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What the heck is a "blurf"?

Recently, I wrote a blog post about certain n00b questions. I used the term "blurf" without 1. thinking that not everyone knew this term in the same way that did, and 2. Checking urban dictionary first to see if it had become some salacious innuendo :) Please accept my humble apology for my presumptuousness.  It really is nothing more than a generic placeholder. I picked up this word from one of the earliest woodworking forums from way back. At that time when you set up a forum, one of the main things put in place would be your FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions list. People were directed to read the FAQ as a requirement of entry to the forum. And, most veteran forum members would abuse you to no end if you dared to ask a question that was already answered in the FAQ. A nice response might be "That was already addressed in the FAQ." More often would be something more terse such as "Read the FAQ!" Sometimes that would come with an expletive at the end of a g...
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Which "blurf" should I buy, and from where or whom?

It would seem that for each trade vertical, hobby, or even industry in general, when there is a forum for discussion amongst the devotees there is an early question that rises. It is always the same, though the form and syntax may differ slightly. Which "blurf" should I use, from whom shall I purchase it?  Many people, rather than asking for advice will phrase this query more as a request for permission. Can I use the "blurf" made by XYZ company, or sold at PQR site. (usually referring to the cheapest or most common one available) Since the time I first came onto the internet, some of these things have changed. I saw the beginnings of eBay, CraigsList, and Amazon. Not to mention Alibaba, Aliexpress, and Temu. I assume there will be more, so forgive me if I try to speak generically to attempt to remain timeless.  In this vein, I will refer to forums, and as such I refer to topical NNTP news groups, as well as freestanding web forums, and more lately places like Face...
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Thoughts on a new SubReddit

  Community Name: (Choose one of the following) r/GreenwoodWrightAndSloyd r/NorthAmericanGreenwoodWright r/GreenwoodWrightSloydAndSpoon r/TheGreenwoodWrightSloydSociety r/GreenwoodWrightAndSloydCarving Tagline: (Choose one of the following) "Exploring the craft of greenwoodworking, sloyd, and spoon carving in the Americas" "Where tradition meets innovation in North American greenwoodworking, sloyd, and spoon carving" "A community of greenwoodworking, sloyd, and spoon enthusiasts in North America" "Celebrating the art of greenwoodworking, sloyd, and spoon carving in North America" "Where North American greenwoodworking meets sloyd and spoon carving creativity" Community Description: Welcome to [Community Name], a community dedicated to the art and craft of greenwoodworking, sloyd, and spoon carving in North America. Our community is centered around the traditional crafts of greenwoodworking and sloyd, with a focus on spoon carving...
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 First attempt at making a knife template. This one is for the Queen Oar Carver "Little Chipper" 
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Let's Compare Nova G3-D with Nagu 10600

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Turn a mini a bowl in cedar

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Thoughts on Sharpening tools for Wood Turning

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  Welcome to the turning world. 🙂 There is a sharpening concept I refer to as "grinder abuse". The idea is that if you make your tools from HSS (High Speed Steel such as M2, M42, CPM, etc.) you can grind the hell out of them and not worry about ruining the temper when they turn blue. When working with "old school" tool steels (also called carbon steel) such as O1, W1, 1095 and so forth, one of the cool things you can do is heat treat in your home oven or even a toaster oven. At around 400°F your metal will turn a color called "Straw" the ever lightest of yellow/browns. This takes out the hardness just enough to keep a hardened blade from being brittle, like glass. That is wonderful. With any hand stone oil, water, diamond, CBN, etc.. you would be hard pressed to rub fast enough to ever reach such a temp and so you are fine. Nor, can you manually carve wood so fast that you would reach such a temperature, unless you were some weird super-hero in a Marvel ...
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