Wood Turning & Carving

CA Glue Use

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Everyone has heard of Krazy Glue. It is one of those magic adhesives that will glue almost anything to almost anything. CA glue or Cyanoacrylate glue is is actually the generic name for all of these types of glues. They come in a host of proprietary names, like Krazy Glue, Super Glue. These glues are so wide ranging in use, that veterinarians sometimes use them in small animal surgery under band names like LiquiVet and Glue Stitch.  Sheesh - you heard it here first ! The reason they work for this type of application is because they adhere almost instantly and they are often little or non-irritating and non-toxic to the skin, according to claims.

It is most often sold in very small quantities because it is somewhat expensive compared to other glues. They are often used as "temporary" glues or "prototype" glues because of their characteristics cited above. As a general rule, CA glues have a lower resistance to moisture, at least over a short period of time although some brands include water resistant ingredients that counteracts this tendency very well and does make them quite water resistant.

In the workshop CA glues are commonly used by wood turners for making pens and re-gluing items on the lathe. The glue is indispensable for many woodworkers as it is (relatively) cheap, easy to use, non-toxic and bonds things very, very well. As far as a repair glue, CA glues are excellent for small furniture repairs, many tool repairs and numerous woodworking projects.

There are a number of different strengths of CA glues which take a varying amount of time to cure and harden ... plus for some you can purchase a separate accelerant that allows for instant adhesion, which is great for some projects where you need instant adhesion.

CA glues are slightly different than Polyurethane glues, like Gorilla Glue which work best with a small amount of moisture present (i.e. you might dampen one side of the wood while applying Gorilla Glue to the other side then clamp the two sided together).

Copyright Colin Knecht
woodworkweb.com

Wood Carving Basics for Beginners

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Learn the way to Carve and Sculpt Wood Into Art

Wood carving is a kind of art that transforms and brings wood to life. Learn how it's possible to get started in wood sculpting and wood engraving. What used to be called whittling, something done by pops and granddads to use up their spare time, has developed into a full-scale hobby. Walk into any book store and it isn't difficult to find a complete section dedicated to wood working and wood carving. Carvers can scan many monthly magazines dedicated to the hobby or make a journey to the hardware store to find many tools designed specifically with wood carving in mind. Wood carving is popular!

Wood Carving Tools and Wood Selection

Forget about any thoughts of using a pen knife to tediously craft a toy or sculpture.  Today's wood carving tools are composed of specialised chisels, spare time interest knives, and power tools like scroll saws, dremels, and table saws. Additionally, wood carving patterns can be acquired and used as a template to make complicated and monumental works of humanities.

It is not important to have all of these tools to start wood carving.  Commence with a straightforward pattern and practice with a basic set of wood sculpting knives on a soft wood like basswood or balsa wood. After gaining an understanding of the tools how they handle on the different species of woods available, move on to the subsequent tool or saw and practice as much as you feel you need to.

Wood types are abundant and many wood carvers regularly blend one or two differing types of wood to create a novel project. This practice is particularly common with wood inlay where different colours and textures of wood are in employed. Beginners to wood carving would do best to start practice with basswood or balsa wood, and then move on to harder woods after learning the best tools and systems for wood carving.
 
The best tip for amateurs, except for choosing woods that are simple to work with, is to avoid employing a heavy hand when chiselling or carving. Don't force the tool into the wood as it may cause it to split. Instead, make tiny frequent cuts, permitting the image to be exhibit itself. Practice the best way to carve with the grain and not against it.

Another tip for beginning wood carvers is to understand when to stop carving. Many a gorgeous piece has been messed up by that last cut that was intended to perfect it. Remember the saying “ less is more”, and when you have removed a chunk of wood from the project, it cannot be replaced. Patience and a steady hand is vital in wood carving.

For more wood carving or wood burning tips remember to check your local library for books and past copies of magazine subscriptions or check out www.woodcarvers.org

Types of Lathes

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A lathe is a machine tool which spins the workpiece to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, or deformation with tools that are applied to the workpiece to create an object which has symmetry about an axis of rotation (Wikipedia ).  Lathes perform the machining operation known as "turning." While turning, material is removed from a workpiece by rotating it against a tool. Turning is a central production operation in the manufacture of many metal, plastic and wood parts. Lathes can be either manually operated or computer controlled (CNC). Lathes can have many differences, unique features and accessories to facilitate a wide range of jobs.

Wood Lathes
The simplest lathe type is the wood lathe. As the name suggests, it is designed for turning wood. Wood lathes are small machines consisting of a bed, headstock, tailstock and tool rest. Unlike with what is found on a metal-working machine, there are no precision ways since the cutting tools are moved by hand and not by machine power. A steady hand and good skill is needed to control the cutting tool to accurately turn smooth curves and complex contours on the work piece.  The spindle is driven by a belt connected to a motor, and speed differentiations are made by manually moving the belt to one of many pulleys mounted to the back of the spindle.
 Lathe tools are held by hand against the work, with the support of the tool rest. The tool rest is adjustable and is clamped to the bed at a position that best suites the operation at hand.