Several of this weeks entries were grabbed from Facebook and other social media sites. Unfortunately I still haven't figured out how to get them to link here. Sometime they work, other not. If you do not do Facebook, or other social media, the links probably take you to signup/sign in pages. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Our Patriot Turners-

@RustyFN posted the modification to his turning cart.

His new handles look pretty nice setting in their holders. Check out his post for more images and comments!

Rusty also started a project for making a bowl from a board. Unfortunately, not all went as planned. He is looking for any input on the creation of this type of bowl, including the "Dizzy" bowls.

Head on over to his post to see what happened.

A lot of turners use lacquer as a finish for their turnings. @smitty10101 posted a question about the use of rattle can lacquer as a finish, in the Finishing Forum. Thought the responses could relate to our group.

Several items added to our "What's Off" continuing post. Some tools and bowls.

Thanks to @Rusty S for showing us his shop made hollowing tools/setup.

A couple of bowls-

New entries start here-

What's Coming Up-

Cindy Drozda's Tool Talk is May 22, 2026

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https://www.cindydrozda.com/html/Signup.html

StreamYard

Woodturning Tool Talk with Cindy - Reversing the Lid of...

If you were in my hands-on workshop at Stuart Batty's studio in Boulder recently, we all made a Fin!al Box. The inside of the Lid was done after the Finial was done. Now you'll see how I do it! Tool

For The Newbies-

If you are thinking about turning pens, here's a tip from Penn State Industries for installing the brass tubes-

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1967881073926962

There is a lot of discussion available on sharpening and just how perfect should the finished grind be. Tomislav Tomasic posted this video to compare grinds and some tips on what can help.

Expand Your Horizons-

@MrRick and @BB1 have posted, in the General Woodworking Forum, some crosses they made. Mike Peace turns a cross fashioned after the one at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland.

Alan Stratton always finds ways to make his turning special. In this one he uses Celtic Knots to help disguise how to turn a hollow vessel through a tiny hole. The jig he uses, to cut for the "knots", can also be used to create John Beaver wave bowls.

Make your bowls special and more appealing! The first thing an experience bowl turner does, when perusing bowl turnings at a market/craft show, is to see how the artisan finished off the bottom. Some ideas on how to up your game.

Sorry Facebook videos won't display.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1490334732833605

Turning Time With Easy Wood Tools-

Easy Wood Tools being used to create awesome projects

https://www.threads.com/@mccollim_woodworking/post/DYcMpH1kXqN?xmt=AQG01LI0RSANozOKawEc0vh9rz1WWurhvEGdax6kbzsES8rODJ9wa15Ug4HHR5vQDgmhyWw&slof=1

@Gerald does amazing color work on many of his turnings. JP Woodwork uses enhance his turning-

@Jordan Martindale

New Turning Items-

Craft Supplies USA reviews the new Vicmarc VL300 Lathe

Sales

Woodturning Tool Store

Special Deals - Woodturning Tool Store

Buy a Robust Lathe… Get $200.00 in store credit It will make you happy!!! American BeautySweet 16Scout Offer valid for all committed purchases from May 20th to June 21st. Sale prices in effect from We

Wood Turners Wonders

Weekly Sale

Limited quantities available  Be sure to scroll through all of the pages to see our entire selection from Axminster, Crown Tools, Easy Wood, Rikon, Robust, Robert Sorby, Vicmarc, and Yellowhammer! New

Everything Else-

From Ron Brown

The Myth of the "Right Way"

 

Now, I’ve spent a fair amount of time watching people work, and if there’s one thing I’ve noticed, it’s that we humans have a funny obsession with the "Right Way" to do things. We act like there’s a secret manual hidden somewhere that dictates exactly how sharpen a bowl gouge, to hammer a nail, raise a kid, or live a life.

 

But here’s the cold, hard truth: One size rarely fits all.

 

It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about marriage, child-rearing, or standing at a lathe turning a piece of wood. My wife and I were blessed with three kids, and let me tell you, they are as different as a socket wrench and a paintbrush. One’s a scientist, one’s an artist, and one went into the trades—and he’s the guy people call when the "unsolvable" problems start piling up. I love them all, but I don’t talk to them the same way. You can’t. What inspires one might just confuse the other.

 

When someone looks at my workshop and asks, "Why on earth do you do it that way?" my answer is usually pretty simple: Because it works for me.

 

There’s an old saying I’m fond of: If it’s stupid and it works, it isn’t stupid. I remember trying to tell a woman—a grandmotherly type who had probably forgotten more about home repair than I’ll ever know—that she was cutting her crown molding all wrong. She looked me dead in the eye and let me know she’d been doing it that way for thirty-six years. Message received, loud and clear.

 

In the world of woodturning—or any craft, really—you’ll find mentors who insist there’s only one path to the finish line. Those folks are usually more interested in being right than being helpful. You’ve heard the joke: put five turners in a room, ask one question, and you’ll get ten different answers. It’s funny because it’s true.

 

I’ve spent my life following my curiosity, building jigs and fixtures to solve the puzzles that crop up at the workbench or at the lathe. In case you didn’t know, I’ve built and sold over 1,000 pieces of custom wooden furniture. When I stand in front of a group to share a project, I’m not handily delivering the "Law of the Land." I’m just sharing what works for me. If you can take that idea, twist it, turn it, and make it work for you in your neck of the woods, then we’ve both had a pretty good day.

Safe Turning

Thanks Lew another great Wednesday posting even something to think about and I need that.

never get tired of looking at your new bowl Lew. thanks for this weeks post.

I agree with Dan, that is one of the coolest bowls I've ever seen. Both of them, but the one with the stringing (or whatever it's called) is super.

The "myth of the right way" is a great reminder that we can learn from everyone.

Thanks Lew.

Thanks for what you do Lew and the mention. Just wondering how difficult was the glue up for the bowl? I considered it but doing math kinda turns me off.

@Gerald Thanks for the kind words and the question!!

I more or less followed the article in the latest AAW magazine for the math. Although my blank was slightly smaller than the authors example. There really wasn't any real math involved other than having the angles measured correctly. I have a digital protractor. I did alter the authors angle on the "vertical tilt" cuts from 35 degrees to 30 degrees because my Hitachi miter saw uses a small diameter blade the would not cut completely through my square blank if set at 35 degrees.

Just started with a square blank and laid out the cut lines and dimensions with a white pencil. The Outer circle defined the outer perimeter of the bowl. The 2 inner circles are the distance between the inserts. You can see in the first picture, I was off a fraction, on the inner circle, with the cut. That also contributed to the alignment problems,

Made ONE cut then glued/clamped. Made second cut then glued/cut. Rinse and repeat.

Top

Top

Bottom

On the last glue/clamp I got over confident and glued/clamped 2 piece at a time. Big mistake. The pieces slipped slightly and I didn't notice it until I removed the clamps.

This is how I cut and clamped the the pieces. Made 2 side piece the exact same width as the bowl blank and hot melt glued them to the blank. Used a fillet bead across the top. The side pieces helped span the opening in the fence of the miter saw and provided a way to clamp the assembly to a base for clamping the glue joints.

Years ago, I made a clamping base from a discarded Corian counter top piece. It has 2 pieces of angle iron bolted to it at 90 degrees. Great for this type of clamping situation. Also great for cutting board glue ups.

In hindsight, cutting the slots for the inserts would probably work better with the procedure used for making rolling pins- leaving a sliver of wood connecting the pieces thus preventing slippage. Might try this again, later.

@Rusty S Thank You!

@HandyDan Thanks!

@Fred W. Hargis Jr Thank You!

@BB1 Thanks!

@RustyFN Thank You!

Thanks Lew . Might even try it now.