George T. (Terry) Chapman

Terry Chapman is a Professional Engineer (Civil) and Land Surveyor who lives south of Atlanta. He has done woodworking for many years and particularly enjoys bowl turning and making Windsor Chairs. He currently works as Site Development Manager for a local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity and has one son who pastors a Church in Connecticut. You can email him at cdeinc@mindspring.com.

Get Woodworking Week – Teaching a Friend to Turn

Feb 042013
 

I am always surprised at how many people have no concept of making something from scratch. Reminds me of a young man who came to my shop and saw something I had made and asked me “So you just take some wood from a tree in the forest and make something out of it?” Well, yeah, and that’s a little sad to me as a craftsman and carpenter that he would be surprised by that.

Oneway 1640 — Big Hoss

For “Get Woodworking Week”, I wanted to tell you about a newbie who came to my shop a couple of years ago. One of my son’s college classmates was looking for a unique birthday gift for her husband. I had given them a bowl for a wedding gift and they were really fascinated by it. The wife wanted her husband to learn how to turn a bowl, and approached me about supplying turning lessons as a surprise birthday gift. We agreed on a fee which worked out pretty good for me, since I agreed to give him at least five lessons on turning, and she agreed to make me a red velvet cake, a real southern classic. I work for food — and donations to my Habitat Chapter.

Husband came down to the shop and we mounted up a bowl blank for him to try. I had a blank bought from the High so it was already round and flat on both sides and ready to go. We went over gouge sharpening and some short bits of technique and a little demonstration time, and then I handed him the bowl gouge.

When beginners start to turn I find myself doing another analysis of where to stand to keep out of the way of flying tools and arcing lumber. I want to be able to see what the rookie is doing, but I do not choose to get hit in the mouth with a 5/8 inch steel gouge. I seem to recall that the first thing my student did was stick the tool in there pretty good and jam it up. Thankfully, he did not let go of the tool and the belt on the lathe is set a little bit loose so the wood stopped turning for a few seconds until we could pull the tool out of the wood. He kept trying though, with me helping him to adjust the angle of the tool and teaching him to listen to the wood and be able to hear when it sounds right. You can tell a lot by listening to the sound the tool makes when it is cutting, and that is a good thing to know when a beginner is trying to learn. You can stand back a little bit and still know what is going on with the tool.

It took us a couple of hours and I stepped in a couple of times to straighten out a cut to make it easier for him to continue, and finally we ended up with a pretty decent little bowl. We put some finish on it and with a little bit of additional finish in a bottle, the whole thing came full circle when he took his new bowl home to his new wife. I had a blast and I think he did too. We have lost touch since, but I hope he will continue his new found woodworking career one day. Maybe she will make me another cake when he does.

Tormek T-3 Sharpening System Review: Woodworker’s Shop Sharpening

Jan 182013
 

Well lookie here, sometimes those old Wish Lists do work, even if you have to buy the stuff yourself.   And then when you combine the Wish List with a New Year’s Resolution, you end up with the Tormek T-3 Sharpener from the High.  As I’ve said before, I was starting to get really tired of buying new tools because the old ones got dull.  Sharpening seems to be the answer, do you think?

Tormek T-3

Last fall I went to a class in North Carolina and the instructor brought his T-3 for the students to use.  Since most students were fishermen and not woodworkers, trying to teach that bunch to sharpen would have been a real trial.  When I saw how it worked, it started to dawn on me that this little machine could be the answer to my sharpening trials.  Not willing to spring for the T-7, I settled on the T-3.

When I opened the package, there was a CD with instructions plus a guide book.  But the thing I really like was what was next.  That little yellow pack is a bundle of bandages with a caution on it.  I like that. That’s about how sharp I want my tools to be.

Unpacking

When I unpacked the rest of it, the grinding wheel was easy to install.  The big wheel  is a 200 grit, but I bought the dressing stone separately, and using it you can change the grit for the big stone.  Set the dressing stone on the wheel while it is running and if you use the coarse side, the wheel gets much rougher and faster cutting.  Turn the dressing stone over and the big wheel gets smoother and really polishes up an edge.

Unpacked, the box contains the square edge jig, the water tray, polishing paste, universal support guide bar and an angle setting gauge.  The leather honing wheel comes installed and just needs a little machine oil with some paste added to make it operable.

All the Pieces

I picked up an old chisel which needed a lot of work and gave it a try.  The angle of the tool to the wheel is set by raising the guide bar up and down with the screw at the top of the body of the machine.  When you install the bar in the position shown, then the wheel is grinding towards the tool (clockwise), and the way you can tell when you are done is to feel the burr on the top of the edge.  No burr, and you ain’t there yet.  The tool in the picture was so bad, that I finally took it over to the half speed grinder and did a little shaping before putting it back on the Tormek.  When you finally get the burr, then take it out of the jig and gently use the leather honing wheel to smooth it out front and back, being very careful to not round the edge.

The guide bar can also be mounted on those front clamp holes and then the wheel will grind away from the tool.  I’m sure it makes a difference for some things, perhaps the smaller carving gouges.  Since the wheel turns slowly and runs constantly in water, there is no danger of burning the tool edge.  You do need to take the tray off when not using the machine so the water does not affect the wheel.

All Set to Go

They make an accessory kit for Wood Turners and another for Hand Tools.  This may be the perfect sharpening machine for the small shop.  Stop buying new tools just because the old ones are dull.

Woodworking Resolutions for 2013: Terry Chapman

Jan 042013
 

Well, it’s almost New Year’s Day once again and time for those pesky Resolutions. I went back and looked at the list from last year and I could just about copy that over again. Out of the twelve I posted last year, I get a full check on two of them, and a partial check on maybe three others. I did get the plywood out of the shop, and I picked up my rocker from the High so I can get that finished. I finished the second Shaker candle stand and donated it to a worthy cause and I bought the book for making my own mouldings. And I did go back and play that wonderful video with bass singer George Younce, though I have not signed up for the guitar lessons. Plus I went to the John Campbell Folk School and took the class I wanted in making a split bamboo fly rod. Be careful, I will show you the finished fly rod at the drop of a hat — it is beautiful, and very difficult to make.

For the New Year, I think I will make a few new resolutions and try to finish up some of those old ones which are still valid. Here goes:
  1. I am going to a class on woodcarving at Roy Underhill’s School in North Carolina in February. Mary May is the instructor and I have seen her on The Woodwright’s Shop on PBS. She is excellent. Maybe I can learn to carve an acanthus leaf. Perhaps even sharpen my carving tools, but I want to learn to carve this year.
  1. I am going to learn to sharpen. I am tired of constantly having to buy new tools simply because the old ones are dull. The only thing I really feel comfortable sharpening is my bowl gouge and that is because a I took a master class from Mike Mahoney a few years ago and he scoffed at what I had been doing and made me do it the way he does. I threw all the jigs out and now do it free hand. Maybe I can sharpen all the old tools and then I will have two of each.
  1. I see where Christopher Schwarz is coming to the High to teach a class in February. “Make your own Layout Tools with Christopher Schwarz” is the name of the class and where I have never taken a class with Chris, I do read his blog all the time and I think he would teach an excellent class. On the other hand, I just noticed it is already sold out, so you are going to have to look for another one. Highland has a constant stream of excellent classes and I will soon pick out another one.
  1. I hesitate to include the remaining resolutions from last year, but since they still stand, perhaps I should. I will include them here by reference.
  1. And one more resolution not related to woodworking — I am going to pay more attention to our people in the military this year. I will thank them when I see them; I will pay for lunch when I have an opportunity to do so; I will remember that they also serve who stand and wait. I was flying from Connecticut to Atlanta Christmas night after a visit with my son. There was a young woman sitting next to me and when the flight got a little bumpy, we started to talk. She was on her way back home after a visit to her family and she volunteered that her husband left just two weeks before Christmas for deployment to Afghanistan. They have been married six months. She was headed back to their house on a naval base in the Carolinas, by herself, late on Christmas night, to a dark, cold and very lonely place. It will be Christmas again before he comes home to his new wife. His name is Wade and he’s a Navy Corpsman. I’m going to remember that.

Happy New Year!!

Holiday Woodworking Tool Wish List – Terry Chapman

Nov 262012
 

Thanksgiving is over except for a little turkey soup in the fridge. Back to work tomorrow and time to start thinking about Christmas. Saw my first Christmas lights a week ago, actually. In the spirit of the season, here is my Wish List for the old wood shop. Heads up to my son, Jonathan, up there in Connecticut. Highland will ship to me here if you call them, but no fair using my credit card to buy me something.

Here we go:

1. Anything Festool. One of these days, I will break the ice on Festool and I think a couple of things are high on this “sub” wish list. I love the saw that runs on its own track. Cuts are perfect, even bevel cuts from the track. I have even heard people say it will substitute for a table saw, though it might have trouble with my dado set. On the other hand, I haven’t put the dado set on in a number of years. I need one of those aggressive shaping sanders, too. Course if I get that, I will need to get the vacuum to go with it, cause it sure does throw off some dust.

2. I love “Grandpa’s Workshop” the new book from Lost Art Press. This book is near perfect for a woodworker, and if I had a grandchild, this is the one I would be reading at bedtime.

Three Rasp Set

3. I really like the three piece rasp set from Auriou as recommended by Chuck Brock for his chair making classes. They’re a little pricey, but when the single biggest problem with these rasps is being careful not to take off too much wood, you know they will cut. The ones I have used previously have opened up a whole new world of shaping wood. Turns out I have a pretty good eye.

4. When I took the fly rod making class a couple of months ago, the instructor brought his Tormek Sharpener for us to use. That was the first time I tried one and I liked it a lot. The model (T-3) he had is the smaller one, but it did everything we asked of it and it worked very well. The big one (T-7) is a hoss and I think it may tap dance as well as sharpen.

Foredom Power Grinder Kit

5. Flexible Shaft Power Tool — TXH440 Industrial Kit. I don’t normally require the “industrial” size of many tools, but I have seen this thing in action and it just does what it is supposed to do. You can use a wide variety of attachments and even fit it with a foot pedal to control the speed. It’s a good thing.

Well, there you go, Jon. There ought to be enough there to cover whatever you want to give me for Christmas. If you need something else, call me.

Did you know you can create a wishlist at Highlandwoodworking.com and send it out by email to anyone who might be searching for the perfect gift for you? CLICK HERE to get started with your own wish list.

Grandpa’s Workshop: Book Review

Nov 232012
 

I really enjoy Christopher Schwarz’s Lost Art Press and the books which just keep coming from there. One of the latest is “Grandpa’s Workshop” by Maurice Pommier.

Grandpa’s Workshop

This book is pure magic. It looks just like a children’s bedtime story book with wonderful line drawings, dragons, sailing ships, geese chasing little boys in their dreams, old stage coaches, steam trains and steampunk, silhouettes, beautiful colors, Grandpas, Grandsons, tools, old tools, tools that you know about and wish you had, tools that your Grandpa had in his shop and never let you touch because your Mama would be mad if you got hurt using them, dusty chests full of old tools at the back of the shop, elves behind the wood stacks and mice. I’ve got some old dusty tools in the back of my shop, and maybe some mice. And there could be some elves back there too.

Tools in the Workshop

If you love wood working and old tools; if you have kids or grandkids you want to introduce to our hobby; If you just love beautiful books — this book is for you. Get it for Christmas. In fact, get one for you and one for the kid and one for the Grandkid. I love this book!

Wood Turner’s Six Word Novel

Nov 162012
 

Graphic Novel?

There is a contest out there somewhere for the best six word novel. Sounds crazy, but it springs from Hemingway’s most famous one which has stuck with me for years. “For sale, baby shoes. Never used.” Tell me that ain’t a whole novel in six words.

Here’s mine, but since this is my first, I need a picture besides the words. “Punky wood. Face shield. Master class.”

Hammers I Have Known and Loved

Nov 092012
 

Carpentry Classes from Jonesboro and Lovejoy, GA High Schools

 

I was working on a house rehab last week with my Habitat Chapter and a group of 20 High School students from two of the local high schools.  The kids were great and the instructors were outstanding.  These kids are really into this carpentry stuff and they are well trained.  I am so happy to see this happening and it is a joy to work with them each year.

When I am on a job site in a supervisory role and not doing a lot of actual work, I carry a  tape and a small trim hammer.  I use the tape as a pointer so I don’t have to climb a ladder all the time.  The little hammer makes me the butt of many jokes as some people call it a girlie hammer (no offense people) or think it is just a toy.  I can assure you it is not a toy and it will flat move a nail.  Something about the size of the fight in the dog.  Last week the kids named my hammer “El Nino” or “Little Boy”.  I’m going to take that as a sign of respect for its skills cause they saw I can sink a nail with it better and faster than most of them.

El Nino — The Hammer of Hammers

Besides El Nino, I think I may have fifteen hammers in the shop.  I cannot throw one away and they tend to accumulate on me.  Of course, there are some special favorites.  My favorite big one is a large framer with a replaceable wooden handle and a waffle pattern on the business end.  Talk about moving a nail, that one will do it.  The joke on the job site for an old guy like me is that this is the only hammer with an age limit molded into the head.  Look right there under the claw and it says “21”, and if you are older than that, you will not still be swinging that hammer at the end of the day.  The straight claws are a real joy in framing, since you can set them under a board and hit the head with another hammer to really put on some pressure.  And to double the pressure, pull the handle sideways instead of back, a trick which I am surprised that most people do not know.

El Nino next to the Framer and then the Warrington with the red handle.

In the furniture making trade there is the Warrington pattern hammer.  I like this hammer a lot since it is so well balanced, light and easy to use.  It is made without claws since it is designed to drive brads that you could probably pull out with your teeth if you had to. If you are using it, you are so close to the end of your project you are not going to want to pull anything out of the wood and mess up your project.  The cross peen on the end is made so you can hold a brad with your fingers and then strike the hammer between your fingers to hit the brad.  It works like a champ.

Highland has a wonderfully large selection of hammers of all descriptions.  I’m not sure if anybody still makes a hammer like El Nino anymore, but if you can find one, you will really love it.  Have you got a favorite hammer?