The Finishing Process - The Øland Way
To the Left: Bowl is drying you can see the grey areas on the sides
To the Right: Bowl is soaked with mineral oil waiting to be sanded. Let the oil drain off a bit before you spin it or it will be all over the place including you
The tools I have used so far on any piece is the Øland 1/4”, sometimes even on the big pieces I might go to a 3/16” tip as it is a little more aggressive and cuts better. I have starting using the gouge with my own special grind I am not as confident with it and often return to my trusted 1/4”. I am also finding that after I use the gouge the piece is not totally round and I have to come back to correct that with either the 1/4” tool or the Øland finishing tool, perhaps this is caused by me not being good enough with the gouge, I have to practice some more!! I clean both surfaces with the finishing tool before I start sanding. From the beginning of any piece small or big, whenever I am not working on it, it is covered with a plastic bag, it is too disappointing to come back to a piece and find cracks, a plastic bag really slows down the drying and has been very effective in preventing cracking. I leave the bag off longer periods at a time as I progress in removing all the excess wood. After I get the outside shaped and the inside ready for sanding I will soak the piece in mineral oil I will either set it in a tub and load it up with oil on the inside or pour the oil on the piece as it hangs as you can see I have done that with the walnut piece here
So, the reason I use mineral oil is three fold.
First it cuts down on the dust as you sand, second since I use die grinders that runs at 20,000 rpm the oil acts a a heat carrier thus less chance of the very fine craze lines that can turn into cracks, and third when I am through sanding the bowl if food safe. The pieces that just are decorative I use either a deft, not urethane as it will not dry or now I have started using several coats of boiled linseed oil. As the bowl dries you will see white areas and that tells you that the oil has not penetrated fully, do not put a finish there as it will show up grey wait till all areas are the same color.
My Sanding Equipment
Let me tell you about the sanding equipment I use. I have a 5 hp. dual stage air compressor that is set up outside in an insulated lean-to. The air compressor has a regulator for pressure and also an oiler for the tools and a water filter. This is enough to pull several die grinders at the same time. I have found the angled die grinders are the easiest to work with. I always try to find the least expensive ones as I would rather have several than just one expensive, that way I can have different sanding pads on each one.
This shows my 3” Merit sanding discs, they are from 60 grit to 180 grit flex pads, and the 240 and 320 grit are regular. The top die grinder is I believe a 45º angled and a very handy one to use on it I have one regular SOFT rubber pads on the I have trimmed down notice how the worn edge of the sanding discs bend, If it will not stay on I will glue it and then you can just tear it off and clean up a little for the next. The discs on the lower is held in a drill rod extension you can get different lengths and it is very handy for deeper pieces and also it is sturdier than the one Merit sell.
The sanding system I have used since we started Øland Craft is the Merit 3”. Have not changed am kind of stuck and see no need as it works great and also you can use them over and over they wear very well. I still have some of the first discs I do not throw the old ones out as they have become very flexible with use; if they get torn at the edge I can trim them down as it is only the outside edge that have been used. Also the rubber pad gets worn with time and I will trim that down and then with a worn flexible disc it is great for sanding the inside of a piece as it will conform to the shape and not leave unwanted marks. So of course at times the discs look like they have no more grit left, don’t panic, give them a little mineral oil and you will find the grit is still there, no need to go buy the block to clean the sandpaper with the mineral oil will do the trick.
This show a well used disc and a little mineral oil used to clean off the build up of dust it works great ------------->
I hope this has been helpful. As always there is no one way of doing things, this seems to work for me both in turning and finishing and it is safe I find.
If I can be of any help please do not hesitate to contact me.
I will be pleased to help you. Have fun.
This shows my 3” Merit sanding discs, they are from 60 grit to 180 grit flex pads, and the 240 and 320 grit are regular. The top die grinder is I believe a 45º angled and a very handy one to use on it I have one regular SOFT rubber pads on the I have trimmed down notice how the worn edge of the sanding discs bend, If it will not stay on I will glue it and then you can just tear it off and clean up a little for the next. The discs on the lower is held in a drill rod extension you can get different lengths and it is very handy for deeper pieces and also it is sturdier than the one Merit sell.
The sanding system I have used since we started Øland Craft is the Merit 3”. Have not changed am kind of stuck and see no need as it works great and also you can use them over and over they wear very well. I still have some of the first discs I do not throw the old ones out as they have become very flexible with use; if they get torn at the edge I can trim them down as it is only the outside edge that have been used. Also the rubber pad gets worn with time and I will trim that down and then with a worn flexible disc it is great for sanding the inside of a piece as it will conform to the shape and not leave unwanted marks. So of course at times the discs look like they have no more grit left, don’t panic, give them a little mineral oil and you will find the grit is still there, no need to go buy the block to clean the sandpaper with the mineral oil will do the trick.
This show a well used disc and a little mineral oil used to clean off the build up of dust it works great ------------->
I hope this has been helpful. As always there is no one way of doing things, this seems to work for me both in turning and finishing and it is safe I find.
If I can be of any help please do not hesitate to contact me.
I will be pleased to help you. Have fun.
