A couple of questions regarding tops and grinders

over the outside of the bowl/box > [think bottle of pop] or to fit on the inside [think whisky >cork]? I've gone both ways and about the only two

I think you are right. I have seen both, and when executed well, there isn't much difference except in the eye of the beholder.

wheel grinder) back up close to the >wall. Can y'all think of any reason one would need the >space behind?

Not unless you are going to mount a sharpening jig to use with the grinder. >Some< of them require space behind them for the arm adjustment that determines the distance between the wheel and the tool to assist in the correct sharpening profile.

Robert

In a class with Allen Batty, I was told that the customary (proper?) way is to make the lid fit outside the box/bowl. In this way the container can hold more contents without interfering with the box/lid overlap.

True, the appearance is the same either way, but it's nice to have a functional reason for doing it one way vs. another.

Bob

Making a top that fits down inside a piece - the cork you mention, fools the user into thinking there's depth he doesn't have. Of course, you can also hollow the top, leaving only the rim to fit down, which I often do. It's a matter of taste beyond that observation. I mostly fit a tenon from the bottom into my tops, but it's because my habit is to fit the bottom to the top whose inside is already finished, then use the bottom to "chuck" the top for final and finial. Don't have to take the bottom out of the chuck that way.

I think it's just a matter of taste, Kevin... I usually have a tenon on the lid that fits the inside of the box..

I've been told that inside= box and outside= covered bowl, but that never made a lot of sense to me..

I have my grinder bench in the carport against a sheet of foam, up against the side of the house.. Just a personal thing, I wanted the mess/hazard of the grinders outside and away from wood shavings and such.. I use the trugrind system and have no problem with clearance, sparks, etc...

Thinking back, I think that the grinders have been against the wall in my last 2 or 3 shops... Most folks don't have a lot of choice unless they use a floor stand..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Yes, I think there is. When you decide you need the Wolverine grinding jig, you need room behind the grinder for the long bar which is used to support the tool when grinding.

Bill

Kev> When making a bowl/box with a top, is it more common to make the top

Bill,

Real good point. Mine is setup on a piece of plywood on top of a toolbox so I roll it to alongside where I'm working. Keep accessories and stuff I'm presently using in the drawers or in the rack on top. Then roll it against the wall behind my work area when done.

In other words you can move it out of the working footprint and that way it takes up no extra space when you store it within the footprint. I have my back to a wall in a corner while working and it alongside me like a secretary desk. Just move it a little if I need to walk around the lathe. Very handy and, yet, I still lay my tools on the lathe bed - go figure. I've got a couple of those articulating lamps (artist type?) and I'm about to mount one of those on it as well.

On the other side of me, against the wall, are two metal 3'x3' brochure racks stacked to hold all kinds of "stuff" as well (with a drop down visqueen sheet to stop dust). Whole deal makes for a kinda cubbyhole with all you need within reach. Of course, I left enough room behind me so I'm not cramped. And the setup allows me to face the room and the window in case a deer comes by :)

While I'm at it, I had an old dining room table and a portable table saw. Decided to cutout enough in the leaves to fit the saw flush to the table surface, then added wheels to the bottom. Now I've a good work surface, that's larger when the leaves are installed, ability to cutup 4x8 plywood, can run my dust collector to a collector under the saw, or use a perforated insert for downdraft work. And I have the option of rolling it outside for even more space and air (I built the house with 6' double doors off the shop). If I did flat work all the time I might prefer the usual expensive and space consuming setup. For me this is as cool as it gets. Can't paint & sand & carve &........ on that big setup.

TomNie

Kevin, I think the important thing is to have the grinder at a _convenient proximity to your turning position at the lathe. Since during turning you cannot tell when a tool is not as sharp as it can be, the easiest way to know it isn't is to resharpen often while turning. All tools become dull in use, so the more often you sharpen, the more likely the tool will be kept as sharp as possible, regardless of how much you paid for it.

I vote for box lids like bottle caps and cannister lids like bottle stoppers. Why? Because that's what I do. Same scientific reasoning as why I put milk in coffee before the sweetener and just as important. :)

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