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4 August 2014 at 3:54 pm #60090
So, just to give an update after doing what Diego suggested, I poured off the clear shellac from the murky bottom, then added more alcohol to the murky remains. After sitting overnight, it’s still not dissovled so I’m quite sure it’s wax. And I’ve kept the shop at almost 20 Celcius to see if that would affect it, and the same separation happened as before.
I never had this hetergeneous happenings before with amber shellac, so maybe it’s just the batch of blonde powder I got.
One more thing learnt…I think!
3 August 2014 at 6:36 pm #60047Diego,
Great idea about pouring the clear stuff off, then mixing in more ethanol to the gunky remains and see if it dissolves.
I’m quite sure the jar has a tight seal, since there’s been no noticeable change in volume for over a month and a half. And it’s food grade ethanol, with a correspondingly high price- I didn’t want to get an alcohol with any additive like methanol. I value my optic nerve a little too much since I’m an illustrator by trade! I actually had to travel to Quebec to buy it, since most provinces and territories in Canada will not sell pure ethanol to the general public.
Thanks for the input, and I’ll try it this afternoon.
9 April 2014 at 6:35 pm #53832Ooooh, Greg. I’m a knot geek, and a woodworking one, so this is right up my beeswax alley. Thanks for posting how to make one. Like Sid, I too am an oil and wax guy, and just don’t seem to enjoy using shellac the same way Paul does. (I also deviate from Paul a little, and only use bevel-up planes. But that’s another topic for another day.) One question that I can’t find ever since I saw Don Williams’ video on the polissoir: do you use solid beeswax, or a paste?
23 February 2014 at 4:10 pm #28210Greg, I’ve been trying to figure out what your signature icon is after seeing it on the side of your plane…an angry tadpole? 😉 The rebate plane looks great- how does it perform?
23 February 2014 at 2:30 am #28189I really would’ve kept my bandsaw if I had the space, but my shop’s a shipping container I converted and so I have 150 square feet to work with. The one tool I was happier as hell to get rid of was the router- that squealing pig never made me comfortable. I once was doing some edge profiling and noticed that the profile seemed to be changing as I was working. So I turned off the router and looked at the bit as it was winding down- it was slipping in its collar! Man was I lucky that it didn’t come all the way out; I still shudder thinking about where that carbide bullet would’ve ended up.
I like keepin’ it basic too, and that’s why I truly appreciate what Paul’s peddling. Good, simple tools that will do the job day in day out. And I stopped buying woodworking magazines because even though they’re putting a teensy bit more emphasis on hand tools, they’re still just there to sell you something. No thanks.
22 February 2014 at 2:16 am #28170I sold all my big power tools too, including a big band saw. Now all I have is hand tools and a festool saw. But to be honest, sometimes I really do miss my bandsaw, especially since I mostly have rough-sawn stock now and it’s a lot of work to get it foursquare. But I am getting faster with my planes, and since I draw and paint in the same small space, I no longer have to deal with airborne dust. And that to me is the biggest reason to use hand tools: no dust!
Oh, and Sandy, to me the Paul Sellers’ shooting board is a Cadillac! I’m now too ashamed to show you what I use!
17 February 2014 at 9:32 pm #27982Nicely done! It looks like it’s emerging from the tiles- the coloring of the wood and texture are almost identical. And it looks like your boy’s enjoying it too!
16 February 2014 at 7:06 pm #27929Greg, I agree with your last comment completely. Drawings are a wonderful way to give an overview of dimensions, but more often than not they can end up hurting a beginner in their growth. It’s easy to get obsessed with making a piece to its exact dimensions, especially when you’re working with power tools on a production basis (which I did for a couple years). The beauty of hand tool work is that none of that is set in stone, and as long as the tenon fits the mortise snugly, and the piece is easy on the eye, then it’s a success. It’s actually very liberating to let go of exact dimensions- and that’s something Paul regularly espouses.
That being said, drawings are a very helpful tool to give the overall look of a piece, but I like to think of them as a starting point that the craftsman/artist builds upon with their own voice. (Can you tell I’m an artist by trade? That sounds a little funny written down!)
16 February 2014 at 6:11 pm #27928Bow,
As you’ll soon find out, a workbench is imperative to doing good work with hand tools. But many people have come up with some wonderful solutions to work without one, and by far the simplest and most effective is planing up against a stop screwed to whatever top you’re using for now. But instead of pushing against the stop, pull your plane towards you Japanese-style. You have more control, but less power. I did this on the table of my radial arm saw until I finally built my own workbench. Until you have a real workbench, this will work fine, especially when you realize that a board doesn’t have to be held in a death-grip for you to work it.
Have fun.
Jonathan Wright
DrawnWright -
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