Duh...when not to use grit gouges......

[woodscavenger]

Lately I have had some nasty tear outs near the finishing stages of pens on some woods so I have turned to grit gouges (60-100 grit spandpaper) to finalize dimensions. All of the pens have turned out well....until tonight.

I was working on a walnut pen with birch dowel inserts that come out with endgrain on each side. I have one posted in my album. Anyway I had a skew cut that was a littel too agressive that popped one of the dowel plugs out. I grabbed it and glued it back in. Let the CA cure and I decided to finish things of with the grit gouges.

Remember I said I had endgrain birch mated to soft easy to sand walnut. Well by the time I figured out what had happened I am now the happy owner of a beautiful walnut and birch inlay cigar pen with a VERY oval shaped top tube.[B)][:0] I am going to keep it as a shop pen to remind myself of what not to do!

 

[Doghouse]

Nice reminder to all of us.

 

[woodscavenger]

I went back out in the shed tonight and had another good laugh over it. I am tempted to do the same to the bottom tube and sell it as a fancy new ergonomic design. Oh well.....live and learn.....better on some cheap walnut and no deadline than on some expensive burl and a looming deadline.

 

[Fred in NC]

Now, now, Shane !!!! Think about it !!!

You have discovered how to turn an oval, and are complaining ?

I glue the sandpaper to a piece of plywood, and use the tool rest. With a little care the sandpaper will not oversand the soft part.

 

[woodscavenger]

Fred, I remember when you first tutored me on the vocabulary of grit gouges and I thought "why do you need a wood backer?"......I guess some things you just have to learn the hard way!