Major's OWE - Full Event Report

[Dean]

Well, here is the official report from Major's OWE Saturday 15th January.

Location: Major's hidden woodworking bunker, located somewhere between south and north, close to the middle, and a little to the east

Attendees:
- Major Panic
- QldWoodie
- aussieglen
- bitingmidge
- Rocker
- Cliif Rogers
- Yours truly

We started with a round of drinks and biscuits courtesy of Mrs Panic and general meet and greet and woodworking chit chat. They had come from as far away as Cairns (Cliff), and as close as about six streets away (me) and various places in between. Today we were in for a special treat. The master of spray finishing was going to enlighten us with the tips and tricks of this fine 'art'.

Cliff had come prepared with a brand new gravity feed spray gun for the occassion, and was keen to try it out (I think it was an ST-106 off memory? or perhaps 108, a nice gun all the same).

We soon migrated to Major's woodworking abode where his works of art are created - you can see many such examples on these very forums. I envisioned his nice wide belt sander sitting in my workshop, but that was another story... a dream perhaps... no, most definitely a dream!

We got straight into the spray gun 'lecture' as Major's keen students looked on, hanging on every word of adviced offered. Some in the crowd even took down notes for later use. Major had a nice variety of spraying equipment on show and talked in depth about each, their advantages, disadvantages and so on. There were plenty of questions from the onlookers as the session continued. I think Major could take on a job as a successful tool sales rep, he did it so well, however, his words were the truth, and only the truth

We discussed the basic setup for using spray equipment, including costs etc. The basic outcome was that you could spend a minimum amount and get a reasonable spray setup, or spend a lot more for the 'ultimate' package. Essentially, all you require is a compressor (8CFM will work, but 12CFM+ is better), air lines + connectors, a second regulator and moisture trap(attached closer to the spray gun than the compressor for catching moisture buildup in the air lines) and of course, your spray gun. A respirator may be a good option if you are not spraying outdoors or in less-ventilated areas. We discovered spraying should be done in the shade, or cooler place so it does not dry too rapidly.

Spray guns can be had for as little as $49 up to many hundreds of dollars. The higher end models being better 'engineered' and as a result, seem to require less CFM.

After another discussion on types of spray finishes and discovering how economically viable spray finishing is (around $40 for a 4 litre can of lacquer) and especially, how time saving it can be, the onlookers finally had the chance to get their hands dirty and practice spraying.

After abit of initial sanding and setting up of the spray equipment (again, Major provided some great tips on regulating pressure, air to mixture ratios and spray patterns) several of the OWE attendees set to work practicing on scraps of wood and pieces that had bought for this very task.

Cliff bought a nice turned bowl to spray (the wood type was a msytery?) and QldWoodie had a small box to plaster some finish coats on. Tips were offered on spray patterns, overlapping wet edges, and holding items while they are being sprayed. Major uses a small shop-made stand with a lazy-susan on it to easily access most surfaces of a small project for spray finishing.

We all soon discovered that spray finishing is not as mysterious as it may first seem and that, in fact, it is really quite simple once you know the basics. Additionally, spray finishing was expressed as a very forgiving finish, where mistakes or damage (to minor degrees) can be 'fixed' relatively easily.

After we got through adding a few coats to the various test pieces, we took a look around Major's workshop, accompanied by more general woodworking chit-chat about machinery, wood, and grand plans for future workshop projects or workshop additions.

Lunch soon followed, however, I had a date with my two kids so I had to cut my stay short.. perhaps one of the other attendees can fill in what happened after that.

A few Lucky Door Prizes were offered and aussieglen walked away with an exquisite Major Panic marking gauge, yours truly scored the famous Rocker tenoning jig (thanks Rocker) and well, Major accidently forgot the Veritas Sliding Bevel gauge prize as supplied by OnlineToolReviews.com, but in the end, I offered that to Major to keep for being such a fine host on the day, and teaching us attendees a thing or two about fine spray finishing. I don;t think any attendees would argue with that!

In the end, Major's OWE was a great day out, full of useful information and a great chance to meet fellow forum members. The tools and hardware/paint shops better look out, because come monday, I dare say they might sell a few spray guns and cans of spray finish

Thanks again to Mark (Major Panic) for hosting the day - Great work mate!


I have put up a page of pictures of the event that you can view here:
http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/articles/majorsowe.htm

(I hope I got everyone's names right first go - I was coming off more than a few nights of 4 hours sleep :eek: )

[bitingmidge]

Dean,

Thanks for the comprehensive report, hope you got some shut-eye last night!!

If I may make one small correction, the marvellous micro box was actually brought by QldWoodie not myself (I haven't actually got anything quite to the stage where it can benefit from a coat of clear!!)

After a sumptuous lunch by the pool Rocker and QldWoodie had a sort of jig face-off.... (not really) Rocker's tenoning jig (now owned by your good self) was the subject of some discussion, then QldWoodie's brought in his own box joint jig and a couple of pieces built using it, a lovely box in (fill timber species here- I've forgotten) with pretty much the finest timber hinges one could expect to see (Perhaps a picture would help me out here QldWoodie!) and a prototype for a thimble display, once again a delicate piece of work which needs photos!

As you have already said, a great day and many thanks to Mr & Mrs Panic!! I think this one should be an annual event !!

Cheers,

P

[Zed]

kumbay ay, my lord kumbay ya....

us roaches we can still beat you at footy however! carn the blues!

Im interested to know who in the photo's is midge..... I'd like to post it on a few sites I visit ocasionally.....

[aussieglen]

This was the event of the year (for me anyway) – the hearty midday repast provided by the lovely hostess was a major part of the event which also included a remarkable insight into the mysteries of spray finishing. Not to gloss over the efforts I was impressed with the venue – a glamorous structure with wide open spaces, high roof, naturally air-conditioned, furnished with marvellous machines and finished with the professional air that is a characteristic of Majors work. The information, variety of equipment, demonstration and question opportunities left me agog with the preparation and dedication of our gracious host and hostess. I appreciated the opportunity to meet some new woodie friends, put faces to forum usernames and spend a day doing what I like to do best. Thanks, Major for a great OWE. I owe you one – and especially for the beautifully crafted marking gauge that came my way from the lucky prize.

Aussieglen (not to be confused with colleague Bitingmidge in the photos)

[Dean]

Fixed the name errors (I think )

[MajorPanic]

I'd like to thank all those who attended.

I think it was the interaction of all the people that made it a great day.

Woodworking is usually a solitary pursuit for most of us so a chance to get together, learn something new & make new friends is an experience not soon forgotten.

For those who had to travel a way to make it, I thank you for putting in the effort.

[bitingmidge]

Im interested to know who in the photo's is midge..... I'd like to post it on a few sites I visit ocasionally.....

What does a monkey look at on a site ???

P

[ozwinner]

kumbay ay, my lord kumbay ya....

us roaches we can still beat you at footy however! carn the blues!

Im interested to know who in the photo's is midge..... I'd like to post it on a few sites I visit ocasionally.....

The ugly one on the left.



Sorry Midge, couldnt help me self......( insert evil laugh here )

Al

[Cliff Rogers]

What does a monkey look at on a site ???

P

http://www.johnkeating.biz/monkey.html

[ozwinner]

Another tale from the Cleveland Zoo..... Monkeys are vile and nasty creatures. Yes, they are cute and almost human in the mannerisms, but they are some stanky creatures.



Al

[Wood Borer]

Sounds like an excellent get together - should be more of them.

[Iain]

http://www.johnkeating.biz/monkey.html

And took away my monkey picture.............

[bitingmidge]

http://www.johnkeating.biz/monkey.html

Until that post, I was of the view that woodturners were all quiet gentle types, free of any vice..........

What, may I ask was a nice kid like you doing at a site like that??


P

[Zed]

Another tale from the Cleveland Zoo..... Monkeys are vile and nasty creatures. Yes, they are cute and almost human in the mannerisms, but they are some stanky creatures.



Al

sick twisted individual.

[Cliff Rogers]

.....What, may I ask was a nice kid like you doing at a site like that??


P

Just answering your question "What does a monkey look at on a site ???"