Thursday, 26 January 2012
3 Day Winterlude Event
3 Day Winterlude Event is coming up shortly at a Busy Bee Tools near you! You won't want to miss this 3 day event packed with HOT deals, FREE giveawyas, BONUS in-store credits and more. http://www.busybeetools.com/pages/Winterlude
Monday, 16 January 2012
Getting the most from your planer
The planer is a popular addition to almost every woodworking shop. These machines can often be the workhorses in a small shop, so the machine set up & user techniques should adhere to some basic rules to avoid minor problems.
The most obvious thing to look for when setting up the machine and preparing to plane some stock encompasses the following. Firstly, the knives should be very sharp and free of nicks and secondly to check that the table rollers are not higher than necessary in the table. Any of these conditions may cause a poor finish or a false cut resulting in sniping. Planer manufacturers have tried to tackle this problem (sniping) by having the four cornerposts of the machine work in a unified fashion. This four-column design does work but sniping is a problem that is unavoidable unless the proper technique is applied. Sniping is probably the one problem that most puzzles the operator since quite often he or she has followed all of the set up instructions and the sniping still occurs.
If one looks at the snipe they will find that the board is thinner at one end for a certain distance and then becomes thicker through the full length of the board and then may snipe again at the other end. If the distance of the snipe is measured, it will correspond to the distance between the knife and the outfeed roller. This indicates that the board is not being held firmly to the table until it makes contact with the outfeed roller. (See illustration below)
Since the distance "B" is so short, the board exerts a great deal of leverage on the infeed roller and can overcome the spring pressure allowing the board to float above the table until it contacts the outfeed roller. This is because it has a greater mechanical advantage "C" and holds the board firmly to the table. The same condition occurs in reverse when the board leaves the machine.
Ideally the machine should have long infeed and outfeed tables to support the work at the correct height but since this is not always practical, a few hints to observe when hand feeding the boards will help to avoid (minimize) sniping.
The normal tendency is to assume that the machine has control of the board when the infeed roller starts to draw the material in and the operator relinquishes control of the board to the machine at this point. The opposite is true when the board starts to feed, the operator must apply some upward pressure to hold the board against the table until the outfeed roller can exert its pressure to stabilize the cutting action. At no time should the operator allow the board to lever the machine, as the forces from even the smaller pieces are considerable.
Another method that has seemed to work with large success is to attach some scrap (the same thickness as your board) to either side of the workpiece. The scrap pieces should be at least 12" longer than your board (about 6" on each end). You can hold the workpiece & the scrap piece together as you feed your workpiece or even use hot melt glue to affix the pieces together. Do not use metals like nails or screws for this, as it may come into contact with the planer knives.
The planer, like any other piece of equipment is a tool with a few simple rules to simplify its operation and ensure better results. A simple rule of thumb that applies to any machinery is " The more mass and the more power, the more forgiving". This means that if you overlook any detail on the lighter units such as the "lunchbox" planer, it will affect the results much more than the heavier thickness planers.
The most obvious thing to look for when setting up the machine and preparing to plane some stock encompasses the following. Firstly, the knives should be very sharp and free of nicks and secondly to check that the table rollers are not higher than necessary in the table. Any of these conditions may cause a poor finish or a false cut resulting in sniping. Planer manufacturers have tried to tackle this problem (sniping) by having the four cornerposts of the machine work in a unified fashion. This four-column design does work but sniping is a problem that is unavoidable unless the proper technique is applied. Sniping is probably the one problem that most puzzles the operator since quite often he or she has followed all of the set up instructions and the sniping still occurs.
If one looks at the snipe they will find that the board is thinner at one end for a certain distance and then becomes thicker through the full length of the board and then may snipe again at the other end. If the distance of the snipe is measured, it will correspond to the distance between the knife and the outfeed roller. This indicates that the board is not being held firmly to the table until it makes contact with the outfeed roller. (See illustration below)
Since the distance "B" is so short, the board exerts a great deal of leverage on the infeed roller and can overcome the spring pressure allowing the board to float above the table until it contacts the outfeed roller. This is because it has a greater mechanical advantage "C" and holds the board firmly to the table. The same condition occurs in reverse when the board leaves the machine.
Ideally the machine should have long infeed and outfeed tables to support the work at the correct height but since this is not always practical, a few hints to observe when hand feeding the boards will help to avoid (minimize) sniping.
The normal tendency is to assume that the machine has control of the board when the infeed roller starts to draw the material in and the operator relinquishes control of the board to the machine at this point. The opposite is true when the board starts to feed, the operator must apply some upward pressure to hold the board against the table until the outfeed roller can exert its pressure to stabilize the cutting action. At no time should the operator allow the board to lever the machine, as the forces from even the smaller pieces are considerable.
Another method that has seemed to work with large success is to attach some scrap (the same thickness as your board) to either side of the workpiece. The scrap pieces should be at least 12" longer than your board (about 6" on each end). You can hold the workpiece & the scrap piece together as you feed your workpiece or even use hot melt glue to affix the pieces together. Do not use metals like nails or screws for this, as it may come into contact with the planer knives.
The planer, like any other piece of equipment is a tool with a few simple rules to simplify its operation and ensure better results. A simple rule of thumb that applies to any machinery is " The more mass and the more power, the more forgiving". This means that if you overlook any detail on the lighter units such as the "lunchbox" planer, it will affect the results much more than the heavier thickness planers.
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
New Video - Craftex CX-Series Dust Collector with Canister
We have released a new new Video - Craftex CX-Series 2 & 3 HP Dust Collector with Canister featuring Mark Eaton.
Saturday, 7 January 2012
New Video - Craftex CX-Series 10" & 12" Cabinet Table Saw
We have released a new new Video - Craftex CX-Series 10" & 12" Cabinet Table Saw with Riving Knife featuring Mark Eaton.
For more videos by Busy Bee Tools, click here
For more videos by Busy Bee Tools, click here
Our Winter Catalogue is now on-line!
http://www.busybeetools.com/
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Sharpening your Woodturning Tools
There are many different answers depending on whom you ask. There is no one correct answer. Some advocate slow speed or wet grinders, some oil stones or waterstones and some the fairly new diamond sharpeners. The truth is that with a standard bench grinder, fitted with an 80grit (white) aluminum oxide wheel and with some practice most woodturners can put an acceptable edge on their tools. Do not use the standard grey wheel that comes with most grinders as it will glaze over very quickly and heat the tools. If you have damaged a tool or feel the need to significantly re-shape it you will need to use a coarser 36 grit wheel. Remember to dress the wheel with a devil stone, star wheel or diamond dresser to avoid forming a groove in the wheel as this will adversely effect the grinding of skew chisels and parting tools.
Should I try to sharpen freehand or use a jig? With practice most turners could manage without a jig but many people do not want to grind away an expensive tool practicing so a jig is the sensible and efficient option. There are almost as many different jigs available as there are grinders. Many sharpening tools such as the Worksharp Sharpening System 3000 allows turners of any skill level to put consistent accurate grinds on their tools. It is easy to set to the majority of bench grinders and you do not need a high degree of skill to use it. It will eliminate at a stroke those facets, which may be created by freehand sharpening. Many turners now prefer a fingernail profile on their spindle and bowl gouges - it is also known as a Celtic or Irish grind. This is very difficult to achieve free-hand.
Whichever method you use remember to keep your tools sharp, try to achieve one consistent bevel which makes for easier tool control and most of all enjoy you turning. The key to successful sharpening is little and often.
Monday, 19 December 2011
Boxing Week Blowout now in effect!
Boxing Week Blowout is now in effect. Over 100 items on sale! Save up to 70% More specials in-store!
http://www.busybeetools.com/pages/BoxingWeekBlowout.html
http://www.busybeetools.com/pages/BoxingWeekBlowout.html
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