de North America on request. Unless aaim is made for non-receipt o f an iss ueithin six months of mailing date, that issueill not be replaced free of charge. Allowweeks for a ddress changes.

nsolicited manuscripts, ph otographs, artork and ot her m aterials ar e ac cepted, bu tacific Woodwo rker can no t ass ume responbility for these materials. Submi ssionsust be acco mpanied b y a self-addressed ,

amped envelope for retu rn .

he opinions exp ressed by the autho rs d o notecessarily reflect the policy of P acific

Woodworker. Editorial correspo ndence isncouraged, and may be edited fo r publition .

irect all advert ising inquiries to:dvertising Manager, Pacific Woodworke r 300Galaxy Way, Suite 8,oncord, CA 9452015) 671-9852.

eadlineforI ssue 19: p ril 13, 1984.

ulk mail postage paid at F ulton, MO.rinted in U .S.A.

Staffean M. Davis Editor

Contributing Editors:Bill FarnsworthWilliam H. McMasterDa vid Paul ck

ook Re views lan MarksCartoons BillAtherton

Bill HorgosWa yne Lin

d vertising Managerypograph yNickels Graphics digi-t ype

Ovid Bell Press PrintingGW Publishing Co.Publisherharles HarrisPublishing Consultant

April/May 1984

c i f i c o o d \ o r ~ e

Volume 3, Number 6April/May 1984

Issue 18

Con tents4 L etters6 Working Small by Charle s Harris

Cr ispin Hollin shead Miniature Maker9 Calendar Announcements

Ev ents o f Interest to Woodworkers14 Fluid Wood Inlay by Martin R. Zscho che

Rediscovering Lo st A rts o f Marque try17 L iving with Murphy17 Shop Tips: Linseed Oil Tips18 Marketing by Jean M. Da vis and Ch arles Harr is

Guide to Woodworking Galleries and Stor es Par t 121 Store Review

Wo oden Boat Shop in Seattle Wash ington23 Stave Bowl Construction by Marlen Kemm et n dy Goldman s Techn iquefor Lathe -Turned Bowls

26 F inishing Techniques by Robert O . BriggsPart 3: p pl ying Lacquer

28 Making the Mitchell Ai r Rifle by Paul Gerhards30 Focus on Carving by William H. McMaster

The Reflection Method o f Sharpening33 Book Reviews by Alan Marks34 Northern California Woodworkers Association News35 News Notes: New Products36 T he Fourth Corner by BillFarnswor th

Communing w ith Wood40 T he National Carvers Museum by Cha rles Harris42 Wood Types by David Paul Eck

Bigleaf Maple44 Classified Market

On the Cover: Crispin Hollinshead, minia ture make r. Also sta veconstruc ted bo wls of exotic woods made b y And y Goldman . Photograph y by Chod Harris and Marlen Kemme t.

Subscribe to Pacific Woodworker. See Reader Services an dBack I ssue Sales on page 46.

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I do enjoy your magazine, but hope youwill show a few simpler projects for thebeginners.

Dale E. StoneJuneau, AK

Thanks for your comments. Perhaps someof our otherreaders willhave some projectideas they d like to share. See also some ofou r back issues fo r project ideas an d instructions such as stack laminated bu dvases (Issue 12) , plywood computercabinetry (Issue 14 an d a knife holder(Issue 15) .

In perusing the issues of Pacific Woodworker you sent me , I found your publication to have a distinctly different flavor

than any ofthe others. I liked the personalslant of many of the pieces and the gentleapproach evidenced throughout the articles. As an example I enjoyed the background story on Biesemeyer (Issue 16Dec/Jan 1984). This type of identity information for me, at least, is satisfying.While perhaps not necessary for life, itdoes give me a sense of identity with thewoodworking world.

Chris Broadwell

Santa Cruz , CA

Pacific Woodworker welcomes yourcomments , pro or con, about articlesan d information wepublish. Send yourletters to Editor , Pacific Woodworker,1300Galax y ily Suite 8 Concord, C494520. Letters may be edited fo r publication.

4

tt rs

Woodworkers NeedTrainingThe following letter was received as a

response to the Reader Survey we conducted last summer. e think PacificWoodworker readers will be interested inMatt Lambert s provocative comments.

Someone has got to start a school fortraining people how to work in a tradeshop. I was exposed to my grandfather sbusiness as an eight year old with poliounable to go to school. They taught youhow to assist , how to think along and beprepared to hand the next tool, jig, orboard. Youwent through a year s programwhere they evaluated whether you couldwork ina shop-blend in, integrate intotheflow of work. They taugh t you how toevaluate , not criticize; how to know when

you were starting to make a mistake. Itwould be really interesting to develop aprogram or manual for people working ina shop. is a lost art or skil l.

Matt LambertSan Mateo , CA

Other umber Mills vailableIn answer to Marvin Smi th s request in

Issue 16 of Pacific Woodworker for alumber mill , I haveaccess to a fivefootcir

cular saw mill. We have cut Cal iforniawalnut logs as large as 7.5 in diameter and15 long. We normally wo rk on a sharebasis-good logs, one-third ; poor logsthatrequire lots of handling, o ne-half or wewill cut for cash . The mill isnear Modesto,California. Contact me at (209) 537 1538.

Warren D. BoydModesto , CA

As a hobby I havebuilt a fair sized bandsaw mill. With it logs as large as four feet

in diameter havebeen reduced to two inchslabs. Remember it is only a hobby withme. I have processed black walnut , blacklocust and Modesto ash to name a few .Perhaps if Mr. Marvin Smith, who wrotethe r equ est for mill assistance couldtransport his black walnut to Turlock, Icould be of some help in cutting it.

Robert CooperTurlock , CA

Marvin Smith, let us know ifyou wantustoput you in touch with Robert Cooper.

Needs rill it SourceI m looking for a source to buy multi

spur woodworking drill bits made by WmRidgeway, Sheffield England. Theclosest big cities are Salt Lake City, Utahand Idaho Fails, Idaho. Please let me knowifthere is a supplier ineither ofthese townsor perhaps in Denver, Colorado or the nextclosest town.

Rick HornJackson , WY

J couldn tfind any sourcesfor the drillbitsyou want. Do any o f our readersknow ?There are a number o f companies whichsell multi-spurdrill bits mail . These include Woodcraft, Box 4000, Woburn , MA01888; Garrett ade Avenue o f theAmericas, NY, 10013; an d Woodworker s Supply of New Mexico, 5604Alameda NE, Albuquerque, NM fJ JJ3

1 11 afraid neither I (nor the rest of thestaff) know o f a source in any of the citie syou mentioned, so the mail order routelooks like your best bet. J d certainly ap

preciate hearingfrom readers whoknow ofsuppliers in your area.

Pacific Woodworker


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orking mall

rispin ollinshead ombines ngineering Skills andWoodworking reativi ty in andcrafted iniatures

by harles arris

Crispi n H ollinshead s 6-foot- plus frametower s over most normal-sized furni ture,

but even his hand s alone dwarf h is owncreations : miniature reproduction s at ascale of I to a foot. Cris has combined abackground in mechanical engineeringand dra fting with a feel for and a love ofwood to produce finel y crafted furniturepie ces onl y a few inche s high.

Cris went to school and worked in SanDiego , but soon found that engineeringa nd drafting were too limiting for h iscreativ e urge s. A hobby of model making

provided an outlet for awhile, but Cri sfinally abandoned city life in SouthernCal ifornia for the trees and fresh air ofMendocino farther north .

He firs t worked as a gofer a t loca lco nstruction sites, grad ually acq uiring th eman ual skills needed for regular em ploymen t as a carpe nter. O ne of the fr iends hemade in Me ndoci no was woodworkerBrian Lee. Br ian tu rned Cris on to thejoy sand fru strations of fine woodwo rking , and

together the pair started t he MendocinoWoodwo rker s Assocation .

Cri s s fir st wood crea tion s were spinning wh eels for home spinners. The n ,using his backgro und as a model make r, h eproduc ed a scale model clipper ship. Theship didn t s e ll for years, until he b uilt acu stom display ca se for the ship. T hen th eship and case so ld quickly . Th e final stepin hi s tran si tion to miniature maker ca mew hen Cri s built a sca le d oll house for thepo pular show hel d by t he M endocino

Associa tion in M ay eac h year.Th e do llh ouse di dn t se ll at the show , so

ri s packed it up and drove to Sa nFra ncisco to make t he round s of storesthere. In the process of loc ating a s torewhic h wo uld take the dollhouse on co nsignmen t , Cri s di scovered a whole worldof minia ture shop s. He saw an opportuni tyto combine his lifelong hobb y of modelma king with a woodworkin g career.

r ispin Hollinshead holds o ne his min iature

turnin g sc rapers high co balt steel

C ris l ocated a ga llery in San Anselmo , alifornia w hich spec ializes in h igh

quality m iniatures and deve loped a relationship with the owner . Now when heproduce s a run of table s, he conta cts theown er and asks how ma ny of the run shewant s. H e al so s ells through anothergallery in Scott sdale, Arizona.

Cri s enjoy s con siderable freedom ofde sign, within the broad constraints of hi smarket. I don t take orders. I do all mywork on spec, h e explain s. By s tickingwith limited editions of 10 -20 piece s, he

avoid s the bo redom of mas s production ,but still makes eno ugh of an item that heneeds jigs and assembly line method s.

O ne sus pects Cri s getsas much of a ki ckout of producing a jig to solve a productionproblem as he does i n m aking the finishedp roduc t. H is e ngineering backgroundshows through in hi s imaginative and enthu siastic a pproach t o limited productionwork . T he jigg ing u p process is stimulatin g to my mi nd; it s a lways different. I

cobb le something toget her which let s memachine some thing repeatedl y. Then I tearit down, since I ll neve r use that p articularji g again , he note s . I t satisfies th emechan ical desire in me. C ris s mechanica l bent i s evident , too, in his selection ofde signs. He lean s toward furniture withmoving part s : ga te-legged tables , sideboards w ith rotating topsa nd cabinets withworking doors . For desig n reference , Cri shas a massed a library of antique books ,es pecially D over re prints . B ut his piec es

Pacific Woodworke r


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re not copie s of originals. He pick s upde sign element s from several differentpie ces, merging them into hi s own uniqu epiece.

He build s primarily Early Americanmini atures, with simple j oinery and cle arines . I'm not int o the fanc y carving andnlay of o ther period s he explain s. I like

lassic j oinery, frame and panel con strucion , s quare sections and turned po sts.

Tipson aking iniatures'Working small ha s both advantage s

nd di sadvantages. The raw material co sts near zero, the end product is easy toran sport and ship, and shop space requirements are minimal. On the other hand , themark et for handcrafted miniature s is smallnd the work can be frustrating . Errors ar e

multipli ed by the size of the piece, so thatven a 1 64 diff erence become s very

noticeable. But Cri s has evolved someechniques a nd pro cedures whi ch help inwo rk ing s ma ll

election of ood'I'm ge tting pi cky about m y wood Cri s

x plains . He se lects wood with ver y tightgrain, w ith no o pen pore s, whi ch wouldook like go pher hol es at the scale h e uses.His favor ite wood is local madrone , wh ich

he ca lls We stern c herry. He al so uses tanoak, pin e a nd m aple. But it' s hard to find .ock mapl e that ha s tight enough grain , hedd s.

A tiny che ck or split in a pie ce of woodwould b e magnified 12time s in a miniaur e. But that's from the point of view ofbig' . I don 't get flaw s that size . If I have alaw that big in the wood , I cut around it ,

and throwaway that part . One of the benfits of working smalli s lowmateri al c osts.

Mu ch of hi s lumb er invent ory can be colected from th e scraps and ends from other

area woodworkers. I benefit from oth ers'was te wood j okes Cri s.

awing the oodA 10 contractor 's table saw is Cri s's

prim ary wood cuttingtool. For a saw blad eCri s uses a 7 1/2 narrow kerf T sumura

An assor tment of Cris s miniatures in one o his

unique display cases .

April/May 98

blade , from R ichard Sil vera (see Pa cificWoo w ork er , Issue 9). For dado es , Cri semplo ys a Sear s fine -toothed pl ywoodblade, g round down to 1/32 3/8 in hi sscale). Cr is had to make a special throatplat e for the saw, s ince the tin y piece s hecuts (as litt le as 1/16 by 1/32 ) would dropth rough the hole on the normal throat plat e

(see phot o) . Anoth er c ustom accesso ry i sa fence wh ich goe s right do wn to the blade ,to hold th e smallest p ieces .

Working small require s getting ve ryclo se to th e spinning blade , so Cri s uses

standard safe ty pr ecautions, but at o netwelth sca le . H e built a min iature bladeguard to cover th e tiny portion of the blad ewhich proj ects throu gh the custom thro atplat e. And ri s a lways u ses a m iniaturepu sh s tick w hen w or k ing cl ose to th eblad e . I am alwaysc onscious of how I ampu shing a nd w here m y hand will go if it

slips Th ese pre cautions pay off; Cri s hasne ver eve n nick ed a fi nger

ri s has m od i f ied o t he r tool s fo r working sma ll as well. For stop dadoe s,he g round a chi sel down to 1/32 . Hi s

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router hangs underneath a special table ,complete with auxil ia ry tables whichclamp on top for particular ta sks. Hegrinds hi s own miniature router bits formolding , etc.

ThrningThe only t ru ly minia ture tool Cris

employ s is a Unimat model maker 's lathe.

It's my main tool, a lovel y machine , Crisintone s. This lightweight machine is accurate to a few thousandths of an inch,enough for even Cris's exacting standards.For scrapers Cris uses 1/8 square by 21/2 blanks of high cobalt steel. The 1/8scrapers are the equivalent of I 1/2 inscale . Trial and error led to his selection ofthe proper steel for scrapers . I star tedwith regu lar Brookstone tool stee l

scrapers, bu t they d id n' t h ol d theirsharpnes s. I found I was spending an hourand a halfevery six hours resharpening myscraper s. I tried carbide blanks, but without a diamond grinding wheel, I couldn'tget them sharp enough , even though theydid hold their edge well . Finally I turned tohigh cobalt steel, which I can sharpen , andwhich hold s its edge much better than toolsteel, Cri s explains.

The p recision Un imat lath e is th e o nly spe c ialpi ece of equipment Cr is e mploys to produ ce hi smini t ur es

To produce the several dozen legsneeded for a run of 12tables, Cris first cutsall the stock to the correct length. Then hemarks a piece of paper with all of thecritical dimensions: starting and stoppingpoints, for example. With the piece in thelathe and spinning, Cris uses a knife blade

8

todefine the ends, working from his paperpattern. He practices on a few pieces togetthe feel of the piece , and then run s off the80-100 legs he needs , while peeringthrough a magnifying lens ( see photo). Iusually make about 10 mor e than I willneed, in case of problems lat er on .

After talking to Del Stubbs of Chico ,

California, Cri s is learning how to shearhis turnings , rather than scrape the wood. The sheared sur face is cleaner andcrisper , and easier to duplicate. Shearingreduces tearout, and my tools hold theiredge longer, Cris comment s.

Sanding and laningCris f inishes most of his work by

planing, not sanding. I never l ikedsanding: the noise, dust and constantlychanging grits . Then I took JamesKrenov's first summer program at theCollege of the Redwoods (see PacificWoodwork er Issue 14). I w as overjoyedwith his planing techniques . Here i s aprocess that gives a superior surface thatyou can 't duplicate with sanding, heexplains. Also , the planed corner stayssharp as you work in scale. With sanding,even the slightest rounding looks like theedge was routed. Cri s's primary plane i s

a 15 wooden plane , fully

feet long inscale He clamps the pl an e into awoodworking vise and slides the work overthe exposed blade. What little sanding Crisstill does is for fine adjustments , such asmaking all four table legs even.

Two of the specially m odified tools C ris u ses inmini tur e pr oduction : a pl ywood sa w l d eg round d own to 1 32 for d d oes an d a thr oatpl t e for th e tables w with a tiny slot fo r cl osework

Cri s demonstrates planin g thin w ooden pan els :he cl amps th e pl ane to th e bench and run s th ewoo d across t he bl ade

l mpingTo hold the tiny piece s prop er

alignment as the glue set s, Cri s ha sdeveloped a frame similar to a pictureframe. Using parallel wedges, thi s jig putsgentle , even pre ssure on all side s of thepiece . Heal so uses adhe sive tape to holda

joint ; with such tiny surface s even th eholding power of the tape provide sadequate pressure to en sure a strongjoint.

Selling iniaturesCri s readily admits that the market for

his products is q ui te li mi ted . Mos tdollhouse furniture is imported productionwork, pieces selling for lessthan 50 . Thenumber of potential customers for moreexpensive, hand crafted , limited production pieces i s small. I have to pa yattention to what myclientele wants, Cri sexplain s.

On the other hand, there are some di stinct marketing advantage s to working inthe miniature field. There are very fewpeople doing quality woodworking at thi sscale, Cri s notes. I feel comfortableworking at this scale , but some people gobananas working at I toa foot. Anotheradvantage : hiswork ispurchased outright ;

cont inuedon p ge 45

acific Woodworker


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alendar nnouncements

vents Interest to Woodworkers

Mar.31-Apr.1. Santa Rosa, CA.Wood carver s Festival . Co ntact S onoma Co untyWoodcarvers, 1263Rim of the Redwoods, Se bastopol,

A 95472 .

Apr.l-May 1. Fort Bragg, CA.pplication pe riod for Fi ne Woodworking ProgramfCollegeof the Redwoods for the 84-85 sc hool year .

ontact Fine Woodworking Program, 440 Alger Stort Bragg , CA95437 o r 7 J7 964 7 56

Apr.3. San Rafael , CA.30 PM . Dominican College A rt Dept. lecture :tuart Welch on De sign Con siderations Aroundesigner-Built Furniture.

Apr.6. Mendocino , CA.30 PM . Mendocino Art Cente r lecture by Simon

Walls : Lap st r ake Boatbuilding Technique s . 2onation .

Apr.6-S. Tempe, AZ .Old Town Te mpe Festival,ju ried s how and sa le, MillAve . a nd 5th St ree t a rea 10 A M 6 PM . Co ntactBarbara Saltmarsh, 6 07 E . Loyola Dri ve, Tempe,AZ85 282 or (602) 96 6-7277

Apr.7. Mendocino, CA.8 PM . Mendocino Art C enter lecture by Simo n Watts :

Furniture D esign a nd C onstruction. 2 do nation .Apr.9-May 14. San Diego, CA.Ca binetmaking class. For inform ation co ntact T heCUling Edge o f San Diego, 7626 Miramar Rd. Suit e3500 , Sa n Diego , CA 92 126 or (619) 695 -3990.

Apr U Ma y 7 Berkeley, CA.Rocking horse carving clas s with An ton Ligne ll . Forinfo rmation contac t Th e Cu tting Edge, 1836 Fo urthSt Berkeley , CA 94710o r (415) 548-60 .

Apr.16-17. Berkeley, CA.Children s Toymaki ng clas s, afternoons . For information co ntact T he C utting Edge , 18 36 Fo urth St . ,Berkeley, CA 94710 or (4 15) 548-6 011.

Ap r .lS. Berkeley, CA.Children s Woodcut Printing class , afternoons. For information co ntactTh e Cutting Edge, 1836 Fourth StBerkeley , CA 9 4710 or (4 15) 548-60 .

Apr.23. Berkeley, CA .Wood La mination for Carvers class . For informationco ntact T he Cutting Edge, 1836 Fourth St Berkeley,CA 947 10or (415) 548 -6011.

Ap r .2S. Berkele y, CA.Chair Design workshop with Jeff Dale . For information co ntact Th e C utting Edge, 1836 F ou rth St

co ntinued

Loo king or That ard To ind urn iture ardware Par t

EURorEANHARDWARE

FURNITURE LIGHTS TRJMHARDWARE

The answer s elementary : Send fo r Kemp Hardware s extensivefurnitur e an d woodworking hardware catalog . A supplier to furniture

facto r ies f or o ve r 60 years Kemp Hardware inventories over 2300special ized furn iture hardware i t ems until now only available to th e

large furniture manufacturers.

In stock : table slide s furni t ure lights, trim hardware grills industrial

w oodwork ing glue European hardware table locks, waterbedhard ware and much more . Send 3 .00 fo r a comple te ca talog and

we ll refund your 3 .00 with t he f ir st order.

TABLE SLIDES

April/May 1984 9


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Berkeley . CA 94710or 415)548 6 11 .

A pr.28. Lo s A ngeles, CA.A Da y with Sam Maloofin his Works hop . For information contact The Cutting Edge. 3871Grand ViewBlvd. • Los An geles, CA 90066 or 213)390-9723 .

A pr.28. San Diego , CA.Clock Buildin g clas s. For informat ion contact T heCutting Edge ofSan Diego. 7626 Miramar Rd. Suite

3500. San Diego . CA 92126 or 619) 695-3990 .M ay 3-17 Lo s Angele s, CA.Thursda ys, workshop withJerry Glasero n Lat he Too lMaking . For informa tioncontact The C utting Edge .3871Grand View Blvd . • Los Angeles. CA 90066 or 213) 390-9723 .

Ma y 4-5. Lo s Angeles , CA .Building Woode n Xy lophones works hop . For in formatio n contact T he Cutti ng Edge . 1836 Fo urth St. ,Berkeley , CA 947 10 o r 415) 548-6 0 .

Ma y 4-6. Lo s Angeles, CA.Lecture by Tos hio O date on h is wood sculpture Fri.),Wo rkshop on Japanese Too ls and M ake a Sh oji Screen

Sat. & Sun .) . Fo r informa tion co ntact T he C uttingEdge. 3871 Grand View Bl vd . • Los A ngeles , CA90066 or 213) 390-9723 .

Ma y 4-6. Sa n Diego, CA.Lecture /Works hop w ith James Kre nov . Lectu re o nFri . night , workshopon May5 & 6.Contact San DiegoFine Wo odworker s Assoc . • P.O. Box 99656. SanDie go. CA 92 109.

James Krenov s SchoolAccepting Applications

Th e Fin e Woodworking Program of th eC ollege o f th e Redwoods in Fort Br agg,Californ ia see Pacific Hbodwo rker Issue14) is ac cepting applications f or the 1984-5academic yea r. Applic ation pe riod i s AprilI-May I. For more inf ormation a nd appli cation for m s, co ntact C ollege o f th eRedwoods F ine Woodworking Program ,44 0 Al ger St. , Fort Bra gg , CA 95437 o rca ll 7 JJ 964 7 56 .

May 5. Marshall CA.Northern Ca lifornia W oodw or k er s Association

Ge nera l Me etin g & Barbecue see NCWA N ewse lsewhere in thi s issue fo r details) .

May 5. San Diego, CA.

Decoy Carv ing seminar w ith Bob Berry. Fo r information co ntact Th e C utting Edge of S an D iego, 7626Mira mar R d . Su ite 3500. Sa n D iego, CA 92 126 o r 619) 695-3990 .

Ma y 7. Berkeley , CA.Ted C hase on Japanese Too ls. Fo r informa tion contac t The C utting Edge, 1836Fo urth St., Berkeley , CA94710 or 415) 548-6011.

Awards for WoodworkingStudents

Th e Int er n ational Wood Co llectorsSocie ty wi ll p rovide ribb ons, cer tificatesa nd so me ex pense mo ney f or ex hibits andd isplays of j unior and se nior h igh sc hoolwoodwo rking p rojects. Winn ers of localcompe titions are e ligible f or a Grand Prizeto be awar ded b y Th e Intern ational WoodC ollectors Society. For mo re in formationco ntac t R .M.B artl ett, IWCS , TrentonH igh School, 26 01Ch arlton Road, Trenton , M1 48183.

May 9-30. San Diego, CA.Decoy Carving cl ass . For i nformation co ntact TheC utting Edge of San D iego. 762 6 M iramar Rd . Suite

3500. Sa n D iego, CA 92 126 or 619) 695 -3990.May to June 28. Berkeley, CA.T hursdays. Cold Mo lded B oatCo nstruction class . Forinformation co ntact T he C utting Edge , 1836 Fourthsi., Berkeley, CA 94 710 o r 415) 548-6011 .Ma y U-28. Santa Rosa, CA.So noma Co unty D esigner s S howcase in t he historicRunyon-Metzger ho use . 535 B Street . Sa nta Rosa .

No obligation FR trial offer ·

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sanding• Thinner-easier feed,

cut isonly 1/8 thick

Rip or crosscut on hardwood , softwood, plys , veneers , parIIcleboard , la m inates 1- or 2- slded (use 80 Tips) , Corian ,hardboard , phenolics . 40 Tips ar e standard, 60 an d 80Tips available Factory sharpening , 3 days , 12.95.

Fo r s mple cu ts n d liter ture ll or write :

United Saw Technologies Int l.P.O. Box941 , C lillon, NJ 07014 Toorde r: 1-8@526-0988, ext . 144

201) 471-3333 In N.J.: 8 ) ) 272-1321, ext. 144

' Trya SANBLADEfor 30days . If you do n 't like the results,we'llbuy It back No quest ions asked .

10

CAREERS NWOO

l l with practicingfts nd industry

Ca lifornia St a eUniversity , Northridge

A Coopera tive E ducation Progra m

Pacific Woodworker


11/48

continued

our of 7 rooms and grounds . 10 to4dai ly; Thursdays0to 7 . For i nformation call 7fJ7 54-MUSIC.

May 17-June 7. Sa n Diego, CA.tained Glassclass . Fori nformation contact The C utngEdgeofSa n Diego,7626 Miramar Rd. Suite 3500,an Diego , CA92 126 6 19 695-3990.

Ma y 30-June 27. Sa n Diego, CA .urniturebuildi ng class: Q ueenAnn e table . For inormationcontact The Cu tting E dge ofSa n Diego,

626Miramar Rd. Suite 3500,Sa n D iego , CA92 126r 619 695-3990.

une 1-3. Oakland CA.estival at the Lake Craft Market. Contact Festiva lraftMarket, do GoodfellowC atalog, P.O. Box4520,erkeley, CA9 4704

une 2. Berkeley, CA.uningJ apanese Tools wi thTedC hase . Fori nformao n contac t The Cutting Edge, 1836 Fo urth St.,

Berkeley, CA9 4710 or 415 548-6011.

une 4. Berkeley, CA.WoodCo loring withG ary Bennett. For informationontact The CuttingEd ge, 1836 Fourth St. , Berkeley ,A947 10or 415 54 8-6 .

une 6-20. Los Angeles, CA.Wednesdays, seminaro nM arketing Your Woodwork.

or i nformation contact The C Uling Edge, 387 1Gra nd View Blvd. , LosA ngeles,CA 90066 o r 2 13

90-9723.

Woodworking Showin Pasadena

Th e Pasadena Con vention Center is thesi te of Th e Woodworkers Show April13-15. Th e show f eatures ex hibits, freeseminars, de monstrations and p rizes. Professional and a spiring fine woodworkers

ca n viewth e late st in tool s and techn iques.Open noon to IOpm Friday , 10-10 Saturd ayand 10-6pm Sunda y. Conta ct Pat Dillon,1516 S. Po ntius Ave . , Los Angel es, CA900 25 or c all 213 477-85 21.

June 9. Be rkeley, CA.Wood CutPri nting. For informationco ntact Th e Cutting Edge, 1836 Fourth St . , Berkeley, CA 94710 or 415 548-6 .

June 9. Sa n Diego, CA.Woodturning seminar andd emonstration with JerryGlaser . For information contact The Cutting Edge ofSan Diego , 7626Miramar Rd. Suite 3500 , San Diego,CA92 126 or 6 19 6 95-3990 .

Wood Carving Classes BeginBand L Woodworking of Santa Rosa ,

CA , is o ffering b eginning co urses of i nstruction in wood ca rving, sta rting n ow. Aselection of woo d ca rving t ools a nd supplies is a lso available. P ersons i nterested i nlearning about th e tools a nd techniques of

traditional hand tool woo d ca rving shouldco ntact St eve Biggs, 3 68 3 Gu ern evilleRoad , Santa Rosa, CA 95401, or 7 J7545-8263.

Old Town TempeSpring Festival

Th e Old TownT empe Arizona Sprin gFe stival see acific odworker Issue15 feature s ajuried art and craft show andsale , with 300 exhibits. Mu sicians and

gourm et food s complement the ex hibits.April 6 -8, downtown Tempe, Ari zona.Contact B arbara Saltmarsh, 6 J7 E. LoyolaDr. , Temp e, AZ 852 82 o r ca ll 602966 W7

April May 1984 11


12/48

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June 23-24. Sacramento , CA.Pacific Fl yway Decoy Association 14th nnu alWild fowl Fes tival. Contact Susan Nesbit , PacificFlyway Decoy Assoc ., P.O. Box 536, Q uin cy, CA9597 1.

June 30. Alameda, CA.Woodturner's Con f e rence s po nso red by Nort hernCalifornia Woodwork ers Associa tion at Woodline T heJapa n Woodworker , feat u ri ng D el St ubbs , SteveJohn son & o thers . L imited enrollme nt. For pre

registra tion. cos t, and informa tion pac ket co ntact RonAshby a t (7m 937-0375 .

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GILLIOMMFG., INC.; Dept. PW·41700 Scherer Pkwy. St. Charles , MO63301

Designer Kitchen ShowcaseHow do you fi taspacious and fun ctional

co ntempor y kitchen int o a restored Victorian home ? John Ward of Art isan Woodworkers (see Pa cific woo dworker Issue 8)has met the challenge in th e 1I5-year oldRunyon-Metzger home in S anta Rosa ,C aliforn ia , Th e kit chen a nd 16 oth er

designer s howcase ro oms are on di splayMay 12-28 at 535 B S1., Santa Rosa from10-4pm , Ticket s 8.00, pro ceed s benefitSanta Rosa Symphony. P.O.Box 10 , Santa Rosa , CA 9 5402 or 7 W 54 -MUSIC.

12 Pacific Woodworker


13/48


14/48

luid ood Inlay

e iscovering o st rts of Marquetry

M artin Zschoche

Many ofthe secrets of wood inlay did notsurvive to modern t imes. Ancient techniques, for the most part , went unrecorded

by craftsmen. These procedures, like theformulas for stains and finishes on Stradi

varius violins , were guarded as t rade secrets , pa ssed down from father to son, if at

all . Often when the master died , his methods and techniques died with him . Futurecraft smen had to rediscover the idiosyncrasies of t he ir work , making the ir ownway to the de sire d results. I have a pa r

t icul ar int er est in the t echn iques for intrica te inlayed and marquetry lettering.Fancy scrol led Old English let ters of awid th equal to I mm or smaller, or highlyfigured Russian lettering as might be foundon 15th Century icons ar e particularly

troublesome to transpose into marquetry.The standard marquetarian methods cre-a ting a through window in a piece ofvene er and cutting a corresponding in

lay are simply insufficient.Lettering i s fraught with tiny dang ling

pieces , often with the g ra in running the

wrong way and thus subject to fracturingupon the least provocation. M any letters of

the alphabet contain closed loops, such asin a n or an A .These leave una ttached pieces w hen carved in veneer. Some of

these problems may well be averted in genuine inlay where the work is carved into a

solid piece ofwood, but tocreate the sameeffect in marquetry using only veneer, re-

quires a new or newly rediscovered

technique. Hamilton Jackson, inhis 1909text -

tarsia and Marquetry lists a number ofmater ials once used for inlay . Vitreousmaterial , was one item on that list. Thismay well have been a powdered substance

l iquefied with adhes ive and applied in afluid form. I started working from thisidea , adding a few tricks from veneer workand plywood const ruct ion. My exper iments eventually led to a successful technique for fl uid wood inlay . I ll demonstratethis procedure with my reproduction of aRu ssian icon of St. Peter (see photo) .

In the icon St. Peter holds a scroll inscribed in ancient Russian with a biblicalreference to Peter s confession of Christ. I

chose ebony for the black letters , and hollyfor the white background. Holly i s notonly the whi test of woods but also very

hard, so that it takes and holds clean, sharpc uts. I selected a piece large enough toholdall the lettering , with some working mar-

About th e author: Marrin R. ZschocheC C F M. is a professional woodworker inVista. California whospeciali zes in mar-qu etry n church proje cts.

II After th e lett ers ar e tra c ed o nly the two layered

woo d veneer th e letters ar e c a re fully cut out wu ha sca lpel .

Paci fic Wood worker


15/48

The letters are only removed fro m th efirs t layer wood The cross gra ined wood be neath addss trength

\ e,

A steady han d an d ge ntle pr essure helps in tra c-ing the tin y letters out th e holly veneer

h finis hed ma rquetry pane l: a reproduction

a 15th cent ury Ru ssian ico n St Peter

gins, with very tight grain, running fromthe top to the bottom of the scroll. Then ,borrowing a trick from plywood construction, J laminated a second piece of holly tothe back ofthe first, with the grain runningat right angles to the fir st piece .

This lamination provides several advantages. First , the two-part laminate i s s trong

enough to survive the great deal of handling necessary for the lettering proces s.Second, I could cut the letters into the faceonl y on e veneer thickne ss deep . The knifeblade stop s when itencounter s the secondlayer of cross grain. And finally , the lower

layer firml y holds the smalldangling edge sand center s of letters , so that they remainin their proper place. I first produced ama ster drawing of the entire picture, including the lettering . When laying out the

rows o l tters, I had to mak e sure the l etter s w ere cut to equ al height with a ll theirtops and bottoms meeting on the same imaginary l ines. Just as the reading of this article would be ruined if the le tter s wereunevenly s paced in width or height, so al soinlay w ould s uffer from la ck ofcare on thi smatter. A rul er and a li ght pencil lin e canbe used to ensure that all the character s areeven .

I then transferred the master drawing to

the holl y laminate with carbon paper anda fine stylus (see photo ). Each letter measures onl y 4 mm X 13 mm w ith a linethi ckness o f 1 mm. Th e diacrit ical mark sabove the l etters are a s s mall a s .25 mm .When you work with these dimen sions youmust take extra c are that your stylus trace saccuratel y over each letter and phoneticmark. Aft er the tran sfer, you can touch upslight variances on the holl y with a fin emech anical pencil.

The key to fluid wood inlay lie s in thehole for the lettering, more than in the inlaid material . I cut the letter s out withsurgeons scalpels: a 4 handle with a 23blade and a 3 handle fitted w ith a

blade (see photo ). Working under a magnifying lens , I carefully incised the outlineof each letter with the scalpel almost

April/May 98 5


16/48

Su rgeon sscalpels a nd d ental picks rem ove thewoo d fro m th e letters .

perpendicular to the work see photo). Ioften had to trace each time three or fourtimes before the blade cut through to thecross grain of the second layer.

Next I removed the veneer inside the let-ter outlines bycrosshatching with the knifeand removing the pieces with a dental toolor the knife blade itself. In most cases thepieces of veneer separated easily at theglue line. I had to take special care,though , near the fragile edges and lettercenters so that these were not dislodgedwith the waste.

h e success of the ent ire process de-pends on the quality of this cutting. h ele tter shaped recesses must have clean ,crisp edges, free from bruises or remain-ing waste fragments. Any imperfections atthis stage will ruin the final effect of theinlay.

Once I had cut the entire script, I sealedthe holly with two light appl icat ions ofthinned shellac . I padded this on with a softcloth such that I only dampened the topsurface of veneer. I then set the veneeraside toallow each coat todry thoroughly.

Meanwhile I prepared the the inlay ma-terial from solid blocks of je t black Ga-boon ebony, pulverized on a table beltsander . A sheet of wax paper placed be-neath the sander collected the ebony dust.I mixed this dust with yellow carpenter s

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glue ina ratio ofapproximate ly to forma thick, black cream.

Toapply the cream, I smeared itover theentire surface of the incised holly andallowed it to dry overnight into a hardcrust. As the glue shrank, itdraws the mix-ture down into the lettering. I had to applytwo or three coats of the cream preparinga fresh mixture each time) unt il the outlinelettering was no longer visible through thecrust. I let each coat dry overnight to as-sure a resilient inlay.

Once the inlay was completely dry, Igently sanded down the crust, starting with100grit sandpaper and quickly moving to120and 180grit as I approac hed the sur-face of the holly. This sanding removed

only the excess crust, leaving the hardenedebony within the incised letter s. The fin-ished product was bright and crisp blacklettering on a white background as infin-itely detailed as the original see photo).

This exper iment in rediscovery hasproved quite profitable and opened upmany new avenues for use of the sametechnique . Particular application might bemade to marquetry and inlay restoration inwhich small pieces require replacement.The technique should work with the small-est of detail an d it merits furtherexperimentation.

Th in i shed letters fill ed wi th ebony flu id; ar ecrisp and clean.

Paci fic ood worker


17/48

Living with Murphy

Shop Tips

Using Linseed Oil

rom e k

Wooden tool handles will l ast longer a ndkeep looking lik e new if yo u treat th emwith a thin co at of lin seed oi l. R epeatwhen ever th e fi nish l ooks lik e it is beginning t o show signs of wear.

Your l adder s w ill b e s tro nger and m orefle xible, a nd you can pr event s plintering ifyou coa t th em a t lea st o nce every yea r w ith

boil ed linseed oil . yo ur wooden h ammer handl es have

loo se heads be cau se th ey have dri ed a ndbecome smaller from shrinking, ti ghtenth e hammer o nto th e handle wi th a wedge.Then sta nd the h ammer on it s head , immersed in lin seed oi l. Doin g th is will k eepth e hamm er head in plac e sec urely .

Youwill find it e asier to dri ve nails a ndsc rews i f yo u fi rst dip th em in lin seed oi l.Th e th in tou gh co ating th at the o il formsaround th em will al so pre vent wood rot.

Rem ove exce ss oil from surfaces th athave been handled. they s tay sticky,rem ove the exce ss w ith turp entin e o rmineral spirits. Never boil a m ixture oflin seed oil and turp entine; yo u' ll h ave afir e

Pacific Woodworker will publici zeevents o f interes t to woodworkersSend co m plete information to PacificWoodworker Calendar 13 GalaxyWa y Su i te 8, Concord CA 94520 Deadline fo r Issue 19.' Apri/25 1984

Calendar nnouncementscontinue ram page 1 2

mind still on my smoldering computer, Itook ou t my last piece of hardwood ,carefully m arked it into four lengths an dcut the piec es.

t wasn't until went to fit the pieces into the cabin et that realized that ea ch piecewas an inch too short My second-choicetape measu re had a t inch case, not athree inch c ase like my favorite tape. Andof course the lumber yard was closed on

Saturday afternoon. . Needle ss to say, now always measure

offthefronJ of the tape measure

June 30. Berkeley, CA.Decoy Carvi ng Demonstration . For informationco ntact T he CuttingEd ge, 1836 Fou rth St ., Berkeley, CA94710 or (415) 548-6 11

Do yo u h ave a similar story to s hare withPa cific Woodw or k e r readers ? u canearn a s ubscription a se t ofb ack iss ues ora woodworking p roject boo k by se nding

your Murph y tip to Pacific Wo odw orker,1300 Gal axy Way Suit e 8, Concord CA94520

I see your husband

finished his clock

Do you have a pet procedure or processhat you know is wrong , but you go on usng because you never had a problem with? Perhaps you 'll change your ways whenou h ear what happened to Cha rles Russellf Santa Rosa, Calfornia. The day started badly when my newly

urchased computer s ta rt ed spewing

parks and smoke. Th e manual didn 'tment ion one combination of act ions tovo id. To get over that frustration ,

hought would go out to the shop andork on a hardwood cabinet wa suilding .

looked a round my disorganized shop,ut couldn 't l oca te my favorite tape

measure , the one keep on my belt all theme . had tosettle for a smaller one . Fo rlong time had been in the habit of

measuring wood of f the back of the tapemeasure case, automatically adding the

ree extra inches to the length . With my

f anything can go wrong it will

April/May 19 84 17


18/48

Marketing j ~~

ui e to Woodworking alleries and tores

Part rofessional ttitude ncreases allery Sales

by Jean M Davisand Charles Harris

Woodworkers who want to sell theirwork have several ways to do so: you canwork direct ly with clients, you can sellthrough crafts fairs, and you can sellthrough retailer s like gaIleries and craftsstores . Some woodworkers use all of theseapproaches, but for many working with

ga ll er ies and stores has considerableappeal.

For one thing , the gallery or store doesall the selling: dealing with the customers ,handling sales tax, advertising, arrangingspecial exhibits, etc. The woodworker isfree to spend more time on what he r llywants to do: work with wood. By spreading overhead costs among all the productsthey sell , galleries can offer morereasonable prices than a woodworker who

tries to maintain his own retail outlet.GaIleries and stores offer other benefits

to the woodworker. A successful gallerymanager has considerable marketing expertise. He can provide invaluable adviceand suggestions about what to produce ,and what will sell. And a retailer can provide excellent exposure to the public forany woodworker.

On the other hand, there are some drawbacks to seIling your work through galleries. You will receive less than the full retail

18

price for the piece. Typical gallery commissions are 30-40 on consignmentpieces; and when the gallery buys outrightthe woodworker usuaIly gets about 50 ofthe retail sales price . Another loss to thewoodworker is the absence of personal,direct contact with customers . The wood

worker misses the chance to explain thedesign and const ruct ion details to thepotential customer (although t his information can be committed to paper for thegallery's use). And the woodworker losesthe direct feedback from th e customer:what he likes, and what he doesn't .

Despite these drawbacks, galleries andcrafts stores represent an att ractive salesoutlet for many woodworkers . Based onour recent survey of retail outlets in the

West, here are some pointers for dealingwith gaIleries and stores.

Professional ttitude

alleries an d crafts st ores are inbusiness to make money. In most casesthey are staffed byprofessional sales people , and they want to deal with professionalsuppliers. Regardless of your status as awoodworker (fuIl-time , part -time or justbeginning), your attitude and approach to

these stores isas important as the quality ofyour designs and craftsmanship. Keysto a

professional approach are: wise selectionof items to seIl , business-like contacts andinquiries, realistic pricing and firm production deadlines.

Whatto ProduceOne example of the difference between

an amateurish approach to gallery salesand that of a professional is inthe selectionof items to sell. A professional studies hismarket: what does the gaIlery want? Whatsells, in what price range? What are otherprofessional woodworkers making andselling? In our survey, most stores andgalleries recommended smaller , less expensive items as those that sell most readily . I t is necessary, especial ly in thebeginning stages, to offer smaller items,things people can take with them, says aWashington state gal lery owner. Thatdoesn't mean that you can't seIlfurniture orlarge sculpture through a retail shop , butyou may have to look harder for galleriesthat are located where large, expensiveitems do sell, it may takelonger to seIlyourwork and you I probably need to establishyour own clientele as well.

Check with gal lery manager s abouttheir needs and suggestions. Allow us to

have some input , suggests a Hawaiiangallery manager. An Oregon gal le ry

Pacific Woodworker


19/48

wner recommends, Ask the advice oftheallery professionals. Utilize their marketg expert ise . It can really boost yourles. In order to sell through a retailer,

ou have to sell both to the galler y itselfnd to its customers; the gallery staff canll you what their customers want.Few of the retailers complained about

oor de sign or quality of craftsmanship ;e se don 't present a problem to retail

u sinesses because they don't accept forle item s that aren't appropriate or don'teet their standards. On the other hand ,

ood d esign, fine craftsmanship and exllent fini shing techniques are notenoughthemeselves to sell a piece of wood

orking.

The Initial ContactYour fir st contact with a gallery might

ell spell the success or failure of yoursociation. By conveying a professional

pproach in your early dealings with theallery , your chances of future sales can becreased dramatically .Prepare a busine ss-like presentation.

Thi s shoul d include a portfolio of yourwork , neatl y and logic ally arranged. (Formore on p ortfolios, s ee Pacifi c oo -

worker Issue 12.)For contacts by m ail , include a selection of color slides or photographs of your work. A neatly typ edre sume or sh ort biography i s anotheres sential : go ahead and blow your own

horn ; no o ne else is going to do that foryou Produ ce a price sheet , with wholesaleand retail pr ices (see below) . And includ eyour n m e ress n tel ephonenumber It 's incredible , but some woodworkers om it thisvital information If yourinitial cont act is by mail , include a s el faddre ssed , stamped envelope with sufficient postag e for the return of your slide sand other material s. And be sure to send afew busine ss cards along for the galleryowner to re tain; even ifyour work isn 't accepted thi s time , the gallery might want tocontact you sometime in the future, or mayrecommend your work to a customer.

For in-per son contacts , arrange an appointm ent in advance. Show up on time ,

with your p ortfolio a nd, if possible , so mesample s o f your w ork . Be su re the sesamples a re a n accurate r eflection of yo urcurrent abilities and c raftsmanship. D on 'tshow a on e-of-a-kind piece w hen yo u'retrying to sell produ ction work; don 't showproduction it ems if you ' re pr omoting o neof-a-kind or limit ed e dition items . And

leave any un finished o r work-in -pr ogesspiec es back at your sho p; th e ga lleryowner want s to see what you can produc e ,not wh at you sa y you c an pr oduce i n th efuture . On the other hand , a b rochure o rflyer showing you , the arti st , at wo rk withsome information on your method s andbackground add s to your pr esentation andultim ate sale s.

Whileat the gallery, r emember that thestaff s fi r st priorit y mu st b e to th ecustomer. you 're left coolin g your heelswhile the manager or owner w aits on abuyer, take the opportunity to study yourcompetition's work on di splay.

.Pricing PoliciesNearly every gallery and stor e we heard

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pril/May 1984 19


20/48

Pockets

495·Solid Oak Rails·Sol d Italian Slate

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Elimin ate The Guesswork . All pocket cuts and all wood parts are pre cut andready for easy assembly . You do the woodwork . The upholstery work Is done.12 cloth colors to choose from Stain or Wax to the color of your choice.

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from expressed one major complaint inworking with woodworkers: unrealisticand inconsistent prici ng. Gallery and storeowner s feel that woodworkers often fail tounderstand the overhead involved in runnin g a retail business. (Woodwo rkers,likewi se, may feel that the retailers don tunderstand t ir overhead , but that s

another story.) Talk with the stores aboutwhat they think are reasonable prices forsimilar work. Participate in a woodworking associa tion and talk to other woodworkers about pricing.

If you findyoucan t prod uce the prod uctfor a competitive amount of money, yo u llneed to consider changing your productionmethod s, reducing your own overhead ,finding another way to sell, or taking upanother line of work . you are seriousabout selling your woodworking, you aregoing to have to be serious abo ut keepingyour costs low enough to price your wo rkrealistically . Don t put so much time into a piece that it is priced out of themarket , r ecommends the owner of an

Oregon crafts store. And again from agallery owner in Washington: Most a r

tists who have a well crafted product andare able to keep production costs downhavea very good chance inthe art market.Review your production methods, materials costs, overhead and profit margin, andestab lish a p rice sched ule that will bo thsell the work, and keep you from starvingin the process.

Many galleries complained about inconsistent pricing: different price s to differentdea le rs or sudde n, unwarned price increases. Try to produce a firm price listand stick to it. Let retaile rs know if priceshave to go up as your costs go up. Othe rsuggestions: Don t try to sell to everyshop in town, and don t undersell shopscarrying your merchandise if you also selldirec t , says an Arizona gift store owne r inbusiness for 3 7 years . T he same thoughtcomes from the owner of a gift store inUtah : Think in terms of wholesale andretail prices. Do not sell topeople directlyat the same price you do to sto res . Protect

your retail outle t Don t undersell theretailer a t near by c rafts fairs if you wanttostay on good terms with the retail store .

roduct ion chedule

Another common problem gallerie shave in dealing with woodworker s is inabili ty to keep to a realistic productionschedule. Besure yo u can make what youpromise, within the timetable you establish. It is essential to fulfill obligation svoluntarily assumed with gallerie s andstores. Few busi nesses which work with a

sc hedule can accomod ate erra t icdeliveries, s tates an Arizona gallerymanager . Work out your lead times andshipping dates, include some extra time forMurphy s Law, and provide informationabout your schedule on your price sheet.

If some unforeseen problem does comeup, notify the retailer r ight away . theprice of koa do ubles overnight, a firesweeps through your shop , or the financecompany repossesses your table saw , con-

continuedon page

20 Paci fic Wood worker


21/48

tor eview

The Wooden o t Shopin Seattle Washington

Joe Bu cek Lyn n Gunkier and LandWashburn. They fe el thei r per sonal i nvolvement lend s the store a special appeal.Says Lynn : People ca n come in and getanswers to question s. The y don't ha ve totake a number for se rvice . Th e a tmo sphere is small, inf ormal and personal.

The main sales room i s cramm ed withwooden boat s of every de scription :canoes , sailboats, rowboat s and dinghies .Sails , boat fittings, tools , plan s and book sfill every c omer . Customer s a re encouraged to tryout the hand tool s before purchase , on a convenient l y plac ed work

Established about seven years ago as aore catering to the hobbyist boatbuilder ,e Wooden Boat Shop ha s evolved gradally intoa store for cabinetmakers as well

hobbyist woodworker s of all kinds . o-

ted on the waterfront , the store stillaters especially to the needs of the boatuilder, but it alsocarrie s a variety ofhandol s, has a new line of Inca power tool s,

nd other woodworkingsupplie s includings own brand of tung oil , linseed oil andrpentine.

The WoodenBoat Shop is co-owned by

Plans too ls supplies and the fini shed boatsfillthe showroom at h e Wooden Boat Shop.

April May 9 84

bench . The Shop ha s a tool buyers ' program where hand tool pur chases a re recorded ; after the cu stomer has bought 250 worth oftools he get s a 5 % discountand a 10gift certificate.

Plans for the future include a mail ord ercatalog for boatbuilding mater ials and theprospect of car rying some hardwood s andsponsoring cla sses.

The Wooden Boat Shop i s open from 9to 5 :30 on weekday s. Saturday morning sthere are demonstrat ions ofthe Inc a line ofpower tools . For more information contactthe owners at The Wooden Boat Shop , 7 Northea st Boat Street , Seattle , WA98105, telephone (206) 634-3600 .

h e Wooden Boat Shop o n Seattle s waterfront .


22/48

h en Was It Developec l

ho Developed ~ t

h t Are Its Uses

W e re an American corporation, arrli1y owned and ha Ve been Inbu siness for over thirty years.Our only business ismanufacturing and selvicIng high qu ality tun gsten carbide tipped cutting tool s. We are considered by

m any t o b e o ne of th e largest manufacturer s of mdustna: quality tungst enca rbide tipp ed d rcular sa w blade s In the U S tod ay.

RESPE TED

We have b een cho sen by som e of th e mo st respected name s in th e wo odw orking cutting tool indu stry to manufacture for them . You may have u sedo ur bl ades o ver th e years and know usby man y iff r nt name s other t hano ur ow n .

QUALITYYou will never th e rockwe ll hardness o f o ur p late bodies , expans ion slots,precision grinding, s upe r ha rd ca rbide o r ru n o ut tolerances o f o ur saw b ladeslisted as ou r spec ial fea tures, s imply b ecause these a r o ur norm al s tanda rds .We don ' t have to sen d yo u thou sand s of test cut s in o ur o rder to prove o urpo int. W e ca n sho w i t to y o u in o n l~ three o r four. , .GU R NTEE

Rather tha n o ur c laiming t o b e The W orld s Best ; w hy n ot s top in a nd see usat th e National Working W ith W ood S how or The InternationalWoodworking Fair m t l a n t a ~and make u p yo ur ow n mind abo ut u s, In theevent yo u a re unable to stop in and s us , plea se fill in the co upon and wewill send yo u more informat ion , Next ti me yo u a re consi dermq the p urchaseof a high q uality guaranteed tu ngsten ca rbide tipped cutt ing too l and no tm erely a saw b lade, yo u can t urn t o us w ith co mp lete co nfidence .

Ab o ut the b lade p ictured on t his page ,../f y ou a re t aking th e c hallengepl ease fill in th e coupon below with yo ur a nswe r a ttached.

W orklng W ith Wood Show , SF, CA Int. Woodw orking Fair, Atlanta , GAThe Concourse April 6 -8 Booth 1714 Aug ust 25-28 Booth 2623

I EVERL ST SAW C RBID E TOOLS , INC. Dept. P WI 1406Uti ca Ave.

Brooklyn NY I ' 203

i0 Yes, I would likemor e Information abo ut yo ur Saw Blades .I 0 I'm taklflg th e c hallenge, a ttached a re m y answ er s.I Name _I Addr ess _I City State ZIP _

TheCompan y Who se Name S ays ItAll

Y RL ST ™HOTLINE

We hav e a cra ftsman ho tl ine 1-800-221-0885 to an sw er a ny tec hnical q ue s tion sy o u m ay have ,to g ive yo u ge neral in formation or th e na m e o f a d eal er n ear yo u ,

WE ST COASTWAR EHOUSE/W estates Agent s, In c 3245 Judah s San Fra nc isco , CA 94122 ,415-665-8383

Pacific Woodworker


23/48

Stave owl onstruction

nd y Goldman s Technique for Lathe-Turned o wls

by M arlen emmet

Ever y woodworker ha s hi s specialty .For Andy Goldman of Sou thern California , that specialty i s stave -constructedbowls . And y s bowl s are so unique thatAustin Hardwood s of Orang e County ,California has used pictures of them on thecover of their hardwoods cata log .

I first met Andy at the 1982 GanahlLumb er Compan y s Christma s Gift Fair ese e Pa cifi c Woodworker Is su e 12,

April/May 1983 ) in Anaheim , California.wa s amazed not only at Andy s fine pro

duct but al so at the l arge amount of

business he wa s doing. While other wood -

Ap r il Ma y 1984

workers we re doing a lot of showing andexplaining , Andy was doing a lot of selling. R ightfully so, I tho ught, for h is bowlswere mo stly in the 13 20 price range andof all the b owls di splayed , not one had avi sible glue line or blemish .

Use of E xotic Wo odsTo make these bowls , Andy u ses s uch

wood s as pau -ferro in the ro sewood family, me sau from Ceylon , koa from Hawaii ,

pecanfrom North America , goncalo-alves(anothe r rosewood) and African pado uk.As Andy explain s, I u se mostly tropicalhardwood s for turning due to the excellent

grain and turning character istics of man yof these woods.

Sta ve Con struction Me thodAndy Goldman use s the stave con struc

tion method for hi s bowl s, putt ing themtogether much like a wooden barrel . Thi stechnique a llows the grain of th e wood toflow around both the in side and out side ofthe bowl. Andy u ses thi s method for tworea sons: fir st , few oth er pe ople use thi s

method and second, smaller piec es ofwood can be used to create a large bowl.For instance , a piece of 4/4 stock, 4 wideby 29 long will yield a bowl 4 high and9 around. In order to get thi s out of so lidstock, you would need a piece 4 thick and9 in diameter a nd would have a lot ofwaste . t isea sy to see why thi s method i smuch mo re economical than solid stockturning .

To accompli sh the stave construction

Andy cuts the wood into ten equal piece s,each piece cut at an degree angle, a ndnumber s them a s soona s theyare cut to ensure that the grain pattern will flow aroundthe bowl. He the n g lues the p ieces using aFra nklin assembly glue H i -Tac whichhas a setting time of around 5 10 minute s.He glue s piece s I t o 2 , 3 to4 , 5 to 6 and soforth, maki ng sure that the glue is pre ssedout as m uch as possible for a clean gluejoint. Andy use s hi s thumb s and fir st

finger as a c lamp until the g lue ha s set

23


24/48

n d y Goldman wi thhi s a ntique Bowlathe

Bowl o f go nca al ves is high b y 5 wide .

enough for him to let go (3-4 minutes).After allowing these pieces tosit for 20-30minutes he then glues section I and 2 to 3and 4 and so forth until he has a bowl form(minus the base).

The unturned bowl is then glued to apiece of paper , which in turn is glued to a3/4 piece of plywood. This is then

screwed to the faceplate of the bowlathe.Later on, this procedure allows for a quickrelea se he pries the bowl from theplywood with a screwdriver.

As the side s ofthe bowl are being roughturned , Andy cuts a groove into the openend of the bowl. Later, he turns a bottompiece and custom fits it to the sides. Thebase is mounted using the same method asthe bowl mounting . Not only does thisallow for a quick release; it also means

minimal cleanup time for the underside ofthe bowl. The base is then glued in andafter drying the bowl is finish turned .

inishingAfter the final turning of the bowl , Andy

sands itbyhand while itis still on the lathe .Starting with a 60-80 grit sandpaper , headvances to a 150grit , then finishes sanding with 320 silicone carbide. The bowl i sthen dusted and finished with tung oil bur

nished in while the bowl is turning on thelathe. After this the bowl is removed fromthe lathe and branded with his initials ADG. As Andy says, T he brand is notonly to remind people who made the bowlbut toshow mypatrons how proud 1am ofmy work and that I stand behind all of myproducts The final step before sale is alight coat of lemon oil to highlight thewood s luster.

T he B owlathe

Andy uses an antique lathe called a Bowlathe to turn his bowls . He found

About the author: Marlen Kemm et is aformer engineer who now lives in Devil sLake North Dakota. He is thefounder ofthe ake Region Fine Woodworker sAssociation an d teaches woodworking at

Lake Region Junior College in NorthDakota.

Pa cific W oodw ork r


25/48

is treasureat a usedmachinerystoreandas been able to trace its history back toomeyears itspent in a highschool shop.e hastriedunsuccessfullytofind theager the manufacturer of the bowlathe (ifaders have any ideas, please let usknow

nd we ll pass them on to A ndy.) Theachinehasa bowlcapac ity of 16 bu t An

y feels that this limit might be unsafe tose , so he seldomturns anything over 10n it.

Experience has been a good teacher,ndyexplains. I am nowusingthe Turnaster scraper which is 24 long. I also

se a toolbySorby which is made for turngthe insideofbowls-it s calleda bowlraper . I hone my tools or use a wet

rinder manufactured by When productsf Chicago, Illinois. It has a medium gritone with a re-usable water cooling

ystem .Andy specializes in bowls wit h a 6-9

ameter, 3 7 deep, even tho ugh he hasrned some to 6 deep and 12 wide. He

April/May 1984

claims the larger bowls take a lot moretime to make and do not seem to havet heappeal that the smaller ones have. Fo rbeginning bow l turners Andy recommends books by author Dale Nis h publis hed by Brigham Young Universi tyPress .

African padouk bowl . high and 7 wi e

h Bowlathe and turning tools. Left to right.hand skew round nose scraper diamond sidecutt ing. roundside cutting and roundnosescraper .

25


26/48

inishing Tec hniquesPari pplying Lacquer

Mistakes How To Avoid Them ow To Correct Them

by obert O riggs

About th e author Robert 0. Briggs isa professi onal woodw orker from Ran-cho Santa e California n a f ormerwoodwork ing instructor Rob ert d e-signs n mak es fin e furnitur e and alsodo es restoration workfor museums

I never wanted to be a fini sh r . I want edto d ovetail drawers, make miters and mortises; to carve , perc hance a masterpiece,and then turn it ove r to another c raf tsmanfor that perfect glowing fin ish. What adreamer I quickly di scovered that anyfini sher that good had a year 's worth ofwork ba cked up , and couldn 't possibly getto m y project before next Christma s.

I re sisted learning for year s, but in onemonth , both of the good fini sh r s I knewdecided to sell out their shops. So there Iwas , forced to do something.

I spent a couple of hours in each shop,begging for information, then I bo ught agood s pray gun . I spent the mos t frustrating mo nth of my ca reer tea ching myse lfhow to use it. The n I spent th e next co upleof years learning how many things I coulddo wrong w ith it. I once spra yed one strokewith my g un and was able to coun t 15

things that went wrong :I. was too cold in th e shop2. It was too humid3. h spray nozzle wa s s ideways4. h air pre ssure was too high

5. The material flow was too heavy6. The lacquer to thinner proportion wa s

wro ng7. The fan control setting wa s wrongK I moved t he gun too slowly

9. The gun wa s too close to the work1 The cup was . too full , and a drop

spilled from the airh ole inthe cup onto th ework

II. The stain wa sn't dr y12. I forgot the Smoothi e (s ee ex

planation later in thi s article ) and th e lacqu r fisheyed

13. Th ere wa s du st on m y work ben chwhich blew into th e work

14. There wa s a strong breez e w hich

blew out m y spra y patt ern15. I forgot to filter the lacquer , wh ich

meant I had lumps of flattening agent.Did you ever have one of those day s?What follows will spare you some ofth e

blind alley s I followed, but if you are innovative and persi ste nt, I'm confident youcan find a few blind alleys of your own .

Atmospheric Condition sIf it i s cold or damp when you spray,th e

lacquer will blu sh . Moisture in th e mi xturn s milky blue-white almo st imm ediately as itdrie s, especially in place s where th elacquer build s up the most , like al ong theedge s of a tabletop. Blu shing usually is asurface phenomenon whi ch often c an be

26 Pacifi c Wood worker


27/48

Some of th e ingredients of a spray la cqu er fini sh :a cqu er, s anding sealer, thinn er nSmoo th ie.

nded off with400 or 600 grit sandpaperyou won t have to remove all the finish .On a damp day , adding a product calledtarder to your lacquer diminishes theance of blushing by slowing down theying, allowing the moisture to escapeforethe lacquer hardens. But if it is rain -g outside, do something else that day.u can t s pray.If it is very hot (85 or so ) the lacqueray harden too quickly before it has aance to flow smoothly over the surfacethe wood, causing a n orange peel sur-

ce. Thi s can be sanded out with 400 or0 grit; again retarder will help byslow -g th e drying tim e.

there is a s trong bree ze where youray, it can blowyour spray pattern away ,ak ing it impo ssible to get a smoothrface.If you spray in direct sunlight, th e woodn get hot , cau sing various things fromside th e pores (thinners, vapor s, air ,ater , fi ller, et c.) to ga ssify a nd expand ,owing thousand s of tiny bubble s in your

et lacquer . When the lacquer drie s it isll ofthousand s of pinholes , which moreats of lacquer will not cover and whichmaterial I haveever tried will fill. If this

ppen s, all you can do i s to strip off thecquer and start over . Thi s time , stay outthe sun.

Under Coat ProblemsIfthe oil base stain and the paste wood-ler are not completely dry before the lac-er g oes on , it may look at first a s if youe getting awaywith it. All will be well,ut then a day, or a week, or a month, or aar later , you m ay notice a distinct gre y-g of the la cquer which get s worse andor se and worse as time passes. This islled blooming.Bloomingtakes place through the whole

ickness of the finish coat. It can only beorrected by a complete stripping andfinishing . Earl Stebbens, a finisher I

now , tells me ithappens because the oilse able to slowly penetrate the molecular

pril/May 1984

matrix of th e lacquer , turning it grey . Earlis probably right. He knows these things.Leave plent y ofdrying time for your stainsand fillers.

SiliconeThe wor st thing that ever happened to a

good finish was Lemon Pledge. This andother spray polishes containing siliconemake the furniture shiny and not smudgy .They make it glow and radiate warmth.

Unfortunate ly, theyalso turn the lacquer tojelly within ten to fifteen years of regularuse. They cut the life of a good fini sh inhalf, or evento a third of normal. They arethe scourge and torment of every good re-finisher, because they settle into the wood.Stripper wo n t touch them, sanding won tremove them; they causefishey e. This is asituation where the lacquer simply flowsaway from spots on the wood surface likewater off a duck s back and will not stickthere no m atter how many coats of finishare spraye d. The result is a miniaturemoonscape of craters a ruined finish.

The re is a product called Smoothie which can be added to a lacquer mix tomake the l acquer flow and stick to asiliconed surface . Itmust be ed to everycoat o ffinish, or the trouble recurs . yousee fish eye forming as you spray, you canrace across the shop , pump a double shot

of Smoothi e into the cup , race back andshoot an ex tra heavy coat of lacquer over

the offen sive s pot, and if you hav e movedquickly enough , often the problem will goaway. But not alwa ys. Then it s back t ostripping and starting o ver.

When I receive for refinishing a piece offurniture with a gummy, sticky fini sh, I sayto myself A h the dreaded Silicone S yn -drome a nd I plan to u se Smoothie in

every cup of new fini sh. Smoothie doe s have one drawback. It

weakens the lacqu er somewhat , a nd thefinish won t last as long as one without it.But at least a finish can be done.

I go forth preaching th e go spel ofsilicone free polish to my clients . I recom-mend lemon oil to mo st ; lemon oil i ss imply mineral oil with lemon scent. It

does no damageto the wood or finish . Forsome things where more glo ss is de sired ,

paste waxcan be u sed. Ju st see to it that allof the old wax is cleaned of f with mineralspiri ts or naphtha before new wax i s ap-plied, so that di rt , smoke and a cids, etc.will not be trapped nextto the fini sh wherethey can do damage.

A sound lacquer finish i s imper vious towater , alcohol, turpentin e , paint thinn er ,naphtha, oil, baby food , and warm dinnerplates . Many time s I hav e come into th ehome of a client whose table ha s white

rings on the finish caused b y a wet cup ora warm plate on an otherwi se sound fini sh.In these instance s I put on my mo st profe s-sion al att itude and ask for a tube of to oth-paste and a damp paper towel. The seopaque white rings are almo st alw ays inthe surface l ayer ofwaxor poli sh only , andthe mild abras ive in the toothpa ste willclean them right off. Th e client i s thrilledat saving the cost of a refinished t able top .

Modestly I accept the prai se I get for be -ing so clever, and usually I get a lot morework from th e client through the year s.

Be careful , though . An old finish ,cracked lacquer , shellac, old varni sh andthe like ar e impervious to nothingAlcohol, water, turpent ine, etc. can dodamage to the wood, so te st fir st on a hid -den spot before you try to clean wax offwith anything , just to be safe.

In the next issue, I will talk about dif-

ferent kinds of l acquers and how to mixthem.

27


28/48

Making the it hell ir Rifle

Paul erhards

I ll bet youcan t makeanair gun out ofwood that works ventured a friend ofFrankMitchell sone day. That wasawagerthat Frank didn t intendto lose. Respondingto thischallenge as a matterofpersonalpride, thi s Eugene, Oregon woodworkerwon the bet handily by building an allwoodair pistolthat shot BBs.

Frank continued to perfect hisgunsmithing skills, designing and buildingpistols and rifles with bores up to .22caliber.His earlyguns weremadeentirelyof wood. Into thelater ones , Frankhas incorporated brasswhere the metal isbettersuited forcertain parts .

The air rifle was used in Europe forsport and warfareas early as the mid -18thcentury. In theU.S., Lewisand Clark carried one on their well-known expedition.In many ways theair riflewasfar superiorto theblack-powder riflesof the day. Therewasno powder tokeepdry, nomisfires , little noise and no telltale cloud of smoke .The air gun, however was never muchmore than a novelty. It tooktwice as longtomakeone as itdid a powderfirearm, so

it wasmore costly. Andbecausethere was

28

r nk itchell displays o ne of the several airguns h e ha s designed andbuill

such a highdegree of precisionand skillneededto makeit work , maintenance outside the craftsman s shop wasnearly impossible. Sotheairgun never gained widespread acceptance.And that proved tobeFrank s first obstacle in learning how tobuild one.

Through extensive research , Frankfound muchon the history of the air rifleand how it worked, but nothing that toldhimhowto buildone. Andmanufacturerswere unwilling to send himanyplans . Soarmed with the concept of how air gunsoperate , he went tohisown drawingboard.

There are two ways togoabout getting

a plan Frank says matter of factly, remembering his early trials and errors. The first is to use one of mine. The second way is to do a lot of research , thendraw your ownplan . For somethingthatmustbe madeaspreciselyas anair gun, agood plan is essential.

Where 500 to2,000 poundsper squareinch of air pressure must be stored andcontrolled , there is little room for toleranceinanyofthe working partsor seals. A

properly made air gun shouldbe able to

Pacific Woodworker


29/48

ld a full ch rge in its reservoirdefinitely .Providing you have basic shop skills,ank says, once you have a thoroughasp of a few fundamental concepts ,You re home free. The air gun is made

a number of elements which have torve basic tasks. The idea is to construct

ch piece with its task in mind and conuct it in such a waythat it will carry outat task effectively and efficiently . Knowgthis, the air gun can be made as simpleas complicated as the imagination wantsmake it. And the variationsare limitless.

or example , air canes were somewhatopular in England in the 19thcentury .The principle of how the air gun workssimple . Air is forced through a one-waylve into a reservoir bymeans ofa pump

the gun. Pulling the trigger opens an exust valve . The compressed air in theservoir is channeled into the breech,rcing a lead pellet or BB through therrel.Tobuild the air rifle, Frank begins with

e barrel, which is turned out of I x 1

f ront pa n o f th e receiver atta ched to th err el . houses th e pump and intak e val ve. h

rr el is th e pump handl e. Just ahead of th e tr ig-r i s th e reservoir. Also SIIO\l71 ar e th e exhau stlv e and th e two woo d bolts that help hold th eceiver together.

cocobolo stock. He uses cocobolo or otherrosewood because of its tight grain and stability. The barrel is made in 12 sectionsthreaded together. Each sect ion is predrilled with a 1/4 bit. The final step involves fitting the barrel with a standardpiece of brass tubing with an outsidediameter of 1/4 . The inside diameter is

precisely .22 caliber.Next comes the receiver, or mid-section

of the rifle, made from a 2 x 2 x 8 block ofcocobolo . This section houses the pump,reservoir and pivot boss, where the barrelis attached. This gun isa breechloader, andthe barrel also serves as the pump handle.All necessary holes are pre-drilled beforethe receiver is shaped and the barrel fittedto it. A 3/4 diameter hole, bored throughthe length of the block near the lower edge,

serves as the pump cylinderand reservoir.The receiver is then cut in two at the

point where the breech meets the exhaustchamber. Once the receiver is cut apart ,each section is threaded and fitted with arubber 0 ring for reassembly after thevalves are installed.

Frank then begins work on the valvesand valve housings, which in turn go intoeither end ofthe reservoir. These parts arethe most critical and must be perfect toensure that the reservoir will take and hold a

full charge. h e valves are made of brass,and each is fitted with an 0 ring.

The pump cylinder is lined with a 3 4brass tube. The piston is made of wood. Asmaller pivot boss is fixed to the bottom ofthe barrel for the brass piston rod. Frankhas tried several wood rods with little success: they tended to break under the ac

cumulating pressure while pumping thegun.

Depending on its requi rement s, thelock, or trigger mechanism, can be simpleor complex. h e gun shown has a simplebrass trigger with a cam in direct contactwith the exhaust valve. This requires a bitof strength to pull the trigger. Springloaded locks that must becocked are morecomplicated, but very little pressure on thetrigger is enough to fire the gun .

The lock is put into place and then finally the butt is mounted to the receiver.

The gun shown here has a working pressure ofabout 500-600 psi and an estimatedmuzzle velocity of 300 -500 feet per second . That ithas been firedover5 ,000 timesprovides testimony to its quality and thepleasure it gives its owner.

About the author: Paul Gerhards o f

Silverton Oregon was a carpenter fo r

ten years before he became a freelancewriter.

pril/ May 1984 29


30/48

focus on rv ing

The eflection ethod ofSharpening

by illiam c a ster

In sharpening carving tools it is impor-tant to mainta in the correct bevel so thatyou obtain a constant sharpne ss ang le alIalong th e cutting edge . In teaching studentsusing the usual methods I have found thatthere isa tendency to rock the tool and thus

end up with a slightly curved bevel near thecutting edge. This introduces a negativeclearance angle which makes it more dif-ficult to use the tool. To orre t thistendency, I have developed what I calI the

30

reflection method of sharpening . Once youhave learned this method it w ilI be easy tomai ntain sharp tools.

h en s harp en in g, the s tone shouldalways be kept wet to float away the steelfilings a nd broken bits of ab rasives. The

stone su rface should be wet enough toreflect an image of your tool. For Arkan-sas and I ndia stones, use kero sene and forthe Japanese and Belgian stones use dis-tilled water. I n my class we n ow use water

BillMcMasterofLivennore Ca lifornia

is chief the education divi sion theCa lifornia Carvers Guild a nd teacheswoodcarving classes on a re gular basis.Woodcarving has bee n Bill s a vocation formany years and he has wo n numerousawards at juried shows the CaliforniaCarvers Guild .

stones exclusively be cause of their fa stersha rpen ing act ion and the clean line ssassociated with using water instead of oil.

Tolearn the technique described here , Isuggest you first practice by substituting asmall piece of shiny metal for the sharpen-

ing stone. A mirror will not work becauseits silvered back surface doesn t producethe proper reflection .) Since itis easier in -itially to see the reflection in the metal thanin the wetted stone , this practice will helpyo u to u nderstand the technique .

This method is used with both benchstones and slip stones , and works equally

Figure I. Position for s harpeninga carvi ng tool .

Paci fic o od worker


31/48

ell for skews, gouges , and V-tools . Forht handed carvers the stone isheld inthe

ght hand at a slight angle from the veral and the carving tool inthe lefthand asown in Figure 1. The carving tool shouldheld as shown in Figure 2 with your

umb a little less than two inches from the

tting edge. Lay the gouge on the stoned then adjust the angle between the stoned gouge until the gouge and its reflectionthe liquid first touch at the edge. Thisl s youthe angle of your bevel . If it i s nothat you want , you can then regrind thevel until you obtain the desired angle.Next, move the stone back and forthntinuously with a s troke of several

che s, following the same path with aythmic motion. It is very important that

e stone be kept in th e same plane and notcked or rotated. Thi s swinging motionll in volve your whole forearm to thebow. Your upper arm should remainrfe ctly still with your elbow against yourde. Thi s motion i s continuous and inpendent of th e carving tool you arearpening.The sharpening action for a gouge isacmplished by rolling the gouge u sing thes of the thumb and index finger. It is im -

Reflection

igu r e 2. H olding th e go uge mat ch ed to i rsreflection

portant that t he only motion ofthe gouge i sa rotation : it should not move to and fro orbe rocked. Your left hand should remainrigid and fai rly close to the chest. Again ,keep your l eft elbow against your side .While rollin g the gouge, maintain contactbetween the gouge and its reflection tokeep a perfect bevel throughout. Again ,the rolling o f the gouge is independent ofthe motion o f the stone.

nother way to look at thi s approach i sto see that I have taken th e double motionof st roke and rotation (the u sual procedure) and broken it down into it s twosub -components, each done by a separatehand. Thi s gives you more control overe ac h m ot io n T hi s s ub di vi sion is il

lustrated in Figure 3 .When sharpening the skew or the s ides

of the V -tool , the motion ofthe stone i s thesame except that you should not move theskew or the sides of the V -tool . In bothcases , the c utting edge i s alwa ys keptperpendicular to the sharpen

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Popular Woodworking - 018 -1984.pdf