16 American Woodturner August 2011

W o o d t u r n e r s C h A t t e r

Got a Great Idea?Share your turning ideas! If we publish your tip, we’ll pay you $35. Send your tips along with relevant photos or illustrations and your name and mailing address to:

Betty scarpino American Woodturner 5246 evanston Ave. Indianapolis, In 46220 editorscarpino@gmail.com

t ipsPreserving unused finishOne of the biggest problems with finishing is having expensive finish-ing product go bad sitting in the can. There is a product to remove the air, but it is costly.

I purchased a Vacu Vin wine saver pump and stopper (on the Internet for $11). I drilled a hole into the top of a metal lid (one that fits onto a jar) and put a stopper into the hole. I use the pump to remove most of the air left in the container.

Additional stoppers are four for $6. Of course they are also available in most liquor stores.— Robert Jay, New Jersey

Moveable lamp for PowermaticI finally figured out how to attach my lamp to the headstock so it would move with the work. I drilled out the lower hole on the wall bracket that came with the light and attached it to the comparator arm of my Powermatic by drilling a ⅜" (10 mm) hole for the comparator cap screw to fit through. Now when I slide the headstock along the bed of the lathe, the lamp follows the work. Simple solution, and it works!—Dave Martin, Georgia

Gantry craneI needed to lift log sections that weighed over 200 lb (91 kg) onto a sawbuck so that I was not bent over while ripping them in half. My solution was to build a gantry crane. I scavenged the lumber from dumpsters at construction sites (with permission, of course). The wheels were $14 each and the one-ton chain hoist was $50, both from Harbor Freight. The back two wheels swivel, the front two are fixed, allowing easy maneuverability. I got the sawbuck plans from the Internet; John Lannon, from Ohio, designed them. —Paul M. Kaplowitz, South Carolina

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Copyright 2011, 2016, American Association of Woodturners. All rights reserved.

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W o o d t u r n e r s C h a t t e r

Burn linesIn the April issue (vol 26, no 2), there was an article about adding burn lines to a turned object. The article contained an appropriate warning about using a wire around a fast moving object and the proper handles for that wire. I eliminate the safety hazard associated with the wire by using a countertop laminate sample card (such as Formica or Wilsonart) that you can get free at most large hardware stores.

Simply cut a shallow groove in your turned object with a skew chisel, and hold the card against the spinning surface. The friction will soon burn the line you want. You can adjust the width of the burn line by thinning the edge of the sample card on a grinder.— Steve Mellott, Georgia

The silver maple I scavenged had gor-geous flame and quilted figure, some artistic ambrosia highlights, but also some gray stain that detracted from the beauty of the wood. I did not want to alter the natural character and hue of the wood (particularly the ambrosia flares) by using aggressive peroxide and chlo-rine bleaches. Oxalic acid was ineffective.

Tool rackI needed a compact way to hold my tools, chucks, faceplates, and all the miscellaneous stuff we turners need to create our works of art. I waited until Sears had a sale on rolling mechanic’s tool chests, built an A-frame tool holder for the top, and applied pegboard ends. Now everything is in one place and I can roll it around.— Paul M. Kaplowitz, South Carolina

I found a natural alternative, an oxy-genating brightener, OxiWood gran-ules that dissolve in water and can be applied to the wetted wood surface as heavily or as often as is needed. Follow the instructions for use as a brightener and then wash thoroughly with a hard spray of water from a hose and dry in the open air. Finish by fine sanding.

Lightening and finishing silver mapleFor a finish, I experimented with

oil formulation that I often use and found that it highlighted not just the handsome figure in the wood, but also the residue of gray stain. I sanded to remove the oil finish and reapplied the OxiWood.

I next tried a finish consisting of beeswax, some carnauba wax, and mineral oil. I melted and mixed the three ingredients in a pot on the stove (take care, wax will ignite!) and allowed it to harden to a consistency softer than the beeswax. I applied this wax finish heavily, and then buffed with a linen ball polisher powered by a drill.

The flame and quilt figure didn’t quite “pop” the way I wanted it to, so I applied two coats of General Finishes’ light FDA-approved Salad Bowl Finish with a cloth and rubbed it into the piece. This finish blended well with the wax and produced a rich finish with a natural feel and appearance—far better than either the wax or the liquid finish alone. The hint of stain was no longer noticeable and I ended up with a food-safe finish.

This finish does not dry quickly indoors, but it does dry in a warm breeze. I repeated the process on three more pieces from the same tree with the same success. — Bradford Whitman, Pennsylvania

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Copyright 2011, 2016, American Association of Woodturners. All rights reserved.