Recent content by alex robinson

I wondered if I was being suckered by a bit of a gimmick with the 2 orbits when I bought it, but it makes such a difference. 2 tools in 1!

I got a Metabo SXE-450 recently and it is amazing compared to the little cheap one I had before. Dust extraction is good and it had 2 different orbit sizes which is really handy.

70-80 years old and still doing fine!

If you have a look on eBay etc, various old ones turn up quite cheaply. Mine is ancient but does the job. You don't need a very strong vacuum for a chuck, so the air compressor version may be sufficient. If you want to use it for resin at any point, the deeper vacuum a pump produces would be useful.

From my experience since that, no sort of tape seems to work except on a really smooth and clean surface. Hot glue to stick small covering plates is ok, but I find bathroom silicone to be the best as it is easy to get leaks with a long run of hot glue. Stick a piece of of scrap over all the...

I have tried polishing PU with car polishing compound. It worked ok, and ended up with a very glossy finish. It needed a lot of coats to get a thick enough layer to polish without risking going through at the edges. Overall though, I think if that is the sort of finish you want, a top coat...

I trust the OP was thinking of getting the individual staves to identical dimensions - a thicknesser is indeed great for that. Putting the finished end grain board would be terrifying. On the plus side, a router sled with a spoilboard flattening bit is great for end grain. Those end grain...

How about just buying a small epoxy casting kit (I like glasscast, but there are loads of suitably brands) and a set of cheap plastic syringes? That way you can mix as little as you want, and at £25 for 1kg it will last you ages. They have loads of colours you can use, though black normally...

Possible alternative to whitewash is a coloured hard wax oil - they let a lot more of the wood character show through. Osmo do a nice white one. As for the material to use, don't rule out sheets. They are stable and much less hassle than solid timber. Ply can look quite striking and good, and...

Had a closer look at the pictures and a piece of laburnum sitting in the pile and I think I may have been wrong earlier - team laburnum now.

Looks like a prunus of some sort (cherry, plum etc). Probably one of the ornamental ones as the bark doesn't look right for domestic cherry. Will be lovely for turning if it is.

For the insides, have you considered iron acetate? (Wire wool in vinegar). Gives a very good black with a hint of blue, showing a little grain pattern in high tannin wood. For the finish, a spirit glass is pretty harsh on anything you put on it. I would think epoxy would be the only possible...

A lot more money, but there is a huge wadkin in Swansea for £800 if you felt like trying to overstuff your workshop... https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/716643780321538/?ref=search I would perhaps add denford viceroy to the list of cast iron to look for. The td6 bowl lathes come up...

If it is only decorative, it doesn't matter what you use. I quite like the idea of an inside out car with burr walnut and leather on the outside and a metal interior

If it is only decorative, it doesn't matter what you use. I quite like the idea of an inside out car with burr walnut and leather on the outside and a metal interior