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Been cold and windy here for the past couple of day but at least it hasn't rained. Mimi is in full Christmas decorating mode so I have been making myself scarce. Our Patriot Turners- @RustyFN asked a question about scrapers and their use. He received several great comments. Please head on over to his post and see if you can add any more to the discussion- @HandyDan posted his "Ball Catch" toys. Dan turns these beautiful items as gifts for kids at the Akron Children's Hospital. Please give Dan your thanks for making sure their Christmas is a little brighter- What’s Coming Up- The American Association of Woodturners is having a symposium in Raleigh, NC, July 11-14, 2019. More information can be found here- https://www.woodturner.org/page/2019RaleighMain For The Newbies- As a new turner, one item that should be in your arsenal of tools is a Parting Tool. Our very generous sponsor Easy Wood Tools ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools ) has a great one that never needs sharpening! Here's a video from Tracey Malady demonstrating the tool's versatility. This is a really great tool! Expand Your Horizons- Mike Peace recently posted a video demonstrating turning a hollow globe Christmas ornament. During the demonstration, Mike shows many shop made hollowing tools- New Turning Items- Last week's "Wednesday..." mentioned a new hollowing tool system. Here is the link to the tool/information- http://wtwtim.com/elbotool.htm Rick Turns" added a video where he creates a bowl. What I had never seen before was the device he uses to do offset turning. In this video, you can see the device at about 10 minutes. I know Ruth Niles sells a small offset chuck but it is nothing like this one- Everything Else- For your enjoyment- Carl Jacobson turns a penguin! The kids next door decorated the "lamp post" and called us over to admire their work. I think she did a really awesome job- I'm really running late on Christmas present making. Got this bowl turned and sanded and another one partially turned. Some more of that flame box elder- Safe turning

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Our Patriot Turners- @Steve Krumanaker turned a couple of gorgeous pieces. I particularly enjoyed this one- Steve discussed what he did in his post and shows us several views of each piece- @Gerald found a neat lamp that will work well for turners Gerald supplied the link, for the lamp, in his post. Check out the background of Gerald's images for his really great tool setup- I've never met Carl Jacobson but I do enjoy his videos and post some of them in the "Wednesday's..." turners forum. Our very generous sponsor, Woodcraft, has a nice write-up about a hybrid turning Carl made using Easy Wood Tools. I posted about it earlier this week- What’s Coming Up- If you live in near Tampa, Florida, the Florida School of Woodwork holds turning classes. You can check out a complete list of instructors, courses and prices at- https://schoolofwoodwork.com/ For The Newbies- Figuring out how to hold a piece for turning can be frustrating. Not every new turner has a nice new chuck to make life a little easier. Mike Peace posted a recent video on glue blocks. They are a very versatile and inexpensive. Although Mike uses a chuck to hold the glue block, an inexpensive wooden disk can be used instead. Here's one that doesn't require the chuck- The thicker block is threaded to match your headstock. It is made from scrap hardwood. The glue base is just pine. As the pine glue surface is worn away a new one can be glued in its' place. There is a small finish nail center on the lathe axis that assists in centering the turning piece to be glued to the pine. Expand Your Horizons- Last week I mentioned Sanding Paste. Mike Peace has added another video on this subject. This video explains how to make your own! It's really quite simple and expands on Mike's Beeswax/Mineral Oil finish. New Turning Items- Tim Yoder has a new Laser product for the turners who do hollow forms. He previews it in this video- Everything Else- Tim Yoder also has a two part video on turning an "inside-out" Christmas ornament- The kids next door are into the "Crafty Momma" thing. The Mrs. asked if I could help with her latest project. She wanted one of these- but when she priced out a newel post from the Borg she found it was way more expensive than she thought. Guess who came to the rescue- I cheated on the ladder rest. I had some dowel stock, but I did turn everything else. She will add the lamp. As with all respectable Crafty Mommas, this will be painted. Safe turning

A lot of things happening here at the Patriot this week, so we'll get right to it! Our Patriot Turners- The Easy Wood Tools Christmas tree is going to be spectacular this year thanks to the talents of our turners. @Jim from Easy Wood Toolshas been keeping us up-to-date this the ornaments he has received from our members. The children of some of the employees decorated several of the ornaments they received- It looks like they really had an enjoyable time with this. Jim also showed us some of the other ornaments he received from The Patriot member @HandyDan The folks at Easy Wood Tools are putting up the tree on November 2 and Jim promised to post some images for us! If you haven't sent your ornaments, I'm sure it is not too late! Not only did @HandyDan help with the Easy Wood Tools tree, he went into production mode with his angels! Dan posted a really nice tutorial on how he made these beautiful little angels- Please checkout how he made them and some of the terrific comments he received. Ornaments were not the only turnings that were made. @RustyFN has been creating gorgeous apple wood bowls. The first one- And the second one- Head on over to his posts and see some of the great comments he got from our members. More bowls came from @DAB. That beautiful pine bowl has some interesting wood history. Read more in DAB's post- @PostalTom added to this week's bowl bonanza with this beauty- Tom used his Easy Wood Tools for this turning. In his post, he provides proof as to the sharpness of those EWT cutters! @Steve Krumanaker spent a week at the Marc Adam's Academy of Woodworking learning from Glen Lucas. Steve describes his experiences and some of the important takeaways from his week- While he was there, he started a bowl that he then finished, with "milk paint", when he returned home. Steve described the process in his post- "Just one more light pass" and then... We've all done it. Steve discusses what happened with this turning- For The Newbies- Continuing with the bowl theme, one of the problems we face when turning a bowl (or almost any turning) is grain tearout. Here is a video explaining what causes tearout and how to reduce/eliminate it. The video is by Lyle Jamieson- @hawkeye10 posted a question about Safe Drive Centers. Please see if you can offer any additional information and your experiences with this type of center- Expand Your Horizons- We are always looking for ways to speed up the drying process between the rough turn and the final turning. Carl Jacobson included a new to me method for drying in this video. My background/career in electronics should have led me to this idea a long time ago. Check out the use of the Easy Wood Tools, too! New Turning Items- I received an email from Woodturners Wonders featuring a new air powered random orbital sander. If you are in the market, it may be worth a look- https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/random-orbital-sanders/products/pros-variable-speed-random-orbital-sander Everything Else- Safe turning

From summer to winter in 3 days. You gotta love Pennsylvania weather! There's still time to get your ornaments into Easy Wood Tools and @Jim from Easy Wood Tools! If you are making some basic ones that will need finished, they have volunteers waiting! Check out @John Morris's post for more details and where to send them- Our Patriot Turners- Speaking of ornament, or turners have been busy! @Ron Altier sent our friends at Easy Wood Tools these beauties- There was a bit of confusion as to the identity of the maker but it all got straightened out in the end- Ron also showed us a new type of design that did not require any turning- Check out his post in the General Woodworking forum- Last week Ron posted a thread on his "Inside-Out" ornament. Several of our turners added to the discussion by showing us some of their work and procedures. Here is the post again so you can catch up- Ornaments weren't the only thing happening here this week! @JohnM got himself a mighty fine new (used) lathe. He received lot's of comments about his purchase- John was not the only one getting new stuff. @RustyFN got a great deal on a new chuck and a bunch of jaws! @Cliff put his metal working lathe to work and redesigned his wood lathe dust collector system. Check out his post for additional information and the discussion from our members- @Steve Krumanaker turned one of the most beautiful maple bowls you will ever see. The grain in the wood is stunning. More images and our members compliments are here- @Ron Altier asked if any of our turners had ever worked with one of these pen kits- The discussion that followed ventured into the area of pressure pots and stabilization- @Gene Howe posted a link to a shop made jig for sharpening gouges. It is similar to the Wolverine jig. Here is the link, however, you'll have to copy and then paste it into your browser. Our site software won't paste it directly as a link- http://lumberjocks.com/projects/397921 What’s Coming Up- Virginia Woodturning Symposium Sponsored by the Virginia Woodturners, Inc. November 3 & 4, 2018, Expoland - Fishersville, VA http://www.virginiawoodturners.com/?utm_source=Regional+Event+Virginia+10+12++2018+&utm_campaign=regional&utm_medium=email For The Newbies- I really appreciate @Gerald's suggestion for items in this new area. One f the first techniques for a new turner is making a spindle. Mastering this type of turning leads to all kinds of interesting projects- rolling pins, candle holders, salt/pepper devices, etc. Here is a 3 part video showing the various stages of creating a spindle that eventually becomes a spinning top- Of course there are many, many sources for learning to turn. Hands on instruction can't be beat. If there is a turning club in your area or a Woodcraft store, check them out! Expand Your Horizons- Last week I posted a video from the WyomingWoodturner on bowl embellishment. Here is one more from Sam Angelo showing the process in more detail- New Turning Items- Although I've never made one, canes are a popular item. If you are thinking about this as a project, you may find this item useful- More about this at there site- https://www.treelineusa.com/e-z-cane-handle-fastening-system.html Safe turning

Easy Wood Tools ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools ) carbide cutters are on sale at Craft Supplies USA until August 10th. 15% discount!!

If you been drooling over those Easy Wood Tools or need to get a couple of extra cutters, here's your chance- Click on the above image for the web page of the sale!

Sorry guys, not too much this week. Between subbing, doctor appointments, vet appointments and puppy training- shop time has been very limited. @PostalTom showed us a sweet little bowl he made for his woodturning club exchange challenge- Check out how Tom made sure the paper clips don't get away! @Gene Howe Sent me this link. It has some nice turning accessories, from Ron Brown, including several types of chucks. Check out Mr. Brown's website at- http://admailemail.com/view/47157c1/4881dc/ @Gerald asked a question about the finish we like to use on bottle stoppers. My personal favorite is oil based poly. It seems to stand up to handling and moisture. Why not checkout Geralds post and give him your favorite- Easy Wood Tools ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools ) is presenting free tool demonstrations this coming weekend. If you are near Buffalo Grove, IL or Orland Park, IL, why not stop in and try out these fantastic tools! Mike Peace put up a short video with some turning tips. A couple of great ideas- Holding lathe work can often be challenging. Turner devise all sorts of jigs/chucks to be able to turn their projects. Captain Eddy put up a video a little while back demonstrating some ideas for holding work- Safe turning

Another busy week here for the Patriot turners! @Ron Altier asked a question concerning the angle on the skew chisel- curved or straight? Seems most of your turners prefer the straight cutting edge. Why not head over to Ron's post and provide him with your preference- @oldwoodie Asked for our input on assembling pen kits. He is concerned about installing the pen refill in an older pen kit- He was also unsure about whether pressed in parts need to be glued in place- I know some of you have turned pens and you may be able to help him out. I have always had trouble trying to make my turning look more elegant. They always seem out of proportion or clunky. I've read about the "Golden Mean" and how it can be used to create a visually appealing product. And then there is the "Rule of Thirds". Which to use??? Here is some reference material to help make that decision (or make it more confusing). I pulled these from the Internet and have left the authors details within each- http://www.westbaywoodturners.com/tutorial/pdf_files/Woodturning_Design.pdf This link show a plane for creating a "golden section gauge"- http://www.goldennumber.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/golden-section-gauge.gif Finally a detailed video explanation of the Golden Mean and why it may not be so important. Be warned, the video is quite lengthy- While answering an email from another site, I found this marvelous turning site- http://hampstevens.com/ Mr. Stevens will graciously provide instructions on how to turn these seemingly impossible spheres. If interested, he can be contacted at- hamp@hampstevens.com @Jim from Easy Wood Tools and our friend from Easy Wood Tools posted a video introducing the Easy Wood Tools with Tracey Malady. This is a great video for those interested in getting started with Easy Wood Tools. You may have recently read that the Easy Wood Tools are now available in the UK! Our fellow turners, across the pond, will finally get to use the best turning tools on the planet! Not only are the EWT tools available in the UK but also the absolutely awesome Easy Wood Easy Chuck! It's always nice to be able to make your own turning tools instead of buying them. Mike Peace shows us how to make a beading tool and a captive ring tool in a couple of his latest videos. Safe turning

Somehow I missed this in yesterday's "Wisdom" Click on the image for more information!

The latest winter storm tracked about 75 miles east of the predicted position. We got nothin'. Sorry @Cliff. Last week we posted a site that sold threaded inserts. @HandyDan was curious about the installation. I wrote to the seller inquiring about specifics and this is his response- Hi Lewis, I send a tips sheet with the inserts but no real instructions other than to relieve just enough wood for the body and flange to fit snug and not to mix the epoxy until you are satisfied with the dry fit. The lid I make by gluing a plug on a flat piece that I turn till the plug fits, again sneaking up on the fit a bit at a time till satisfied, then mix some epoxy. I don't do videos but have a ton of photos in albums on the Facebook shop site that have cleared up a lot of questions on how I use them making out urns and Beads of Courage jars. Hope this helps, thanks for asking. Along those same lines, @Gene Howe mentioned he has seen mason jar lids used for threaded turnings. If you missed it, the entire post is here- Also, last week we posted a thread about @Steve Krumanaker's new laser engraver. Steve added another video showing the more of the laser's operation- Every Monday morning @John Morris posts the question asking what we have done and what we plan for the week. Well, one of our turners- @PostalTom was busy modifying his lathe set up for easier cleanup and use. Check out the pictures he posted and maybe you can get some ideas for your own shop! Scroll to the end of the "Monday Morning" post for Tom's pictures. Thanks for sharing this, Tom! Many of our turnings involve a glue-up of some sort. Patriot member @Gene Howe posted a link to a video featuring an ultraviolet light sensitive glue from Titebond. This might be something useful for your next segmented turning- I subscribe to the e-Tips from woodsmith. Every once in a while they post one for turners. This tip looked pretty neat as we turners usually have several tools pulled from the tool rack when turning a project. Here's the link to the video- https://cdn.woodsmith.com/etip/2018/02/lathe-tool-rack-SD.mp4 There are some turning symposiums coming up on the east coast. Easy Wood Tools will be in Atlanta for the Woodworking Shows next weekend- http://www.thewoodworkingshows.com/atlanta.html. The The Mid Atlantic Woodturners Association will be in Lancaster, PA at the end of September. You can check out the details here- http://www.mawts.com/ I picked up this video from the Easy Wood Tools Twitter feed (Thanks @Jim from Easy Wood Tools). The turner uses several of the EWT tools as well as their awesome chuck. I also spied another Easy Wood Tool product that I had not seen before. The EWT Live Center. Here's the video on making a VERY large pepper grinder. And here is additional information on the Live Center- http://www.easywoodtools.com/live-center-3/ Turner Mike Peace did a video on the various texturing tools available, including some shop made versions. This video is from a live demonstration and is a little longer than most. Turner @HandyDan sent me a link to this video. There were several really neat things that caught my eye (besides the fact that OSHA wasn't there). I thought the turners hand position, with his finger under the tool rest probably gave him extra control of the tools. The brilliance of the organic colors was unexpected. And, around 4:50 of the video, the helper uses an oil can. I thought at first it was for lubbing the lathe but I think it was something to apply to the colors. Thanks, Dan! Finally, The Woodturning OnLine newsletter came. One of the articles was a tutorial in pictures for making a suspended box- The article is by Bob Hamilton. http://bobhamswwing.com/Articles/Suspended Bowl/Suspended bowl Page 1.html The entire newsletter is here- http://www.woodturningonline.com/index.php Relatives will be here, for a week, beginning next Wednesday. Not sure if I can get a few minutes to do a "Wednesday's Wisdom". Safe turning

It's been a nice couple of days here, but winter is scheduled to return to the northeast tomorrow. Our turners have been busy with projects, ideas and questions. So let's get to it! Last week @HandyDan showed us a really neat way to created threaded inserts for turned objects. I happened across this site that sells brass metal inserts for that special project- They have many sizes. Their site is- https://www.fromwalnuttoantlers.com/shop @RustyFN posted a rough turned bowl he made. It sure is gorgeous! Rust wasn't certain of the wood species and several members offered opinions. Check out the complete thread- @Gerald got some turning blanks prepped and started on a vase. Nice laser rig! Read about his plans for his vase- @Steve Krumanaker gave us a demonstration of his shop made laser engraver. Talk about an awesome piece of equipment! Steve even included a video of the operation in his thread @Buck Nall posted a question about turning bradford pear wood. Several members offered suggestions. Check out his post and give Buck your opinion- @Gerald is considering setting up a stand in a consignment shop. He asked for thoughts and opinions on this. Stop over at his post and see if you can add to what has already been said- I was trying to catch up on some of Capt. Eddies' videos and he mentioned the Southwest Association of Turners turning symposium for this summer. It's in Waco Texas in August. Here's a link for more information- https://www.swaturners.org/index.php Also, our most generous sponsor, Easy Wood Tools, will be part of the Woodworkers Show in Milwaukee, WI on March 9-11,2018. More information here- http://www.thewoodworkingshows.com/milwaukee.html Mike Peace put up an informative video on live centers. He looks at some of the characteristics and various vendor. Pretty interesting- Capt.Eddie did a similar review of a specific brand here- A while back, we featured Tim Yoder making a platter with a "cosmic paint" scheme. He recently posted a another platter but uses a different approach to applying the paint. While you are watching the video, check out the Easy Wood Chuck! Safe turning

Check This Out! Maybe @Jim from Easy Wood Tools will be there!

I had great hopes of getting to the basement shop today. We awoke to this- Perfect turning weather! But, as the saying goes- Best laid plans... Ended up shoveling ice and sleet, from neighborhood driveways, for several hours, balancing my Mom's checkbook and getting her taxes done. Anyway, lots happening with our turner since last week. @DAB posted a sweet looking pine bowl he turned. Pine isn't easy to get a nice finish but Doug nailed it perfectly. Read the comments on his work, here- @Gene Howe gave us a link to a site that sells some neat sanding devices for turners (and all woodworkers)- Check the website for more- @Steve Krumanaker won a contest from Robust turning. Congrats, Steve,! @Steve Krumanaker also posted a piece turned by a member of the turner's club to which he belongs. Talk about creativity! Here's a little more on the piece- @Jim from Easy Wood Tools is looking for help in the Chicago area. This would be an excellent opportunity to show off your skills with the fantastic Easy Wood Tools product line. @Cliff posted a picture of using a router bit for a turning tool. Check it out, here- The Woodturning OnLine newsletter is available. As always there is a lot of great information. One thing that caught my attention was an article discussing Carving and Turning by Richard Wright. The article is a PDF document with many examples/pictures. http://www.capecodturners.org/home/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Carving-and-Turning.pdf Tim Yoder has a video up where he turns a Votive Candle Holder. Pay particular attention to the Easy Wood Chuck! If you ever get a chance to test drive this chuck, you will fall in love with it! Over the weekend I made an inertia sander. I bought the sleeve and bearing from Capt. Eddie. If you decide to make your own, be sure to drill the hole for the sleeve/bearing close enough to the handle end so the sanding disc doesn't rub against the end of the handle- don't ask how I know this. From icey southern PA Safe turning

If you are in or around Indianapolis this weekend Feb 2-4 2018, check out the Easy Wood Tools booth at the Woodworking Show! Sign up for a chance to win the Easy Wood Parting Tool!!

It finally got above freezing the past couple of days but the basement shop is lagging behind in the warm up. @Ksvet06 posed a question about sharpening lathe tools. He asked about grinders and sharpening jigs. Please look over his post and the responses. Let's give Zach all the help we can- @Gerald is working on hollow forms for the Beads of Courage (BOC) project- Check out what he has done for this very special cause- @Smallpatch is recreating a couple of chess pieces for a customer- Although Jesse says he's not a turner, you would never know it by how well these turned out! He tells us about the adventure here- When I used to use my diamond parting tool, it almost always gave me a ragged surface. Here's a video from Rick Turns illustrating how to regrind the parting tool for a cleaner cut- I must admit, I've abandoned my diamond parting tool in favor of the Easy Wood Tools parting tool. It creates clean cuts, no vibration and because it's a carbide tip- stays sharp a LONG time. In Last week's "Wednesday's..." we mentioned @Steve Krumanaker had a mishap when he inadvertently turned off his vacuum system. That got me to wondering if a shop made vacuum could be built. I found this PDF for making an inexpensive system. Not sure if I'll try it but thought it might give someone an idea. I believe the author is in England because the costs are in pounds and dimensions are metric. http://www.gaw.org.uk/blog/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Vacuum-chuck-for-£10-or-less.pdf The Woodturning OnLine newsletter arrived last week. As always there are interesting projects, articles and equipment. While scanning the "New and Hot" section I noticed this little jewel- Looks like this laser could be adapted to most any tool. It is available through Tim Yoders' site- http://www.wtwtim.com/elbotool.htm about half way down the page. The entire newsletter is at- http://www.woodturningonline.com/ Finally, here's an older video from Carl Jacobson turning a lidded vessel. Notice his use of the Easy Wood Tools hollower and the fantastic Easy Wood Chuck! Safe turning

@Jim from Easy Wood Tools created a distinctive new banner for the Woodturners Forum! It is absolutely SUPER! Thanks, Jim, we really appreciate you making our forum the snazziest one on the Patriot site!

Well I made it through the Christmas holiday- mostly by hiding out in the basement shop! Member @Cliff posed a question about salvaging a warped bowl blank. Check out some of the suggestions and see if you can give Cliff some help- @Steve Krumanaker posted a beautiful natural edge walnut bowl. Keeping that much bark intact is quite a feat!! Check out his post and the comments here- @HandyDan set me a link to a really cool video about making multiple copies of little wooden horses- on the lathe! Although the audio is in German (I think), it is really neat to see how they duplicated the horses. There are additional items being made on the lathe- all from a log round! I found a couple of videos on making platters. I think they are easier to make than bowls. First from Carl Jacobson- And the second one from Tim Yoder- Tim's video is a two parter and the second part is linked on his YouTube site. Also, check out Tim's use of the Easy Wood Chuck! While hiding out in the basement, I had the chance to experiment with a new (for me) turning media.I wanted to try my hand at some acrylic casting/turning. During a visit to Hobby Lobby, I found some "Alumilite" brand casting resin- Hobby Lobby has 40% off coupons which brought the price down to about $20. I've had a little experience with casting in the past. I really didn't want to have to buy molding materials for a simple turning so I stopped by the "Dollar Store" and bought a 3-pack of plastic cereal bowls- I figured this would make a fine mold to cast a blank for turning another bowl. Even if the resin didn't release the casting, I could just turn away the blue plastic. I must admit, that most of these ideas came from Carl Jacobson and Peter Brown's YouTube videos. Anyway, The little blue bowls held 2.5 cups of liquid. The resin pack was enough for 4 cups of liquid. Using Mr. Brown's idea of including a wooden lathe mounting piece molded into the casting and some extra filler, I figured I could get away with 2 cups of resin. I turned a bowl shaped piece of wood- not hollowed- for the mount and used a bunch of lathe shavings for the filler. Mixed up the resin and poured the blank. The instructions indicate that the ideal temperature is 70° or higher for the chemical reaction/hardening. Hmmm, 60° in the basement- the solution- My seed starter heating pad and a cardboard cover to trap the heat and 24 hours later, the results- Unmolding wasn't a problem either. I drilled a small hole on the center of the plastic bowl and used air pressure to pop the casting free. When I worked making casting, years ago, we either used vacuum chambers or pressure chambers to eliminate any tiny bubbles that may have been trapped in the casting material. I had neither method so I expected a few voids- I think if the casting would have been done in a warmer environment, there would not have been as many of these defects. I used the chuck screw to mount the blank to the lathe/chuck Turned the outside to shape and created a recess to reverse the blank. Sanded the outside to 12000 grit and then used Turtle Wax swirl and scratch remover. Reversed the blank and turned away the wooden insert leaving a support post to help hold the blank with the tailstock. Never having worked with this material before, I wasn't sure how thin I could make the walls. I left them a little over 1/4. Sanded/finished the outside the same way as the inside I think I need to run it through the dishwasher to clean out some of the tiny air bubble holes that trapped the Turtle Wax compound. Turned completely with Easy Wood Tools!! Safe Turning