Staying Busy and out of trouble, 2020-21?.

[doc henderson]

I have tried the planer, and my experience is chipping out the backside.  and nobody wants to chip out their backside.   8) 8) 8) 8).  a drum sander on the other hand does ok.  for rustic, you can get a bowl that occupies the center and sets more on the table or simply suggest they find a cute ceramic bowl and they find their own.  or a vase for flowers.  or a wine bottle with the led light string and the battery holder that looks like a cork. or make a second level that covers the hole ect. ect.  If you fill with epoxy, you can use cheap fill like pine cone seeds to reduce the volume of epoxy.  I think you should have a snack of smoked chees and venison summer sausage today, and see if it inspires you.  at least you wont be hungry!  have a good day.  look at rustic center piece cookies on google.

[doc henderson]

i also agree with @WDH,  everyone is loving resin filled stuff.  the finish can be mineral oil and I got a gallon from the amazon.     I also have used Boos block oil, and it has a little wax in it to help it protect, bring out the wood character and is food safe.

[nybhh]

My father used it to pull a pretty large boat and I know it has a tow package on it with all the brake & light hookups.  Its a gasoline V-8 which I think is rated around 9600#. 

[Old Greenhorn]

OH, then maybe this would work. Have to check it out.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well, not much interesting going on here for sure. I am trying to work into a routine of getting a full day in mostly on projects that will result in 'something' but also getting some other stuff done in between. The last couple of days I have been out int he shop before 7:30 and stuck at it all day. Hours of sanding or anything else wears a guy out, I have to mix it up. So yesterday I was working on 3 slabs and the two cookies that will be mirrors, I guess. So as a break, I went out back and pulled some more junk wood down to cut for interim firewood. Just junk to keep the stove limping along until heating season starts. The afternoons are actually too warm in the shop, but keeping it warm and dry is really making a difference on how finishes are drying and curing and that is really super for me. I just work in a t-shirt and it's all good. Last year at this time, epoxy resin might take 2 days before I could sand it. Now it is overnight and that's really nice, I can keep moving. SO little piles of wood I would otherwise throw to the side to rot are now keeping the stove burning and the shop dry. This little pile will probably carry me for close to a week or more.


 
 I fire the stove in the morning, make coffee, then just put in enough wood to keep it from going out during the day. Around 8pm I load it and choke it down. Not the best for keeping a clean chimney  ;D, but its working out OK for now. Gonna stay cool for the next few days, so we shall see how it goes. Still no frost here yet, just getting cooler each week. I am good with that.

 So I have those slabs and they are coming along, rotating the 3 seems to be more efficient for output and they are coming along.


 
 Each of these will be something different, I think, not sure yet.
 So I alternated with other chores. Yesterday I pulled and cut and split that wood and moved a few wheel barrow loads of topsoil my son had left from a job. Today I did a few more loads, cleaned the house chimney, and made a run to HD for more tung oil and some keepers for the mirrors. I am still trying to figure out the mirrors exactly. Design as you go, right?
 So one of my new neighbors (barely a year and change) had the closing to sell their house today and are 'gone'. I am going to miss those kids. They were city folk, but hard working and only hired folks for things they could not figure out how to do themselves. They made a huge difference on that house and property, and they earned every bit of it. I liked helping them because they helped themselves. They had not planned on selling, but between the burden of the unforeseen major expenses that came up with this house, the virus, pressures to get back to on-site work down in the city, and the unanticipated costs and adjustments of a new baby things just added up and they were getting into a tight spot and had to do what was best for themselves and the baby. They made a profit on the house, which is really good and they are now looking to purchase property right around here to hopefully build their own house on a more manageable schedule. I hope they can find a way to buy around here, I'd like to watch that little girl grow up. Good folks. I will miss them. They have a lead on some property right down our road, but it might take a while for the subdivide to get done.
 Now I have to see what the new owner is like and if we might hit it off. I will give a visit when it seems right. Another second (or more) homeowner from the city. You never really know what that means. Life is like a box of chocolates.
 Tomorrow is another day.

[WV Sawmiller]

  On the tung oil I've started buying Hope's 100% tung oil. All I see at my local hardware and Lowes is Tung Oil finish - mixed with some thing else. I'm happy with the price and delivery from them. Bought a quart then last time I bought a gallon. We don't have a HD near by so I don't know which they stock. Just a thought.

[WDH]

I only use 100% pure tung oil.  Not available locally.  Have to order it.  The "tung oil finish" actually does not have much tung oil in it. 

[Old Greenhorn]

Now you guys have got me going and I am going to have to read the cans. I had been making the trip to Lowes to get my tung oil because it was half of what HD charged for it. HD sells Watco and I cannot remember the brand that Lowes carries. Well yesterday we were in HD and I didn't want to add a side trip to lowes, so I bought the Watco. Turns out the can is twice the size, and hence twice the cost, so fair deal.
 I cannot remember the name on the other can and the lowes website doesn't list it now, so after we come back from the chiro appt. I will look into it in depth.
 Supplies just seem pricey to me these days. I dropped $65. and could carry what I bought in one hand. >:(

[doc henderson]

I use Watco Danish oil.  I buy a gallon at a time, and Lowes carried the quart.  a gallon is twice the price of a quart, but you get 4 times the product. I got my last online to get the gallon.  I think prior to opening, and when full, it will last a long time.  my "bad" can I have had for over 10 years. I think Danish is a proprietary blend of Tung oil and only God know what else.  It will darken and get rancid after year.  the cap and threads get gewy and make it harder to close tight, and to open.  so match your volume to your use.  it might be a good choice for nitrogen gas put in before it is closed.  You may be getting Watco brand of just Tung oil too.  

[WV Sawmiller]

OGH,

   I confess - I never read the cans either but Danny mentioned in the past it was not pure and about the 100% so now I get it on-line as I don't have a local source for pure tung oil.

[Old Greenhorn]

Yeah, I had thought I was a careful label reader before, but now I see that is not enough and one actually have to go to the manufacturers web site to dig up what is really in the stuff. Even then it is a tangled path that doesn't always give the desired results. Take the 'Watco Tung oil finish' for instance. The label states exactly that with no ingredients listed. The web page also list no ingredients, nor does the product PDF sheet. The MSDS does list other chemicals apparently thinners but no other oils or compounds. Also I note Watco only has one Tung oil product, so there is no 'pure oil' and a 'finish oil' available from them. So I am not clear if this is considered 'pure' or not. I think not. Rockler's pure Tung oil has nothing but Tung oil in the MSDS sheet, for instance.
The Formby's that I have been using is even less of a tung oil. I found this comment on when of the distributer sites in answer to the 'WHat's in it?' question. "Formby's "Tung Oil Finish" is a alkyd and soya/tung oil varnish pure and simple. If you look closely at the label you will find that Formby's even calls it a varnish. Varnish is made by mixing a resin (in this case, alkyd) and a drying oil (in this case a mixture of soya and tung oil). The mixture is then heated until the resin and oils combine into a new compound called varnish. Once it becomes varnish, it's no longer identifiable as tung oil. The closest Formby's Tung Oil Finish comes to being or containing tung oil is in it's name."

SO I guess I really got duped on that one, but it explains the handling and finishing characteristics that I didn't expect. When that can is done very shortly I will be done with that product. I'll use up the Watco, then just order the pure stuff and be done with it. As much as I want the right product on my wood, even more I want to avoid unnecessary chemical on my hands and in my nose. I am a little surprised I got duped, but these guys hide this information pretty well.

Not much got done here yesterday, just more sanding and a small epoxy pour on a missed crack. I did fit one of the mirrors and will do the other one today. I had the distractions of the guys working on that truck and the welder came to fix the rear frame before the new springs go in. The guys 'sort of' complained about the shop being too hot (70°) but they didn't complain about working in t-shirts. I have managed to keep it at or over 66° so far. It rained all day yesterday and the temp is not supposed to hit 60 for the next 5 days or so. I want to keep that good drying condition in the shop, even if it means t-shirts. ;D Sure beats the past 32 years of going out to a cold shop, starting the heat, waiting for the air to heat up to a working temp and the general temp never got the equipment (or the wood) settled in at a warm temp, then shut the heat at night and start over the next day. This is SO much better. ( I also note that nobody is complaining about taking a break in my chair by the woodstove, or the coffee pot, or the hot water on the back of the stove always available, or the fridge with drinks in it.  :D
I just realized today is Saturday, not sure what that means, but I should get to it. Today is another day.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I was using Farmbys till Danny brought it to my attention it was not pure tung oil and Hopes is the one I found on line and I am happy with it.

[78NHTFY]

Spent a coupla days scraping edge of a friend's pond of cat tails, ditching around property and moving a shed (instead of sawing  :'(, or getting ready for Winter at my place, like cutting cordwood).  Must say, my new-to-me skidder is a beast.....All the best, Rob.

[Nebraska]

FWIW,  I've  been using a product called Real Milk Paint. It's a pure tung oil or so it claims.  Buying it  in gallons used turpentine to thin it

a little on some Green Ash for a ceiling project. Happy with it so far.

[btulloh]

Checked out their website. Product looks great. They make an outdoor version as well. One ounce samples available, which is great. I've bought way to many tung oil products that were not what I wanted. Theoretically, there's a retailer 5 minutes from me. On the way there now!

Thanks for the info!

[SwampDonkey]

OGH, you should be able to get the real tung oil from Lee Valley online. They have free shipping to USA. They will not ship to certain states, says which on the product page. I'm pretty sure they have a warehouse in New York.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/supplies/finishing/finishes/20049-100-pure-tung-oil

[WDH]

I get it here, too:

100% Pure Tung Oil Wood Finish & Protection - Non-Toxic Wood Oil

The dark version is interesting.  Looks really good on pine and maple, at least to me.  The oil is very dark, like black coffee. 

[btulloh]

Good info on both counts.

Lee. Valley is a dependable company. Never tried their tung oil, but no doubt it's good stuff. I see they have a polymerized version also, which I prefer for some uses.

My trip to the alleged local supplier of Real Milk products came up empty. I  will order some of their samples. I've got quite a few quarts of tung oil I didn't like and most are jello at this point.

These look useful: https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/supplies/finishing/72867-finish-storage-bag?item=62K0410
For storing finish and reducing air issues. Should be good for dispensing small quantities too.

(Getting close to a thread hijack. Sorry OGH  )

[Old Greenhorn]

Wow, Rob, looks like you are staying out of trouble and that skidder looks every bit the beast.
 Nebraska, I came across that Real Milk product, I might just check that one out next, but they charge almost 10 bucks shipping for a quart. I'll look around for a supplier, I thought I saw one this morning, but that was a long time ago. ;D
 Swamp, Lee valley says they are out of stock until end of November, so I have time to think about it.
 Btulloh, I am too cheap to let them sit in a can and I will use them up, then move on, at least then I didn't throw the money away. I can't afford to buy stuff I don't use, not yet anyway. ;D
 I may have mentioned I have several projects working at the same time. I was out in the shop early today (maybe 6am, I don't recall) and started (after putting the coffee on) with a small epoxy pour which is usually how I end the day, but one of the cracks on the table slab had sunk in and I had to refill it.  Then I sanded and refinished the back side of those mirror cookies after putting in the glass retainers and chiseling out the slots. I set them up to dry.
 I have an RO curved bench slab in the works, so I put that up and drilled the leg holes. This one is like the ones WV Sawmiller makes, flat both sides, but this one I left the bark on because it is holding tight and we will see what happens. It's been a while and I had to make some mistakes over. I forgot how I fit the legs and drilled the first hole the same size as the tenon. I had forgotten I drill the holes smaller and sand the tenons to fit. At least I figured it out after just one hole, no harm done, I just fitted one leg a little bigger and you really can't see it. So I got those glued in from the bottom side and let that sit to dry.
 That gave me enough time to run over and greet the new neighbor. Nice gal, I didn't get much, was only there a few minutes, enough to welcome her and wish her well in the new house. Apparently another city person come up here to escape the virus 'for the duration' (which is an expression I hear a lot these days from the city folks, I don't blame them).
 Then the Grandson's came by for a couple of hours so I worked outside moving the rest of the topsoil and a few loads of crushed stone to improve the ground around the mill yard and new path up to the neighbors. When they left I flipped the bench and filled the glue gaps on the top side and let it sit again.
 After dinner I got back out to the shop, put the mirror cookies together and another coat of wax on each. They don't look bad really. The faces are just tung oil and Johnson paste wax, about 4 coats so far and a lot of hand rubbing.


 

 This one I left the bark bark on.


 

I can't decide which way is right side up, any opinions?


 

The bench is coming along, I have to trim the legs (I hate that part) and then sand the tops of the legs flush and finish it up. 


 

 Anyway, a bunch of stuff done today, more tomorrow I hope.  Just keep moving forward, right? As soon as I clear off one project I figure I will start another one and keep the pipeline going. It seems that having a bunch of things I can keep rotating through is keeping me busy, and mostly out of trouble. I might have to increase the pipeline by a project or two to make the rotation easier. I will admit, I am getting tired of all the sanding. I wish I had a way to get a 24" planer in the shop but that ain't gonna happen. Tomorrow is another day.

[Old Greenhorn]

These look useful: https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/supplies/finishing/72867-finish-storage-bag?item=62K0410
For storing finish and reducing air issues. Should be good for dispensing small quantities too.

(Getting close to a thread hijack. Sorry OGH  )

Sorry I missed this on the first read, I checked these out and if I order from Lee Valley I will be sure to get a couple of these. My urethane is a real problem keeping it fresh, so this will be right handy. Nice find, I never saw this before. Reminds me of the squeeze tubes I used to buy for backpacking, the back end was open and you could put anything in them and they had a clip that then slid on and sealed the air out. They were a bit of a pain to pack with peanut butter, jelly was much easier, but I could live off those tubes for lunch and snacks for days, loved those things. Never see then these days, wonder why. I thought they were better than sliced bread. These bags look the same as far as value goes.
 Not sweat on the hi-jack, that is what makes it a conversation.

[WV Sawmiller]

OGH,

   Good looking cookie projects. I envy you guys with the epoxy skills and the things you do with it.

   On the bench legs I use the same size auger bit as my tenon. Ideally the legs would be dry and the top still drying so it gets tighter as it dries. I use metal sledge hammer wedges (I buy them by the pound from House handle Co in Arkansas) and they work good. They can be installed without having to cut a slot like the wood ones which removes another step from the processing. I like the idea of a slightly smaller mortise but have not found a 1-7/16" auger bit to match my 1-1/2" tenon. If you don't like to see the top of the metal wedge you could countersink them a little and make up some wood putty with sawdust and sander dust off the bench top and hide the metal.

[Old Greenhorn]

OGH,

  Good looking cookie projects. I envy you guys with the epoxy skills and the things you do with it.

  On the bench legs I use the same size auger bit as my tenon. Ideally the legs would be dry and the top still drying so it gets tighter as it dries. I use metal sledge hammer wedges (I buy them by the pound from House handle Co in Arkansas) and they work good. They can be installed without having to cut a slot like the wood ones which removes another step from the processing. I like the idea of a slightly smaller mortise but have not found a 1-7/16" auger bit to match my 1-1/2" tenon. If you don't like to see the top of the metal wedge you could countersink them a little and make up some wood putty with sawdust and sander dust off the bench top and hide the metal.

I don't use wedges, just glue. I use a 1-1/2 tenon cutter, but they come out pretty rough and give me all kinds of gluing grief. SO I drill the hole at 1-3/8' and sand the tenons round and use a size jig to hand fit them, then I can slide 'em into the bench hole and just give a couple of raps with a leather mallet to set the home.
As for the epoxy, there is no skill, just lots of time on my elbows with a toothpick poking it into the cracks and pulling up air bubbles. Mostly what I use it for is filling drying splits in the wood and defects. It firms it up, adds strength and I don't have to worry about a crack growing any further. When I sand the slab it all comes in flat and smooth. By the way, there is no epoxy in those cookies at all.
I am wondering lately if anyone has ever tried using the epoxy resin as a glue for things like bench legs? It should be really strong if I guess right. More expensive, but I might just try that sometime.

[doc henderson]

I once set a 8# sledge head on a now fiberglass reinforced plastic handle, and it came with a 2 part epoxy to fill in the gap between handle and hole.  I have tried it on tomahawks and it will last a year, and then with all the abuse of throwing hawks, it will loosen and then start breaking.  i think it would work well on a bench, as it is adhesive, and can be colored and wood flower added as a filler.  could also just use glue, and then tighten up any void with epoxy.  the idea of the tomahawk, is that the handle gets wider at the top, and the steel slides up onto the wedge are, and can be tightened as needed.  it is supposed to come apart in an effort to not always break the handle on a crazy bad throw.  the hole (I am sure there is a name for this) is supposed to be wider on the top to match the flare in the handle.  Mine are cheaper versions and it can be hard to tell which way they go.  the eye maybe?

[Old Greenhorn]

Yeah Doc, I might try that. I found out today one of the benches I made in the past 2 years has a loose leg some it is coming back for 'factory service'. I might try using epoxy on it just for fun. I have to do an analysis first. ;D
 Today was a full day even though I slept late after staying up watching some old re-runs I got into last night. I started around 9, did some more sanding while the coffee cooked and made a jig for slicing some cookies down. Then I headed out to the mill and cut the legs on 3 benches.


 
 I clamped the heck out of them and it all went OK, then I tried the cookie jig and that worked fine too. 


 
SO I wrapped up on the mill and back into the shop. I sanded the tops on those 3 benches and cleaned up any older issues. I had glued the legs on 2 back in June but never cut the legs. I hate cutting legs. I got them to the point of putting on the tung oil so I could see the grain. SO now I have a trio of benches near finished.


 

All 3 are different and I still need to apply urethane after they dry. Then I started work on those thinner cookies and did some rough sanding to get them flat. It was a full day and my feet are tired.


 

Tomorrow I will figure out how I am approaching them. 
 After dinner I had visitors to the shop and they looked at some of my stuff and we had discussions about prices. They saw my oddball cookie I have been using as an epoxy repository for all my leftovers, I figured it as a 5 year project that might get finished someday. It caught their eye and they offered me 500 bucks to make a corner table out of it. It's a lot of salvage work on a pithy, weak, long shot, and my confidence is low, but I will give it a shot.
 Tomorrow is another day.

[WV Sawmiller]

OGH,

   What are the horizonal pieces on the legs for? I just drive the 4 legs in, turn the bench upside down on the mill, clamp securely, set my height to 17", spread the band out wide enough to reach them all and saw. when finished all the legs are the same height and same angle.