Search results

Mike, I use a WV1000 (I think) from Axmonster, which they seem to say has a flow rate of 200 m3/h. It seems to do OK with my planer thicknesser (a Perform 10 inch one), provided that I don't try to take lots of wood off a wide board (doubt the thicknesser would cope anyway). Not sure I'm...

David, My work desk is the same depth as you propose (about 2 feet), and I find it a bit on the small side. For occasional working, or those with somewhat tidier working practices, it's probably fine. I think that breadboard ends are probably quite unnecessary (provided that the wood is well...

Hawthorn, apple, holly, yew, laburnum would be where I'd start looking. Cheers, Dod

I've heard it suggested that the accumulated grit in benchtops is probably what does the blades in so quickly (especially an old one I'd imagine), so frequent sharpening is probably the only way forward. Cheers, Dod

Hi Simon, There is a calculator on the web somewhere which will calculate the expansion (on the same site as the sagulator?) for a variety of (mostly American) timber species. In my limited experience, I think that if the timber is seasoned and equilibrated with the air conditions (relative...

Noddy, I similarly laminated pieces about 55mm by 30mm together to make the bulk of the top of my bench. The front 6 inches is made from slightly thicker (wider?) material for the front apron and dog holes. I did this because the only beech I could find was a bit more than an inch thick...

Tony, I usually aim for a slightly steeper angle, hoping that this will accomodate the reduced angle at the tip, although in practice I've little confidence in it making a great deal of patience. I did wonder if anybody cared stringly enough to calculate that the minimum radius of "reasonably...

My bench is constructed similarly, with the front piece of the apron just glued to the front of the main part of the top. The ends are then able to slide in a kind of breadboard end type arrangement and there is a tray at the back, which accomodates any movement in the top. In conclusion, my...

Daves You're right, it's not citrus, nor geological. see here I have used a little lime, to make a small stool. I found it really nice and easy to work. Easier, and a good deal crisper to work than softwood perhaps. I'm sure that I've also read somewhere that it is fairly dimensionally...

So Bugbear, are you going to reveal how big "reasonably large" needs to be before this isn't an issue any more? Cheers, Dod

Boysie, There's a book on green turning (O'Donnel) which you might find useful, although I'd argue that your time might be as well spent "setting to" with some of the wood that you plan to turn, should you wish to turn it green. My preference, for the moment, seems to be to try to dry the wood...

Tony, When I was at school we were shown a custard powder experiment. Briefly, a catering tin (with lid) containing a pipe (as in smoking pipe, with the mouthpiece outside and bowl inside) and a candle. Fill the pipe bowl with custard powder, light the candle, put the lid on and blow into the...

Johnluc, Perhpas you have real tulipwood, rather than the wood of the tulip tree (try google images). I believe it's a tropical hardwood, more red in colour and quite hard, but never used any myself. Cheers, Dod

The poplar I had looked very much the same, although I can't be sure that it was actually from a truly native tree, but it had grown in Lincs.

Blister, Presumably the "tulipwood" came from a poplar tree? I've tried a couple of pieces of poplar and have to say that I wasn't that keen (mostly due to it's low density). Dod

But I reckon that this measly 2.8 psi is nearly 2 tonnes per square metre, and arguably a good deal more evenly distributed than a pile of bricks stacked on a sheet of MDF over the veneering (and certainly lighter than the bricks). If somebody told me that my vac would deliver 2 tonnes/m2 I'm...

Rob, There's clearly no other choice, it's just got to be something with a garish plastic handle :D Cheers, Dod

Which is the one that you do 90% of your turning with? :D Dod

Thanks folks, So I think I've just been watching Dave being soothing, what I get from it is that making the basic shape of a something by the pushing and pulling approach is fine, but if you want a detailed diagram of the components you can take it apart and rebuild it elsewhere (a set distance...

I've struggled with Sketchup a bit in the early(ish) design stages of a couple of projects, but mostly I've found it to be a slightly infuriating kind of a thing. Initially I would try to build an object from a number of pieces, but I could never quite get them to integrate together to make a...