Peter Brown's ShopTime

So, I'm officially in the bottle stopper business. I purchased the Ruth Niles starter kit and made a load of bottle stoppers. I have to say I'm rather pleased. The next question was, now that I've got close to $100 sunk into this how do I get it back? Don't get me wrong, I like making them, but still. I mean to say I almost always look at life through the prism of capitalism. "How can I have fun AND make money!?" So I loaded up my bag with bottle stoppers and started my march to rejection. Two weeks ago, I hit about eight local gift stores. Most encounters stared off the same. "May I help you" "I'm peddling," I'd say to break the ice. "Do you do consignment sales?" "Yes...but" And here the stories would differ. The owner is traveling, the owner isn't interested, the owner makes bowls (didn't quite understand that excuse myself). Of the eight shops only one took my card and only two actually looked at my ...

A fun afternoon project. It wasn't that difficult, though I would certainly do many things differently. Mainly the cutting away of the windows section... Start with a four billets. Since I didn't have that I needed to make some cuts. I ripped a 2x4 in half, then crosscut it to equal lengths. Next I jointed the edges with the table saw, a straight edge and some double sided tape. A very effective and simple method. Next I taped all four sides together and took it to the lathe. Mounted between centers I turned out the windows. I measured 4 inches from the outside and turned a teardrop shape (a bit larger than needed). I then sanded and finished with friction polish. Next I separated the billets, flipped them all inside out and glued it together. Once dried I planed the ends, though looking back this might be an unneeded step. Either way it's nice to bring out the #5. Mounted and turned to shape. I then drilled out the end with a 1/2 bit and shaped and lips. Sanded. Sanded, Sa...

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Don't think I haven't noticed. I used to be your star, your favorite, your only love. But now...well you know. I've been pushed off to the side by that shiny young greeny. Now I hardly get used at all, unless it's to prep some project for you new special tool. Seriously, did you notice that nice clean end grain cut of mine before you hauled it over to the lathe and started slobbering all over it. Trust me the other tools have noticed. The router seems especially pissed off, I wouldn't change his collet anytime soon. It's no joke. There is some serious venom in the shop. It presence can be felt hovering just over the piles of walnut shavings on the floor in front of my lathe. The table saw is jealous. And with that sort of destructive power at her fingertips it's not the tool to piss off. Why couldn't it be something more benign? Why not the dovetail jig? What retaliation could it take anyway? "Watch out pal, or you'll have a 60lb jig bouncing of...

I hate painting. Period. End of story. Painting sucks. I completed the woodworking on a large picture frame (50"x 32") in about 2 1/2 hours, glued it up and walked away happy. It was a pretty simple project and I was ready to move on to the next one. That was about 2 weeks ago. Since then I've been fighting my mortal enemy for countless hours of wasted shop time. Paint. Black paint no less. Why did we ever choose black for the counter tops in the office? Didn't I know sooner or later I would have to accessories that spot?! The wife is vehemently against anything but black in the bastion of computing that is our modern office. As a homeowner, I agree. It looks cool. As a woodworker I think it sucks! Woodworkers like wood, and working with it. Paint as a finish is fine, but it doesn't call to us the same way another more complementing finish would. Something that shows off grain of the piece and all the awesome joinery that we absolutely perfected! Paint covers and ...

When I first heard of a CA finish for pens I was mystified. Cyanoacrylate Glue (see why we call it CA) is basically what we are familiar with calling Super Glue. CA is a woodturner staple. No wonder the constant friend of fixing turning mistakes also became a popular finish. It's strong, resisting wear and scratching and when applied correctly looks like glass! I found a lot of folks work really hard at making it difficult. Maybe it's just their way. I need a finish that's simple. I've yet to sell a pen for over $50. Which means that I cannot spend hours or days on the finish. I can do a CA finish in about 10 minutes. Sometimes less. My results are awesome. Sometimes I get the tiniest swirl marks on the surface. I don't care. The first time the pen is put in the pocket or purse, it will likely be marred worse so why should I kill myself to remove them? Method (Lathe running @ 1800ish) 1. Sand to 320 grit. Usually that means starting at 220 and ending at 320. Every o...

For the last couple of months, I've been crazed for turning! It's one of those things you just get hooked on. I find the process quite fulfilling. The major benefit is speed. You can finish a project in a day or less. Many of my projects have been small. Pens are a staple for me, but I'm also turning other items. I've turned a goblet, pot handles, door pull, wine bottle stoppers, and even a paper towel holder. Recently though, I've been thinking flat. I have a ton of non-lathe projects to complete as requested by the wife. In fact the longer I go the more there are. So in upcoming months I expect a sudden upturn in flat woodworking. First on the list is a frame for our office map. 32"X50". The woodworking is already complete. I used a half-lap joint with poplar, since it will be painted to match the office. It's construction was quite simple and will give me an easy ramp to get back into flat woodworking again. The pens will always be with me, as I...