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Woodworking Resolutions for 2014: Curtis Turner

Jan 022014
 

resolutions2012Happy New Years from Highland Woodworking!

A few of our blog contributors have come up with their 2014 New Years Resolutions with regards to their woodworking (and some personal ones as well). Today, we’ve got Highland Woodturner contributor, Curtis Turner’s resolutions:

1.      Cut the logs in my shop into more manageable blanks.  I’ll save more time if I commit to cutting up many blanks at one time instead of doing it on a piece by piece basis.  Plus, I will free up more space for more logs!

2.      Throw out the old CA glue.  I can’t save it hoping it will reverse the aging process and become useful.   There’s no point in using old glue.  The “out of date” glue will not adhere at its normal strength.  Or not cure at all leaving more work to remove the old glue and start over.

3.      Turn a small stool with through wedged tenons in the seat.

4.      Commit to attending more club meetings.  I really enjoy them and learn so much.  This was my worst year for attendance.  We had lots of good things happening this year that kept me extra busy.

5.      Clean up the shop!!!!

Curtis was the 2012 President of Central Texas Woodturners, a member of the American Association of Woodturners, and a member of Fine Woodworkers of Austin. Curtis teaches and demonstrates nationally for Lie-Nielsen Toolworks. He also owns a studio where he teaches and works. Curtis lives and works in Central Texas with his wife and four young children. Take a look at his website at www.curtisturnerstudio.com. 

2013 Holiday Woodworking Tool Wish List – Christopher Adkins

Dec 102013
 

For the past few weeks, our bloggers have been hard at work in their woodworking shops. Not only are they working on their gifts for friends and family this holiday season, but they have also been working on their 2013 Holiday Woodworking Tool Wish Lists. In case you are still working on yours (or haven’t even started), here are a few of our own wish lists. And don’t forget to make your own woodworking wish list on our website by CLICKING HERE.

Today we’ve got our new Product Tour Guide video host, Chris Adkins wish list:

It is that time of year again when my wife hands me a Highland catalog and tells me to start circling what I would like to have under the tree this year. Now chances are I won’t find them all parked in my living room floor this Christmas morning but it gives me a great chance to reflect on what tools I think my shop could benefit from. 

Here is a list of 5 products that mark the top of my list:

Auriou Rasps

1.       Auriou Rasps – When looking for design inspiration I find that anything without straight lines gets my attention first. Shaping and curves gives a project the next step in creativity and a good quality rasp a great way to get there. Auriou Rasps are hand cut and designed to cut fast and leave a smooth surface. 

Highland Limited Edition Anniversary Scott Meek Smoothing Plane

2.       Scott Meek Smoothing Plane – Scott is not only a good friend of mine but a very talented plane maker. His planes have taken wooden hand planes to the next level with craftsmanship and beauty. 

Hirsch Carving Tools

3.       Hirsch Carving Tools – I have often said that I don’t consider myself a carver although I have carved several pieces. I have a few Hirsch carving tools but was inspired at Woodworking in America this year to try a few new techniques. So a few more carving chisels wouldn’t hurt.

Festool TS 55 REQ Plunge Cut Track Saw

4.       Festool TS 55 REQ Plunge Cut Track Saw – One of the down falls about working in a shop small shop by yourself is that it is often difficult to handle large stock. A track saw is a great way to break down sheet stock but also for cutting things like table tops that can be too hard to handle on your own.   

SawStop Professional Cabinet Tablesaw PCS

5.       Sawstop 10” Professional Cabinet Saw – I have had a few opportunities to use the saw at Highland over the past few months and have been very impressed with how well it preforms. I have used an older table saw for years and it has worked great but I can see an upgrade in the future. Not to mention the fact that my wife appreciates the safety so that I keep all of my digits.   

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Chris Adkins is well known for his online woodworking presence including High Rock Woodworking, The Modern Woodworkers Association, and as one of the voices behind the MWA Podcasts.

2013 Holiday Woodworking Tool Wish List – Curtis Turner

Dec 052013
 

For the past few weeks, our bloggers have been hard at work in their woodworking shops. Not only are they working on their gifts for friends and family this holiday season, but they have also been working on their 2013 Holiday Woodworking Tool Wish Lists. In case you are still working on yours (or haven’t even started), here are a few of our own wish lists. And don’t forget to make your own woodworking wish list on our website by CLICKING HERE.

Today we’ve got Highland Woodturner contributor, Curtis Turner’s wish list:

galbert

Galbert Drawsharp

I met Peter Galbert at Woodworking in America earlier this year.  I asked him to demonstrate the Drawsharp while sharpening a Lie-Nielsen Toolworks drawknife. Peter’s ingenious device makes it much easier (and safer) to sharpen a drawknife.  Peter Galbert is a well-known Windsor chair maker that has years of experience using and sharpening drawknives, and he was able to work with folks at Benchcraft to make this jig.  So it was no surprise to see that it was well made. The Drawsharp uses the back edge of the drawknife as a guide to sharpen the cutting edge. This jig uses diamond and silicon carbide abrasives. The jig has two sides – one for honing the bevel side of the drawknife, the other for honing the back side of the drawknife. The jig is packed in a metal tin with instructions and additional abrasives.

Easy Wood Tool Faceplatesfaceplate

I like using faceplates for face grain turning. I find they are simple and inexpensive options for securing work to the lathe. The faceplates are precision CNC milled from lightweight aluminum. Their light weight belies their strength. Each faceplate has a plate that is 1/2″ thick and includes 8 screw holes for screws up to #14 (slightly smaller than 1/4″). The plates are black anodized and laser etched with the size and thread for easy identification. The mounting hub has set screws so you can lock it to your lathe spindle and run your lathe in reverse without the plate coming off. I have several Easy Wood Tool Faceplates for my large lathe but could use a few for my mini lathe.

carterCarter Limber Light

This LED lamp looks like it would be perfect for my shop. The magnet base would allow me to move it from a lathe to the bandsaw or drill press easily. I am sure I could come up with a few more creative uses. And no power cord! Instead, it runs on 3 LR-44 batteries (which are included along with 3 spares).

Starrett Combination Square – 12 inchstarrett

I really enjoy using my Starrett 6” square and the 12″ would be a great addition to my collection. It has a nice heft and inspires confidence in the tool. I know that sounds silly but it’s one of the tools that when you pick it up you can feel how well it’s made. Starrett is well known for producing high quality tools. Expensive? Yes it is, but over a lifetime, the enjoyment and confidence makes it a good buy.  This square has a hardened and tempered satin chrome blades, that are graduated in 64ths & 32nds on one side, and 16ths & 8ths on the other.

DMT Dia-Flat Lapping Plate

I have enjoyed using this lapping plate over the last year while demonstrating at Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Events. I have found that it will lap sharpening stones quickly. The lapping plate is hand-certified to a flatness of ±0.0005″ across its surface. Which means that each time I lap a stone I am achieving an incredibility flat surface. My current DMT dia-flat (old school) yellow dot matrix plate is in its senior years after 8 years of hard labor. I think the Dia-Flat will be the perfect replacement. The plate is quite large and heavy coming in at 4 ¼”x 10” and a whopping 4 lbs.

plate

I’m Ready for Jeff Miller by Dyami Plotke

Oct 292013
 

When Highland Woodworking saw how excited I was to head down to Atlanta for Jeff Miller’s Designing and Building Chairs class, they asked me to share why. Though I’m currently very fond of Jeff Miller’s work and teachings, this wasn’t always the way.

I’ve been woodworking and aspiring towards making furniture for almost a decade, it was a good deal on a used copy rather than any burning desire to learn chairmaking that led me to first buy Chairmaking & Design by Jeff Miller. Up until then, I’d never had a desire to make a chair. Tables and cabinets seemed enough for me.

That changed as soon as I read Chairmaking & Design. I think it is just about the best woodworking book I’ve ever read. I’ve had the chairmaking bug ever since. I often describe it as there is a chair in my head, desperately trying to get out.

I’ve also been sold on Jeff Miller since reading the book. Over the summer I built his Benchtop Bench and this just cemented his status as a master instructor of woodworking.

dyami1

Given my chair obsession, it was with great excitement that I learned about Jeff’s upcoming Designing and Building Chairs with Jeff Miller class at Highland Woodworking. This class is described as covering the fundamental of chair design and function: structural soundness, comfort and visual interest.

Other than his holding a class on Long Island, Highland was about the most convenient place for a class given the good friends I have in the Atlanta MWA Chapter who have been kind enough to put me up.

In preparation for the class, I’ve taken out my Jeff Miller Chairmaking Techniques DVD. It’s a complement to the book, in that it shows some of the techniques described. Though only an hour long, Jeff manages to fit in much of the fundamentals. The DVD isn’t enough to build a chair from on its own, but I’m hoping it serves as an excellent primer for Jeff’s Class. I can’t wait to find out next weekend.

Read Dyami’s 2nd blog entry about the class HERE.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————–Dyami Plotke is a Woodworker at home, blogger at The Penultimate Woodshop, and the Long Island Administrator and Podcaster for The Modern Woodworkers Association.

Product Tour: Oneway Wolverine Grinding Jig

Oct 142013
 

I was excited to see that the Oneway Vari-Grind Upgrade Clamp Kit (Highland Item # 150195)  has recently been added to Highland’s turning tool section. I have always been extremely careful when inserting and removing gouges under the spring mechanism on my Vari-Grind. I wanted to avoid two issues. One, nicking the tip of the tool.  Secondly, injuring my fingers as I tried to insert the gouge under the spring. I have used the new style clamp on the Vari-Grind 2 and it is perfect! This is one of the simplest upgrades to make for your Wolverine sharpening system. The new clamp replaces the old spring mechanism and increases the holding capacity of the jig so it can handle tool diameters of up to 3/4″. The spring is replaced by removing the screw that attaches the spring to the jig. Remove the old brass knob and replace with the new knob. This upgrade, at less than $15, is well worth the investment.  I will be ordering one for my Vari-Grind.

Make sure you check out my most recent video product tour below of the Oneway Wolverine Jig, where I further explain the set-up and use of the jig, and show how easy it makes sharpening!

Curtis Turner: A Visit to a Texas Sawmill

Jun 192013
 

curtis10smIn the June Issue of The Highland Woodturner, Curtis Turner wrote about his visit to The Berdoll Sawmill. You’ll be amazed at some of the capabilities of this sawmill and some of the incredible pictures Curtis got of the beautifully figured wood they carry.

CLICK HERE to read about Curtis’s visit to the Berdoll Sawmill.

Take a look at the June issue of The Highland Woodturner.

Curtis Turner: Turning a Door Stopper

Apr 182013
 

Turning a Door Stopper

curtis11smBy Curtis Turner
Round Rock, TX

One day recently, I decided to open up my shop door to let in some Texas spring air. I realized as I placed my turned door stop under the door that this would be a good project to share.

This month’s project is as simple as it is useful. If you follow these tips, you will end up with two separate door stops; give one as a gift, or use both to hold open your front and back doors with style at the same time.

CLICK HERE to learn how to turn your own door stopper:

CLICK HERE to read the rest of this month’s issue of The Highland Woodturner: