Useful Tips by Keith Hall

To get a quality finish on wood, a good preparation is essential. Carefully cutting back each coat and preparing for the next coat is greatly assisted by the use of a tack cloth. Tack cloths are expensive to buy, but you can make your own relatively cheaply. The materials required are: A piece of stockinette cloth. White Spirit or pure Turpentine. Raw Linseed Oil. Method 1. Soak the cloth in water and wring out until it is as dry as possible. 2. Sprinkle on the White Spirit (or Turpentine) and work it through the whole cloth. 3. Sprinkle on the Linseed Oil and then wring out until the cloth is virtually dry. There must not be any surplus liquid. You now have a cheap but good quality tack cloth. At the risk of insulting "old stagers", always remove the worst of the dusty surface with an ordinary clean duster - this will make your tack cloth last longer. Eventually the cloth will become clogged, but it is possible to wash it with detergent and use again.

Storing liquid polishes in containers suitable for application to work pieces is occasionally difficult. Use a squeezy tomato sauce bottle. The polish will then be stored safely in an airtight container and it is easily dispensed in small amounts. For safety reasons, please label clearly.

To find the centre of gravity of an odd shaped piece of wood, pin a length of string from about six different positions around the perimeter, drawing a line across the face which is in line with the string when the object is suspended. Where the lines cross that point will be very close to it's centre of gravity; this will greatly assist turning an irregular piece of timber.

A lot of lathes have a headstock thread of 3/4" X 16 TPI; most car engines have a disposable oil filter cartridge which has a similar thread. With a little cutting and filing you can make yourself a ready supply of 78mm faceplates.

If you are a regular "wet wood turner" try cleaning your visor and covering it with cling film from the kitchen. Although vision is slightly impaired it is worth a try.