Highland Hardware Wood News Online No. 12, May 2006

Featured Classes

Understanding Wood Finishing Understanding Wood Finishing with Bob Flexner


Saturday & Sunday
May 6 & 7
9am-5pm
Tuition: $225
Item# 991357


Make a Chess Gameboard Make a Chess Gameboard & Box with Suzie Tindall


Friday, Saturday & Sunday
May 12, 13 & 14
9am-5pm
Tuition: $279
Item# 991389


Japanese Woodworking Tools and Traditions Japanese Woodworking Tools and Traditions with Toshio Odate

Saturday & Sunday
May 20 & 21
9am-4pm
Tuition: $175
Item# 991395


Antique Restoration Antique Restoration with Alan Noel



Saturday & Sunday
May 20 & 21
9am-5pm
Tuition: $250
Item# 991390

See Our Other May Classes

Download a printable version of our Spring Class Schedule

View slideshows of classes


Alan Noel's Finishing Corner

Alan Noel Painting Large Surfaces
When painting using only a brush, the first stroke of the loaded brush will deposit a fair amount of paint depending on how hard you press on the brush. Thus, the next pass will deposit less paint and the next less and so on, until the brush has to be loaded again. When painting a large surface in this manner, it is virtually impossible to apply an even coat across the entire surface.

Achieving a smooth and even coat of paint on a large surface such as a chest of drawers, kitchen cabinets, paneling or a project that you built can be very hard to do using the traditional paint brush and a bucket of paint. Whenever I paint large areas I tend to approach the project as if I were painting a wall, using tools such as a roller, paint tray and a couple of brushes used for cutting in the corners.

The way to achieve a smooth surface is to roll out the entire surface with a roller and then "dry brush" the surface again very gently with a dry brush. The brush will pick up a very small amount of paint and eliminate the pattern of the roller, leaving a very thin, even coat that when dry will appear as though the surface had been sprayed.

Painting tips:

  1. Plan on applying two coats.
  2. When dry brushing, be very gentle and move as fast as you can. The object is to remove the roller marks while leaving behind as much paint as possible.
  3. On larger surfaces use at least a 4-inch dry brush and on smaller surfaces, a 2-inch brush.
  4. On objects such as raised panel doors, paint the areas that aren't accessable with a roller first, then roll out and dry brush.
  5. If the "Shabby Chic" look is what you are after, wait until the paint is dry and then wipe off the areas that you want to look worn with a rag soaked with denatured alcohol. This will simply melt the paint away leaving a very natural worn look. Sanding the paint off looks fake and cheesy!

 


Highland Woodworking Affiliate Program

Highland Woodworking Affiliate Program

Many have asked and now it's here - the Highland Woodworking Affiliate Program ! Give your visitors access to one of woodworking's most experienced and trusted retailers. Become an affiliate member of our woodworking team and earn sale commissions while establishing name recognition for your own site. It's as simple as posting a link on your site to refer customers to Highland Woodworking.

Learn more about the Highland Woodworking Affiliate Program


Oneway 2436 Lathe

Oneway 2436 Lathes In Stock!

We have Oneway 2436 lathes in stock! Call us at (800) 241-6748 Ext. 321 for more information or to place an order.

View Oneway Lathes

Bob Flexner Toshio Odate

Highland Hardware Hosts Woodworking Legends

The month of May will feature two very special events at Highland Hardware. Two exceptional woodworking educators, Bob Flexner and Toshio Odate, will be visiting us and conducting in-depth seminars. Mr. Flexner will cover wood finishing in the no nonsense style he has become famous for. In a two-day class, Understanding Wood Finishing (991357), he will provide valuable information that will demystify the often-confusing world of finishing. The class will be held on Saturday & Sunday, May 6 & 7 from 9am – 5pm.

Another legend we are thrilled to host is Master Woodworker Toshio Odate. On Friday, May 19 from 7pm to 9pm we will present a lecture and slide show (991394) that will introduce us to Odate's successful career as a sculptor and art professor. On Saturday & Sunday, May 20 & 21 from 9am to 4pm Odate will conduct a demonstration seminar, Japanese Woodworking Tools and Traditions (991395). On Saturday (991385) he will cover the spectrum of Japanese tools for woodworking, especially focusing on recent developments in sharpening equipment and techniques in which he has participated. On Sunday Odate will construct a shoji, or Japanese screen, using Japanese hand tools and techniques, right down to the shop-made rice glue fastening the rice paper to the wooden frame! This will be an informative and busy weekend with a superb teacher who has done as much as anyone to make Japanese tools accessible and useful for a generation of American woodworkers.

See a detailed description and/or register for Bob Flexner's seminar on May 6 & 7, Understanding Wood Finishing (991357)

See a detailed description and/or register for Toshio's lecture/slideshow on May 19, Toshio Odate, the Sculptor (991394)

See a detailed description and/or register for Toshio's class on May 20 & 21, Japanese Woodworking Tools and Traditions (991395)


Rust removal and prevention

Ask the Staff

E-mail us at woodnews@highlandhardware.com with your woodworking or finishing questions. Selected questions will be answered in future issues. If your question is selected for publication, we'll send you a free Highland Hardware hat.

Question: I have an old table saw and jointer that I inherited from my father. His father bought them in the 1950s and they still work great. However, the tools have developed some rust on the table surfaces. It's not deeply imbedded rust, but there's a significant amount of it on the tops. I'm not sure what the tables are made of, but they are a dark steel color and are not soft at all, so I suspect they are steel.

What is the best way to remove the rust from the surfaces without damaging the tops, and is there something I can apply to the surfaces to prevent further rust in the future?

Answer


Man With a Plan by Terry Chapman

Reader Contribution

Man With a Plan
By Terry Chapman

I am an engineer by trade - precise, organized, and I get things built according to the plans. I look at all the possibilities and gather all the necessary information, and then make the best choice of method and material in order to design it. I love eliminating the wrong answers and getting the correct answer down on paper. It’s what I do – it’s who I am, and I am good at it.

A few years ago, I was surprised to see a discussion of my profession in the Ask Ann Landers column in our local newspaper. The discussion concerned how difficult it is for spouses to live with engineers. Engineers see things in black and white - there is no gray and apparently that lack of gray is a major problem for many spouses. Plus we never get on juries. You see, it all stems from the way we are trained and the way we work. If two equally qualified people have the same set of facts, they will inevitably arrive at the same conclusion. It’s simple. How could there be any other answer, except that one person may not have all the facts, or is simply not qualified.

In the past when I did woodworking, because of my engineering background I thought the way it was done was to make all the pieces to the dimensions on the plan and then just glue it together. Just the way all my projects are done at work, you know. Pretty simple stuff, just like any other problem. Only one right answer – how could it be anything else?

A few years ago, I went to a seminar where the instructor was building a Windsor chair. He started out by carving the seat, and then he did the most amazing thing, a thing which changed my woodworking life forever.

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The Bob Saye Method of Wiping On an Oil Finish

Employee Contribution

The Bob Saye Method of Wiping On an Oil Finish
By Bob Saye

Do you want to achieve a finish you’ll be proud of on that piece that you worked hard to put together? Have you not used a lot of different finishing products? Would you like to produce such a finish without wearing your arm out sanding coats of polyurethane? Here is my method of attaining a very smooth finish without a lot of hard work, using basic oil-based products.

Those products include oil-based pigment stains, like Minwax and Varathane ; oil-based finishes, such as Waterlox or Watco ; and oil-based polyurethanes, including the regular form, the wiping varnishes, and spar varnishes. This process also works well for homemade oil finishes, like the ever-popular mixture of tung oil, mineral spirits, and polyurethane. If there is oil in it, you may like to try this method.

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SkillsUSA High School Cabinetmaking Competition

Highland Hardware Participates in SkillsUSA High School Cabinetmaking Competition

Highland Hardware was pleased to take part in this year's SkillsUSA High School Cabinetmaking Competition for the state of Georgia. The event, held on April 28th at Gwinnett Technical College in Lawrenceville, GA, included approximately 15 students from the SkillsUSA state high school division.

SkillsUSA High School Cabinetmaking Competition SkillsUSA is a national non-profit organization serving a partnership of high school and college students, teachers, and industry representatives working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. The students are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations and SkillsUSA works towards helping them excel in their chosen field.

SkillsUSA High School Cabinetmaking Competition This year's cabinetmaking competitors constructed a nightstand-style cabinet with a door and drawer from plans provided by Tony Suess, head instructor of the Carpentry and Residential Construction program at Gwinnett Technical College. Having only three hours to complete the project (and to take a 50 question written test), the students worked with great intention and focus, remaining solidly on task for the entire time. All the students showed remarkable skill and confidence using the stationary and hand-held power tools as they made the sawdust fly.

Highland Hardware assisted in judging the competition and donated prizes for all participants and awarded education vouchers for the top three winners (to attend woodworking classes at our facility). Kreg Tools graciously donated the prize of a K3 Master Pocket Hole Jig System for the top winner.

The three top finishers were:

The 1st place winner will go on to represent Georgia at the National Skills USA Competition in Kansa City, MO this June. Congratulations to all the students for their achievements that brought them to the competition and to Josh, Michael and Blair for finishing on top!

 

 
 
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