MHM USERS GROUP

[Tim Anderson]

I don't think it is important how much of the pith you took off. Instead I would compare strip height with the thickness of bamboo left after you removed the pith. If you are only slightly less than strip height, I wouldn't expect a problem. You will have hollowed the blank slightly and that should not change the action greatly. If your planed strips will end up with a wall thickness less than 0.010", you may well have to start over because you won't have the enhanced gluing surface that Winston-style fluting gives you.

Tim

[StePhDen]

I don't think it is important how much of the pith you took off. Instead I would compare strip height with the thickness of bamboo left after you removed the pith. If you are only slightly less than strip height, I wouldn't expect a problem. You will have hollowed the blank slightly and that should not change the action greatly. If your planed strips will end up with a wall thickness less than 0.010", you may well have to start over because you won't have the enhanced gluing surface that Winston-style fluting gives you.

Tim

Sorry, I should clarify. I wasn’t cutting off pith. I’ve got a v-groove anvil and was scraping off the outside of the strip after the enamel had been already been removed. I figure I was cutting into the power fibers. I know there are different opinions on flattening the backs of strips. I usually try to leave my strips as intact as possible even if it means the outsides are a little convex.


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[Tim Anderson]

Thanks for the clarification. Never having flattened the enamel side after removing the enamel, I can't say if you removed too much. I suggest removing the enamel from a strip of the same bamboo and then compare that surface with the surface of your flattened strips. If the fibers look very different, I would start over.

Tim

[cliffwegner]

Has anyone mounted the angled aluminum for the Morgan Hand Mill in a unique way, using a box (as noted in the MHM Manual), or a 4x4, or two 2x4 in an L-shape then clamped or bolted through the top of their workbench rather than the side? Any benefits? Any inspiration or ideas to share?

[Tim Anderson]

My aluminum bar, with the steel rail, etc., is mounted on an inverted "T" made of Baltic birch plywood. The base has holes for the bench dogs of my small European-type workbench and I use those to clamp the device in place when I am using it. When not in use, the device is stored on a sturdy shelf with carriage bolts and wing nuts holding it in place. Where I live, we have earthquakes and I don't need everything rattling off onto the floor.

Tim

[trland]

Cliff,

Our aluminum angle is mounted to the side of a 2 x 4 bolted to the top of the bench. I just took some pics because we just finished making a 2’ extension to plane one piece rod strips. The pics aren’t great but you can see the 2 x 4 running the length of the bench (with the blue tape) and the bolts going into the 2 x 4 edge at the extension joint. Below the angle is the bench top. The 2 x 4 is completely covered by the angle. The top of the angle is flush with the top of the 2 x 4. It works for us and puts the Handmill at a comfortable planing height and is very stable. The whole thing can be easily unbolted from the bench top if needed but we leave it there all the time.

Mike

[SpringCreek]

When I first got my mill I built a box to mount the aluminum angle to and bolted it to my bench so that it could me moved when not in use. The base was longer than the box to allow me to easily bolt it to the table. In addition the box was left open on one end which allowed me to store the anvils that were not in use inside it. I used the "box" for 15 years until I had enough space to build a dedicated bench for the handmill.

[tommorganrodsmiths]

Hello all,

Just wanted to let you all know we have most cutter heads in stock right now for anyone who needs one.
We also still have a good amount of carbide inserts (set of 2) if anyone needs some as well.

These handmill parts can be found here >> https://tommorganrodsmiths.com/collecti ... -and-parts

Thanks everyone!

[cliffwegner]

Thanks Tim, Mike, Jim! These are all great ideas. I have considered drilling/installing 1" threaded inserts into the side of my bench top, but I'm intrigued by the idea of a fixture that can be set on the top and clamped/bolted instead. Your examples are much appreciated!

[Don Andersen]

Cliff,
I made a beam from the box that Morgan supplied. The mill is attached to it. The beam is bolted and screwed to my bench top. The mill underside is exposed for anvil adjustment/replacement.









Regards,

Don

[StePhDen]

I just bought the 52 degree cutter head for making 7 sided rods. I noticed it didn’t seem like MHM sells corresponding shoes for that strip angle. For those of you who work on hepta rods, what do you do? Did you make your own shoe, do you just use the 60 degree shoe and accept a bit of wiggle?


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[JHolton]

I just made a couple of rods using soaked strips for the first time. The nodes were nice and straight when dry, but after soaking they are anything but. Although planing soaked strips was a little easier than dry strips, I am wondering if it is worth dealing with the nodes again. Is this a common problem, or or did I just get lucky?
Thanks, Jack

[penta-spey]

re: soaking...
Thats exactly why I quit soaking. Too much extra node work.

[StePhDen]

I’ve been playing around with a drilling jig for the strip anchor hole and thought you all might appreciate it. It’s got an adjustable stop block so I can set the amount of cane behind the hole. It fits nicely in my drill press vice too. It’s 3D printed and the stop block clamps in place with a M3 screw that taps its own threads. This one is angled for penta strips but with a couple of key strokes I can change the model to accommodate other strip angles.







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[Twice]

I love it. I made a much less accurate version with a router and a chunk of scrap wood. Time for me to make something better. Good Job.

[WIHEXROD]

Very nice idea.
There was a Wandashin drill jig available in the early MHM years. Very similar in having an adjustment for how far the hole was drilled from the end. It was made from steel and has a top plate to align the drill bit to the center of the strip.
Scott

You can use the hold downs to drill prebevelled strips.

[Tim Anderson]

Well-done StePhDen.

I have used something similar for years. I bought a small, precise drill press with an X-Y table and have my 60° groove in a small oak board in the table. The end of the board is 1/2" from where the hole is drilled, and I line up the end of my pre-beveled strips with the end of the board. Since having this setup, I have never had a strip break out of the screw hole.

Tim

[SpringCreek]

Since I use a beveler to rough and put a primary taper on the strips before they go to the Handmill, I built this jig and have been using it for the last 15 - 20 years or so. I simply drilled a larger hole through the groove to allow me to move the jig forward or back in the vise to adjust how far I want hole positioned from the end of the strip. Even though it is a 60 degree groove, it works equally well on strips for pents or quads.

This was all done before Tom came out with the hold downs which can be used as a drill jig as well. I still prefer this as it allows me to drill in a uniform position quickly and without much, if any, thought.

[penta-spey]

my jig

[StePhDen]

Hi All,

I just finished planing my first nodeless rod. I had some issues with my scarf joints on the strips delaminating.

The glue joint would fail consistently on the side of the strip against the grain (makes sense). Usually the joint would only fail towards the base of the triangle on the outside of the strip. Usually it was fine toward the apex. I’m using Titebond 3.

My first thought is my glue joint must not have been clean. The separation was pretty smooth, it wasn’t pulling fibers from one side or the other. I tried to not handle the scarf faces after planing but maybe some of them got some tool oil on them or I was careless. Can I clean the glue faces with isopropyl alcohol or something before glue up or will that damage the cane?

My second thought is heat buildup. I rough beveled the strips with my baginski beveler. I was taking fairly light passes (~20 thou) but many not light enough.

Third thought is unsupported cuts, I am planing a 3 piece rod and I do the butt and mid sections on the same anvil. I probably need to get a third anvil to keep them separate and get better support. I was being pretty conservative on my cut depth. 4 thou until I was getting full length shavings and then 2 thou the rest of the way.

Possibly a combination of multiple factors. I was curious if anyone else has had similar issues and found a good solution.

Thanks,

Stephen


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