Bloody Mitres!!

[ByronBlack]

Tom - Have you had any tuition or gone to a course?

My woodworking changed over night when I went on the bruce luckhurst course, things that would drive me crazy became routine after I learned the proper way to do it, as a lot of this is stuff isn't obvious and your progress/skill can increase a lot quicker if you take a course where you are able to have direct tuition.

If you do a course, and then still aren't able to transfer knowledge to skills, then maybe you'll be in a better situation to assess what to do.

 

[wizer]

Yes I'd love to. It's my 30th this year and I have been thinking of asking for a course of some sort. I do worry that it'll be great but it won't 'stay with me'. In and ideal world i'd like to do some sort of long apprenticeship. Where I can build my skills up slowly. But that's never going to happen now I have a daughter. I'm an extremely slow learner and really only learn from being shown. I read a fantastic article on shooting mitres yesterday and it made complete sense. However, when I get in the workshop, it's gone.

Anyway. Enough of my sulking. I'll find my way. If I don't then I'll eventually buzz off and leave you all in peace (compress your sighs of relief at the back )

 

[lurker]

Why don't you find a forum member locally with the skills and get them to show you?

I assume they are not all miserable buggers down in Kent :lol: :lol:

Folks around this way have been very generous to me with their time & help.

Over the past two years I've had so much help from folks on here, I read everything I can, but a few minutes "hands on demonstration" is worth hours of reading.

 

[wizer]

I've taken more than a few liberties with local forum members.

Allen/Blister has been kindly showing me woodturning and I am enjoying doing something that I am not totally useless at.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Are there not one or two people on here who offer day/weekend courses? I can't remember who, but I'm sure there are. If you lived closer I'd offer to show you myself. I have been thinking of offering weekend jig courses, but I think the H&S aspect makes it a non-starter, unfortunately.

I'm sure that if it were properly prepared, you could buy a day's tuition and go home with new skills and one or two nice new shooting boards that worked properly.

Just a thought.
Edit - Ah, beaten to it all - several times!
S

Psssst.....wanna see a mitre?

 

[ByronBlack]

Rob (woodbloke) has recently done some weekend 'courses' that could be an option.

 

[Lord Nibbo]

Talking of courses or teaching, after I had my lathe I had a go at a bowl (never finished it) then turned down a length of square stock making it look like a broom handle, I say look like but it was all rubbish, so I bought a couple of books and read up all about it :shock: It was at that point a friend said her brother did turning and was visiting, well the outcome was I had a couple of 30 minute free lessons, I learnt more in that time than all the reading or trials I had done, so to my point find someone to show you how to use your lathe. Even if you have to pay it's worth it, don't just bumble along without being taught.

 

[wizer]

Yes Rob and I have discussed tuition in the past, he's a bit far for me to travel and I need my bed at night, so would have to drive home after. I'd love to go see him and, as said, I could make a shooting board and pick up some skills.

I've already had some great tuition on the lathe and joining a club helps with confidence. I really don't know why there isn't clubs for general woodworking. It'd be great to have that. Even if it was the case that members were not allowed to use machinery and a 'technician' helped out. Similar to these forums but where you could be physically shown what you were doing right or wrong.

If I ever win the lotto, I'll set that up.

 

[ByronBlack]

I think you've hit on a good idea there Tom. If enough people could gather to one location 1 day a fornight or month, then I'm sure a club of sorts could be put together, individuals who wanted could ask questions of those more experienced, or small lessons could be shown - club projects would be kind of cool too, everyone working on one project would introduce many people to a lot of different skills.

I for one would up for something like that, I would be happy to pay a small retainer to help pay for a venue.

 

[Grinding One]

If you have problems with miter angles ,get yourself an angle square (Drafting type) they do not cost a bunch (Here about a 3.00 item) but you can check angles from them very fast.Not the metal ones plastic see threw type 2mm thick.I set up the blade angle on the saw with it,or the band saw table and even the sanding disk table....use it to mark the angle on the wood cut the line.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Wizer
These were glued up last night. They are quite chunky at 95mm wide.
This is straight off the clamp

One was quite disappointing when I turned the frame over. I'm not sure what happened there. Perhaps a face wasn't square or the clamping pressure was uneven :

But even that cleaned up OK with brushing the sanding dust into it. Fortunately the front looks fine.

Go on Wizer, you can do it!
Cheers
Steve

 

[motownmartin]

Blimey, does everyone use a shooting board, I would have thought a table saw and a decent mitre guage set up correctly will be more than good enough, I say this becuase i don't build a shooting board for every angle between 0 and 90 degrees, imagine making a table with 12, 10, 8, 6, or even an odd number of sides, you'd rely on the expensive table saw you purchased, wouldn't you :?

Anyway WiZeR, wichever way you do it you need attention to detail and patience, so the best of luck to you.

 

[wizer]

Yes good point Martin and I'm sure the big joinery/furniture making shops don't use shooting boards. If I spend some time, I should be able to set the SCMS to get near perfect mitres. But then I'd have to go through that process everytime.

The Jet's just gone, so no TS for a while. So we can rest this topic until I get a chance to either make a new shooting board or go some other route.

 

[motownmartin]

Yes good point Martin and I'm sure the big joinery/furniture making shops don't use shooting boards. If I spend some time, I should be able to set the SCMS to get near perfect mitres. But then I'd have to go through that process everytime.

The Jet's just gone, so no TS for a while. So we can rest this topic until I get a chance to either make a new shooting board or go some other route.

Fair enough

 

[shim20]

like anything else, give it time and pleanty of practice, never give up.

 

[krismusic]

I must admit that I was thinking that my Elu chop saw makes near perfect mitres with ease but thought that you were too much of a hand tool man to go for that. :lol: When I used to do mitres by hand, a trick that worked for me, was to cut them as well as possible then clamp the two pieces up square and cut through the mitre with a very sharp tenon saw. Repeat until the mitre closes. 8)

 

[wizer]

No I'm not a hand tool man at all. The Wood Whisperer calls it 'Hybrid Woodworking'. I call it using what ever you can to get the job done.

I don't think your saw trick will work with a square of mitres will it?

 

[gasman]

how about this jig on FWW?
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/subscription/Workshop/WorkshopArticle.aspx?id=5188

 

[Derek Willis.]

I seem to use mitres of all sizes on so much of my work,and always have a perfect fit, I cut on my SCMS and if neccessary finish on a shooting board, just be patient when making a shooting board and don't screw it right down until you've got it just right.
Derek.

 

[Grinding One]

I don't think your saw trick will work with a square of mitres will it?[/quote]

Square miter? That is a butt joint right? :?