Woodturning woe!

[munkiboi182]

hi guys
this is one for the wood turners and joiners.
so im a hobbyist wood turner and i have only ever turned solid timber. just recently i've been playing with glueing different pieces together to create different patterns. problem is everytime i turn the glued pieces the glue heats up and fails. i've tried a number of different glues (pva, cascamite & 2 part epoxy) and they fail most of the time. what's the recommended glue for this?

cheers guys

simon

 

[skate]

Never really generated much heat turning! Is this occurring while sanding on the lathe or while actually turning? I have only ever used pva or superglue, neither of which have ever failed.

 

[Perrari]

I have used PVA before without any problems. As it says on the bottle 'stronger than wood itself'. Like skate I have never generated significant heat whilst turning either.
Are you using enough glue and letting it set properly ? I would leave it a minimum of 24 hrs before touching it.

 

[ged]

If you're heating things up while you're turning them then something is wrong. My first guess would be that the cutting tool isn't sharp or its angle to the work is poor.

 

[munkiboi182]

whilst turning. have to admit my chisels need a major overhaul. they're cheap chinese ones that my grandad gave me with the lathe. they're blunt as anything but i'm not much good at sharpening them. i dont even think they will sharpen. maybe thats the problem. the pva was probably the better of the 3. will give the superglue a go tho. i tend to think of super glue as a repair glue rather than a making glue

 

[Biker]

You need to make sure both faces that are being glued are perfectly flat and free from dust and grease. Apply PVA and rub the woods together to expel the air between, line up to the final position you want them to be then clamp into place and leave for 24 hours. Certain oily wood don't like gluing to another. Ebony is particular needs special care.

There is a glue called Aliphatic resin which can be bought in the UK, but it's not something B&Q might carry as a stock item. It's stronger than PVA but has a longer drying time. But saying that you should be fine using PVA. Like Perrari says PVA is often stronger than the wood itself.

As for the chisels, a sharpen on a grindstone with a steep pitch rather than low shallow pitch gives a better cutting edge, finishing it on an oilstone isn't really that crucial, but there's no harm in doing it. Cheap Chinese chisels or not, you ought to keep them sharp. If you're generating heat there's something you're not doing quite right. Stay safe whatever you do though. Hope the glue info helps.
[h=1][/h]

 

[munkiboi182]

cheers guys. will give the chisels a sharpen as best i can an try the pva again. i've been leaving all the glues at least 24 hrs so it shouldn't be the setting time. will also give the superglue a go

 

[skate]

Yes it sounds like a chisel issue. Just a cheap bench grinder is all you need but you may have to change a wheel for a different grade.

 

[munkiboi182]

i have one at work with a fine and coarse grade on them so i'll give them a whirl

 

[didicoy]

It sounds like you have the tool rest too low and possibly tension between headstock and tailstock too high. Do you have problems with heat when not turning glued wood? I know it won't part like the glued wood you describe. But never have I had that amount of heat generated other than points of contact with metal, so glue must be exposed to shock/vibration. I have had 6"x6" x 36" hardwood blanks spin off and up the wall when chisel digs in, due to tool rest being too low.

 

[munkiboi182]

that might me something to think of. its usually about an inch blow center but i rarely turn anything with a diameter more than 2 inches, i make a lot of firesteel handles so nothing too heavy duty. i always use hard woods.

 

[skate]

Buy "woodturning: a foundation course" by Keith Rowley. This book will provide everything you need to know.

 

[Perrari]

+ 1 to that, That's what I bought many years ago.

Buy "woodturning: a foundation course" by Keith Rowley. This book will provide everything you need to know.