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Hi all, I dilute the sealer with an equal volume of cellulose thinners. I usually apply it with a cloth or paper towel with the lathe off, spreading it quickly and as thinly as possible over the surface and rubbing it in. Do this quickly and keep adding more to the cloth. The aim is to keep a...

Adding this hose does quieten the machine, but if you put the end outside you are, in effect, pumping heated air out of your workshop to be replaced by cold air coming in through cracks under doors etc. Not so important in summer but can be a problem in winter. I have the loose end under the...

Don't play safe all the time. I don't mean take chances with your safety, but push the boundaries occasionally even if it means risking the piece you are working on. Bob

Hi Gordon, The heater looks just the job. I think I'll be investing! Bob

Hi Gordon, Where did you get your sun tube, or did you make it yourself? Bob

Hi Paul, It's a little unusual, and I can't see things well enough to know whether it would work, but could you somehow brace the bench to the ceiling joists, rather than to the floor? That would leave the space below the bench unencumbered. Bob

I haven't tried them, but can't help thinking I agree with you, Chas. Bob

Absolutely right Mark. Your comment about production turning struck a chord with me. I started craft fairs to get rid of the stuff I'd accumulated while making the things I wanted to make. Problem is you need a range of things for a craft fair, so I spent some time filling the gaps with cheaper...

Hi Greggy, You could try these: http://www.yorkshirefairs.co.uk/ http://www.wensleyfairs.co.uk/ I've done fairs with Yorkshire Fairs, but not Wensley Fairs. They were OK but not brilliant. I've also done fairs at Harewood House and Newby Hall. If you look on their websites you can contact...

My approach to craft fairs is to make a range of items at different prices, starting at about a tenner and going up to around £250. The lower priced items are made specially for the fair, the more expensive items are made because I wanted to make them, and I'm selling them because I don't know...

I have to agree with everything Mark Hancock said and, to be honest, with most of what Rosemary Wright said in the letter which sparked off Mr Thomas’ response. It is undoubtedly true that a great deal of poorly turned work is offered for sale at craft fairs, and Rosemary is being kind to focus...

I've turned laburnum many times over several years and never noticed any ill effect. I suppose everyone is different, but I don't think the wood is dangerous. Bob

Terrific drawings (good idea too, of course), what software did you use? Bob

Hi David, You've had a lot of good advice above, but one thought does occur to me. If your tools are new, did you sharpen them before using them? Its a common mistake for beginners to think that tools are supplied sharp and in a useable condition and they aren't. Just a thought. Good luck with...

I reckon any turner who claims not to have had a 'nearly finished' total disaster is probably being economical with the truth. At craft fairs, people often ask me what I do when disaster strikes this way and I answer, truthfully, that I swear a lot. I just don't tell them the words I use! What...

Hi Mark I think Chas covers most of it with his three questions, but you comment on your tools in a later post, so I would add 'Is the tool sharp?' A blunt tool obviously doesn't cut well. There's a temptation to simply push harder. The tool digs in, and 'bingo' (or perhaps 'bango'), you've...

I agree with Tam's tip. It's much easier to work a smooth curve to a good finish with both the tool and the sandpaper. Don't feel you can't start sanding with a coarse paper - I often begin with 60 or 80 grit. As you get better with the tools you'll find you don't need the coarse papers so...

Hi Gaz, I agree with Oldsoke & Blister (they sound like a firm of lawyers or turf accountants). There's not a lot can go wrong with a lathe, and if it looks reasonably well-treated a second-hand buy will usually get you more for your money. Is there a woodturning club in your area? If so, join...

Hi Milkjam, At the very least I have some sort of tentative idea of what I'm going to make before I start. I frequently draw diagrams/sketches but I often get frustrated because I'm not a good enough artist to draw what's trying to get out of my mind's eye. More and more frequently I make rough...

I placed an order only last week. Arrived no problem. I only speak as I find. Bob