Hi all. I have a new project about turning icicles for the Christmas tree
over on the web page. Any comments are welcome.
http://www.aroundthewoods.com/projec.../icicle01.html

--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS Canada
http://aroundthewoods.com
http://roundopinions.blogspot.com

"Darrell Feltmate" wrote in message
news:L50_i.15928$8S5.9514@edtnps82...
Hi all. I have a new project about turning icicles for the Christmas tree
over on the web page. Any comments are welcome.
http://www.aroundthewoods.com/projec.../icicle01.html


I like square chisels too. They really do work better than skews at planing
because you can skew to trail the cut, making it progressively deeper. They
actually sell them again now. I picked up a HSS 1" recently.

A variation I find suits me is to use cotter keys as hanger loops. Since
the hangers themselves are normally steel wire, doesn't make much difference
what color the loop is. 1/16" hole, some medium CA and a tuck is all you
need. Cheaper, too.

Thanks for the insights George. I like the thought of the cotter keys. The
eyes are only costing me a couple of cents each so I will likely stay with
them, certainly until the last batch runs out.

I made my straight chisel from a carpenter's chisel and I like the edge I
get on the carbon steel. Since it is a finishing tool it keeps the edge well
and I usually just keep it touched up with a diamond hone and the very
occasional grinding. On the other hand I have a 1" that I ground from a HSS
scraper and it is great too.


--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS Canada
http://aroundthewoods.com
http://roundopinions.blogspot.com
"George" wrote in message
. net...

"Darrell Feltmate" wrote in message
news:L50_i.15928$8S5.9514@edtnps82...
Hi all. I have a new project about turning icicles for the Christmas tree
over on the web page. Any comments are welcome.
http://www.aroundthewoods.com/projec.../icicle01.html


I like square chisels too. They really do work better than skews at
planing because you can skew to trail the cut, making it progressively
deeper. They actually sell them again now. I picked up a HSS 1"
recently.

A variation I find suits me is to use cotter keys as hanger loops. Since
the hangers themselves are normally steel wire, doesn't make much
difference what color the loop is. 1/16" hole, some medium CA and a tuck
is all you need. Cheaper, too.

"Darrell Feltmate" wrote in
news:tE8_i.42336$XF6.34466@edtnps90:

I made my straight chisel from a carpenter's chisel and I like the
edge I get on the carbon steel. Since it is a finishing tool it keeps
the edge well and I usually just keep it touched up with a diamond
hone and the very occasional grinding. On the other hand I have a 1"
that I ground from a HSS scraper and it is great too.


Darrell, I have a faint memory of straight chisels from my trade school
days (55-57). We also had scrapers, but didn't call them that. All tools
were chisels or gouges. Most chisels were used in a planing manner to the
best of my recollection. Fifty years ago, I was considered an accomplished
turner (even at the age of 16). Today I am a beginner (but I do remember
planing with a square chisel).
Regards,
Hank

Hi Hank
I never had the pleasure of turning in industrial arts class. My experience
brought me from the province of Quebec to Nova Scotia into grade nine IA,
having not had it in Quebec. Most of the year in IA was drafting and I had
already had 2 years of mechanical drawing in Quebec. The class was not a
great experience. It is likely a tribute to my stubborness and family
upbringing that I like wood at all.

When I was reading Child's book on the Craftsman Woodturner I came across
his reference to the straight chisel as a planing tool. As I recall I had at
the time an extra 1" scraper that I seldom used. So I ground it to a
straight chisel. This was a major revelation. Do not get me wrong, I still
love my skews, but this is a great tool. For finish work I really like them
in carbon steel. The edge and hence the finish is fantastic. Granted the
edge does not last as long, but a quick swipe with the diamond file and
another finish cut is available. This is good stuff.

--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS Canada
http://aroundthewoods.com
http://roundopinions.blogspot.com
"Henry St.Pierre" wrote in message
. ..
"Darrell Feltmate" wrote in
news:tE8_i.42336$XF6.34466@edtnps90:

I made my straight chisel from a carpenter's chisel and I like the
edge I get on the carbon steel. Since it is a finishing tool it keeps
the edge well and I usually just keep it touched up with a diamond
hone and the very occasional grinding. On the other hand I have a 1"
that I ground from a HSS scraper and it is great too.


Darrell, I have a faint memory of straight chisels from my trade school
days (55-57). We also had scrapers, but didn't call them that. All tools
were chisels or gouges. Most chisels were used in a planing manner to the
best of my recollection. Fifty years ago, I was considered an accomplished
turner (even at the age of 16). Today I am a beginner (but I do remember
planing with a square chisel).
Regards,
Hank

On Nov 12, 9:14 pm, "Darrell Feltmate"
wrote:

SNIP

Thanks for the insights George. I like the thought of the cotter keys. The
eyes are only costing me a couple of cents each so I will likely stay with
them, certainly until the last batch runs out.

Darrell - great work as always, and thanks for posting it for us. I
personally love offset turning, and do a lot of mushrooms and
treenware handles offset, like that offset, but hadn't really thought
about an icicle.

Here's a thought on the hangers. A few years ago I had a bunch of
knotty little burls that were not too solid, and a little punky. I
used them as caps on other ornaments I was making. My problem was
that almost every one split when trying to put in an eye, even a tiny
one. And the small ones couldn't get enough bite in the punky wood to
be reliable as they just chewed the wood out. A trip to Big Lots
presented a solution when I wasn't looking for one.

I bought a fishing kit there that had a ton of gold colored fish hooks
in it. I clipped off the hook end leaving the straight shaft at the
desired length, put a kink in the shaft and inserted that into my
little hole with a drop of thick CA on it. Problem solved and the
tiny gold eyes look great on small ornaments.

Another fellow in my club showed me his trick for all his ornaments.
He drills a hole in the top of the ornament with a dentist's burr (any
tiny bit would do) and he puts dot of thick CA over the hole. He
makes a small loop of fishing line and puts a small dot of CA on the
ends. He inserts the ends into the hole, works it up and down a
couple of times and he is done. This type of hanger really looks
great as it doesn't show up at all when the ornament is hung, and you
couldn't get any cheaper.

Robert

Good ideas guys. I guess I have fallen into the "I have always done it this
way" trap. For the ball and icicle ornaments with the big cap, realtively
speaking, I just insert an eye while the top is turning on the lathe. That
way there is no effort as the lathe pulls the screw in. Use an eye on that,
use an eye on all. I will look at these alternatives. Incidentally, jewelry
findings suppliers have little brass wires with small eyes on one end for
beaded earings. They too make good hanger eyes when glued into the
ornaments.

--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS Canada
http://aroundthewoods.com
http://roundopinions.blogspot.com
wrote in message
...
On Nov 12, 9:14 pm, "Darrell Feltmate"
wrote:

SNIP

Thanks for the insights George. I like the thought of the cotter keys.
The
eyes are only costing me a couple of cents each so I will likely stay
with
them, certainly until the last batch runs out.

Darrell - great work as always, and thanks for posting it for us. I
personally love offset turning, and do a lot of mushrooms and
treenware handles offset, like that offset, but hadn't really thought
about an icicle.

Here's a thought on the hangers. A few years ago I had a bunch of
knotty little burls that were not too solid, and a little punky. I
used them as caps on other ornaments I was making. My problem was
that almost every one split when trying to put in an eye, even a tiny
one. And the small ones couldn't get enough bite in the punky wood to
be reliable as they just chewed the wood out. A trip to Big Lots
presented a solution when I wasn't looking for one.

I bought a fishing kit there that had a ton of gold colored fish hooks
in it. I clipped off the hook end leaving the straight shaft at the
desired length, put a kink in the shaft and inserted that into my
little hole with a drop of thick CA on it. Problem solved and the
tiny gold eyes look great on small ornaments.

Another fellow in my club showed me his trick for all his ornaments.
He drills a hole in the top of the ornament with a dentist's burr (any
tiny bit would do) and he puts dot of thick CA over the hole. He
makes a small loop of fishing line and puts a small dot of CA on the
ends. He inserts the ends into the hole, works it up and down a
couple of times and he is done. This type of hanger really looks
great as it doesn't show up at all when the ornament is hung, and you
couldn't get any cheaper.

Robert

"Darrell Feltmate" wrote in message
news:eaB%i.670$HH2.625@edtnps82...
Incidentally, jewelry
findings suppliers have little brass wires with small eyes on one end for
beaded earings. They too make good hanger eyes when glued into the
ornaments.


They do, but they tend to be a lot softer than steel, and sometimes you find
yourself opening them up if you're careless pulling string through or sort
of half-yanking them off the tree, even with softer hanger wire.

Hi Darrell
I have used the fish hooks, didn't like them much, very hard steel to
cut and the eyes where on slanted, trying to straighten them would
break the eye off, the bought eyelets where all to big/heavy to my
liking, so I made a bunch from brass wire, I would cut a 1 1/2" long
piece and wrap around a thin rod (nail) and twist the end around each
other, then glue those in, but the eyes I like best, I make from
stainless steel wire I picked up at the surplus store, it's stiff
enough to not bend easily, so I have to use the needle nose pliers to
make a loop on the end, I don't glue those wires in but after I stick
them through the drilled hole, I will bend the end, or I will bend the
end first and after that make the eye, now the ornament can easily
turn, to have the side you like point in the direction you want.
Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

On Nov 17, 7:31 am, "Darrell Feltmate"
wrote:
Good ideas guys. I guess I have fallen into the "I have always done it this
way" trap. For the ball and icicle ornaments with the big cap, realtively
speaking, I just insert an eye while the top is turning on the lathe. That
way there is no effort as the lathe pulls the screw in. Use an eye on that,
use an eye on all. I will look at these alternatives. Incidentally, jewelry
findings suppliers have little brass wires with small eyes on one end for
beaded earings. They too make good hanger eyes when glued into the
ornaments.

--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS wrote in message

I bought a fishing kit there that had a ton of gold colored fish hooks
in it. I clipped off the hook end leaving the straight shaft at the
desired length, put a kink in the shaft and inserted that into my
little hole with a drop of thick CA on it. Problem solved and the
tiny gold eyes look great on small ornaments.


If you go to a craft store or maybe even the craft section at Wally
World, they should have little bags of eye pins. These are straight pins
with an eye on one end. Probably made out of brass coated steel, and
they sometimes come in different lengths, although they are easily cut
to length with a pair dykes. If you ask for them, and they say they
don't have, or never heard of them, look around the beads and jewelry
findings. I once went into a Michaels, which is a craft store chain, and
asked for them, and they said that they never heard of them. I figured
that a craft store that big had to have them, so I looked around a bit,
and found them. I showed them to the clerk, and she said I didn't know
we had them.

--
Dan Kozar