The old phrase "when you're holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail" ran through my head all day today in the shop. I was doing the finish assembly on a Birdcage armchair and at every turn, my shipment of felt from Duro-Felt kept coming into play. (No, I don't own stock in the company!)
I purchased the hard felt in 1 inch and 1/2 inch thickness to see what applications it might have beyond the clamping that I showed before. When working with near finished parts, especially round ones, I am constantly fighting little dents, flats spots and dings from the vise or shave horse. So I took the 1/2 inch stock and cut some off on the bandsaw (probably a sin) and used it in the shavehorse to buffer the parts.
When I release the pressure on the horse, the felt opens as well and I didn't even notice it, except that I didn't have to go back and fix any dings!
Round pieces are a pain to bend, work and hold without creating flats, but in the vise, the felt worked great. The hold is just as firm.
And of course, the stuff is perfect for sanding pads. I could tell that the amount of time that it took to sand a faceted crest was cut down substantially and the pieces came out more even. From what I've read, it also helps the paper last longer. The only question on my mind is where will it come in handy next.
5 comments:
It works great as a backing pad for toilet paper too!
Something I heard recently:
"When you're only tool is a silver hammer, every problem looks like someone's forehead."
Felt slippers for the cover girl for those cold winter evenings spoon carving.
I'm sure she would love the slippers, perhaps Japanese style!
I love that saying, and often times it runs through my head. I remember getting in some big trouble as a child by acting on the impulse of thinking that everything was a nail.
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