Baseball is Safer

Do you remember a few years ago there was a lot of talk about baseball bats breaking and flying around the field, potentially injuring players and fans? Have you heard much about it this year? Probably not, because the incidents of broken bats are down by half in Major League Baseball.

Thanks to a partnership with Major League Baseball and the USDA Forest Service that began three years ago, there has been a 50 % reduction in multiple-piece failure (MPF) rates. Research engineer, Dave Kretschmann, at the Forest Products Laboratory has studied video of every shattered bat since 2009 and examined hundreds of those bats. Most of his recommendations address “slope of grain issues” which refers to the straightness of the wood grain along the length of a bat. A straighter grain is less likely to break. 

Also, MPF is fairly new to the game, partly because of changes in the geometry of the bats. One favorite among players is a thick barrel tapering quickly to a much thinner handle. Because MLB bats must weigh about the same, these bats need to use a lower density of wood which is also weaker. Over-drying during the process can also create weaknesses.

Because of these findings, in 2010 limits were placed on bat geometry, wood density restrictions and wood drying recommendations. According to Kretschmann, “One change made to address [the slope of grain] issue, that players and fans can easily see, is a small ink dot placed on the face-grain of bat handles. This helps identify grain characteristics at just a glance.”

The Forest Products Laboratory and MLB will continue to work closely to continue this trend of fewer broken bats. And I’m going to look for that ink dot on the bat the next time I’m watching a game.

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Rough Cut Director Gets Emmy Nomination

Tommy MacDonald and Rough Cut director Laurie Donnelly
Photo: Courtesy WGBH Boston
Rough Cut--Woodworking with Tommy Mac is getting some attention from the TV industry. The show just won a Bronze Telly Award, which honors the best local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs. But thats not all. Director Laurie Donnelly has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Directing in a Lifetyle/Culinary Program category.
The show, produced by WGBH Boston and sponsored by Woodcraft, features woodworker Tommy MacDonald, a North Bennet Street graduate and pro woodworker, who demonstrates traditional woodworking techniques in a truly Bostonian manner--wicked accent and all.
Donnelly, who is executive producer for lifestyle programming at WGBH, is not new to industry accolades, having won both Emmy and Peabody Awards in the past. "It is a great honor to be recognized in this way. Rough Cut has come together, thanks to the hard work of our host, Tommy MacDonald, and an amazing production team,” Donnelly said. “Together weve aimed to push the envelope in the world of woodworking as its presented on-air. We are also deeply committed to delivering something meaningful for anyone who has the passion to pick up a tool in their workshop---or to be an armchair participant watching and learning from home."
Rough Cut begins its second season in October. Emmy winners will be announced June 17.
I wonder if the statue is available in mahogany...

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Butterfly tables by Michael Fortune

Works with any base. The table in the magazine had a standard base, but this table has one thats definitely non-standard. Still, the same technique for making the leaf was used.
Photo: Michael Fortune
I have one of the best jobs in the world, at least if you love furniture making. And one of my favorite parts of the job is working with our authors, like Michael Fortune. His design chops are first rate, but Im even more impressed by his technical skill in the shop. He is a true master of the craft. Thats why his article in FWW #220, "Finest Way to Expand a Table," is such a wonderful contribution to furniture making. Not only is the tables aesthetic design elegant, its technical design is exquisite, too. He has taken something which could be a nightmare to figure out and presented it in a way that all of us can understand. Before this, the butterfly table was something only the most advanced furniture makers could execute. Hoewever, its now something that just about all of us can do, because he has clarified and simplified the most complicated part: figuring out where to put the pivots. And even if you cant do it now, its certainly within your reach not too far down the road.
The reason Michael is able to present the technique in a clear and easy to understand manner is that hes done all the hard work, making a lot of butterfly tables and learning his lessons. Id thought it would be nice to show you some of his other work. Enjoy.
(By the way, Ive always found that the truly gifted people are those who can take complicated material and present it in a way that makes it seem easy. Thank goodness for Michael Fortune and all of the other wonderful authors writing for FWW! Id be a worse furniture maker without them and the craft would be far less healthy.)
posted in: blogs, michael fortune, butterfly table
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Welcome to Modern Woodworking

As a blogger, I often find that its difficult to post when my blog has a specific topic, so I created a blog thats more generalize - johnnyapollo.blogspot.com, which focuses mostly on my thoughts about collecting, eBay buying and whatnot. However I have several other blogs that focus on my other interests: ModusModern for modernism, VehiCROSS as an enthusiast of the truck, MajorMattMason for the Mattel toyline, and now ModernWoodworking for my love of working with wood. I chose Modern Woodworking as I plan to focus on using modernist elements in my furniture building, developed by designers such as George Nelson, the Eames couple, Noguchi, Nakishima, the list goes on. Ill be using elements that I like with respect to those great designers, trying to imitate in homage and not copy. Ill also use this blog to relate my adventures in finding and restoring woodworking machines and tools. My next post Ill describe the restoration of a 50s Rockwell Unisaw, which I recently purchased.

-- John

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Unisaw Completing the Arbor and Tables

So a few days ago I got busy completing the arbor rebuild and starting the tables. The first thing I needed to do was address the big piece of the table edge that was missing (broken off - see the first post images and youll see what Im talking about). Ideally this would have a new piece braised back in, but frankly, Ive yet to find anyone locally who I felt comfortable with doing the work. Cast iron is rather finicky - the technique requires heating the metal up to cherry red before welding so that the metals interlock, then allowing to cool slowly (like it sand) so you get a strong joint. When talking to any of the welders around here, the only process they know is to immediately start going at it with rod - after thinking about this a while I decided to just fill it as best I could with JB Weld. Since its not a load bearing surface and wont be under any stresses, metal-filled resin just seemed easier to me (to work, particularly). I cut a few pieces of hard plastic and made a small form, mixing up the two parts and laying it into the void. The stuff was pretty much self leveling.

JB Weld within Form

Cardboard palette and Popsicle stick applicator

Allowed to dry and harden over-night

As you can see the color approximated the raw, cleaned cast iron. I continued to work down the resin using rasps, files and finally sandpaper

 

 

 

 

 

Ready for Paint!

While I starting taping off the tables and wings for paint, I also finished up the arbor rebuild. The first time I put the arbor together I wasnt happy with the result - the pulley could slide back-and-forth along the shaft about 3/32" - the threads on the bearing side were also a bit buggered so the retaining nut wanted to cross-thread. So before I torqued everything down and screwed something up, I took it all apart and made a few posts on OWWM to ask for some opinions. I knew I would need to chase the threads so with it apart it would be easier to get things to go together when assembled. One idea I got from the forum was to put everything together sans bracket so I could see how it would fit - that way I would know how much room I would have for the final nut and belvedere washer. While taking things apart the far bearing nearly fell out of the bearing - so I knew that was probably part of the problem. It was too loosely pressed in (the retaining nut wasnt applying enough force), so apparently what happened was that when I applied pressure on the arbor to press everything into final assembly, it loosened the far bearing - that was the slack I was seeing (understand there was so much slack that the spaces would slide - thats where I got my 3/32" of looseness). The second time was the charm - this time I applied a drop of blue LockTite to the far bearing, then made sure I got the retaining nut very snug. I did have one mishap - the punch slipped and hit the plastic bearing sleeve hard enough to scrape the coating, but not hard enough to puncture (luckily) so I went with the same bearing with the hope that it wasnt bad enough to warrant a replacement (only time will tell!).

Starting to press the bearing

Watch the spring washer so it doesnt get caught

You can see the small spot of coating where I slipped

TIP: Place small screwdriver blade under belvedere washer until nut is tightened

Slightly pry upward then go to a larger screwdriver (careful not to hit the bearing sleeve)

Final step to add the pulley lock (with a drop of blue LockTite)

Completed Arbor Rebuild!

I tried to group the photos together a bit, but in practice I actually went back-and-forth from inside to outside while I hit the wings with primer, then two coats of paint (if you look at the camera times you can see the order). I also got two coats on the underside of the table.

Primer

Paint

Table after Second Coat

Wings after Second Coat

In all I feel pretty good about where I am thus far. I still need to finish painting the cabinet, plus the motor cover, cranks, feet and pan, but those will need to wait for a clear day. Im going to start the sub-assemblies and probably get the motor apart so it can be cleaned, potentially turn down the commutator and fit new bearings (may get new brushes as well).

-- John

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Why Do I would like Woodworking Plans For Tables

So why do I want woodworking plans regarding tables? Thats a great question so if you are a skilled woodworker you may know the solution.

Basically to make something you need a new plan, regardless of whether or otherwise not you pull and design your own personal or purchase readily offered plans. On the subject of generating tables a thoroughly tested design may very well help in making table that should be durable, look good when it is finished and become wobble totally free.

I suppose everyones watched that old movies by which someone efforts to level a new wobbly table and also ends up chopping the thighs too short when they have concluded.

Woodworking plans for tables will allow you to avoid the problems which can be too frequent and also lead to items like wobbly or perhaps uneven thighs.

Actually to get a newbie inside woodworking, the simplest table for you to build is a circular table with a few legs. Precisely why three lower limbs? I hear you ask, nicely did you know its virtually unattainable to get a vibration on a about three legged table.

To construct any table thats safe and sound and will stay the test of energy you need to have Several things:*

1. A well-known Woodworking Table Plan

"Cant anyone create a table? after all its just a table prime and Several legs, job finished right?In .

Well it isnt really quite in which straightforward but it really does not have to get difficult both, it is important to understand what size wood to make use of, how to sign up for the lower limbs to the the actual table top, how to efficiently join the particular timbers to create a robust table best.

There are many different types of tables, some will be more complicated to develop than others. If the skilled woodworker moved to the difficulties of working out the way to build a particular type of table, creating a success efficient standby time with the timber needed to construct the actual table, then doesnt it seem appropriate to take good thing about that.

"Do Ive got to build the table exactly as the plans?Inch Well you need not, you may customize the size of your table if you know what youre doing, after all building a new table to an current plan is always less dangerous and also you generally tend to have a better end result.

2. The top Timber For the Table

"What kind of wood really need I use in my table?" The reply to this is : it depends. What sort of finish do you require on your table? Through which location ready to be used? How many times is it going to supply? Whats that going to be utilized for.

For a ornamental look you may use a hard wood, there are many hard woods with completely different grain styles such as mahogany, cherry, and bamboo. You can also utilize a softwood much like pine or cedar plank with a discolor and apparent coat, or perhaps primer along with paint.

You can probably find more different types of finish as compared to there are kinds of table.

Which ever hardwood you choose ensure that it has the suitable strength qualities for the kind of table you are building. A fantastic plan gives you a range of woods along with a materials slicing list.

Three or more. Suitable Resources

You will possibly need a found or you could get your supplies cut in your case at the wood yard, generally there is a demand for slicing. If you plan in doing wood in the long run not simply for this one particular woodworking project its best to invest in an acceptable table saw as well as a moving mitre cut-off saw.

You will want clamps, in actual fact a whole variety of clamps because you build totally different projects. For any table youll in all probability want water pipe clamps to hold the boards jointly for the table prime and scaled-down clamps for when you might be securing your legs along with other parts of the actual table.

Youll need to have a great set of chisels plus a mallet, a new drill plus a set of exercise bits. A broad purpose aircraft will also be useful.

For expensive edges you can utilize a switch and a array of router parts. You could possibly work with a plane for the bevelled edge or simply a sanding stop in the event you dont have a modem.

If youre a novice to woodworking, build your tool set over time, there is no need to have each tool there is certainly to get started.

You will want to visit each of our website more than a hundred 25 woodworking plans for tables, acquire our no cost woodworking tips along with the best on-line selection of woodworking plans - above 14000 of them.

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