Charlie James

The work sharp is discontinued or the attachment? I have a work sharp but only use it to flatten the back of my blades.

Many years ago, I was teaching kids in my local school how to make a simple, small box. I brought all the parts in because I was worried they might cut themselves (not a lot of time either). I just showed them the steps it took to get to that point. I had cut all the parts, they just had to be assembled and we used rubber bands to glue them up. I wanted to teach them a little about glue curing and patience since you need that in woodworking. I was worried about using a finish because they all off gas in some way so the next day I brought in beeswax. Who knew of anyone being allergic to beeswax? Not me, anyway. We took the bands off and waxed the boxes, using the tiniest amount of wax, the last class of the afternoon. That night I got a call from a friend of mine, a Mother of one of the kids. Her daughter had an allergic reaction to the wax! Fumes or touch, I’m nor sure. She was given an antihistamine and thankfully was fine by nightfall. The Dr and the Mother wanted to know what type of finish I used for future reference. From that point on, if I don’t have to finish it, I don’t!

Ha, Joe and I agreeing? Must be a trick!

Mike, I agree, Flexner is the go to guy pro for any finishing questions. I opt for no finish because it’s just another step that I don’t think adds much to the boards lifetime. As I mentioned I used to use Mineral oil for my Mom’s cutting boards, they looked really good but ultimately I ended up making new ones every 5 years or so. It’s really because of the abuse they take, plus lots of soap and water. If it was a bowl or plate, maybe I would do a little research. If there was a finish that actually got into the pores and made it last another 5 years, I’d do it for sure…

I didn’t realize II would bond to metal. The things ya don’t know!!

Daryl, you’re right, absolutely any closed pored hardwood works well. I have a lot ( I mean a lot!) of hard Maple. I had bought it for a project and changed plans so I’m going to keep making Maple cutting boards for quite a while!! As for the cupping, my board is about 15″ wide and maybe 5/8″ thick so unless I placed battens underneath there’s no way to stop it and it’s only a cutting board. Reading these forums or FB posts can lead to learning experiences. I had bought Titebond III when it came out but preferred II because it was less expensive and I didn’t need the water resistance. I researched a little after reading your post and found out two things about III. It has a longer open time and if you use it in furniture be careful as it leaves a darker glue line.

Roger, good to hear from you, it’s been a while. I use 1/4 sawn hard Maple, titebond II and don’t treat it at all. You can use mineral oil, I used to use it on my Mother’s cutting boards. It just makes it look nice, doesn’t really protect the wood (well, maybe just a bit). I’ve made more than a few over the years for myself and for others as gifts. For my home I made a large one about 5 years ago and it is starting to cup and there’s a few small splits starting along the glue line. Same with some smaller ones I made at the same time for others. Heavy use on all of them, lot’s of soapy water used on them to clean. They don’t last forever and I don’t make them that way, it’s not furniture after all. They don’t owe me a thing!

Rick, glad you brought that up. I think it was easy for them to set up a shop during construction, as an enticement more than anything. I have a friend at a retirement community in PA with a big shop as well, same idea but not many people use it. For the club, it’s a lot of potential users. It’s harder, no building, no consensus on where to buy nor the $ to purchase a building among other things like maintenance for example. My thoughts on it, to play devils advocate, how many people can use it and is the time divided evenly? If someone is building a project that’s one thing but if someone is building more than a few projects? Asking friends in? If the bandsaw blade breaks the club replaces it but who pays for it if you’re the one using it all the time? There’s tons of issues and if I think them, other people will as well. Not a bad thing to think of just a lot to be ironed out. Thanks, Charlie

Yep, for sure. It’s been talked about at the meetings for years. Lot’s of issues to be worked out, insurance, building, who takes care of it, who uses it, etc..

No thanks. I have a hard enough time trying to figure out wood expansion and contraction on LI. The tropics would be really difficult!