Questions or Comments?You can get a hold of us by either dropping us an email at woodtalkonline@gmail.com or you can pick up the phone and leave us a message on our voice mail at 623-242-2450.
The shortest WTO ever! Just a little Thanksgiving update from Marc and Matt.
You might also like:
Wood Talk Online #60
Download MP3
We had some serious trouble with Ustream and almost canned the show. But just as...
Wood Talk Online # 16
Download Episode
In this episode of Wood Talk Online we don't mess around, we get right into answering...
Wood Talk Online #65
Download MP3
Questions or Comments?You can get a hold of us by either dropping us an email at woodtalkonline@gmail.com...
Wood Talk Online – Episode 15
Download MP3
You've got questions, we've got answers. We now have an actual phone number for leaving...
I have seen osage orange at the lumber dealer a number of times but never knew how nice the wood looks with finish on it. Usually the pieces we have are pretty gnarly and not really very straight. But I love how Bruce from KS has embraced that trait and made an awesome functional piece from it. Let’s check it out:
I love Osage Orange, it is an ugly duckling that blooms into a swan. What I love about the wood is the strength, the resistance to decay and the natural curves, as well as the color. There are Osage Orange (called “hedge” locally) fence posts in this area that are over 50 years old, still standing strong. When exposed to sun, the beautiful yellow-orange turns gray…but just the upper millimeter or so. I used the Jamestown varnish diluted with naphtha. Multiple coats. I’m curious to see how effective the UV protection of the Jamestown varnish will be. The bench is about 7 feet long and weighs over 300 lbs. The bench seat board is about 3 inches thick.
You might also like:
How To Calculate Lumber For Projects? – Viewer Question I'm having trouble figuring out how much lumber I need for projects. I know how to calculate the board feet needed, but that doesn't factor in how much material is lost from the countless errors I'm bound to make. Do you have a formula for calculating the amount of material needed for a project?
A Diamond in the Rough Don't be so quick to overlook that ugly duckling of a board. It could very well be the highlight of your next masterpiece!
Ken’s Workbench – Week of Workbenches After doing some research on benches, which included looking through all my magazines, reading Chris Schwarz’s book Workbenches from Design & Theory to Construction & Use a couple of times and watching the Rob Bois video series on building his bench I decided on the design of my new bench.
Back in March of 2008, I had a chance to review the Earlex HV5000 Spray Station, and I recently added an update to the review to reflect my current opinion of the unit. You can check that out here: Music to my Earlex
The HV5000 is one of the best bargains out there in HVLP turbine sprayers. Despite the excellent performance of the unit, I did have my questions about motor power, longevity, and overall quality of parts. As someone who used to drag my spraying rig around to job sites, I know the beating these units have to endure. So for those of you who need a little more beef in your turbine, the HV6900 just may fit the bill.
The HV6900 features a 3-stage industrial Ametek motor (5psi), a more durable 13-ft hose (with an optional 30-ft super flex hose), front-loading filters, an improved gun design, and weighs in at under 25 lbs. The turbine itself is exactly what you would expect from a 3-stage unit. You can literally see the power of the airflow in the robustness of the spray pattern. A smooth even fan was achieved with numerous finish types and the unit completely atomized everything I threw at it. Now the one thing I didn’t test was latex paint. Honestly, I never really spray latex so its hard for me to offer an informed opinion. But when I ran some latex through the HV5000 in my previous review, the results seemed decent enough once the paint was thinned. So my assumption would be that with the more powerful 3-stage turbine, latex would be no problem at all.
The gun on the Earlex is very similar to the old model, but features a new hose connector. I am told it was re-tooled for greater longevity but I never really saw a problem with the old one. Regardless, once connected, the hose is secure and doesn’t fall out.
I have sprayed about 5 projects using this system with finishes including lacquer, water-based poly, shellac, and water-based dye. In general, I can safely say that this unit performs every bit as well as my $700 Fuji 3-stage turbine. And the HV6900 retails for $200 less at $499!
So how does it stack up to the other 3-stage turbines on the market? Well, the only unit I have extensive experience with is the Fuji, which I feel is on par with other similar units on the market. And generically-speaking, here are the things your extra money will get you:
A more durable hose. A rubber hose will generally take a little more of a beating. The HV6900 hose is much improved over the HV5000 and appears to be made of a thicker plastic with a hard rubber coating, but its still not quite as good as a heavy-duty rubber hose. Now there is an optional 30′ super flex hose available for $129. Earlex says this upgraded hose is as strong as a standard rubber hose, with the added benefit of being lighter and more flexible. Pictured below are, from left to right, are hoses from the HV5000, the HV6900, and the Fuji Q3.
A gun with more settings. The Earlex gun features only two controls: one for fluid and one for fan orientation. On my Fuji gun, I have an additional control for the size of the spray pattern and an air flow valve in the hose itself. I rarely touch either setting so I really don’t miss them on the Earlex.
A little more psi. The HV6900 is rated at 5 psi, and comparable units (Fuji, Apollo, Campbell Hausfeld) are rated at 5.5 – 6.0 psi.
You’ll need to decide for yourself if the above things are worth the extra money. But if I were in the market for a new 3-stage turbine, I would buy the Earlex HV6900 and spend the extra $200 on things like new tips, cups and maybe even an extra gun.
As with all my reviews, you should always read through the comments section below. Our readers tend to add valuable insights that I either didn’t know about or didn’t think of. After all, I am NOT a professional reviewer. So to really get the full picture on a product, be sure to include these comments in your research.
This is a blog post by guest author, Carole Rothman, Ph.D. She recently wrote a book called Wooden Bowls from the Scroll Saw and as you’ll see in her pictures, her work is unique and stunning! And there isn’t a lathe in sight!
I’ve always had mixed feelings about lathe-turned bowls: loved the bowls, hated the waste. When I learned that a wide variety of attractive bowls could be made from small amounts of thin wood, using the stacked-ring approach and a scroll saw, I had to give it a try. My first bowl, a simple one created from plans drawn on graph paper, convinced me of the potential of this approach. Wanting to learn more, I searched for a book to guide me. The only one I found relied heavily on the hand-held router, required many shop-made tools and jigs, and demanded extraordinary levels of skills. That was a turnoff. However, the book did make me aware that scroll saw bowls could be any shape—square, oval, and multi-lobed, for example. More important, they could rival lathe-turned bowls in beauty and elegance.
I work in a community woodshop, where the scroll saw is not considered a serious tool. (Its location, by the slop sink, says it all.) Partly in protest, but mostly as a personal challenge, I decided from the outset that I would use only the scroll saw and a variety of sanders. Believing that fine woodworking needn’t be difficult, I looked for simple ways to accomplish complex tasks. My first challenge was to locate sanders for bowl interiors. A thorough search of the “turning†section of woodworking catalogs yielded the tools I needed. The second challenge was more difficult. I found no information anywhere about how to compute the cutting angle, which I knew varied with wood thickness and ring width. Fortunately, when I looked carefully at my diagrams, I realized that a standard tangent chart contained all the information I needed. (Thank goodness for high school trigonometry!) Now I could move full-speed ahead, tapping into a lifetime’s knowledge from various crafts—woodworking, sewing, and cake decorating—to create plans for projects that could stand proudly with those turned on a lathe by “serious†woodworkers leaving mountains of wood chips on the floor.
Using common wood from the “cutoffs†bin of my local lumberyard, and small pieces of colorful exotics, I began creating bowls with gingham checks and plaids, bowls that looked like baskets, and bowls with swags and swirls. I made bowls with straight sides and bowls with curved sides. I began stacking sets of rings to create vases and other vessels. I developed new techniques as I needed them, and mustered up the confidence to obtain a contract to write the book I had looked for but hadn’t been able to find: a user-friendly guide to making truly beautiful vessels from wood, using only the scroll saw and sanders. The book would be easy enough for the novice, yet challenging enough for the more accomplished woodworker. Wooden Bowls from the Scroll Saw, published by Fox Chapel, is now a reality, and it’s exciting to see others use my instructions and patterns to make beautiful bowls. To be as helpful as possible, I regularly post hints, tips, and videos on my blog, Scroll Saw Bowls, and answer questions that come my way.
Although the book is finished, I continue to explore the limits of this approach. I’ve added a variety of laminations to my newer bowls, along with decorative center rings, and open segmentation. I’ve begun creating new shapes and edge effects, many of which could not be made on a lathe at all. I’ve started adding whimsical details: my “ribbons and bows box†reflects my background as a professional cake decorator as much as my compound cutting skills. Even as I progress, I never lose sight of my goal: to help woodworkers with ordinary skills make projects that are extraordinary.
Woodworking: A Lucrative Business? This is a post by a guest author Barbara Howell. She is the author of a new book called Splinters: "The Pain, The Passion, The Point". Its a true story based on her life as a woman trying to survive in a "man’s profession".
Wood Talk Online – Episode 28 Marc and Matt start off discussing the latest season of New Yankee Workshop.
Other points of discussion: new podcasts, Modernwoodshop and Teenage Woodworker, new European plunge cut saws, Chris Scwarz being the Oprah of the woodworking world, upgrading tools vs buying new.
Skee called in with concerns about temperature fluctuations in his shop. Dan called in and asked about Leigh Isoloc templates, air bubbles in his polyurethane, powermatic 8" jointers. Bob called in with a question about tinted waxes.
The HV6900 features a 3-stage industrial Ametek motor (5psi), a more durable 13-ft hose (with an optional 30-ft super flex hose), front-loading filters, an improved gun design, and weighs in at under 25 lbs. The turbine itself is exactly what you would expect from a 3-stage unit. You can literally see the power of the airflow in the robustness of the spray pattern. A smooth even fan was achieved with numerous finish types and the unit completely atomized everything I threw at it. Now the one thing I didn’t test was latex paint. Honestly, I never really spray latex so its hard for me to offer an informed opinion. But when I ran some latex through the HV5000 in my previous review, the results seemed decent enough once the paint was thinned. So my assumption would be that with the more powerful 3-stage turbine, latex would be no problem at all.
The gun on the Earlex is very similar to the old model, but features a new hose connector. I am told it was re-tooled for greater longevity but I never really saw a problem with the old one. Regardless, once connected, the hose is secure and doesn’t fall out.
This is a blog post by guest author, Carole Rothman, Ph.D. She recently wrote a book called Wooden Bowls from the Scroll Saw and as you’ll see in her pictures, her work is unique and stunning! And there isn’t a lathe in sight! 
I’ve always had mixed feelings about lathe-turned bowls: loved the bowls, hated the waste. When I learned that a wide variety of attractive bowls could be made from small amounts of thin wood, using the stacked-ring approach and a scroll saw, I had to give it a try. My first bowl, a simple one created from plans drawn on graph paper, convinced me of the potential of this approach. Wanting to learn more, I searched for a book to guide me. The only one I found relied heavily on the hand-held router, required many shop-made tools and jigs, and demanded extraordinary levels of skills. That was a turnoff. However, the book did make me aware that scroll saw bowls could be any shape—square, oval, and multi-lobed, for example. More important, they could rival lathe-turned bowls in beauty and elegance.
I work in a community woodshop, where the scroll saw is not considered a serious tool. (Its location, by the slop sink, says it all.) Partly in protest, but mostly as a personal challenge, I decided from the outset that I would use only the scroll saw and a variety of sanders. Believing that fine woodworking needn’t be difficult, I looked for simple ways to accomplish complex tasks. My first challenge was to locate sanders for bowl interiors. A thorough search of the “turning†section of woodworking catalogs yielded the tools I needed. The second challenge was more difficult. 
I found no information anywhere about how to compute the cutting angle, which I knew varied with wood thickness and ring width. Fortunately, when I looked carefully at my diagrams, I realized that a standard tangent chart contained all the information I needed. (Thank goodness for high school trigonometry!) Now I could move full-speed ahead, tapping into a lifetime’s knowledge from various crafts—woodworking, sewing, and cake decorating—to create plans for projects that could stand proudly with those turned on a lathe by “serious†woodworkers leaving mountains of wood chips on the floor. 
Using common wood from the “cutoffs†bin of my local lumberyard, and small pieces of colorful exotics, I began creating bowls with gingham checks and plaids, bowls that looked like baskets, and bowls with swags and swirls. I made bowls with straight sides and bowls with curved sides. I began stacking sets of rings to create vases and other vessels. I developed new techniques as I needed them, and mustered up the confidence to obtain a contract to write the book I had looked for but hadn’t been able to find: a user-friendly guide to making truly beautiful vessels from wood, using only the scroll saw and sanders. 
The book would be easy enough for the novice, yet challenging enough for the more accomplished woodworker. Wooden Bowls from the Scroll Saw, published by Fox Chapel, is now a reality, and it’s exciting to see others use my instructions and patterns to make beautiful bowls. To be as helpful as possible, I regularly post hints, tips, and videos on my blog, Scroll Saw Bowls, and answer questions that come my way.
Although the book is finished, I continue to explore the limits of this approach. I’ve added a variety of laminations to my newer bowls, along with decorative center rings, and open segmentation. I’ve begun creating new shapes and edge effects, many of which could not be made on a lathe at all. I’ve started adding whimsical details: my “ribbons and bows box†reflects my background as a professional cake decorator as much as my compound cutting skills. Even as I progress, I never lose sight of my goal: to help woodworkers with ordinary skills make projects that are extraordinary.
