Smitty
SEPT/OCT
2005
Volume 48/Issue 5
IN THIS ISSUE
Project Articles
• The 9-Drawer Tabletop Storage Chest
• The Flying Tiger Toy Airplane
• Verticle Paper Towel Holder and Bread-Shaped Cutting & Cheese Boards
DEPARTMENTS
• Ask Smitty
• Owner’s Gallery
• Letters from Owners
Academy Notes
Disc Sanding Tips
Service Pointers
Jointer Service Pointers
What's New
Shopsmith Router Arm
EDUCATION
• Find
A Shopsmith Woodworking Academy Near You
•
National
Woodworking Academy in Dayton, OH
ONLINE
CATALOGS
• Online Accessory Catalog
•
Request
Printed Accessory Catalog
• Online
Replacement Parts Catalog
MARK
V INFORMATION
•
Find
A Shopsmith
MARK V Demo Near You
•
Request
MARK V Information Package
LINKS
•
Links Worth Visiting
•
Free Woodworking
Tips
FEEDBACK
Contacting
Shopsmith
Copyright
2005.
Shopsmith, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
ASK SMITTY!
Don't worry, SMITTY can help. Just use the special e-mail link to send your questions to SMITTY. He’ll do his best to get back to you soon, with the answers to those questions.
Here are the questions . . . and SMITTY’S answers for this issue!
If you're having a problem
setting-up, aligning or maintaining your Shopsmith equipment, you should
contact Shopsmith's Technical Support Staff (NOT Smitty).
Call TOLL-FREE, 1-800-762-7555 during normal business hours to
speak directly with a Shopsmith Technical Support Representative.
Removing spots on furniture
From Yulanda H
(e-mail question -- city/state unknown)
I spilled some refresher oil (Aromatique) on my cherry nightstand. There are now spots all over the top of it. Can you advise me on how to remove these spots?
Without knowing what's in this oil, (types of oils, solvents, etc.), I can't be certain what to tell you. If it contains any kinds of solvents that have dissolved the finish, you may have to sand it down and refinish it.
And…without being able to actually SEE the damaged area, it's difficult for me to tell you exactly what to do to effect the necessary repairs. There are some crayon-like filler sticks and marker-type touch-up pens available in a variety of colors. You might give some of these a try. Try one of these three sources…
…www.woodworker.com
…www.woodcraft.com
…www.garrettwade.com
Be aware that these may not solve your problem. Situations such as this can be very difficult to remedy…and may require the services of a professional. If you determine that you need such a professional, I suggest that you check to see if "Furniture Medic" has a franchise in your area. This is what they do. Here's their website…
…www.furnituremedic.com
Avoiding blotchy -looking stains
From Linda H
(e-mail question -- city/state unknown)
I just built a piece of furniture from red oak and stained it to match my living room furniture. The finish is quite blotchy. I used a custom-blended, mineral spirits-based wiping stain, provided to me by the furniture-maker who made my living room furniture.
The stain is a dark walnut shade and not that old. It stirred fine. I have managed to lighten-up the piece some but, the darker spots are still darker.
I know about pre-conditioners, but I've made numerous other projects before and have used wiping stains on unconditioned oak with great results. What could be wrong, here? Is there any way to save the piece…or, am I looking at a lot of tedious sanding ?
Unfortunately, I'm unable to give you the precise answer without seeing the piece. And, even after seeing it, I still may not know. Sometimes, it's just in the wood and there is no solution. With that said, here are my three best guesses:
1: You could try the pre-conditioner approach. Unfortunately, this will probably involve
stripping and sanding the piece to re-start the finishing process from the beginning.
2: Talk with your stain supplier to see if he has any tips for you. This could be a common
problem for him that he can solve quickly and easily…without having to resort to solution #1 above.
3: Your problem could be the result of over-sanding…especially if you used a grit finer than
220 with a random-orbit sander. This could have polished the wood so highly that it's only taking the stain in the most porous areas.
The solution here is to re-sand the project, using the next coarsest sandpaper. Remember to always use new sandpaper when removing stock, rather than used paper, which can easily polish and/or burnish the wood.
Test this approach on an area that's blotchy before re-sanding the entire project. If this doesn't fix the blotchiness, try one more grit coarser. Wish I had better news for you.
Staining over old hardware silhouettes
From Marvin L
Chesapeake, VA
I have some pine cabinets that have been painted white and I'm wanting to restore them back to their natural color. After stripping off all the white paint and sanding them, I still have light imprints where the hinges and handles were.
I'm planning to use different hinges and need to be able to darken these imprints. I've tried to sand them out then stain them but nothing seems to help, since they're pressed panels. Can you help ?
Sounds like you're in trouble, here. My guess is that the lightness comes from exposure to ultraviolet sunshine over the years (before they were painted). Pine, like cherry, will darken under exposure to UV light…so the surrounding wood darkened and the hinge/hardware areas did not. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do about this.
Your only option may be to take them to a dipper/stripper to see if that works. If I were you, I'd just take one of them as a test. Pick the door that will be the least conspicuous if your plan doesn't work…and be prepared to glue it back together after it's dipped. If it works, take the others in. If it doesn't, you probably need new doors.
Re-activating an older Model MARK V
From Joe S.
(e-mail question -- city/state unknown)
I've owned my MARK V for many years but unfortunately, haven't used it for the past ten of those. The work surfaces on my Bandsaw have rust spots. Before I attempt to remove these spots, can you provide some advice on the best way to do this without harming the surface? Also, not having used the equipment for some time, do you have any suggestions on things I should do to "fine tune" everything?
Just clean your Bandsaw table up with some fine grit silicon-carbide sandpaper (240 or 320-grit)…using a FLAT sanding block. Then wipe with a tack cloth to remove any residue and apply a coat of wax or surface protectant.
As far as a "tune-up" goes, just review the maintenance section of your manuals and follow the recommended procedures for lubrication and adjustment. If you have any problems with your equipment running properly following these procedures, call Shopsmith Technical Services at 1-800-762-7555 and they'll walk you through diagnosing and resolving any problems.
