Dick Sing presented a woodturning demo on Saturday, February 21, 2004. Projects included a small desktop clock, a turned wooden bottle cap with integral brush and handle, and a demonstration on how to make offset inlays for the top of a turned box or pocket watch. Following the formal demonstration, Dick responded to some questions from the audience. Here are some of his comments. Note that these are personal preferences, and not necessarily manufacturer endorsements. Dick simply shared what he uses and has found to work the best in his experience.                        Photos

On Finishing
Dick uses Deft Satin or Semi-Gloss finish on almost everything he does. He prefers not to have a shiny, glossy finish on his pieces. The Deft is used unadulterated, straight out of the can. Dick likes to re-package it into a series of smaller glass containers with a special top that contains an integral turned handle and a brush that sits in the Deft itself.

On occasion, he will use oil. He disdains the use of Watco oil because in his experience, it tends to ooze out, requiring repeated re-finishing. He prefers to use either Maloof Oil (available at Rockler) or oil from Waterlox. Note that Maloof Oil is somewhat of a misnomer, in that the label cites three components: (1) boiled linseed oil; (2) pure tung oil; and (3) polyurethane varnish.

On Abrasives
Dick likes to finish with Thincat sandpaper, a Japanese paper available through Craft Supplies. Grits go down to 400, even 600 at times. With an oil finish, he will use 0000 steel wool for the final surface preparation. Ironically, Dick finds that the best 0000 steel wool comes from Ace Hardware.
What about Scotchbrite as an abrasive? Dick does not care for this. He prefers the 0000 steel wool.

Dick also likes the Woodturners cloth sandpaper from Lee Valley. You can get it in rolls 2" wide by 32' long that come in 120, 240, and 400 grit. (Rolls cost $13.75 in the January, 2004 Lee Valley catalog.)

On Adhesives, Turning Squares, & Turning Tools
When doing inlays, Dick uses Superglue or cyanoacrylate glue. He uses medium Superglue. He puts the accelerator on the depression for the inlay. Then he attaches the piece with medium Superglue on it.

Dick likes to get his turning squares from a place called Choice Woods in Louisville, KY. He also prefers to use the standard M2 steel tools from Henry Taylor. He tends to eschew the more expensive Hamlet PM (powdered metal) tools. He says the powdered tool metals can “sing” or vibrate, which he finds objectionable. He also noted, “There is no magic tool.”

On Chucks
He says the Axminster is the best, but it is really a metal-working chuck adapted to woodturning. He also uses the Axminster spiral chuck for off-center turnings.

Personally, he uses the Vicmarc VM 100 in his demonstrations. Dick actually designed the “long nose” jaws available for this chuck.

He noted that unlike the Vicmarc, some chucks are “open” on the back side. This permits sawdust to get into the grooves of the chuck, which requires periodic cleaning with compressed air. Early versions of the Oneway and Teknatool chucks are open on the back. This does not mean they are bad chucks. They simply require more periodic cleaning.

On Lathes
If he had to choose one lathe, he would go for the 16" swing (maximum turning diameter) Vicmarc long-bed (39" between centers) with the electronic drive (VL200). He likes cast iron tool rests. He knows you can get a Vicmarc with the 20" swing (VL300), but the tailstock on that is very heavy, and lifting it gets difficult if you repeatedly remove and then reinstall the tailstock. The 16" seems like a better compromise.

On Grinders
He uses a 100 grit red wheel on his 6" Baldor slow-speed (1725 rpm) grinder. Because most of the turnings he does are small, Dick does not feel the need for an 80-grit or 60-grit wheel. He likes the Baldor because its toolrests are heavy duty. They are made of cast iron, and not stamped metal. He also recommends dressing wheels frequently with a diamond stone. NOTE: use very light pressure when dressing the wheels. If you generate a cloud of abrasive on dressing the wheel, you're pressing way too hard.
Use a light touch.

On Double-Faced Tape
All double-faced tapes are not created equal. Dick prefers the Permacel® brand.

On Inlays
Dick usually makes the primary disk between 1-3/4" to 1-7/8" in diameter. You cut out the disks on a bandsaw, and then pop them onto a wooden faceplate chuck to trim to precise final dimensions on the lathe.

For installation, you make a circular hole for the insert, usually in the top of a box. The depression for the inlay is usually about 1/8-inch deep. Then you put medium density super glue on the bottom, with light density glue at the sides. Hit with accelerator, and then face off.

On Bowl Sanding
Dick grips the bowl blank base in compression mode (not expansion mode). For sanding the inside of a bowl, he likes the Power-Lok system. He likes the stiffness. He uses 120-grit to span the flats on the inside of the bowl. Then he goes to Velcro-backed 180 grit and 220 grit. Finally, with the lathe off, he hand-sands with 240 grit paper. Final hand-sanding with the grain helps to eliminate concentric rings that can form from prior sanding with coarser grits while the lathe was running.