On Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:22:31 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

Larry Jaques fired this volley in
:

Wood flour is created by -dull- tools.

Fire and smoke and burned cut lines are created by dull tools. Wood dust
can be caused by an exquisitely sharp tool taking fine cuts. Wood flexes
a bit under cutting pressure. When it recovers from the first deep cut of
the tool, it gets lightly shaved by subsequent passes. Even a properly-
adjusted (and sharp, and HONED) surface plane produces a combination of
nice curls and fine dust; not _much_ dust, but some.

OK, 99.6% shavings, 0.4% flour. But fine dust is most easily picked
up by the dust collector (if you have HEPA sub-micron bags.)


Cutting lightly against the backing would have that effect. So, are you
recommending he cut hard and full against the backing piece on every
pass? What about when he stops the feed. Does that last tenth the tool
takes off after it stops moving count as a "fine feed", or no?

Oui.


I'm a so-so home shop machinist, but a _very_ competent furniture maker.
There's not much about the machinability of wood (from the common to
poisonous exotics) you could teach me. And I'll hold to my first -- wood
particles of quite nearly any size are persona non grata around
metalworking equipment. Even _shavings_ will absorb oil.

OK, I catch your drift, but on a limited basis, a bit of wooddorking
on a metalworking machine won't do it any harm. Just wipe and reoil
the ways afterward if you need to. How much harm does wood do to the
ways, anyway? It's MUCH softer than iron/steel. Bamboo (seldom
machined) has lots of tough silicates, but most wood is primarily a
soft cellulose.

--
The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.
-- Okakura Kakuzo