Just Bob

I know making duck calls are a common use for resin castings, I have never seen anything to indicate that the cured resin is not food safe, but I would contact the manufacturer to be sure. Personally I would be more concerned about the finishes used. I use a petroleum based polish, that I wouldn't put in my mouth.... I started stabilizing wood many years ago, but just for my knife scales and gun grips. The only reason I stabilized those was to protect them from the environment they would be exposed to. I am not set up to stabilize now (it is on my list). Voids occur with pressure pots, not because of the air within the wood, but air trapped in the mold when the resin is poured. Part of the problem is with the quick setting resin I use, I just don't have time to make sure all of the large bubbles have escaped. That is the primary reason I am switching to a slower setting resin.

No, stabilizing is only necessary when the wood is punky, google "cactus juice" there is a ton of information related to this product and its use.

That's actually a process for stabilizing wood, especially punky stuff. The vacuum is used to infuse the wood with resin. The pressure pot is used to compress the air within the resin itself so that air pockets don't develop. Stabilizing is another black hole.

I have been using resin in turnings for a little over a year now. You will need a few things. (surprise) A pressure pot is necessary to remove the bubbles, you tube has a bunch of videos on making one from a paint pressure pot. I bought the pot and fittings at Harbor Freight for about $80, you will also need a compressor. . Next you will need the resin, and there are a ton of choices. To limit my confusion, I bought Alumilite clear, which seems to be very popular among turners and is easy to use. I bought the stuff that has a 7 minute open time, my next batch will be the 12 minute, being a newbie with the stuff I don't like being rushed. You will need a scale, again I bought mine a HF. The last need, is tints and Pearlex powder. I bought the tints from Alumilite and found the Pearlex at Michaels. You can buy the molds or just make your own. They make a "special" release agent to spray the molds, but I just use some Teflon dry lube that I have for my table saw. I use whatever plastic jar or PVC I have laying around, cut it to fit the pressure pot and go. I use carbide tools for the most part, but you can work the resin with any sharp tools. It is easy to turn. Turning does make a mess! I have my DC setup with a scoop attached to the banjo of my lathe, the resin is light enough that a lot of the chips get sucked right in, but it is a lathe so expect a mess. Sanding can get involved, and of course there is a lot of expensive, and depending on who you listen to, mandatory, products to polish the resin. But again I make my own, and bought an inexpensive polish at the auto parts store and I am pleased with the results. As @Mark J said the resin is pricey but depending on the sized of the project it does go along way. If you use "filler" wood, that will be turned away it reduces the amount of resin needed. Last year my wife asked me to make some buttons for one of her projects, I made some from scrap wood, but she wanted color. So I went into our yard picked up some pinecones and with the resin made some buttons. That was a mistake! She showed them to her quilting group and the orders immediately poured in. I ended up making arraignments with a local quilt store and put them up for consignment. At $5 apiece I made all of my initial investment back in less than two weeks, and now I can't keep up with the demand.

Injet photo to wood He does it with very simple process.

My shop is 17x30. I put my miter saw, and router table on one wall with shelves as support. This takes up 21' of space. The remaining space is used for my DC and oscillating sander. On the opposite wall I have my planer, jointer and bandsaw, these are on mobile bases. A lower shelf unit finishing out the space. My table saw, outfeed table and work bench are in the center, and are the only tools that are not mobile. My lathe and drum sander are on one end and desk and drill press on the other. I have a separate space for wood storage. I used the wall space behind the miter saw/router table for hand tool storage. This gives me enough space to maneuver wood through the shop, although it can be tight. The wall space behind the miter saw/router is used for clamps/hand tool storage. Because floor space is limited I installed a central vacuum system that handles shop cleanup, sanding, and dc for the miter saw and router table. The DC is ducted to the table saw, and other large tools. For me the shop is functional, and I am happy with the layout. The only thing I would change, is the shelf unit under the miter saw router table. I should have made that a cabinet unit, which would make cleaning a lot easier.

Very nice. Could you explain this? I don't understand.

Yea scales are the handles. I make my knives from 01 but 1075 is similar. Read up on the heat treat process, especially reaching the critical temp (1500 Fahrenheit) and the quench. Be forewarned, knife making is another black hole, it can suck you in.

Made a few, what type of steel? Really like the shape, have you decided on the scale material?

Mine blows the 20amp circuit all the time. Have you checked the breaker? It took me an hour to figure that out when it happened the first time.

Kev, my Grizzly has a 3hp Baldor. I just checked it and after 4 startups it average 74amps on start up and 8.5amps running. I checked on line and that seems to be close to normal. Maybe the PM guy is more than a "little high".

I use a barbers strop for as a final sharpening step and for touch ups. Mine is close to 60yrs old and still going strong. I don't use any compound, but it probably wouldn't hurt.

Yea, escalated blood pressure. With most of these tools, SawStop, PM, Grizzly etc.., being manufactured in Taiwan/China (Geetech), in the same factories, I have to wonder what the premium prices do for the consumer.

For something that small and shallow I would be tempted to just use an abrasive ball like this. It could be done with a router and template, or as already stated on the table saw, but setup time and safety considerations would make me K.I.S.S. it.

With all of the documented problems, is PM refusing to replace the saw?