Popular Woodworking 2008-06 № 169, страница 11
—" Tricks of the Trade ■— Scraping With Glass Scrapingsmoothes wood much more effectively than sanding. Steel card scrapers are available in various shapes but to work well, they must be sharpened and burnished to create ahooked edge. Fortunately, there's an alternative: broken glass. Woodworkers of old used it to smooth gunstocks and other wooden items, and the technique is just as viable today. Using broken windows, jars and bottles, I pick out select shards that have just the right edge for the project at hand, whether straight or curved. To protect my fingers when scraping, I wear thick leather gloves or drape a piece of leather (perhaps the tongue from an old shoe) over the edge being grasped. When initially breaking the glass, I place it under a piece of leather or thick canvas, and whack it with a hammer to create shards of about the right size for the service intended. (Be sure to wear eye protection and gloves when doing this.) Scraping with glass yields results equal or superior to metal-scraper smoothing. Glass doesn't require sharpening, and you can gel quite a bit of scraping done before the edge dulls enough to discard it. It's a cheap, effective way to smooth wood. And if you want to get fancy-use colored glass! —Wayne Hodges, Savannah, Georgia The Pu re Way to Wet Wood Water-based dyes are a great way to stain wood because they afford great color control and consistent penetration, even on dense woods such as maple, cherry and oak. The only problem with water-based dyes and finishes is that they raise the grain. The solution is to wet the wood first with a damp sponge, let it dry, then lightly sand it with #220-grit sandpaper to knock off the raised fibers before applying the stain or finish. But you knew that. What you might not know is that the minerals in tap water can react with the tannins in woods such as oak and cherry, causing undesirable dark staining. The solution is to use distilled water instead. And here's the cool thing: You don't have to buy it if you have a dehumidifier. During the summer, save a few gallons of the water for staining purposes. You can use it in your household iron or car radiator to prevent mineral buildup. You can also use it in your humidifier in the dry months. How about that - woodworking tips and household tips! —Serge Duclos, Delson, Quebec Mobilizing a Contractor's Saw My contractors' saw shares a garage with my car, so it's stowed against a wall when not in use. It's not an easy thing to drag into place when it's time to set up for woodworking, so 1 decided to outfit it for wheelbarrow-style mobility. I screwed a couple sturdy non-swiveling casters to a stiff board, then bolted a couple strong L-brackets to the board, matching the spacing of the saw legs. 1 bolted the brackets to the rear saw legs with the casters just clearing the floor. Next, I bolted two stout wooden rods to the sides of the saw base, extending them toward the front just enough to serve as handles for comfortably lifting that end of the saw. Now moving the saw is as easy as lifting the handles just enough to allow the casters to engage the (loor. After wheeling it into place, the saw once again sits solidly on all fourfeet. It works great, and I find that the projecting handles don't get in my way while I'm working. PW —Richard Zegers, Bellingham, Washington Lean and drag glass shard to scrape 22 ■ Popular Woodworking June 2008 |
