April Meeting

We don't look too lively yet!

Looking at the picture above you'd think that the meeting got off to a slow start this month!  People did trickle in and by the time we began I counted 26 SCWW's in attendance.  As per tradition, we did our round robin introductions and there were a number of first timers, matter of fact; three more people signed up for this blog.  Then it was time for the business portion of our meeting.

• Item number one is that we will be collecting the $20.00, voluntary yearly dues that is used for operating costs and our end of the year party/extravaganza/raffle give away.
• Next is a reminder about the AWFS convention coming to the convention center this July.  If you've never gone it's well worth the $25.00 price of admission just to see all of the vendors and manufacturers we see in magazines up close and personal.
• The Christmas challenge came up and we need to decide what it will be this year.  The format is that the project is brought to the Studio and displayed anonymously.  During the party each member votes for the one they feel is the best and winners are announced that night.  Top prize is $100.00 and there are usually 2 more places awarded.  Suggestions so far include making a toy and donating it to a local charity which was suggested by Beth.  Braxton brought in his tree challenge table as an idea.  Be sure to check out the video link he gave me in our show and tell section.  Then at the end of the meeting Richard suggested to me the idea of a box.  This would encompass all areas since a box can be turned on the lathe, cut out on the bandsaw, or jointed with joinery.  Any other ideas please contact me or Jamie so we can finalize soon.
• Wood Magazine has contacted Jamie twice to solicit an article of 400-600 words for an article.  She's strongly considering writing for them but would like suggestions from all of us as to what would be a good topic.
• Last, but not least; was a live demonstration of a new item called the Drillnado.  You can watch their official promo video via the link or watch this one made by Lupe while Denny demonstrated the Lupe = Drillnado.

Show & Tell

Braxton brought in his Guitar Table that he made from an Olive Tree that his neighbor had cut down.  The picture you see is impressive  but he sent me this VIDEO that he posted on YouTube that is very cool!   Besides the beautiful wood, he fashioned a set of bent and welded legs to support this coffee table.

John brought in this excellent idea to give us more lighting in our shops.  Many of us, myself included, are at the season of our life when we need all the light we can get to have continued success while we enjoy our woodwork.  With the addition of a magnetic base and some spacers he was more than happy to turn on his lathe, he turned this $10.00 IKEA task light into something we can probably all find a use for in our shops.

Then, leaving the 21st century behind, Jerald brought in this wooden bodies hand plane that probably dates more to the 19th. century.  It's a traditional European style horn plane that he got on a trip to Romania.  While at a museum there with a friend he admired a similar one.  His friend told him he had one at his house and gave it to Jerald!  Although it has many worm holes and has obviously seen a lot of use it's a great example of woodworking tools.  The blade was taken out during the meeting and after a bit of cleaning was found to have a makers mark of Gustav which someone Googles and discovered originates in Germany/Austria.
Leo brought in a very elegant wine presentation box but we didn't get a picture of it.  It was made out of Oak and Pine which programmed his CNC machine to carve extensively.  What made this so unique is that when you opened the lid, a lever mechanism raised the bottles up out of the case making it easy to not only grab them but also to read the labels.
Last of all, Aaron updated the information he gave on his recent LED presentation.  One problem with LED lighting is the bluish hue it tends to give.  Since this is objectionable to many people they have been working on getting a light that gives out more of the incandescent light we're used to.  It's called a "Neutral Light" and is on the market now.

Feature Presentation:  Pete Hauser

Pete and the Scary Sharp, 3M Sharpening System

Pete talked about the sharpening system he's been using for many years.   It's one referred to as "Scary Sharp" and if you were to do an internet search you'd find some variations of it.  The main one you'll probably find uses float glass and wet/dry sandpaper.  That's were the system Pete shared with us has the greatest advantage -- it uses a pressure sensitive, micron PSA paper which lasts years longer than the wet/dry paper does.  It's available from Tools for Working Wood, check this LINK for full details.
Since he was good enough to make a handout for all of us I won't bother going into the full details.

Close up of Pete's setup

Basically, the 3M micron paper comes in .3, 5,  and 15 micron size and is a thin film that has a self adhesive backing.  You cut it to the size you'd like and adhere it to 1/2" thick float glass which is available from most glass shops.  He made the holder shown so it can be clamped to his bench.  When it comes time to change the paper, which according to Pete is years!, you peel it away and then thoroughly clean any left offer residue from the adhesive off with some alcohol.  Water is used as a lubricant although the hand out said you can use a cutting oil used for oil stones or even mineral oil to keep the swarf from clogging the paper.  As Pete pointed out though, oils are messy and in his experience plain water works just fine.

He brought in this high quality Buck Bros. chisels to demonstrate how this product works.  As with any sharpening procedure it began with flattening the back.  Depending on the quality of the tool this may or may not take you a lot of time but the good news is that you only need to do it once!





A term we use while sharpening is "scratch pattern", which could be referred to as machining marks when you first get a tool.  Look at this picture, notice those swirls that go from the right side up to the top?  That's an example of a machine mark made at the factory during production.  In a  high quality (i.e. expen$ive) tool you probably won't see them with the naked eye.  Now look at the very top edge --- see that shine begin to develop?  That's the scratch pattern made by the roughest grit used.  The goal is to completely (in the case of a chisel) eliminate all of the machine marks and replace them with that scratch pattern.  As you do that you'll have a burr form at the edge of the blade which needs to be removed.  How far do you go? Depends on you, many will use each grit to achieve a totally flat back and you'll notice that the scratch pattern for each one is different -- just like sanding a piece of wood but at a much higher level.

Technique used to flatten the back of an iron

After the back has been flattened it's time to go over to the bevel edge of the tool.  As Pete explained, the definition of a sharp edge is two surfaces coming together at a perfect angle.  Traditionally, planes and bench chisels are sharpened at a 25 degree angle but different angles can be used to meet your requirements.  Pete uses a hand holding technique which requires locking in your elbow and cradling the handle of the tool securely in your hand.  By doing it this way he uses less of the film than you'd need if you used a typical honing jig.

Establishing Required Angle

The consensus at the end of Pete's presentation was that this is an effective, quick, and relatively inexpensive way to get an edge on our tools.  As I pointed out in the announcement for this meeting; tool sharpening probably has more opinions and info written about it than any other aspect of our craft. Let's face it, dull tools just don't work and result in a lot of effort trying to achieve good results.  Find what works for you, stick with and perfect your method, then enjoy!!  

Thanks Pete for showing your method to us.

And Now Some Homework!!

Our next meeting we will feature different type of format.  In almost everything we do there is some type of hardware we need.  Some is easy to find but most of it isn't available locally or readily.  Jamie's plan is for us to extend the round robin introductions to a full, round robin discussion.  Think of the "stuff" you use -- locks, specialty screws or fasteners, hinges, closing mechanism, etc.  These are things many of us use as well so if you would bring in an example if possible and tell us your source for it that would be great.  If you have the time, maybe you can make a handout slip of paper citing the part and source.  Also, local sources of these types of items beyond Ace Hardware, Lowe's, Sear's, or Home Depot.  Try to keep that in mind as you go through the month and bring it next month to share with the group.