Those of you who ‘like’ our Facebook page will have noticed that
every day in the run up to Christmas, we posted a top woodworking tip from a
host of woodworking experts who have worked with Triton in the last year. Those
of you who missed any of the tips, don’t panic, as we've posted all 12 of our
12 Tips Of Christmas below!
Saturday 13th
December – Nick Rawlings – Tip no. 1
Our first woodworking tip came from Nick Rawlings of N R Furniture,
who came second in this year's Triton Woodworker of the Year competition with
his ‘Shifting Sands’ table.
Nick's Top Tip: Use paste wax on the bed of a thicknesser to
lubricate the beds and allow wood to pass through with ease. This helps to
reduce the chance of injury from having to push too hard.
You can see Nick's entry and read about his inspiration
behind the design on our website:
http://www.tritontools.com/Images/News/News_PDF_128.PDF
Sunday 14th
December – Ben Crowe – Tip no. 2
We first met Ben at Yandles Woodworking show, when he asked
us to prove our claim that our MOF001 router was the best router in the world.
Needless to say, we did just that and he’s been a true Tritonite ever since!
Ben's Top Tip: When using a piece of sandpaper folded in
half, it can sometimes slip and slide over itself as you work (if you're not
using a sanding block that is). I fold it into three so that two faces of the
gritted side of the paper are touching and therefore grip together so you have
a more precise tool to work with.
Ben made a video to demonstrate his tip above, which you can
see here: http://youtu.be/DEsd9kU78cA?list=UUdD1Cqxr8aINzWs1agg3tEQ
Check out our blog to read about the specially commissioned
Triton guitar (pictured) designed by Ben & his team:
http://blog.tritontools.com/2014/03/we-first-met-ben-crowe-from-crimson.html
Monday 15th
December – Yandles – Tip no. 3
Yandle & Sons’ Top Tip: When drying freshly sawn timber,
the rule of thumb is 1 year per inch of thickness until workable.
Head to our blog to check out the video of our time at the Yandles
Spring Show earlier in the year (we'll be there in April next year, too!) : http://blog.tritontools.com/2014/04/a-woodworking-tradition.html
Tuesday 16th
December – Anthony Bailey – Tip no. 4
Day 4 brought us a tip from Woodworking Plans & Projects
Editor Anthony Bailey, who is a big believer in thoroughly planning a job to
avoid problems.
Anthony’s Top Tip: While it is perfectly possible to just
get stuck into a new project, I definitely favour planning the whole thing
through from design, to working out material quantities. With larger items, it
is crucial to ensure that transportation and access issues have been addressed.
It isn't clever turning up to a client's property and realising that a tight
winding staircase prohibits access or creates damage to both furniture and
surrounding decor!
This is where knock-down or sectional pieces can be designed
right from the start to be safe and easier to handle. Mouldings and other visual
devices can be used to disguise joins effectively. I used to install a lot of
fitted furniture: checking wall angles and shapes - and things like radiator
pipework that could foul a piece of furniture - at the surveying stage, saved a
lot of time and stress later, even if it meant using hand-shaped scribing
strips to infill around the edges!
Earlier in the year, Anthony reviewed our Plunge Track Saw for the magazine, and you can read his thoughts on it here:
Earlier in the year, Anthony reviewed our Plunge Track Saw for the magazine, and you can read his thoughts on it here:
Wednesday 17th
December – Mike Booth – Tip no. 5
Our very own Triton Product Manager, Mike Booth, contributed
our 5th woodworking tip!
Mike's Top Tip: When making larger pieces of work, there
comes a point where you have to put the thing together and glue it up. Even
with the best quality cramps, it’s important to make sure the job is pulled
straight and square (even more so if you are using expanding polyurethane
glue!). Try to keep glue off the cramps as this can cause a stain that might
get transferred to your work and is difficult to remove - a sheet of paper
between the cramp and the glued parts of the work can help, though worst case
you can sand that off if it sticks. Wipe or scrape off damp glue before it
sets, though once it starts to go off it is best left to set properly when you
can clean up by sanding, either by hand or with a small sander such as the
Triton Palm Sander.
Mike has had a very busy 2014 bringing us a whole host of new products which will be coming to a store near you soon (including the new T20DD 20V Drill Driver pictured above). You can read more about these new products in our blog post from our time at the International Hardware Fair in Cologne earlier this year: http://blog.tritontools.com/2014/03/latest-triton-products-on-show.html
Thursday 18th
December – Patrick Burnett Wooden Surfboards – Tip no. 6
We dropped in to
visit Patrick Burnett from Burnett Surfboards in Kommetjie near Cape Town on
our recent South African road trip, and he gave us the below woodworking tip on
how to easily edge wood for clean laminations!
Patrick’s Top Tip:
This is an easy way to remove unevenness, bows and curves along edges. It will
mean that your pieces of wood will glue together seamlessly on any lamination
project - tables, cutting boards, even wood surfboards.
Fit your router with a straight edge bit. If you're using a
Triton router table, use the shims provided and place them in position on the
'out' feed side of the router fence. Using a ruler, set the cutting edge of the
router bit against the ruler. The 'out' feed side of the router fence will also
line up along this axis. The set-up is now such that the 'in' feed side of the
router fence is slightly indented from the cutting blade of the router bit and
the 'out' side of the router fence. This means that as you feed a piece of wood
from the 'in' side of the fence, the blade will cut a thin strip from the wood
before it moves onto the 'out' fence. As your stock feeds onto the straight
edge of the router fence make sure that you maintain the pressure on the stock
so that it feeds flush with the out fence. It may be necessary to do more than
one pass, but after following this process you should have a clean, smooth edge
that is gun-barrel straight.
You can see the video from our time with Patrick on our blog,
where he talks about his work and the drive behind his creative process. There’s
some pretty impressive surfing action too: http://blog.tritontools.com/2014/10/surfing-meets-woodwork-meets-art.html
Friday 19th
December – Nigel Rose – Tip no. 7
Nigel was a runner up in this year’s Triton Woodworker of
the Year competition and sent us our 7th tip.
Nigel's Top Tip: I have now come to the conclusion that a clean work area is
best and therefore I tend to hoover after most operations - I have a small hoover by the bench so it’s
really easy to get the hose and pick up the dust / debris from the last
operation - just makes the environment
much cleaner and easier to work in. Also means dust extraction on all machine
tools. As part of that I put the tools away a couple of times a session - very
easy to get a build-up on the work bench which clogs the work surface. So every
tool has a home and I try to force myself to put it back after use. If I don't
do it immediately then I do have a clear up a couple of times each session.
It’s the old adage - little and often!
You can see Nigel's entry of Woodworker of the Year - his ‘Anne Marie Spider’ table - on our
website: http://www.tritontools.com/Images/News/News_PDF_128.PDF
Saturday 20th
December – Yandles– Tip no. 8
The team at Yandles are so knowledgeable, we were supplied
with a number of woodworking tips, so we decided to squeeze in another from the
Somerset timber wizards!
Yandles Top Tip 2: When
using an oil-based finish, apply the first coat and leave for 20 minutes, then use
a soft rag to remove excess oil and leave to dry. Re apply second and third
coats sparingly with a soft rag.
Yandles are running a series of woodworking and turning courses in the Triton Training Academy at their base in Martock, Somerset. You can see the full list of courses available on their website: http://www.yandles.co.uk/about-yandles/14-yandles-training-hub
Yandles are running a series of woodworking and turning courses in the Triton Training Academy at their base in Martock, Somerset. You can see the full list of courses available on their website: http://www.yandles.co.uk/about-yandles/14-yandles-training-hub
Sunday 21st
December – Blackdown Shepherd’s Huts – Tip no. 9
The Blackdown Shepherd’s Huts team, based in South Somerset,
apply a
blend of traditional craftsmanship and modern design to produce a range of
unique, bespoke living spaces. We will be revisiting them in the New Year to look at their latest workshop upgrade.
Blackdown Shepherd Huts’ Top Tip: When joining
multiple boards for a panel, such as a door or table top, make sure you
alternate the end grain so the curve of the end grain goes in opposite
directions. This will help avoid warping
and bowing of the panel. See diagram
below:
Check out our blog post from when we visited the team
earlier in the year: http://blog.tritontools.com/search/label/Shepherd%20huts
Monday 22nd
December – Ben Crowe – Tip no. 10
Our 10th tip was another golden woodworking nugget from Crimson Guitars’ Ben.
Our 10th tip was another golden woodworking nugget from Crimson Guitars’ Ben.
Ben’s Top Tip 2: When sharpening a gouge or carving chisel,
use waterstones or slip stones to get your initial edge sharp. However, a truly
sharp tool needs a polished surface and perfect intersection between front and
back planes. I use the half-sharpened
gouge or chisel to cut a groove or bead into a piece of soft close-grained wood
which obviously perfectly matches the shape of the tool. I then put a spot of chrome polish, Autosol
for choice, and use that perfectly shaped piece of wood to polish up the edge
of the gouge or carving chisel to perfection.
You can see more of Ben and his team's work on the Crimson
Guitars website: http://crimsonguitars.com/
Alan's Top Tip: For a job - in this case a guitar body, but it could be a large box for instance - which requires a number of cramps, I use a potter's wheel. The jig is on a board and the wheel is turned as you add the clamps. The space under the tip wheel makes adding the clamps very easy.
To find out about the inspiration behind Alan’s winning piece, head to our website and click on the PDF link: http://www.tritontools.com/en-GB/News/128
To find out about the inspiration behind Alan’s winning piece, head to our website and click on the PDF link: http://www.tritontools.com/en-GB/News/128
Wednesday 24th December – Steve Hewson - Tip no. 12
Our final tip came from Triton's Brand Manager, Steve Hewson!
Steve's Top Tip: With the shortest day out of the way we are already thinking about summer in the Northern Hemisphere Many woods take on a very pleasing, deeper more subtle colour once aged in the sun, but did you know you can accelerate the process to achieve that look? To do this, apply a generous coat of linseed oil and let it soak in for a while before wiping off the excess. Then put your piece outside fully exposed to the sunshine, turning it a few times to keep the colour change even. The effect will show within the day but keep it up for a week and you will have a deep finish that’s really pleasing. The outcome varies by species, with Cherry being one of the most effective
See Steve in action at the IWF fair in Atlanta earlier this year, where he talks about a product coming to launch next year. Hint: an Australian icon has been given a very big makeover!
http://blog.tritontools.com/2014/09/international-woodworking-fair-atlanta.html
From a frosty UK, we are wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy Woodworking New Year!
Our final tip came from Triton's Brand Manager, Steve Hewson!
Steve's Top Tip: With the shortest day out of the way we are already thinking about summer in the Northern Hemisphere Many woods take on a very pleasing, deeper more subtle colour once aged in the sun, but did you know you can accelerate the process to achieve that look? To do this, apply a generous coat of linseed oil and let it soak in for a while before wiping off the excess. Then put your piece outside fully exposed to the sunshine, turning it a few times to keep the colour change even. The effect will show within the day but keep it up for a week and you will have a deep finish that’s really pleasing. The outcome varies by species, with Cherry being one of the most effective
See Steve in action at the IWF fair in Atlanta earlier this year, where he talks about a product coming to launch next year. Hint: an Australian icon has been given a very big makeover!
http://blog.tritontools.com/2014/09/international-woodworking-fair-atlanta.html
From a frosty UK, we are wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy Woodworking New Year!