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Snow and windy here tonight! Our Patriot Turners- @Woodbutcherbynight is cranking out wooden stemmed wine glasses. He is using segmented blanks to make these beauties- Check out his post and see the nice comments he received. Within that post, he also posted some gorgeous tool handles! Gunny wins the award this week for the most posts of projects! In addition to the glasses, he turned a fantastic little "Q-Tip Holder". He gives us an insight into how this handy item came about- @HandyDan added more information to his ornament and stand posting. Dan's tutorials are always well detailed and photographed. Check out the addition information- @Jim from Easy Wood Tools added some really great information to a resurrected post comparing Easy Wood Tools to some of the clones that have been showing up in the woodworking stores. Check it out so you don't buy a pig-in-a-poke! You may remember from last week that @Cliff donated his Easy Wood Tools winnings, from our Operation Ward 57 Adopt a Wounded Warrior Family, to @Pauley. Well Pauley received the tools and sent his thanks and gratitude for the generosity. What’s Coming Up- Bradley McCalister, from Spiracraft, has posted the dates he will be at the various woodworking show around the country- For The Newbies- Mike Peace posted a very interesting video on a shop made tool used for creating a chuck recess. This tool overcomes the drawbacks of many of the "store bought" tools- Sam Angelo gives us an insight into the differences between buffing and burnishing- Expand Your Horizons- Rick Turns added his list of December 2019 videos. New Turning Items- Ruth Niles sent out her latest newsletter. She has some great prices on her stainless steel stoppers- Here is the link to Ruth's website- https://nilesbottlestoppers.com/ Everything Else- Haven't been at the lathe this week. My Mom, who recently moved to an assisted living facility, wasn't happy with the only table in her living space. Finding one that would fit proved futile so I have been working on building one. Safe turning
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Easy Wood Tools currently uses Hickory for our PRO size Lathe Chisels. I personally don't love this choice.... pic of this tool is attached. I would rather use either cherry or walnut, just for the beauty factor. We use maple for all other tools (+stain), but I think the cherry or walnut would look nicer than the hickory for this product. So the poll question is: Which domestic hardwood do you think would be best for a full sized (20" handle)? 1) Hickory 2) Cherry 3) Walnut 4) Maple 5) Other (please specify) Thanks! Jim
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Twenty shopping days left until Christmas, just saying... Please don't forget that we are in the midst of our Adopt a Wounded Warrior Family project. We have exceeded our goal!!!! But, if you haven't added your contribution, it will make their Christmas just that much more memorable! Our Patriot Turners- New member @Masonsailor posted an awesome turning that will be part of a larger "Lazy Susan". Check out his post and some of the fabulous comments by our members- @FlGatorwood saved Thanksgiving, at his house, this year. What do you do when you need to mash taters and there's no masher? You make one!!! Check out how he did this in his post- @Bundoman is up to his mask in snowmen! Look at this plethora of little fellows (and ladies)! He received lots of great comments on these turnings- @Ron Altier showed us a new finish for his ornaments. The finish is hardened by sunlight- He explains more in this post- What’s Coming Up- Moving on down the west coast, here's a centrally located turners club- Click on the above image for the link to their web site. For The Newbies- Easy Wood Tools @Jim from Easy Wood Tools in conjunction with Tracey Malady, has a video demonstrating bowl turning using their product. You can see just how "Easy" these tools are to use! Expand Your Horizons- One more sea urchin ornament. This one is a bird house ornament by Mike Peace. New Turning Items- How about a jumbo drive spur!? This one is from Nova. Check out this link for more information- https://www.teknatool.com/product/nova-jumbo-drive-center-sku-9087/ Everything Else- Here's a chance to look at some awesome ornaments and vote for the one you like the most. I've been putting the new lathe through its paces. Continuing to work on Christmas bowls. The inside of each is turned and sanded. Now removing the tenon and finishing up the bottom. One of the turnings is destined to become a lidded vessel. The maple blank is roughed out and affixed to a glue block using a paper joint. Once it is finished, everything will get a mineral oil/beeswax finish. Safe turning
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Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving, tomorrow. Please don't forget that we are in the midst of our Adopt a Wounded Warrior Family project. We still need about $500 to meet our goal. While we are giving thanks for what we have, let us not forget about those who sacrificed so much to provide us with that opportunity. Our Patriot Turners- We have had an outstand running thread this past week from @MountainGaurdian. He is setting up his lathe and turning some really neat projects! There have tons of comments, questions and answers. Naturally, this item caught my eye- Please checkout his turnings and jump into the conversation! Ed, also asked us if we had any suggestions on what he could do with these little items- no smart aleck comments please . They are burls from his pine tree. Check his post and maybe you can offer some suggestions. @HandyDan posted a slick tip in our Woodturning Tips section. Pretty cool idea! What’s Coming Up- Last week we posted a turning club from the state of Washington. Heading south to Oregon- Click on the image for the link to this club. Our friends from Spiracraft have a list of all of the woodworking shows they will be attending in 2020. Here's the link for more information- https://spiracraft.com/the-woodworking-shows/ For The Newbies- Mike peace has a nice video explaining the use of faceplates when turning. Check out his shop made jig for assuring the faceplate is centered over the turning blank- Expand Your Horizons- Well, it's been a week of sea urchin turnings. Using these shells was quite popular some time back. Looks like was goes around, comes around. First, Cindy Drozda shared her two part video for creating an urchin ornament. Ms. Drozda has lots of great tips on preparing the urchin skeleton, as well as making her famous finials. Part 2 is linked from Ms. Drozda's YouTube channel. Not to be outdone, our ol' buddy Tim Yoder also posted his sea urchin ornament. Check out his use of those fabulous Easy Wood Tools! New Turning Items- Ruth Niles' newsletter came this week and I noticed she has added a couple of new items to her inventory. She now has 2 sizes of espresso coffee tampers - 53mm for home coffee makers and 57mm for commercial machines. https://nilesbottlestoppers.com/product/coffee-tamper/ She also has a meat tenderizer that can double as a cookie press! https://nilesbottlestoppers.com/product/meat-tenderizer/ The folks at Woodturners Wonders are running specials thru the month of November. Check out some of their products at- https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/specials Everything Else- The new lathe is up and running! I've started making Christmas presents from a walnut log. Not sure how old this piece is but it is bone dry. Turned and sanded the outside of each bowl using the faceplate. Now it's reversing the pieces and hollowing them. One of the pieces will have a maple lid with a knob. That one will go to my shop teacher. Some of the bowls have burned accent stripes and textured designs. For Mr. Ostrasky- I was watching Bradley McAllister on monday and he was complimenting the folks at Easy Wood Tools by quickly dispelling the myth that carbide tools can't produce long wooden shavings. It reminded me of something I read on another turning forum about how you can't get smooth surfaces from carbide cutters. This is the surface of the walnut using the Easy Wood R2 negative rake cutter ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools )- No ripples!! Safe turning
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Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only a week away! I'll be subbing tomorrow so I guess the kids will be getting wound up! You may have noticed the new green banner at the top of the Patriot web pages. Our annual Adopt A Wounded Warrior Family Christmas Drive has started. Each year, we open our hearts and our wallets to make sure a deserving family has a memorable Christmas. Our goal, this year, is $1500 but we are only half way there with just 30 days left to make this their best Christmas ever. To encourage you to donate, our very generous sponsors have provided some awesome prizes. The more you donate, the better your chances of picking up a really fantastic item! Complete details are here- Our Patriot Turners- With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, our turners are cranking out the ornaments! @Ron Altier displayed some of his gorgeous creations for us. Check out the members comments in his post- @HandyDan has been in production mode with his ornaments. Actually I think he must have one of those Star Trek duplicators! Dan tells us how he created this batch of beauties! Dan also posted a great tutorial on how he created the burned lines on his lighthouses. Check out the neat devices he uses to hold the wire! @Woodbutcherbynight posted a super idea for using metal letter/number stamps. His idea is a real "finger saver"! In his post, he explains how he made this neat holder- What’s Coming Up- With winter coming on, not a lot of major shows/symposiums. I thought it might be nice to turn our attention to some of the regional groups/clubs. Click on the above image for the link to this club and some of its' activities. For The Newbies- Turning blank drying can be a crap shoot. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Three YouTube turners have collaborated to try and see if some of the drying factors can be related to climate/location. Sam Angelo, Mike Peace and Larry Randolf are experimenting and posting their results. First Sam introduces us to the idea- Then Mike Peace adds his input- Expand Your Horizons- We are still seeing lots of hybrid acrylic/wood turnings being produced. Recently, our very generous sponsor- Easy Wood Tools ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools ) posted a video of a "Dragon Egg" being turned using their new negative rake cutter- New Turning Items- Here's an item that might be the perfect Christmas gift- Click on the image for the link to this product. Everything Else- Cindy Drozda has a new instructional DVD about her "Finial Star". Ms. Drozda, without a doubt, makes some of the most graceful finials anywhere. Safe turning
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Remember- Our Patriot Turners- @Gerald is trying out some new coloring techniques. His turning/coloring really creates some interesting designs in the wood! Please head on over to Geralds post and let him know how much you like this piece- Gerald also showed us a round hollow form that his coloring really made the grain of the wood stand out! Gerald explains what he did in his post @HandyDan gave us a really nice set of pictures on how he made his baby rattles- Check out his post to see what all went into making these beauties! @Gene Howe gave us a heads up on a video that should be mandatory viewing for every person who operates a lathe. Thanks Gene. What’s Coming Up- If you are near Provo, Utah, Craft Supplies USA is offering several turning workshops- Click on the above image for the link to more information and registration. Also- Again, clicking on the above image will connect you to more information and registration to this event. For The Newbies- When you start to turn bowls, you generally have two options for obtaining wood. Buy the mostly dried blank or find a freshly cut tree. In either case, unless you turn the bowl from start to finish in one sitting, drying the wood between turnings may be necessary. Rick Turns found a cool and inexpensive way to slow the drying process and reduce the chance of checking and cracking- Expand Your Horizons- Everyone knows I'm a "jig junky". Here's a video showing a shop made jig to use for turning Twisted Boxes. New Turning Items- Last week we displayed a basket weave illusion bowl from @Billy B. If you were interested in trying your hand at this awesome technique, Chef Ware Kits has what you need to get started- Find more on the lits and prices at- https://chefwarekits.com/Basket-Weave-Kits-c9880431 The folks at Woodturners Wonders have a new device to hold your dust collection hose. It is flexible and adjustable! Find out more about it at- https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/lathe-track/products/trac-vac-flexible-dust-collector Everything Else- Donations- I copied and pasted this from @John Morris. It would be great if each of us turners could help out! "We usually have a fundraiser raffle during the summer to help pay for our community, but my health took a dive this summer, and I never had the time nor the mind to organize our annual summer fundraiser, so we are falling short of our budgetary obligations. We will be very tight. If you are able to donate to our community, a dollar on up, it all helps." If you'd like to donate to our community, please see this page at https://thepatriotwoodworker.com/clients/donations/ I finally put the finish on the little walnut "spaceship"- Turned completely with Easy Wood Tools mini hollowers and their micro detailer ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools ) Safe turning
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Here's hoping those Patriot members, in or near the path of hurricane Dorian, are safe and well. Our Patriot Turners- @Billy B posted information about his latest basket weave illusion. If you haven't seen his work, you MUST head over to his post and see the miracle transformation he does with a piece of maple! To say our turners were impressed is an understatement- What’s Coming Up- The Ohio Valley Woodturning Guild's symposium is October 17-20. Click on the above image for the link to more information and registration. For The Newbies- Turners often would like to sell their pieces but may not always know what route to take. The "Router Forums" has an article that may answer some of those questions. Clicking on the above image will direct you to the article. Easy Wood Tools ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools ) shared a great video on bowl turning. The Easy Wood turning tools really do make turning a lot easier! Expand Your Horizons- Arguably, Cindy Drozda is the master of finial turning. Her skills at the lathe are reflected in all her work. In this recently posted Youtube video, she demonstrates her skills. Use this link to view the video as it cannot be embedded- https://youtu.be/qL0czX5iQjc If tiny is your thing, check out Tim Yoder's recent post on making goblets! Listen for Tim's endorsement of the Easy Wood Chuck at about 45 seconds into the video! New Turning Items- The folks at Woodturners Wonders are stocking a new sharpening system for lathe tools. The Kodiak Sharpening system, used in conjunction with your grinder, helps make sharpening easier and more accurate. Check it out at- https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/kodiak-sharpening-systemhttps://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/kodiak-sharpening-system Spiracraft is now stocking pressure pots and vacuum chambers as well as resin casting chemicals and supplies. Check out their new stuff at- https://shop.spiracraft.com/product-category/resin-casting/ Everything Else- Rick turns posted his August update for YouTube woodturning videos. Thank You, Rick! Seems like it has been months since I was able to spend time at the lathe. You may remember my failure as I was practicing a hollow vessel. Failure or re-design opportunity. I hate to give up. The hollow vessel was turning into a small oddly shaped bowl. Maybe I could make a lid! Now, the astute observer will notice that an item that has often been the brunt of jocularity has been replaced. The little bowl has a hat! The outside spiraling was done with a Sorby spiraling tool. The inside spirals were a happy accident using the new Easy Wood Tools mini straight hollower. The little hat needed a top OK, I took it a little farther. I wanted to try something different. The spiral embellishment is covered with copper leaf. The texture telegraphed through the copper but I probably should have cut the spiral a little deeper to provide more definition. I still need to finish the entire piece with a protective coating. Probably clear gloss poly. It was turned completely with Easy Wood Tools- with the exception of the spiral detail. I am calling this piece- "Klaatu Barada Nikto". Safe turning
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It's been a busy week for me but no turning. Computer upgrades and a 1960's tube type stereo problem. Can you believe a 6GW8 vacuum tube is $49.95 + shipping!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our Patriot Turners- @HandyDan posted a pictorial journey of a super cane he made. He explained how he made this beauty and gave us some really great tips! Please check out Dan's post and see how he did this- @Ron Altier used his new Easy Wood Tools faceplate to turn a sweet little pine box. He explained how he felt about the new faceplate in his post- Ron also posted a picture of the new faceplate. Everyone who has used the Easy Wood Tools faceplates agreed with his assessment. @Gerald showed us a "twisted" box he turned. At first I thought it might have been made on a Legacy lathe but Gerald explained how he did it- @Jim from Easy Wood Tools shared a video with us from the "Dread Knot Workshop". This really demonstrates what can be done with the new Easy Wood Tools mini hollowers! What’s Coming Up- The American Association of Woodturners 33rd Annual International Symposium Raleigh, North Carolina July 11-14, 2019 Registration can be done at- https://www.woodturner.org/page/2019RaleighRegistration For The Newbies- @Gerald shared a link to a video series on Beginning Woodturning. The videos are from Fine Woodworking and the author is Mike Mahoney. You can find the link in Gerald's post- We all know lathe chucks are expensive. Every once in a while we might stumble into a good deal but unfortunately the chuck threads and the headstock spindle may not match. Mike Peace put up a video explaining how spindle adapters/inserts may just allow you to take advantage of that good deal- Expand Your Horizons- Some time during the past couple of weeks, one of our turners posted a recommendation for a turning text. I believe it was @Steve Krumanaker. Steve wasn't sure if he did it but he knew the book I was trying to reference. Click on the above image for a link to Amazon to see more about this book. New Turning Items- The folks a Woodturners Wonders have a new respirator available. I'm not sure how this would work with a face shield- Check out the specifications at- https://woodturnerswonders.com/products/cleanspace2-respirator Everything Else- In case you missed the separate post on this https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/woodturning-monthly/?utm_medium=email Tim Yoder has a two part video on turning "Drink Covers". Tim's videos are always a treat to watch. Check out his use of his Easy Wood Tools!!! Part 2 is linked from Tim's YouTube page. Safe turning
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A lot to cover this week so we'll jump right in! Our Patriot Turners- @Jim from Easy Wood Tools not only sells the best turning tools available, he knows how to use them, too! Gorgeous walnut bowl!!! Check out Jim's post and the wonderful comments he received on this beauty! @Bob Hodge showed us a fantastic cherry bowl he turned and embellished with some of the gems his wife collected. Please see Bob's post for an explanation of how he added the gems and all of the great comments and tips our members provided. @Gerald is our big winner this week for new posts! He continues his collection plate progress. He showed us a surprise he found inside one of the pieces of pecan he is using- You can check his progress in this post- Gerald was also kind enough to give us a link to a video about "What You Need to Know to Get Started on the Lathe". Check his post for the link and comments from some of our turners- He even turned a neat pill box! He received some good natured kidding about the size of the pill that might be contained therein- Gerald had a visitor, in his shop, this week. His grandson came by and they turned a platter together. I have fond memories of being in my grandfather's workshop. @Ron Altier is in full swing making ornaments. Ron creates some spectacular art using the "Spectraply". Check Ron's post for more details about this piece and the great comments he received. @HandyDan gave us a heads up on lathe chucks for sale at Grizzly. The prices looked pretty good. What’s Coming Up- Click on the above image for the link to more information. For The Newbies- When we first start turning, we seem to concentrate on what lathe tools we should purchase. When actually one of the first things we need to concentrate on is safety. Craft Supplies USA has a sale on Trend Airshield equipment. https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/t/89/Safety-Supplies?b=Trend&utm_source=csusa&utm_medium=email&utm_content=sale&utm_campaign=19-june-trend Expand Your Horizons- Lyle Jamieson has a short video covering some tips on sanding turnings with voids and natural edges. New Turning Items- @Jim from Easy Wood Tools showed us a new set of Easy Wood Mini Hollowing Tools. If you turn smaller items, this is the perfect size set of tools! They have excellent stability and control. The negative rake cutters reduce the chances of catches. Easy Wood Tools has done it again!!!!! Everything Else- "We are a woodworking community with an emphasis on sharing and learning the skilled craft of woodworking and all of its related disciplines. Our community is open to everyone who wishes to join us. We support our American veterans and active duty, being a veteran is not a prerequisite to join." With that in mind, I am throwing out this idea. Here's a video from Capt. Eddie. Please watch it and consider if maybe the Patriot Turners could get involved. Let me know what you think. Safe turning
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Today Easy Wood Tools announced a new set of Mini Easy Hollowing Tools to the world. We are very proud of these tools and I am sure they will be a hit! The thing we don't really advertise and you guys here at TPW should know is that @Steve Krumanaker and @lew were a critical part of our team in developing these tools. They both tested, critiqued and provided invaluable input into the development of these tools. They've had had prototype sets in their shops for several months now. We went through several variations of prototypes and came up with what I think is a great set of new tools. Many thanks to Steve and Lew, you guys are good!
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Past couple of days have been beautiful here in South Central PA. Too nice to even get into the shop. Fortunately, our turners have been busy. Our Patriot Turners- @Bob Hodge asked a question about a root ball he received. Please take a moment to check out Bob's post and see if you can offer any suggestions. @Gerald continues with his collection plate project. He showed us of his recent wood gathering expedition. Gerald also posed a question to our group about their ideas on using a reversing adapter to assist in truing up the bowl blank. If anyone can give him some ideas, I'm sure he will appreciate it. What’s Coming Up- The AAW Raleigh Woodturning Symposium is coming up soon! Click on the above image for the link to more information. For The Newbies- Cap't Eddie posted a nice little project that would be perfect for the seamstress in your life. The turning makes a nice transition project from spindle turning into small bowl turning. Expand Your Horizons- Mike peace has done a video on stabilizing wood. He takes us through the process and even some modifications of his vacuum chamber. Be sure to read the comments left by some of the viewers for additional useful information. New Turning Items- In the past, if you wanted to purchase the Yorkshire Grit/Hampshire Sheen products here in the states, there were very few sources. Spiracraft is now a distributor for these products. Brad McCalister, an Easy Wood Tools promoter, has his shop up and running! Check it out at- https://shop.spiracraft.com/product-category/wax-finishes-abrasive-pastes/ Everything Else- Living in the boonies, as I do, means a day trip to the nearest full-fledged woodworking store. A lot of purchases are made on line and often from Amazon. I use Amazon Smiles to support Home For Our Troops. I recently discovered that many of the more popular woodturners (YouTube turners) have their own Amazon "stores". If you make a purchase through their store portal, they receive a portion of the sale. If you use Amazon for your woodturning items, maybe consider helping them out. I'm sure there must be more but here's two- https://www.amazon.com/shop/thewoodshoptv https://www.amazon.com/shop/mikepeacewoodturning I posted this earlier as a separate item but in case you missed it, Easy Wood Tools are on sale from Craft Supplies USA. Check out the savings!! I'm sure @Jim from Easy Wood Tools will appreciate the business!!!!!!! http:// https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/t/131/Carbide-Insert-Turning-Tools?b=Easy-Wood-Tools&utm_source=csusa&utm_medium=email&utm_content=sale&utm_campaign=19-may-ewt The latest Woodturning OnLine newsletter is available at- https://www.woodturningonline.com/index.php?edition=052019 I found the first video interesting- Sometime back, I experimented with a similar idea- Alumilite and wood shavings. No pressure pot or vacuum chamber but it came out pretty cool. Safe turning
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If you are hoping to get a great deal on those FANTASTIC Easy Wood Tools, here's your chance!! Don't miss out!!! https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/t/131/Carbide-Insert-Turning-Tools?b=Easy-Wood-Tools&utm_source=csusa&utm_medium=email&utm_content=sale&utm_campaign=19-may-ewt
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Some interesting stuff happening this past week here with the Patriot turners! Our Patriot Turners- @Steve Krumanaker turned a cowboy hat!!!!!!!!!!! He showed us some pictures and explained the process in his post. You gotta see this!!!!!!! @Mijohnson1984 showed us some really sweet mallet handles he turned. Lots of great comments were provided by our members. Read how he got the finish these- Matthew also asked for advice on storage of spalted wood. Several members provided him with their experiences and even a link to a video on the subject- @Artie asked a question concerning Easy Wood Tools. He is new to turning and inquired about where to purchase these them. Our members had lots of advice and information. As the discussion continued, it branched off to the area of safety equipment and this garnered even more comments from the group. What’s Coming Up- Click on the above image for the link to the registration/information page. Thanks to our friends at Easy Wood Tools for the heads up on this event. For The Newbies- Well, turning spindles can get old pretty fast (unless you try the Skew chisel and then it's always exciting). Here's a site that has lots of ideas for the new turner. Simple projects that make great gifts and will help develop your turning skills/experiences. http://www.stevefreemanonline.com/2017/01/wood-turning-projects-for-beginners/ Expand Your Horizons- I think @Steve Krumanaker has this one covered this week. Let's keep watching his post as he finishes up his cowboy hat! New Turning Items- Ruth Niles has introduced a new style bottle stopper. The "Cosmopolitan" series is available in both FDA grade stainless steel and brass. This product line has stoppers that fit both wine or whiskey bottles. Check out Ruth's site for these and all her great products- https://nilesbottlestoppers.com/ Everything Else- A while back I mentioned reading about a procedure for preventing bowl blanks from warping/splitting/checking during the turning and drying process. Although it seems to fly in the face of common sense, part of the drying process in to soak the blank in a soap and water mixture. An acquaintance gave me two locust log pieces that had been recently harvested. Having had little success turning locust in the past, this seemed like an excellent opportunity to experiment. Within a day or two of picking up the logs, I converted them into round bowl blanks about 5" thick and a little over 10" in diameter. I coated the circumferences with TiteBond II. I got that idea from a Mike Peace video. It has been more successful in preventing cracks and splits that using latex paint. A couple of weeks went by before I had a chance to turn the blanks into bowls. In the meantime I scored a small dried cherry log section. So now I had two species to test. I turned the green locust blanks a couple of days apart. Turned each to the typical first turning dimensions with wall thickness of about 1/10 of the diameter. After turning, I put the rough blank in a solution of Dawn dishwashing liquid and water (1:6 ratio). The submerged blanks soaked for 3 days. At the end of the 3 days, I pulled the blanks and transferred them to paper bags of shavings where they stayed for 3 weeks. While I was waiting for the locust to hangout in the shavings, I started in on the cherry log. I turned it to a rough blank, put it in the solution for 3 days, pulled it and went straight back to the lathe. I was a little worried about the color change but very happy about the shape and absolutely no cracks. Mounting it on the lathe and starting the finish turning the true color of the cherry came back out- Completed the turning and sanded. Notice the shape. Virtually no warping! This piece is currently waiting a finish. Back to the locust. I pulled the first blank, from the shavings, on Saturday. I couldn't believe how much weight it had lost in only 21 days. Typically, 3 to 6 months are required to get to this point! The dark color, from the soak, had completely disappeared, too, and no warping!!! Bottom view of the recess for the chuck jaws. I stopped here but thought the walls could be a little thinner. This is about 1/4". Eventually the walls are turned to about 3/16". Bottom foot. Inside (with thinner walls). Here's where I messed up. When I turned the walls to the 1/4" thickness, I was called away and didn't get back to the lathe for a couple of days. During that time the bowl warped slightly so that during the final turning/sanding, the walls do not have a consistent thickness. I need to do the turning and sanding all at one then if there is any warping, it will not change the wall thicknesses. Beeswax and mineral oil finish. Safe turning
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I missed putting this in the Wednesdays Wisdom... post. A chance to pick up the new Easy Wood Tools ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools ) Micro Detailer from Woodcraft. You need to have a Facebook account to participate. A link to the facebook entry-
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Starting with the bad news first- just 5 days left until your Income Taxes are due. Our Patriot Turners- @Steve Krumanaker turned a bunch of garden dibbles as practice for a demo he was preparing for the turning club to which he belongs. Lots of comments and some questions about the project. Steve also followed up on how the demonstration went. See Steve's entire post at- @Ron Altier created more ornament magic with the colored plywood. He certainly is the master of these items- Ron explains his turning at- @Gerald continues to refine the offering plates he has been commissioned to create. He added to his post showing us the color and additional aspects of the project- Check out the updates here- Gerald also posted a nifty tip about filling holes in a turning. It is in our Turning Tips section. If you have a tip to offer or readers, please be sure to post it! What’s Coming Up- Click on the above image for the link to more information and registration. For The Newbies- Looking for a project that will make a nice gift and help you explore several woodturning techniques? Mike Peace posted a "how-to" video for making a screwdriver. He shows us a couple of ways to get the hardware- If you are a little more advance, or just want to see some techniques that may be new to you, David Marks' video on bowl turning techniques may fill the bill- Expand Your Horizons- In the patriot Woodworking forum, there has been an ongoing thread about creating an "old barnwood" finish. Sandblasting was mentioned as a possible method. Well, Tim Yoder uses sandblasting as a way to embellish a turning- making it look very old and weathered. This is a 2 part video set. Part 2 is linked from Tim's channel- New Turning Items- Recently, Easy Wood Tools ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools ) released their new negative rake cutters for all of their turning tools. Designed for the turners who work primarily with resins and acrylics; these cutters also work awesomely on hardwoods. If you haven't tried them, you owe it to yourself to check them out. Carl Jacobson recently posted a video showing these cutters in action- Sometimes you just need a light in places where your light doesn't fit or you need that third hand to hold the light. Cindy Drozda has just the thing. A miniature, magnetized LED lamp- Specifications and ordering information is available on Ms. Drozda's site- http://www.cindydrozda.com/html/Microlight.html Everything Else- Rick Turns has put up the YouTube list of March woodturning video. This is a tremendous amount of work for Rick. If you check these out, PLEASE leave a comment for Rick- The April issue of the Woodturning OnLine newsletter is available. Check out the first video on creating a "half twist" bowl. It's really neat! https://www.woodturningonline.com/index.php?edition=042019 I did finally get a chance to finish up a couple of turnings and to do a little more Easy Wood Tools practice. The elm hollow vessel finally finished. I think I kept the Starbond company in business with the amount of CA used to keep this thing together- I was gifted some wood from an acquaintance whose father passed away. One of the smaller pieces was "Sweet Gum". This was my first experience with this wood. It was easy to turn and sand. This particular piece was a little punky- A little more finial practice. Just turned, no sanding. Maple- you gotta love those EWT negative rake cutters- Safe turning
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Another lovely day here south central Pennsylvania. Maybe spring is on the way! Our Patriot Turners- Member @Bob Hodge asked us how we store our sanding supplies. Several members offered some suggestions. Please check out Bob's post and let him know what you do- Bob also asked for input on a lathe purchase. Specifically, our thoughts on belt driven vs. electronic speed controls. There were several opinions offered on what to look for and why. In the thread, @Artie expanded the question to include some advice on turning tools. The consensus seemed to be that Artie consider Easy Wood Tools because of their easy to learn/use and no sharpening required. Please head over to the post and see if you can add additional information- @Gerald added more information to his post on the Offering Plates he is prototyping. @Ron Altier did repair on one of his beautiful ornaments. Judging from the picture, you would never have known it was damaged! Ron explains what he did in this post- Our own @Steve Krumanaker is becoming quite the YouTube star! Here is a video he recently posted showing us a shop made "slip drive". Please leave your comments on his YouTube channel! It takes a tremendous amount of work to produce a video like this. Show Steve you appreciate what he has done- What’s Coming Up- The Mid Atlantic Woodturning Symposium will be coming up later this year. lick on the above image for the link to the symposium's site and registration information. For The Newbies- A couple of weeks ago we posted a link to the most recent issue of the Woodworker's Journal Turning Magazine. One of the videos, by Ernie Conover, was how to drill holes on the lathe. For those who missed it, here is the video. Lots of great tips and techniques- Here is a continuation of sharpening techniques, by Carl Jacobson. This video explains the use of additional jigs. Remember- EASY WOOD TOOLS never need sharpening (Big Grin)!!! Expand Your Horizons- I turn a bowl or vase and am pleased with the results. Maybe it is a little neanderthal, but I'm learning. Tim Yoder shares the work of Ron Fleming- abilities I can only dream of- New Turning Items- Lyle Jamieson is offering a new "Jumbo Bar" for his hollowing system. Here is the link to Mr. Jamieson's site and the system information- https://lylejamieson.com/shop/ Everything Else- Well, the rough turned locust bowl blank came out of the water/soap solution, after 3 days. No cracks, no warping. It is now resting is a paper bag/shaving environment. I turned a second blank (10" diameter, 4" tall and about 1" thick) soaked 3 days and it is also in a bag full of shavings. In about 3 weeks we will see if the experiment is a success. Safe turning
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Just a reminder, Friday March 29th is Vietnam Veterans Day Our Patriot Turners- @Gerald is turning one of his beautifully colored bowls for a present. He received lots of positive comments on the project. Check out his post on the turning- @RustyFN was also in the bowl turning mode! He showed us his latest beauty- a large maple bowl Lots of positive feedback on this one, too! Head on over to Rusty's post and let him know how much you appreciate his work- Member @Big B posted images of a hollow form he recently turned. The wood is Camphor. There are more images of this spectacular piece in the gallery. Please check it out and leave your comments for Brian. In last weeks "Wednesday's Wisdom..." @Woodbutcherbynight showed us a new gobblet he is working on- Check out what he said about this turning- What’s Coming Up- Click on the above image for the link to the show's website and registration information. For The Newbies- As much as we'd like to believe that everyone of our turners use Easy Wood Carbide Tools, we know that most new turners start with a second hand set of traditional turning tools. Even us Easy Wood Tools users have a few HSS tools around! Traditional tools require sharpening (one of the disadvantages- hint, hint ). Carl Jacobson posted a nice video on sharpening, including some jigs and tips. Notice the CBN wheel on Carl's grinder. The folks at Woodturners Wonders have some excellent prices on these wheels- https://woodturnerswonders.com/ Expand Your Horizons- @Gerald gave us a heads-up on an awesome turning site. There is something there for everyone- tips, techniques, projects, tool making, jig making and more!!! Bookmark this site for future reference!! http://aroundthewoods.com/ New Turning Items- Ruth Niles has a Meat Tenderizers set. They are made of FDA food grade 304 18-8 stainless steel and are made in America. More information about this set is at Ruth's site- https://nilesbottlestoppers.com/product/tenderizer-set/ Everything Else- To paraphrase "The Carpenters"- 'Rainy days and mondays always gets me to the basement shop' or something like that. I received a few big pieces of freshly cut locust. In the past, I've tried to make a large bowl from this species but it always cracked during drying. This time I'm going to try the water/dishwashing soap method. Started with this- Rough turned it to a 1" thick bowl and put it in the solution Monday afternoon. According to everything I read, I should be able to pull it out on Thursday and then move it to a paper bag full of shavings. Then wait 3 weeks to do the finish turning. The folks who gave me the locust wouldn't take any money for the wood so while I had the lathe fires up, I turned a wine bottle stopper as a gift. Safe turning hkjj
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First day of spring!!!!!!!!! Let's hope Mother Nature cooperates with the calendar! Our Patriot Turners- @HandyDan has upped his game with the pens he makes. Dan shows us how he changes the finish on the pen parts- He explains the process using a video he found on YouTube- What’s Coming Up- Click on the above image for a link to the show's web site. If you are anywhere near Lexington, KY this coming weekend, here's something you don't want to miss! A super chance to pick up some of those great Easy Wood Tools ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools )!!! For The Newbies- If you are lucky someone will offer free wood from a felled tree. "Green" wood is really fun to turn. Shaving peel off in long ribbons and the natural beauty of the wood comes through. Most of us can't just drop everything and immediately turn the piece. Setting it aside for later is not a good idea. The problem with green wood is that as it dries it will crack, often to the point of being unusable. Prepping the piece is essential for getting the most from the wood. Carl Jacobson posted a video illustrating the proper techniques to saving your green logs for later use. Carl mentions using water and dishwashing liquid detergent for preserving the wood as well. I recently read about this article in the Woodworker's Journal explaining about drying your turnings. It includes the water/detergent method along with a few others. http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/options-for-drying-green-bowl-blanks/ Expand Your Horizons- Natural edge bowls always attract attention. They combine the beauty of nature along with the artistic lines of the turner. Recently Carl Jacobson posted a video of a natural edge "box". Carl's was made from a maple burl but any beautiful wood could be used- I'm thinking Manzanita Root! New Turning Items- The folks at Woodturners Wonders have put together a really nice sanding package. If you use compressed air sanding units this might be for you- Check out the details at- https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/specials/products/super-simple-sanding-bundle Everything Else- ...and sometimes the dragon wins... Safe turning
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Busy week with substituting and Mom errands so not really much shop time. Our Patriot Turners- @HandyDan posted some fantastic pens he created from shell casings and inexpensive click pens. These are real beauties! Dan received lots of great comments on this one! Dan also showed us another inside-out vase he made along with a description of how he overcame a problem. @Ron Altier asked for our advice on a turning that has him stumped. Please head over to his post and see if you can give him some ideas- What’s Coming Up- The Woodworking Shows will be in Collinsville, IL this weekend February 8 thru 10. Our friends from Easy Wood Tools will be there! Click on the above image for the link to more information. For The Newbies- Mike Peace has been posting videos on various aspects of the scroll chuck. In this recent video he examines different methods of Reverse Chucking a bowl. He includes several shop made devices. The reverse chuck allows the turner to finish the outside bottom of a bowl. Expand Your Horizons- @Gene Howe sent me a link to this video on turning a "square" bowl. The author of the video spends some time at the start showing how to make wooden faceplates. These make excellent glue/waste blocks. Another method- with less work- is to get a tap that matches the headstock threads and cut threads directly into the wooden block. New Turning Items- I think I had mentioned this in the past but didn't really have any hands on experience with it. I spent my Christmas cash and this came today! I really like the versatility of this center. First, there is the ability to adjust the length of the center "point". It can be buried in the center and used as a cup center or adjusted to any length up to about 1". The longer, small diameter point lets the tools get closer to the center of the turning. The point is secured with a standard Allen wrench (included). Next is the threaded section for the addition of accessories like cones or larger point- both available from ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools ) The threads are 3/4 x 10 standard threads so a tap would be easy to get to create your own accessories. I made my own tap, for wooden accessories, from a bolt and Dremel tool. Of course, as with all Easy Wood Tool products it is made in the good ol' U. S. of A. Everything Else- Tim Yoder has a 2 part video on turning a handy kitchen item- a paper towel holder. Tim's videos are always enjoyable and great learning tools. Part 2 is linked from Tim's YouTube Channel- Safe turning
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On January 3, I got a PM from One of our members, @Dadio, that literally left me speachless. (Doesn't happen often!) "Hi John, I am looking for home for the Raffle prize I won, the woodturning tools set. I am not a turner,and don't have a lathe, not interested in getting into turning any time soon,so I don't need the tools. If you would be interested, I will arrange with John for you to claim the Easy Tool Certificate. Herb" Upon recovering my composure, I got back to Herb and informed him that I would be DELIGHTED! Long story short, today a brown van stopped in front, and the driver handed me a long parcel. The best present I got for Christmas 2018! @John Morris has already informed me that I'll have to try them out and post about my experience, which I will certainly do, as soon as my little plumbing job is finished. It's been a few years since I turned anything, and I am really looking forward to it! Meanwhile, a big THANK YOU to Herb. I would have said he's one of a kind, but there are more like him on this site. Thanks also to Easy Wood Tools for their support of our site. John
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Woodcraft has their Easy Wood Tools ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools ) on sale until December 31, 2018- 10% discount!!! And, if you buy $35 or more they will throw in FREE shipping! Might be a great way to use some of that Christmas Cash that Santa left. https://www.woodcraft.com/categories/easy-wood-tools?trk_msg=EDTF891G0N2KLA5JPKOG98O730&trk_contact=QNSFAEQ45HFA1IHE09ORJKR45S&trk_sid=2DOUC4P1J1GC4CAVP8GMIA3TOO&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Easy+Wood+Tools&utm_campaign=End+of+the+year+means+an+end+to+these+deals
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Well, I hope everyone is recuperating from the hustle and bustle of the Christmas holiday and that you all got at least one thing you had on Santa's List. Our Patriot Turners- @Steve Krumanaker posted a couple of bowls he recently completed. As always, Steve's design, choice of woods and finishes are impeccable . Steve's post has more images and descriptions of what he has done. Please head on over there check out the post in its' entirety- A couple of weeks ago, @hawkeye10 asked us how he could hold work pieces to make legs for a small table. He finished up the legs (and table) and it is gorgeous. There is so much great woodworking going on in his project, you just have to check it out for yourself- Here's the complete post including images of the table build- What’s Coming Up- 111 W. General Cavazos Blvd. Kingsville, Texas 78363 Click on the image for more details. For The Newbies- Big shout out to @HandyDan for the heads up on this video from Ernie Conover. It's all about drilling on the lathe. In many instances this is faster, easier and more accurate than trying to drill with a drill press. Expand Your Horizons- Back in October, @Steve Krumanaker spent a week enjoying a woodturning class from Glenn Lucas. One of the important aspects Steve mentioned was the shape of a bowl. Here's a video discussing bowl shapes. Steve stressed the importance of pleasing bowl shapes. This video is more about reading the wood and the eventual bowl shape. New Turning Items- Not exactly new but the Easy Wood Tools negative rake cutters are now available for all of the Easy Wood Tools ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools). Craft Supplies USA has a short video demonstrating these cutters on man made materials. The finish is awesome! If your lathe doesn't have a built in indexing device, Mike Peace has a video illustrating how he built a really nice addition to his (or any) lathe. The index wheel (and a complete kit) is available from- https://www.chefwarekits.com/basket-weave-illusion-wood-burning-carving-tools/ez-index-wheel-steel-12in-dia-for-woodturning.html Everything Else- A two part video from Tim Yoder creating a hollow vessel, well sorta. Part 2 is linked from Tim's YouTube site. Safe turning
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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
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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
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