Woodworker's Journal 2006-30-5, страница 8

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THIS ISSUE'S EXPERTS

Betty Scarpino is a

woodturner ivhose works are included in the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution and is our regular turning columnist.

Sandor Nagyszalanczy is

a power tool expert and author of Power Tools from Taunton Press.

Ian Kirby is the author of The Accurate Table Saw from Cambium Press and a regular contributor to the Journal.

Contact us by writing to "Q&A", Woodworker's Journal, 4365 Willow Drive, Medina, MN 55340, by faxing us at (763) 478-8396 or by e-mailing us at: QandA@wootlvvork8rsjoumai.com Please include your home address, phone number and e-mail address (if you have one) with your question.

Tool-rests and Shooting Boards

I'm new to turning and found Betty's article very informative. However, unless I missed it, she didn't state the tool-rest position (center line reference) for all of the cutting, scraping and shear scraping. Only once, in scraping, was it mentioned. I think it would be a big help for beginners like me.

Ron Altier West Lafayette, Ohio

i \ The tool-rest should be i \ positioned so that the cutting action happens AT or ABOVE the center line. If the cutting happens below center, it's potentially dangerous because the tool could be pulled downward and away from the tool-rest and be torn from the turner's hands. If you have the tool-rest positioned too high, you simply can't cut anything, and you'll have to lower it a bit. Additionally, the tool-rest should be positioned as close as possible to the work and still be able to cut properly, which means that at times, you might have to angle the tool-rest if you are turning a taper of some sort.

— Betty Scarpino

I have been using part of my garage as a woodworking shop with the other half being used by my wife's car. Which is only to say that the garage door is frequently opened letting in moist air. Accompanying the air is the salt that is most unfriendly to any unpainted steel it encounters.

I have several planes and gouges, etc., that are steel or stainless steel. I was

surprised to see that the stainless was showing signs of corrosion, particularly in the final machine touch-up areas and adjacent to the edges. I had been keeping them in the canvas bag rolled up and in a toolbox drawer.

Now the question is: Is there a manageable method of keeping the tools so that they won't corrode (rust)?

I have contemplated dipping the ends in a wax to make an airtight cover, but that's cumbersome to remove. I believe this might be good for long-term storage. Also, once the rust appears, it is extremely difficult to keep it from showing up again. Another method I had thought of is to coat the working end of the tools with grease and wrap them in a plastic bag (to keep the grease from being rubbed away), then return the tools to the canvas provided by the manufacturer.

Is there a better method that you might suggest? I imagine that I'm not the only person out here that has a corrosion problem in their shop.

Thank you for your help.

George Kelbert St. Augustine, Florida

i \ As rocker Neil Young I % says in one of his songs: "Rust never sleeps." Fortunately, there are many ways to thwart rust's onslaught, including storing tools in a drier location (say, inside your home), reducing shop moisture with a dehumidifier and treating tools with wax-like rust-

inhibiting coatings, such as Bostik TopCote (aka Sandaro TopCote) or Boeshield T9. A terrific hybrid approach is to store tools in a closed tool chest or airtight plastic tub (NOT a canvas roll!) that contains a Bullfrog " rust-blocking strip. The strips (available online from www.tacklewarehouse.com) are impregnated with VpCls, a chemical that vaporizes and bonds with metal surfaces, automatically forming an effective rust-inhibiting film.

— Sandor Nagyszalanczy

To paraphrase Neil Young, "My my, hey hey ... it's better to dehumidify than to fade away."

I have spent a fair amount of time building a shooting board for trimming 45° miters with a hand plane. I must be missing something because I have found it very difficult to use without cutting into the jig itself. I was careful to follow the plan step by step. Any suggestions?

— Mark King Portland, Oregon

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October 2006 Woodivorker's Journal