Wednesday's Wisdom For Woodturners February 1, 2023

[lew]

Big doings at Gobbler's Knob tomorrow! Will Phil see his shadow???

 

 

Our Patriot Turners-

@jthornton has finished up his popcorn bowl! And, what a beauty it is!

 

His post picks up at-

@HandyDan commented on JT's glue up and showed us the kind of glue he likes to use. Thanks for the tip, Dan!

A while back @John Morris asked about our favorite 3 turning tools, JT posted this about his-

 

JT also shared a video of a young man using a very creative way to make a vase. A little scary at a couple of places!

 

 

@forty_caliber added some really cool instrumentation to his drying box. He tells us a little more here-

 

And, it is pretty obvious that Forty's drying box works great. This is his first bowl he turned from his kiln-

 

 

Check out more image in his post-

 

 

@Masonsailor made a glued up bowl blank but he didn't use any of the traditional methods.

 

Check out how Paul milled the blanks and what type of finish he used-

 

 

What’s Coming Up-

Click on the images for links to registration and more information-

 

 

 

 

 

From Cindy Drozda-

 

 

 

 

 

For The Newbies-

Sharpening traditional turning tools can be made easier by using a sharpening system. In this video, Sam Angelo demonstrates the use of the Wolverine system-

 

 

You've spent a lot of money on that new lathe! Here are tips from Mike Peace on how to keep it in top condition. NOTE: this is a video from a live presentation so it's a little long-

 

 

 

Turning a bowl can be a intimidating at the beginning. Kent Weakley offers some tips to help you along-

 

 

 

Expand Your Horizons-

It's always fun to watch Richard Raffan. He makes it look so easy!  Two recent videos in which I found some techniques to help me.

In this one, I was amazed at just how shallow of a mortice he used for reversing the piece-

 

 

And here, the hollowing seemingly done with wild abandon and yet perfectly executed-

 

 

 

Make some of these for the grandkids and then send them home to their parents-

 

 

Last week, we posted a project called a Salt Volcano. Alan Stratton gives us a some insight on the design

 

 

 

Finally, Carl Jacobson uses the new Niles bronze thread inserts to make a pill box-

 

 

 

New Turning Items-

Thread cutters/chasers are not new but this tool has a neat design by combining inside and outside threading operations in one.

 

https://spiracraft.com/product/carter-and-son-toolworks-double-ended-thread-chaser/?inf_contact_key=8268ca260892678527d2626eaa684eee

 

Video from Carter and Sons demonstrating the tool.

https://vimeo.com/788457481

 

 

Everything Else-

Rick Turns list of YouTube woodturning videos from last week-

 

 

And from Ron Brown's Newsletter-

Artistic License
 
Another reason turning wood is so satisfying is the total creativity allowed when turning most projects. Take pens for example; simple and straight, curvy, puffy, long, short, wood, plastic, bone, resin, one-piece, two-piece, pencil, ballpoint, or fountain. A quick look on Facebook, Etsy, or YouTube will reveal a wide variety of examples.
 
While we all have our preferences, the folks who made each one loved every minute and are just as proud as the next fellow is of their creations. Some folks strive to make their turnings perfectly symmetrical and seemingly flawless. Others are just the opposite reveling in off-center, out-of-balance projects leaving as many natural defects and voids in the final product as possible.
 
Aren’t all of us just like that; off-center and out of balance according to someone else? I often repeat the phrase “Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.” I’ve come to realize that is the beauty of my fellow beings. There is a reason that everyone is a unique combination of God’s creation. That is what makes them special.
 
Yes, there are accepted standards of what makes a great shape for a bowl, vase, pen, urn, or finial. But who says those are the only pleasing shapes? I encourage you to use your artistic license to explore something outside the traditional shape, material, or order of things. My friend, Michael Gibson turns ultra-thin vessels, then pierces and colors them so they become something you might find floating in a whirlwind in the forest. Some would seem to be so fragile that merely looking at them may cause them to break.
 
I discovered the joy of turning green wood from start to finish in one session just so I could see how much it would warp and distort, not unlike myself. Now I sometimes even add rubber bands to help it along!
 
Celebrate your artistic license as you stand at the lathe and welcome each new friend, knowing they are probably just a little bit off-center too. Remember that wherever you go, there you are.

 

 

 

Safe turning

[Gerald]

Thanks Lew, Now I have some video watching to do this evening

[HandyDan]

Thanks Lew.  I see a few interesting videos in the line-up.  I wanted to try a foot bowl from last weeks post but didn't get around to it.

[jthornton]

Being a machinist among other trades the thread chaser was an interesting tool to look at.

 

What chuck is Carl Jacobson using in that video? I've never seen that one before...

 

JT

Edited February 2, 2023 by jthornton

[lew]

4 hours ago, jthornton said:

Being a machinist among other trades the thread chaser was an interesting tool to look at.

 

What chuck is Carl Jacobson using in that video? I've never seen that one before...

 

JT

It's the Easy Wood Chuck-  https://www.easywoodtools.com/easy-chuck-1   @Jordan Martindale

 

IMHO the best chuck on the market. Jaw changes are done in seconds. No screws to drop or lose. You can change jaws faster than unscrewing one chuck and putting on another.

[Masonsailor]

Thanks for another great installment Lew. The thread chaser is an interesting one.

Paul

[lew]

@Gerald  Thank You!

 

@HandyDan  Thanks!

 

@jthornton  Thank You!

 

@Masonsailor  Thanks!

[jthornton]

I ordered the easy chuck and the cole jaws to see if they are better than the sorby bowl reversing jaws.

 

JT

[lew]

9 minutes ago, jthornton said:

I ordered the easy chuck and the cole jaws to see if they are better than the sorby bowl reversing jaws.

 

JT

Sweet! I think you will love it!