Mark's Musings

Mark Bronkalla

Meeting

Bill Hull did a great job with both the meeting and workshop. Bill is an excellent speaker and craftsman. I was a bit disappointed with the turn out for the meeting. Was it the Friday, the move to the second week of the month or what?  We increased the class size for the workshop. There was still room enough for all of us. I hear we still had more people interested in the class. The workshop schedule was very ambitious. We  will be scheduling a couple more workshops to allow finishing of the table tops, complete the mariner star inlays and get some more vacuum press time. 

Next month’s meeting features a presentation by Bob Flexner. Bob is one of the gurus of finishing. His book highlights not just the techniques of finishing, but also the science of finishing. This is another Friday meeting with a Saturday workshop. There are still a few slots available for the workshop.

It is an interesting coincidence that we have Bill Hull and Bob Flexner back to back. At one point Bill moved his business into Bob’s old shop.

In the shop

Have you ever suffered from “Sanding Block”? It is that stage of a project, where it is assembled (finally) and the sanding / scraping / planing task seems to be interminable.  The risks are of either rushing through this phase and having a poor resulting finish or setting it aside for later and all it does is collect dust for a long time.

I was stuck at this phase for a couple of weeks, with the dresser I was building. It has lots of surface area and the final drawer fitting was taking quite a bit of time. At this phase it was also the time of the Woodworker’s Show.

My dust collection “system” had been having problems with poor pickup from the table saw, nothing that worked for the radial arm saw, hose changing for jointer and planer and frequent bag cleaning. I had myself convinced that I needed a cyclone (more power and dust separation). In researching this, I also found that my existing ductwork would need replacement. So, step one was to replace the  existing 4” ductwork with 6” and add some more, so that the radial arm saw could have some dust pickup. After many trips to Home Depot and more hours than I expected making the wye connections myself (can’t see spending $28 each), I now have a greatly improved dust collection system. The dust collector has also been relocated a bit further away, next to the furnace (less noise). The pickup from most of the tools is great. I made the 6” blast gates myself to save money and they work quite well. The new ducts are sealed with caulk and aluminum tape. The caulking  also helping smooth some of the interior edges of the wyes and elbows, hopefully enhancing air flow. A cyclone is still in the future, but now I can wait until I can build one. For more information and inspiration go to: http://cnets.net/~eclectic/woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm for an excellent dust collection and cyclone web site.

Amazingly, I got the ductwork assembled with hardly a scratch, up to the point of building the blast gates. The blast gates are made form stacks of Baltic birch plywood cut to fit the duct and with a spacer for the gate. The whole thing is then glued and screwed together. Long drywall screws were used to clamp them together. When assembling a stack of material like this , lots of pressure is needed to initially hold the stack tick (even when pre-drilled). Rather than clamping (yes I was rushing) I pressed down with my left hand while using my big cordless drill in my right. This worked great until the screwdriver pit slipped off the screw I was putting in and went through my thumbnail. No bad words, just lots of jumping up and down (there is a point where it hurts too much to say anything). Properly bandaged, I was able to continue, but the thumb was extremely sensitive to touching anything for a week. It was almost back to normal sensitivity  in time for the veneering class.

The new toy from the show was a Jet 20” planer. My old planer is a 12” Delta portable. I had been looking for a year at used planers, but they were either VERY large, very expensive, or too far away. I spent some time with the Powermatic rep and he answerd my questions on the differences between the models.  The Jet was ordered from Chris at Woodcraft and came 10 days later. The first surprise was that oddly, it was a bit bigger and heavier than the literature states, with big 400 KG (~880 lbs) sticker on the side. They loaded in my truck at Woodcraft, with the truck sagging noticeably. Chris asked how I was going to get it inside and if I was sure I had enough help. I told him of my system of transferring it from the truck to the garden tractor dump cart and then bringing it into the shop. This had worked well in the past, for the table saw and band saw. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that the old metal dump cart had died and had been replaced last year with a plastic one (narrower). The second surprise was now that the crate was 1” wider than the nominal width of the cart. I called my neighbor Tom, who normally gets the pleasure of helping me bring in new toys. We did a little head scratching, but now it was starting to drizzle. There is nothing like a cold March rain to prompt action, rather than pondering the possible ways of doing something. We carefully tipped it off the truck into the cart ( a bit crooked). We drove it around to the back of the house  and then tipped it into the basement through the patio door opening  (both door panels had to come out). The dump cart is a bit scraped up, but otherwise OK.  With a bit more  work, it got uncrated, placed in position and set up. Initial alignment looks to be quite good and the improvement in the surface finish and speed compared to my old portable planer is amazing. I will still go through all of the alignments in the future, but for now, the factory setup seems to be pretty darn close.

With all of these distractions, the dresser did get finished. There was time to sand, stain and finish in between the ductwork and planer assembly. Sheet metal work is second only to plumbing, in requiring lots of trips to the store for pieces, parts and fittings. So there was an odd rhythm to the month – assemble some ducts, need more stuff, work on dresser, pick up parts in the morning and repeat the cycle.  The back of the dresser has hand hold openings at a couple of the drawer cross pieces to make it possible to carry up the stairs.  The finish matches the rest of the bedroom set, consisting of: Minwax Golden Oak stain, sanding sealer and General Finishes Arm-R-Seal urethane and oil varnish. This time,  I brushed it on rather than wiping as I had done on the other pieces. While doing the boat finish, I had learned how to properly brush on varnish. By brushing, the build per coat is almost double that of wiping. This saved a few  days of finishing time.

We got the shop cleaned up and everything set for the rail and stile class that I taught on the 16th. The class went very well. I think everyone had a good time. Lots of good comments and questions as well as additional hints and tips. I do have a new a appreciation for the wood show demonstrators’ skills. I have demonstrated equipment in stores and shows for years, but now I actually had to make something (that fit), rather than just push buttons while talking. More room for error and chances for the tools not to cooperate. 

The rebuild of my shaper is now in full swing. It will be virtually completely redone. Now I am working on the elevating mechanism and motor mount. Hopefully, it will be done in time for the panel raising class.

Working together

I really enjoy the classes and workshops, whether as a student, as in the veneering class, or as an instructor. To me, the best part of the guild is working together and learning together. I am always amazed at what I learn at the workshops as hints, tips and techniques that have absolutely nothing to do with the stated topic of the workshop but have everything to do with being in a room with a bunch of smart people who enjoy making things.

As a follow on to this idea, at the meetings I am going to start asking who has worked with another member in the past month. I know of at least 25 guys who will raise their hands this month. How about the rest? Think of it as a challenge. We should be working together at least every other month. Woodworking does not have to be a completely solitary past time.  So, think of a group project, demonstration, class to teach or participate in a workshop. Any project that you that you can lead on is fair game. Not a big time commitment, not threatening (we all make mistakes and most admit it) and great fun.

A  possible idea for a workshop is cyclone construction. Anyone with sheet metal tools and skills in the group?


Wanted – Woodworking Projects to Show

Mark Ruminski


We are  trying a new area for promoting the Guild, your local libraries.  Right now we have 3 more set up for this year and are looking for more.  We hope many of you got to look at the one at the Franklin library in March.

The next display will be in August at the South Milwaukee library at 1907 10th Avenue in South Milwaukee.  In September & October we will have a display set up at the Greendale library at 5647 Broad Street in Greendale.  In November we will have a display at the Hales Corners library at 5885 South 116th St in Hales Corners, set up by Jay Pilling.  The size of the display cases vary in each of the libraries, so contact us for details.

What does all this mean?  We are asking our members to help in doing some promoting of our guild.  I read in the RIPSAW all the time that we need people to volunteer.  Now I have an easy way for you to help out the guild.  All we are asking is that you dust off a wood project or build a new one.  We would also like to have you check with your local library to see if they have some open time with their display cabinets to show off our work to the community.

This is a great way to get the word about our guild to a greater audience.  Maybe get some new members, to show the community all the quality woodworking we do, and to promote the charitable work we do.  And maybe someone would like to contact you to purchase a wood project. 

You may call me, Mark A. Ruminski  or email photo@onwisconsin.com. If you have any questions or if you know of a library where we could display our work.  I would appreciate your help in promoting our guild.
 
 

Board Briefs

MARCH BOARD BRIEFS

Si Farmer


Present:

Mary Anderson, Mark Bronkalla, Leila Crandall-Frink, Jerry Kashmerick, Jeff Nebel, Liz Rohde, Dick Yezek

President:

The chairman position for the toy committee is still open.  A discussion was held regarding free memberships for those sponsoring workshops as incentive for more participation.

Vice-president:

The Flexner workshop will be capped at 30-35 members.  Reusing of old membership numbers is causing confusion in Dick’s database so it was decided to stop reusing and go into 4 digit numbers if needed.  Discussion of purchasing new library materials resulted in a decision to review possible new books and tapes, and relaxing the $40.00 minimum price for new material.  Storage cabinets are presently full, so if new material is to be purchased, there will need to be another purge or smaller new cabinets built that would fit above the current ones to hold lighter material. 

Secretary:

The corrected revision of the February board minutes was accepted.  The insurance premium for the next year has been paid.  The Annual Nonstock Corporate Report has been filed with the State of Wisconsin.

Treasurer:

The treasury was at $11, 497.58 on 3/17/04.  The change in meeting locations with reduced rental costs have helped a lot.  Alan Clapp has secured a good deal on a miter saw for the year-end raffle.  Liz will be searching intently in the next month for a holiday party location, attempting to find a less expensive site with ground-level access.  Liz has several boxes of very old financial records that are falling apart that will be discarded unless a Guild historian wants them. 

Exhibits:

Mary will provide membership application forms for the next woodworking show.  A map will be made available two months ahead of each local library exhibit.   Jerry will generate an application form for members to sign up to demonstrate at German Fest, July 23-25.  Jerry is trying to locate a half box of trifolds missing from the Woodworking Show.

Publications:

Leila will get some Guild business cards printed.  Leila will be typesetting the next newsletter and has requested all material be submitted to her by March 22nd.  A notice will be included to clarify that the Flexner workshop will be on April 3rd, not the 4th as previously printed in error. 

Membership:

Mary stated the Guild is at 160 members.  She had started reusing numbers higher than 200 at the suggestion of an earlier president, but will stop because of the confusion it causes for Dick and others.
 


Program

APRIL Program

Event: Regular Monthly Guild Meeting
Topic: Solving Finish Application Problems
Presenter: Bob Flexner
Date: Friday April 2, 2004
Location: Faith United Church of Christ
  4240 North 78th Street, Milwaukee, WI
Time: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Fee: None – First time guests welcome
Comments:
     Bob Flexner has written the authoritative and best-selling finishing book, "Understanding Wood Finishing" and made two award-winning videos, "Repairing Furniture" and "Refinishing Furniture". He has written hundreds of articles on finishing and restoration, including authoring columns in Woodshop News for the past 11 years and Popular Woodworking for the past 5. He has also taught several hundred workshops and seminars, and hosted his own radio call-in show, "The Furniture Workshop."
     Bob is probably best known for defining the products used in wood finishing and organizing them into categories that make them easily understandable. In the process of doing this, he exposes the mislabeling practiced by many manufacturers and the misinformation published in many woodworking books and magazines that are responsible for making finishing so confusing to many woodworkers.

MAY Program   

Event: Regular Monthly Guild Meeting
Topic: Windsor Chair Making
Presenter: Bob Petrovic
Date: Wednesday May 5, 2004
Location: Faith United Church of Christ
  4240 North 78th Street, Milwaukee, WI
Time: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Fee: None – First time guests welcome
Comments: This is tentatively scheduled.  Please watch your next RIPSAW for complete details.       

JUNE Program

Event: Regular Monthly Guild Meeting
Topic: Comparison of antique and new hand planes
Presenter: Mike Hanley
Date: Wednesday June 2, 2004
Location: Faith United Church of Christ
  4240 North 78th Street, Milwaukee, WI
Time: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Fee: None – First time guests welcome
Comments:
     Mike Hanley, one of the founding members and a past president of the Wisconsin Woodworkers Guild, has done extensive research into the capabilities of both antique and new hand planes that are available today.  He will compare and contrast them as well as provide information on the best ways to acquire hand planes.  This is a great companion program to the “how to use a plane” program done by John Petrovic in February.  John showed us how to use them and Mike will point you to the best ones and how to find them.
 Wisconsin Woodworker’s Guild  Workshops

April Workshops

Event: Workshop
Topic:  Finishing Demonstration
Presenter: Bob Flexner from Norman Oklahoma
Date:  Saturday, April 3, 2004
Time:  9:00 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Maximum enrollment:  30 members
Fee:  $50
Location:  Sylvan Studio
Materials included in fee:  Demonstration materials
Equipment to be brought to workshop: none
Comments:
In this workshop Bob will demonstrate the following finishing techniques: Apply Oil Finish; Apply Wiping Varnish; Brush Polyurethane and Clean Brush Spray; Water-Based Finish and Clean Spray Gun; French Polish; Mix and Apply Water-Soluble Dye Stain; Deal With Blotching; Fill Pores and finally, Rub out a Finish

Event: Workshop
Topic: Frame and Panel Construction –Flat & Raised Panels
Presenter: Mark Bronkalla
Date:  Tuesday April 13th
Location:  Mark Bronkalla’s Studio
Time:  6:30 to 10 PM
Maximum enrollment:  8 (Members only)
Fee:  $25
Comments:
Topics include: fitting of the panels in the frame, panel raising on the table saw, router table and shaper, end grain treatment – clean up, finishing with hand planes and cabinet scrapers, managing expansion -  staining prior to assembly,  allowance for expansion, etc.

May Workshops

Event: Workshop
Topic: Wood Surface Preparation for Uniform Finishing 
Presenter: Mark Bronkalla
Date:  Tuesday May 11th
Location:  Mark Bronkalla’s Studio
Time:  6:30 to 10 PM
Maximum enrollment:  8 (Members only)
Fee:  $25

Event: Workshop
Topic: Sign Making with Guilding   
Presenter: Don Berger
Date: Saturday May 15th
Location Don Berger’s Studio
Time: 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Maximum Enrollment: 5 (Members only)
Fee: $25
Comments:
This will be a beginner’s level demonstration of sign making. There will be a small hands-on gilding project included in the workshop. An opportunity not to be missed!




Bill Hull Veneering Workshop

Si Farmerbill hull 4

   A dozen enthusiastic ‘students’ descended upon Scott Stanwyck’s Studio early on Saturday morning with an insatiable desire to have the secrets of beautiful veneering revealed by the sage himself, Bill Hull, of Norman, Oklahoma.
   Preliminaries included a discussion of he essential tools of the trade....the razor knife, the sandpaper-backed rule, the  Exactotm knife,  the veneer saw, the sanding block, etc., etc., etc.veneer
   To bring all members of the class up to speed, Bill Hull reviewed some of the fundamentals that were covered the prior evening. We then learned how to sharpen the veneer saw from filing the teeth to a point - to honing it on an oil or water stone.
   Bill demonstrated the proper way to cut veneers with the veneer saw and razor knife and then the student body practiced until these techniques were mastered. This was followed by practice in joining various veneers.
   One of the high points of the workshop was instructions on how to lay out, cut out, and assemble a Mariner’s Star. The most intricate one was made by Scott’s son, Cole. One student, Jerry Tackes, showed the class one that he had made out of 1/4 in wood (cut out on a table saw, no less). He made his template on a CAD program, printed out the form and adhered it to the wood with temporary adhesive and then cut it out with a table saw!. Very impressive! Quality workmanship!
   This was a ‘method’ type workshop, and the students were introduced to the art of inlay. Participants were encouraged to make their own design. Some were rather simple others were rather complex. Other methods were introduced, such as banding, laying out the segments for a radial table top with the use of mirrors, cutting radial segments, taping and glue-up onto MDF prior to putting them in a vacuum press bag.
 star  There was insufficient time to master all of these techniques in the ‘short’ two-day workshop. The missing ingredient was time. However, in our own shop we can apply the techniques we learned to fabricate a plethora of pretty and practical pieces of woodworking art.
   My suggestion to the Workshop Committee would be to plan one or more veneeringbill hull 2 workshops during 2005 using some of the more veneering-experienced members as instructors, and at a cost that would be commensurate with the members ability to pay. I’m sure such a workshop would fill up quite quickly.
   The Guild, and workshop attendees are indebted to Bill Hull for an inspiring workshop and to Scott Stanwyck for being a gracious and generous host in his studio.






Bill Hull Veneering Meeting

Si Farmer


    We had the distinct pleasure of welcoming Bill Hull of Norman, Oklahoma, back to the Wisconsin Woodworkers Guild for another glimpse of the art of veneering. Bill has been a woodworker for many years, starting originally in construction and metamorphosed through furniture making to veneering. His said that his entry into the latter was by sheer accident. After an initial, but futile attempt, to repair the bottom of a mantle, he decided that he should either a) never touch that kind of work again, or b) learn the proper techniques of that woodworking/art form. Bill Hull
bill hull 3    Bill had the experience that many of us have had in that initially there was a paucity of instructional material on the market to lead one in the right direction for that (and other) facets of woodworking. He cautioned us to promptly unroll our veneers after purchase to prevent the veneer from taking on a bad-set. He described the shelving that he constructed in his shop to permit the veneers to lie flat and yet be in full view without completely sliding them out. His units consist of 2x4 verticals with holes drilled into them, reflecting the O.D. of the pipe that he drives into them. He uses conduit with a 7/8 in. O.D. He then lines the shelves with particle board. Such a design will support a significant amount of veneer per shelf.
       He described his shop to us and showed us, via slides, the types of veneer products produced in his shop. His slide show illustrated many varied types of veneer panels and many exotic woods and varying patterns. Sometimes he routs patterns for inlays after the panel has been laid up. On occasion, when slight ‘tweaking’ is required, he invokes woodworker rule #405, which is ‘Cheat whenever you can’. (a.k.a. Farmer’s Finagle Factor).
    Bill said that veneer can be cut with just about any tool in the shop, i.e. table saw, razor knife, veneer saw, drill press, router, and can even make veneer plugs on the lathe. It’s just a question of which cuts the veneer most efficiently and how one would present the wood to the tool, or the tool to the wood.
    Hull described how one should sharpen a veneer saw, inasmuch as it does not come from the factory ready for use. He demo’d how to cut veneer with the razor knife and veneer saw and he illustrated how to join pieces of veneer. Samples were passed among he members for their viewing.
    The principle of the ‘vacuum bagging’ method for applying veneer was described and demonstrated. He laid-up a curved piece of veneer on a wooden form and vacuum-bagged it. He stressed the importance of putting a veneer on the back side of the panel/form to equilibrate the stress and reduce the tendency to warp. Identical veneers are not needed on the reverse side but it is beneficial to use a veneer with similar wood movement characteristics.
      His presentation was enjoyable, illustrative and beneficial and of sufficient interest to the membership in attendance to foster further investigation and /or experimentation.