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Been one of those computer days from He$$ Our Patriot Turners- @AndrewB converted some logs into turning stock the old fashioned way- hammer and wedge!!! A lot of work! New member @DeVere posted some images of the musical instruments he builds. These are some fantastic items!! Please check these out and give him some feedback. @windward woodturning added additional information to his post on deep pour epoxy. Great observations and reviews of several brands- Our turners are keeping the "ON/OFF" posts alive with gorgeous pieces! From ON- @RustyFN and @kreisdorph both posted More images and details start here- And from OFF- @DeVere posted some of his beautiful pieces- Check out more of his turnings here- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to registration and more information. For The Newbies- Scroll chucks are not the only way to hold a turning. Kent Weakley shows us how versatile the Jam Chuck can be- Sam Angelo explains how to mill a bowl blank from half a log- Expand Your Horizons- The Woodworker's Journal published this month's edition of Woodturning Monthly Some neat turning ideas. The entire newsletter is at: https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/woodturning-monthly/?utm_medium=email New Turning Items- Not exactly a new item but Sam Angelo discusses some of the features of the Trent Bosch Laser Bar. Everything Else- The smaller cherry bowl came out of the drying box today. Larger sycamore still needs a couple of days. Maybe I'll finally be able to get back to the lathe!! Safe turning
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September is slipping away! Although he is not a turner, please send a prayer and well wishes to @Grandpadave52. He is recovering from some surgery. Our Patriot Turners- @Drumone posted a question about lathe height. He is building a stand for a lathe he is restoring. Several of our members offered their suggestions. If you have any additional ideas/tips on building a cart, please check his post. @Gerald was lucky enough to attend this years SWAT event. He put together a video of the projects gallery. Amazing turning talents on display- @Fred W. Hargis Jr posted a video of a scary turning accident. Fortunately the only injury was to the turner's ego. Fred's post got lots of suggestions and great information on catches and how to avoid them. Can't thank you all enough for keeping our "What's ON/OFF Your Lathe" full of new projects! From ON- @Gerald is working on one of @Steve Krumanaker amazing patterns which he burns into his turnings. Catch up on everything from last week- And from OFF- @kreisdorph posted two lovely bowls- flame box elder and cherry! New material starts here- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to registration and more information- If you missed Cindy Drozda's Tool Talk last week, she has made it available on YouTube- For The Newbies- @Fred W. Hargis Jr's post, above, started a conversation on catches. @Gerald mentioned Tim Yoder's series on catches occurring while using various lathe tools. Here's a link that will take you to the complete series- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgd2j-BTilZshIM5CcMiXNNJ4MnUq9nDB Expand Your Horizons- Last week we posted a video from Mike Peace where he talked about various thread chasing tools. Mike takes the process further by posting videos explaining what species of woods work best for threading and some additional tools useful when chasing threads Kent Weakley demonstrates how to create some pizazz on the foot of a bowl- New Turning Items- Not new but a sale from Niles Bottle Stoppers- Check it out on the Niles web site https://nilesbottlestoppers.com/ Ron Brown's Sphere Jig is shipping- https://longworthchuck.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=77 Everything Else- Got a couple of slabs of Sycamore. It has a little spalting which is soft and punky. Maybe I can salvage it with CA and shellac. Gonna try and make it into a salad bowl. I'm not sure how long it has been laying, but it is surprising dry. I'll rough out the inside tomorrow and put it in the soap and water soak for several days. Safe turning
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Where did the summer go?!?!?!?!? Our Patriot Turners- We've had more activity on our "What's On/Off Your Late..." From "ON"- @Gerald posted several of the things he is currently completing! Some amazing looking pieces. Check out the post to see how Gerald created those amazing colors on the vase- And from "OFF"- @kreisdorph completed a couple of gorgeous bowls. I just cannot get over how beautiful the spalted one came out! Catchup from last week starting here- @AndrewB continues to grow his tool inventory. Check out what he has done this week- What’s Coming Up- If you missed Cindy Drozda's live tool talk last week, she posted it on YouTube- Click on the following images for links to more information and registration- For The Newbies- Kent Weakley, from Turn A Wood Bowl, has a nice video demonstrating the body positions during the turning process. Mike Peace turns a great little item that may just be something the Mrs. would like- Expand Your Horizons- Another installment of the "4-Ways" collaboration. I must be a cheap skate- I keep mine in an old scuba diving net bag Seems lately that baby rattles have been the current flavor of turning. Carl Jacobson has a special reason for this one- he's will be a grandpa soon! New Turning Items- Sorry, couldn't find anything this week... Everything Else- I've been working on a cane for my brother. First time trying one of these. There is a lot of lathe use but much of it is just a way to hold the cane while working on shaping it. I did turn the tapered shaft. I can't take credit for the design as I liberated much of it from "mmh's" blog I found when doing research. I am at the point where the sanding is finished and I need to laser engrave his name and put on a finish. Have to set up the laser and play a little with test pieces to get a nice engraving. The Derby handle is tiger maple- the stripes show better when I wiped it down with mineral spirits. The collar is cherry and walnut. The shaft is hard maple. The black dots are dowels that go through the cane to pin an internal oak dowel that runs from the handle to the shaft. The pins are ebony turned from old piano keys. Safe turning
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Congrats to all of those who participated in this summer's annual fund raiser. Thanks for the donations and the help in keeping our site alive. As @Gerald pointed out last week, we are in the summer doldrums. Not much turning taking place. This week's post is all about videos. Hope you find something interesting among them. Our Patriot Turners- What’s Coming Up- Something from Todd Raines- Click on the image for the link to registration. For The Newbies- A bandsaw is probably the turners second most used power machine. Kent Weakley offers this video for Bandsaw safety. As turners, we typically reach for the "old standby" tool for a specific task. Turning a spindle? Spindle gouge. A bowl? Bowl gouge. Here are videos that use some not so typical tools for turning- Richard Raffan- Craft Supplies USA- Expand Your Horizons- August brings another installment of the "4 Ways" series. This month the topic is turning a wheel. From Tim Yoder- A short video on using colors to enhance your turnings- New Turning Items- From Mike Peace, a 6Pc M2 Cryo HSS Woodturning Tool Set Review- Everything Else- From Ron Brown's Newsletter- In A World Full Of Problems, Be The Solution- There is plenty to complain about every day. I am issuing a 7-day challenge: every day for the next 7 days address a problem that has been bothering you and implement a solution. Here are some common challenges that every woodturner faces. I bet you can think of plenty non-turning problems you can fix too. 1) If you are having difficulty because your tools need sharpening and you are not very good at sharpening them yourself, find someone to teach you how to sharpen them properly. If you need a sharpening jig, buy one and learn how to use it. 2) If you always get catches with a skew chisel, watch some YouTube videos or spend a minute with someone who knows how this tool works. Then practice until you can show someone else without getting catches. 3) You always get torn grain on the inside of a bowl and sanding to remove them takes forever. Watch some videos on shear scraping and practice until you can sand the surface beginning with 180-220 grit. You might have to learn to use a negative rake scraper to get the results you expect. 4) You would turn more but the wood is too expensive. Visit the owners of a tree service company and make a deal to get free green wood in exchange for a few salad bowls. This is a perfect solution when you have more time than money. 5) Your shop has so much sawdust that you can’t walk. Take time to sweep up the shavings and save them for your flowerbeds. Be careful with each dustpan full, there might be long-lost treasures (spur drives, sockets, T-handle Allen wrenches, scroll chuck jaws and/or screws!) 6) Your scroll chuck is hard to operate, open, or close. Take time to disassemble and clean your chucks and jaws. Re-oil and reassemble. 7) The banjo sticks and is difficult to move. Clean and wax the bed ways often. I prefer ceramic car polish. Turning green wood coats them with a lot of moisture. You might have to do this every day or two if you turn a lot of wet stuff. 8) Your tools stick and don’t slide on the tool rest anymore. Dress the top of the toolrest with a file to remove the nicks. This is basic maintenance. 9) Turned-lidded boxes are always a crowd favorite with threads or without. You can use exotic timber, branchwood, glued-up blanks, or domestic timber, they all look marvelous. Practice until you can get a suction-fit lid or, if you are up for the challenge, learn to hand-chase the threads. 10) If nobody participates in show-and-tell at your turning club, bring extra things yourself. If you have trouble getting guest presenters, volunteer yourself. These are obvious issues, but the point is that someone has to do something, it might as well be you. Safe turning
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Please don't forget our summer fund raiser is in progress! Check here for more information and the raffle tickets- Our Patriot Turners- Again, THANKS to everyone who takes the time to show us all what you have been working on. We've had several additions to our "What's On Your Lathe" post. @User74, @Gerald and @kreisdorph posted this week! The new items start here- What’s Coming Up- If you missed Cindy Drozda's tool talk last Friday, she has it loaded up on her YouTube channel. This discussion was on Box Hollowing Tools- Todd Raines, from the Woodturning Tool Store will be demonstrating the Robust Tru-Arc tool- Registration and more information can be found here- https://woodturningtoolstore.com/live-stream-woodturning-with-tod-raines/?receiptful=668c77471ee11bbc67cec8e6&utm_source=CM Commerce&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter-363&utm_term=newsletter&utm_content=other&receiptfultype=newsletter Cindy and Todd will be doing a Zoom Sharing event on August 2, 2024- Registration for the sharing event- https://community.woodturner.org/events/event-description?CalendarEventKey=22337b94-ff08-4811-a511-019074232f14&Home=%2fevents%2fird-demonstrations&_zs=ceDib&_zl=5jU94 For The Newbies- Lyle Jamieson's Tuesday Tip is about removing that little nub from the inside of a bowl- Anxious to turn that first bowl. It doesn't have to be a monster! In fact small bowls are very useful as Kent Weakley demonstrated- Another nice little hollowing project from Mike Peace that doesn't require a large hollowing system. Couple of neat tips included! Expand Your Horizons- Now that you have that laser, how can you use it with your turning projects? Carl Jacobson has some ideas- New Turning Items- Not any new products but Woodturners Wonders has revamped their website. https://woodturnerswonders.com/ Everything Else- I know it seems like I don't do any turning but I have a valid excuse. A month ago, I committed to creating rolling pin blanks for the local woodturning club. They've been a little slow in getting me the remainder of the materials. My shop is a "one man" shop- literally!! Only one person can fit at a time! Now I have everything waiting for more materials as time is critically short. Also, a little over a week ago I did an Easy Wood Tools demo and will be doing another in about a week and a half. All my stuff is packed for transport and not easily accessible. In the middle of all that, I'm trying to work on a new jig (ala Alan Stratton) for the bandsaw. Safe turning
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Picked up a wild dose of the back door trots. Our Patriot Turners- @keithlong did his first craft show and picked up some additional turning work. Keith is looking for curly Koa. Check out his post and see if you can point him in the right direction! @Ron Altier picked up some cypress from his local thrift store. Ron is our resident ornament maker and this one doesn't disappoint! Check Ron's post for the wonderful comments from our members- @Gerald posted a cart/rack for holding his new Jaho jig. This jig is bigger than I realized and certainly heavy! More pictures and information about the build in Gerald's post- @kreisdorph put his new Rikon lathe through it paces! He tells us about it here- @smitty10101 is working on a bowl from a board. He has some questions about cutting the angles and a few other things. I know some of our turners use this technique, I you can help Smitty out, head on over to his post! In our "Good Monday Morning" forum, @John Morris posted a really amazing turning video. Checkout some of the custom made jigs for applying finish! We've had some entries on or continuing posts of ON/OFF your lathe From ON- @Gerald posted this one Catchup up on all the comments here- And from OFF- @Gerald, @kreisdorph and @lew Head on over to the topic and checkout the comments What’s Coming Up- This was last week but if you missed it, Cindy Drozda posted the video of her "Tool Talk"- https://streamyard.com/watch/CyvKGNCGNujG For The Newbies- A video from Mike Peace on the various types of drive centers- Sam Angelo demonstrates the use of the spindle gouge. From Tim Yoder on the roughing gouge- Facebook video.mp4 Expand Your Horizons- Lyle Jamieson discusses balancing the grain and color when turning a bowl- For some reason this video isn't showing up for me. Here is the YouTube link https://youtu.be/VtHVrf-1xlQ?si=n28y_i4yw_IKFfTY Alan Stratton makes a unique box that looks like a stacking toy! An interesting design on a cherry bowl by Kent Weakley Jim Rodgers makes a really neat one piece pen- New Turning Items- https://nilesbottlestoppers.com/product/threaded-rings-for-urns/ Everything Else- Safe turning
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Stonemasons finished the chimney today. Mimi says it looks really nice. Our Patriot Turners- Member @keithlong asked a question about carbide, negative rake bead cutters. He was curious if anyone had experience with them. Please check out his post and maybe give him your opinion. The "What's OFF Your lathe..." and "What's On Your Lathe..." topics had activity this week by @kreisdorph. He showed us some really nice bowls and one that didn't quite make it. From Off the lathe- New stuff and comments start here- And, What's On the lathe The new stuff starts here- Some good discussions in both posts. What’s Coming Up- This is the video from last Friday's Tool Talk from Cindy Drozda. It was a little different as she talked about the new "gadgets" she has in her shop. Click on the following images for links to registration and more information- For The Newbies- A couple of turning tips from Lyle Jamieson- Sam Angelo has created a new YouTube channel to help the new turner get started. It's called "Learn 2 Turn With Sam" The introduction to the channel And one of the first lessons- For a woodturner, one of the most useful machines, besides the lathe, is a bandsaw. In this video, Kent Weakley discusses Bandsaw Basics. The latest issue of Woodcraft Magazine (April/May 2024) has a great article for someone thinking about getting started in woodturning. It covers just about everything you need to consider. There's also a how-to article on turned fishing lures. Check it out at your local newsstand or in the magazine section at the local Borg. Expand Your Horizons- A couple of weeks ago, we included a video from Alan Stratton on multi-axis star ornaments. Alan has refined his process and posted this video- One of our member from a long time ago, @Charles Nicholls, used to turn light pulls. It's a great way to use up scraps and Charles sold many of his turnings. Mike Waldt shows us how he does it. New Turning Items- Even though I turn almost exclusively with carbide tools, I do have and can use traditional HSS tools. For sharpening the HSS tools, I use a Tormek slow, wet grinder. Tormek has an extensive lineup of sharpening jigs to aid in getting those razor sharp edges. Now, those styles of jigs are available from Woodturners Wonders, for other types of grinders and they are on sale! Click on the above image for the link to the sale page. Everything Else- I had some sycamore bowls roughed out and dried. Spent an hour or so this afternoon working on the closed bowl shape. The wood itself is pretty unexciting grain wise so I added some extra details to make it more interesting. Maybe tomorrow I'll get to reverse it and finish out the bottom. Used Yorkshire grit and beeswax/mineral oil for finishing. Burned rings. Beads made with EWT beading cutters. Safe turning
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60° this afternoon. Storm front passed over a few minutes ago, now down to 51° Our Patriot Turners- We've had a couple of entries in our "What's On Your Late" continuing post- @kreisdorph and @teesquare posted some of their work- You can catchup with all the comments and more images at @Gerald is still recovering from knee surgery but is slowly getting back into his shop. He is working to put together a JaHo jig. From the video in his post, it looks like an awesome device to add incredible embellishments to turned pieces. What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for more information and registration information- This is the video from Todd Raines (All Things Woodturning) on jam chucking that was presented live this past Friday. A little long but some interesting pointers. https://streamyard.com/watch/dRHpgGNz55hV For The Newbies- Thinking of buying a new lathe? Kent Weakley has an article on some of the things you may want to consider- https://turnawoodbowl.com/buying-a-wood-lathe-5-things-you-need-to-know/?ck_subscriber_id=1577117793 Expand Your Horizons- A week or so ago, we posted Part# 1 of a Mike Wald video "A Lidded Box an In Depth Guide". Mike has added part #2- Woodworker's Journal has published their Woodturning Monthly newsletter The entire newsletter can be read here- https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/woodturning-monthly/?utm_medium=email One of the articles is from Ernie Conover in which he turns an Hawaiian Calabash bowl- Several of our turners have made this style of bowl. The article links to an Hawaiian turner- Emiliano Achaval- and conversation about turning this style of bowl- https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/video-emiliano-achaval/ New Turning Items- "Nothing to see here, move along" Everything Else- I have never been very skilled at creating pleasant looking designs/forms/proportions. Every now and then something turns out OK but usually it's pretty neanderthal and my hollowing is mostly confined to bowls. There was some of that wind shake cherry left, so I decided to play a little. I have a set of Easy Wood Tools Mini Hollowers as well as a set of mid-sized hollowers. Used some of each to make these. I think the one on the right should have had a smaller diameter "neck". I didn't make any real effort to finish them- just some sanding. Safe turning jhdgfj
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Lots happening this past week! Our Patriot Turners- @keith long stopped by to say "Hi". He is busy with life and doing well. He had some questions about lathe parts. Check out his post and see if you can add to what has been said- Keith also had a question about what wood species would be best for making duck calls. If you make them or know what would work best, maybe you could help him out- @kreisdorph resurrected an older post about bowl drying. He added some great additional information. Check out the entire thread here- Kent also gave us a nice review on a book for identifying wood species. Thanks!!! @Gerald is recovering from knee surgery and snuck back into the shop to work on some projects. Hope he got back into his recliner before the Mrs. got home See what else he did at- Our "What's On Your Lathe" thread continues to generate awesome projects. @kreisdorph, @teesquare and @RustyFN showed us some fantastic work. Start here to catch up on all the projects- @StaticLV2 continues to work on his segmented turnings He posted this one in the "What's On Your Weekend Agenda" And, from our "OFF The Lathe and Finished' thread- @kreisdorph and @RustyFN posted some gorgeous turnings. Catch up with all these items here- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to registration and more information- For The Newbies- Ask ten turners what is the best finish and you will likely get at least 15 different answers. One finish that often mentioned is shellac. This video from Kent Weakley explains why shellac is appropriate. This is the link to his article on shellac and how to mix it- https://turnawoodbowl.com/make-shellac-wood-bowl-finish/ Turned wooden boxes make nice gifts. Sam Angelo demonstrates turning one from start to finish. Looks like Sam needs to turn the heat up in his shop. I don't endorse wearing gloves, but that's just me. Craft Supplies USA has a step by step video on turning a pepper mill. Expand Your Horizons- Richard Raffan demonstrates turning one of his signature scoops. Awesome skew work and check out the shop made, lathe mounted sanding disc. Lyle Jamieson provides tip for preventing vibration when turning finials New Turning Items- Ron Brown has a new parting tool to use with his "Bowl From A Board" jig- Everything Else- This past week, in another Patriot forum, there has been a very informative discussion on liability for the stuff we make. This video, from Alan Stratton, addresses some of the regulations for a specific item. Safe turning
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Looks like things are picking up, now that the holidays are over. Let's get to this! Our Patriot Turners- @RustyFN is participating in his turning club's annual contest. He has posted a couple of images as he begins to create his entry. Rusty has more in his post at- @forty_caliber gave us a look at another one of his Hays County pecan bowls- Monty supplied some additional information about his drying process- There have been a couple of new entries on our "What's On Your Lathe" continuing thread. @calabrese55 added some process images of this - Also posted was a red oak platter- Check out all the comments starting at- @Gerald is making a design change on his little spinning tops. I really like the new design and the colors he uses. In his post, Gerald added a picture of his previous design for comparison- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for more information and registration- Todd Raines continues his presentation on the spindle gouge- If you missed Cindy Drozda's live tool talk last week, here's the YouTube video- Also from Cindy- For The Newbies- The skew chisel is a powerful tool, once you have mastered it. Richard Raffan shows us how that done- Mr. Raffan goes further, in this video, demonstrating using the skew to turn finials- There are several ways to chuck mount a bowl. Two of the more popular ways are the Mortise and Tenon. I typically use the mortise because it allows me to finish the bowl bottom with my preferred method. The mortise, however, is not without pitfalls as Kent Weakley points out- Jim Rodgers demonstrates how to make a bottle stopper. Unlike the metal stopper kits, Mr. Rodgers uses corks to seal the bottle. Also check out the home made mandrel at the end of the video- Tim Yoder offers up a short video on turning a curve Although a chuck is a really nice piece of equipment to own, especially when making small items. Lyle Jamieson shows us the chuck is not the only way to to accomplish it. Expand Your Horizons- If you are ready to move up to bowl turning, Craft Supplies USA has a nice video illustrating the process step by step. The bowl blank in this demonstration was partially dried commercially- Never too early to start those ornaments for next Christmas! Here Alan Stratton creates an 8 point, 3 axis item! @Steve Krumanaker turns items for artisans in his area. Recently he started making "drop spindles" for a craftsperson who works with wool. I thought this might be another thing Steve could use as a money maker From Woodworker's Journal, a Three Winged Jewelry box. The how-to article is at- https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/project-three-winged-jewelry-box/ Check out what Tim Yoder does with a small 3 branch crotch piece- New Turning Items- A sale on Woodturners Wonders LED lights https://woodturnerswonders.com/ Everything Else- From Ron Brown's newsletter- You Are Called To Be A Mentor You have to know something about your subject. First-hand experience is helpful. If you can explain What, How, and Why so a 5th grader can understand it, you will be a good mentor. It only takes a very small portion of your time (15 minutes to 1 hour) here and there to show individuals or groups of folks what you are talking about. You might need to take an occasional phone call to clear up misunderstandings. In this day and age, you might need to answer a text message or send a YouTube link addressing the issue. Unless you are a paid demonstrator, you must accept that you most probably will receive nothing material in return from those you help so unselfishly. Some won’t even say thank you and some will argue that you are wrong. A few of the people you help will go on to accomplish even greater things than you did. Some of the students will indeed go on to become the teachers. You need to accept and appreciate that others gave of themselves to help you achieve the things you know. Even if you learned most of what you know by yourself (so-called self-taught), chances are that you watched YouTube videos, attended a trade show demonstration, or a club demonstration. Perhaps you were just a member of the crowd and not in a one-on-one situation. Someone took their time to show you something you didn’t know in a way that helped you be more successful. Sometimes folks will want to be paid for their advice. They are still exercising mentorship. I was very fortunate during my early turning career to encounter some very talented and generous mentors; Nick Cook was the very first and Don Russell gave of his time and energy unselfishly on numerous occasions. I hosted Chris Stott from England for a full week! That turned out to be a magnificent chapter in my turning career. Kirk Deheer of Craft Supplies in Utah gently guided me over a period of several years and I will be ever grateful for his wisdom. Mike Mahony offered guidance and freely answered my list of 20 questions over dinner many years ago. Others have given their time and energy and are wonderful examples of mentorship even when they didn’t realize it. Of course, it required me to put their advice into practice to make it my own, but, as they say, the way you get to Carnegie Hall is practice, practice, practice. A mentor simply guides someone willing to learn. It is really that simple and anyone can and should do it when given the opportunity. Safe turning
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Only 68 turning days until Christmas!!!! Our Patriot Turners- @Gerald gave us a peek at his next project that will be going on his lathe- His post has a little more about this glue up and what he is doing while the glue dries- What’s Coming Up- Lots of stuff in the future! Click on the images for the links to registration and more information- For The Newbies- Woodturning safety is paramount! In this recent video, Cindy Drozda discusses some of the most important "PPEs" Venturing down the rabbit hole of bowl turning can lead to an addiction. Soon, every shelf in your home, friends, relatives and co-workers have at least one. Maybe you've considered selling them. There are lots of opinions on pricing your work. Here's one from Kent Weakley- https://turnawoodbowl.com/pricing-wood-bowls-for-profit-three-approaches/?ck_subscriber_id=1577117793 Expand Your Horizons- As mentioned, Christmas is fast approaching. Here's some ideas for ornaments for gifts or for yourself. First up is Mike Peace turning a bird ornament similar but larger than the awesome ones done by our own @Steve Krumanaker From Alan Stratton, a sea urchin ornament but without the sea urchin- And, from Carl Jacobson, a natural edge bowl ornament- Our own @Gerald and the club he belongs to are faithful supporters of the "Beads Of Courage" boxes. In this video, Alan Stratton discusses how he creates his version of a box to save those beads. Some neat jigs for turning the "staves" he used to make the box. Mike Peace shared a "cool" trick on how he unstuck a thread lid on a box- I cannot remember if I saw this information here on the Patriot or on a social media site. The question was concerning a ring type turning that was then sliced into thin pieces. After some searching, I discovered there are called "German Rings". Simon Beggs seems to have a lock on how these are done- If you have accounts at Facebook or Instagram, you can see more of these- https://www.instagram.com/simonbeggswoodturning/ https://www.facebook.com/simonbeggswoodturning/ New Turning Items- From Woodturners Wonders https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/ultimate-sanding-system?_kx=gV5SF2As_3IwtBi5TrpHVQM0F3UvGVbQKzhWGippDlk%3D.VJvU8R Some new products reviewed by Mike Waldt. I am not sure if all of these are available in the united states- Everything Else- Did an Easy Wood Tools demo at the Woodcraft of Richmond this past Saturday. Really nice folks there and the Woodcraft store is huge! They even had refreshments- The turners I spoke to really like the Easy Chuck and the #1 hollower.
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Missed last weeks post so this one will be have a little extra. Our Patriot Turners- @nevinc posted a couple of projects he has been working on. First, a neat little table item that would be useful in any kitchen- Nevin combined woodworking and turning to complete the project- He also posted a question and his method of storing sawdust from various species of wood he uses as fillers. He was wondering what storage method the rest of us use for storage. Check out his post and let him know your method- And, Nevin showed us some beautiful walnut bowls he had finished- He received lots of positive comments in his post- @Steve Krumanaker has been busy fulfilling orders to some of the artisans in his area. He has been working with one who sells "Bee Products" for whom he make honey dipper lids. Steve posted a couple of short videos on how he has upgraded his manufacturing process. Steve is also making drop spindles for another craftsperson. These are used in the process of turning wool into yarn. He developed a neat jig to create shop made dowels for part of the pieces. In this post, he explains why he made the parts instead of buying them- @Gerald added a project to our "Off The Lathe And Finished" thread. These beautiful ornaments got lots of great comments and a couple of questions as well. Head on over to the thread and check out more on these- Gerald was also kind enough to provide links to videos on sharpening. I must apologize for not recording who asked the question on sharpening. Gerald had entered the AAW August Turning Challenge and provided us with the link to the voting and winners- https://www.aawforum.org/community/threads/august-2023-turning-challenge-final-results.21511/ @KevTN Asked for help identifying a specific pattern for the rim of a platter. Our turners had several suggestions. If you can identify this patter, please help out Kevin- @RustyFN has a gorgeous spalted bowl on his lathe! What’s Coming Up- Cindy Drozda is live tomorrow- Thursday, October 12 at 2pm EDT. She will be discussing how do you protect your eyes, ears, and lungs in the workshop. For registration, follow this link- https://streamyard.com/watch/PsF54zh7XSVb For The Newbies- Kent Weakly's video on what tools are not suitable for bowl turning- Carl Jacobson makes an oak lidded box. Notice that Carl uses both traditional and carbide tools to complete the project- A simple bowl turning to use as a succulent planter from Craft Supplies USA From Tim Yoder on choosing your sandpaper Richard Raffan demonstrates how to make your turned bowls look really top notch by refining the bottom. Expand Your Horizons- Several articles from Kent Weakley on bowl finishes. https://turnawoodbowl.com/my-favorite-food-safe-wood-finish-waterproof-almost/?ck_subscriber_id=1577117793 https://turnawoodbowl.com/make-shellac-wood-bowl-finish/?ck_subscriber_id=1577117793 https://turnawoodbowl.com/spray-lacquer-illustrated-guide-equipment-system-set-up-technique/?ck_subscriber_id=1577117793 Jim Rodgers continues his series on hollowing- Alan Stratton posted this video on YouTube. It reminded me of a similar project that @Gerald had shown us sometime back- The Four Ways videos from the first of the month- Mike Peace- Richard Raffan- Sam Angelo- Tomislav Tomasic- New Turning Items- From Niles Bottle Stoppers- https://nilesbottlestoppers.com/product/cocktail-muddler-set/ From Woodturners Wonders- Diamond wheels for both bench grinders and Tormek grinders- https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/diamond-wheels?_kx=gV5SF2As_3IwtBi5TrpHVQM0F3UvGVbQKzhWGippDlk%3D.VJvU8R Everything Else- From Ron Brown's Newsletter- When you share the joys of your craft with someone who has never seen shavings fly off a fresh bowl blank or get to watch a spinning top appear in just a few minutes, you might change their world. A small pebble can create a world of ripples. Members of our woodworking club have attended county fairs, woodworking shows, and symposiums which always included live demonstrations. Why? Most people can’t visualize what we do. I’ve seen people become fascinated with turning after they made a simple maple or oak pen at one of these events. I’ve seen their entire family get interested and turning became their family hobby. They’ve planned family trips around turning shows and symposiums along with week-long hands-on learning at folk schools. I’ve witnessed folks buying their first mini lathe and accessories then go on to develop a lifelong passion for the smell of freshly milled lumber and the shavings from another bowl blank. The benefit to you of doing something like that is they bring their non-turning skill sets from their regular jobs, i.e. management, leadership, and organizational skills. Many have become club officers including President. One such fellow served three terms and on a personal note, became my dentist until he retired. We’ve seen lawyers, engineers, business executives, moms, teenagers, pastors, and doctors get the turning bug all because they saw a turning demonstration at a craft fair or other public event. I’ve told the story many times of how I attended a two-hour club demonstration in a cold dark basement one Saturday between Christmas and the New Year. Nick Cook made a top, a garden dibble, a honey dipper, a toothpick holder, and a mahogany plate plus some other things I don’t remember. One couple thought that was terrific and booked a day's instruction with Nick. Then they started a turning club, then I attended, then I got hooked. Now I make a great living inventing and offering turning accessories to the turning community worldwide. During the thirteen years I was on the Woodworking Show Circuit, I was able to demonstrate turning in front of over a million people. That’s a pretty good ripple! Thank you, Nick Cook. In order to cause the ripple, you have to toss the stone in the first place. I would encourage you to invite someone to a club meeting or over to your shop for an hour or two for coffee and to make some shavings. You never know how big that ripple might become Safe turning
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Summer's about over and the days are getting shorter. Less yard work means more lathe time! Our Patriot Turners- @nevinc has really put his lathe to work this week. He showed us a bunch of bowls, with different design! He describes what he has done in this post- Nevin also worked on a box elder bowl with a unique shape- He provides us with more information in his post- @forty_caliber also has been busy with more of his pecan stash! he posted a couple of bowls for us to drool over- There's more images and descriptions at- Forty then had a chance to finish up the bowl on which he used epoxy and diopside inlay- More images and specifics can be found in this post- @Gerald added a video of a neat little toy on which he has been experimenting. He calls them "Tippy Tops". Check this post to see what they do! Another addition to our continuing thread- "Off The Lathe And Just Finished" What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for more information and registration- For The Newbies- A few video short from Tim Yoder and Ron Brown Both Tim and Ron have been producing these short videos to help the newer turner understand some of the nuances of turning. You can check out their series at https://www.youtube.com/@woodturningwithtimyoder/featured and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMD5dw_8FCyaHPjztP5sklw I think everyone knows how I hate to sand, mainly because I never get the results I see from other turners. Cindy Drozda recently did a live Tool Talk showing her sanding techniques. I learned a lot. Expand Your Horizons- @Gerald's post on Tippy Tops coincided with this video from Alan Stratton. Alan revisited these in hopes of having better success. Check out Alan's process from turning spheres freehand. Kent Weakley turns a wooden bowl but not without some difficulty. He explains what happened and how to correct it. Mike Peace shared a video of an IRD he recently conducted. The video is rather long but the demonstration of the threading jig/device is interesting. Not all tree logs are suitable for turning bowls or larger pieces. Richard Raffan explains the phenomena of "wind shake" or "cup shakes". New Turning Items- Not new but some better prices- https://lylejamieson.com/ Free shipping continued until September 25. https://woodturnerswonders.com/ Everything Else- Woodworker's Journal published their Woodturning Monthly newsletter. https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/woodturning-monthly/?utm_medium=email Safe turning
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ONE DAY LEEFT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our Patriot Turners- @Gerald started a new topic for our turners! I hope we can make this one as popular as the one @RustyFN started for showing what's on our lathes! So far we've had two members add items. Let's make this topic sail to the "Most Posts" list! Our other continuing topic of "What's On Your Lathe" also had activity! @RustyFN and @forty_caliber both added some of what they are working on! Check out this post for more images! @forty_caliber also posted a nice little "catch-all" bowl. I think these bowls are so useful. Not too large to take up a lot of space but large enough to hold most small items. Great for pocket dumps! See more images here- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to more information and registration Well, it happened last week, but if you missed it, Cindy has posted the video- For The Newbies- How fast should I turn is a question we often hear. There really isn't a hard and fast rule. Ron Brown has some thoughts in this video "short"- Mortice or tenon to attach the bowl to the lathe. Ask 10 woodturners and you'll probably get at least 15 different answers. My personal choice in a recess and use it to incorporate the foot. Here's what Kent Weakley thinks about it- Of course, if you don't have a chuck, there are other ways to attach a bowl blank to the lathe. Sam Angelo shares his thoughts on some methods of securing that blank- Expand Your Horizons- It's just past the first of the month and the videos from "4 Ways" is available. This month Richard Raffan, Tomislav Tomasic, Sam Angelo and Mike peace each turn their version of a natural edge bowl. Tim Yoder turns a beautiful Flame Elder platter. He eve uses some of his Easy Wood Tools in the process! It is not too soon to start thinking about making Christmas ornaments. Alan Stratton creates one that is out of this world! Craft Supplies USA has an idea for something that the ladies in your life might enjoy- New Turning Items- Ron Brown has a new Ladle Chuck System- Safe turning
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If you haven't seen the post, we are beginning our summer fundraiser to help support the operations here at the Patriot. Please consider donating to this worthy cause and maybe be lucky enough to walk away with some cool prizes- Our Patriot Turners- @nevinc posted a couple of beautiful bowls- Head on over to his post and check out additional images. @calabrese55 finished up that gorgeous segmented bowl. What a beauty! Check out his post to see what his plans are for this turning- @Gerald posted a vessel he is doing on the "What's On Your Lathe" forum. His image shows the business end of his hollowing rig and the laser attachment- @forty_caliber turned some more bowls fresh from the blanks in his drying kiln. I really like how he does the feet on these- There are more images in his post- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to more information and registration- These first two might be a bit of a drive- If you missed Cindy Drozda's live presentation with Carl Jacobson. She has it posted on YouTube- For The Newbies- Drilling on the lathe may not require a Jacob's chuck, especially for smaller diameter bits. Tim Yoder demonstrates- Tim also shows a quick and easy way to round over the ends of handles- Pretty neat explanation about lathe speed- Kent Weakley on the importance of good lighting. Mike Peace demonstrates how to make a soft touch cone for the live center- Expand Your Horizons- What do you do when the bowl becomes a funnel- fix it or toss it? Mike Peace has some pretty strong feelings about it- Couple of turnings from Richard Raffan- Alan Stratton modified his Celtic Knot idea to create swirls and added it to his goblets. I had done this on some bottle stoppers- New Turning Items- Robert Sorby has a new multi-tip hollowing tool- Sorby tools are now available from Woodturners Wonders https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/sorby?_kx=gV5SF2As_3IwtBi5TrpHVQM0F3UvGVbQKzhWGippDlk%3D.VJvU8R From Spiracraft, a new drilling device for those who make salt/pepper grinders https://spiracraft.com/product/woodcut-tools-mill-drill/?inf_contact_key=48786b7cec548ebb0bc98929c43bd777 Everything Else- Safe turning
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Middle of July, almost, and it feels like summer here in south central PA. Our Patriot Turners- @forty_caliber showed us a beautiful bowl made from Pyinma. In his post he tells us more about the species and the purpose of this little bowl. Forty is also working on his stash of pecan. Really gorgeous bread platter- Here's his post along with a bunch of great comments- And speaking of pecan platters, @Gerald is putting the finishing touches on one he started several years ago. Gerald answers questions on this one in his post- A platter wasn't the only thing Gerald was turning. He was successful in turning a circular form, that when cut apart, created a specific silhouette. I wonder what other designs could be made. Gerald's post- "What's On Your Lathe" had a little action this week. Both @Gerald, @nevinc and @teesquare posted their turnings! See all the images and more information at- What’s Coming Up- The AAW has a multi-part informative tutorial on doing demonstrations. You need to be a member of the AAW to take advantage of these lessons. Log into their site using your credentials to learn more. If you missed Cindy Drozda's tool talk last week, here is a replay- https://streamyard.com/watch/p2Dx5CgdwBbq From Todd Raines- https://streamyard.com/watch/D83QTW86cQcx?receiptful=64af360be3d57500388bb7b5&utm_source=CM Commerce&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter-261&utm_term=newsletter&utm_content=other&receiptfultype=newsletter For The Newbies- Alan Stratton shows us an inexpensive safety device to protect your fingers and knuckles when using a chuck- As an aside, the Easy Chuck was designed to reduce finger/knuckle scrapes. We've all heard the term "ride the bevel" but unless someone has actually shown you how, most description leave a lot to be desire. In steps Tim Yoder and as usual makes thing much easier to understand. Tim also gave us a lesson on how importance lighting while turning- Mike Peace turns a small, lidded box. Notice his use of shop made chucks and that, even for experienced turners, things don't always go as planned Still learning sharpening techniques? Richard Raffan has some help with your bowl gouge- Kent Weakley demonstrates just how much weight is lost when turning a bowl. I think this makes a good case for a bowl saver tool! Some good turning tips throughout- Expand Your Horizons- We've all been told DO NOT DO THIS! His spindle gouge has a really beefy tang. Richard also reviews the "burned" turning from last week- Carl Jacobson turns an apple wood burl vase- New Turning Items- Cindy Drozda's tool talk (above) demonstrated the use of the new Stuart Batty sharpening platform. Cindy sells these on her site- Check Cindy's site- http://www.cindydrozda.com/html/SBTplatforms.html Woodturners Wonders has a sale on lathe lights- https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/lamps?_kx=gV5SF2As_3IwtBi5TrpHVQM0F3UvGVbQKzhWGippDlk%3D.VJvU8R Don't drool on the keyboard, but Mike Peace got himself a new lathe- Everything Else- Tim Yoder continues to experiment with his new laser- From Ron Brown's newsletter- One Universal Secret All Successful People Share When successful people try and fail, they understand that failure is part of the process that eventually leads to victory. Almost no one succeeds the first time they try. When you learned to ride a bicycle, you fell. You got up and tried again, and again. You eventually learned how to ride a bicycle successfully. The first several dozen times I tried to make elegant finials for my turned-lidded boxes and fancy Christmas Ornaments, they broke or looked like I turned them with a hammer. But eventually, I figured it out. Now I can turn a fancy finial that approaches a Cindy Drozda class finial out of ebony or African Blackwood without worrying that it will fly into a million pieces before I’m done. That skill level took many failures before I was able to call myself a successful fancy finial turner. You can do it too. It just takes practice and experience. If you are willing to practice, nothing is beyond your reach. I’m encouraging you to pick yourself up and try again. Success will come if you don’t quit. I must be an inventor at heart because I love figuring out ways to solve common problems for woodturners. As a long-time woodturner, myself, I share the same difficulties and frustrations you do. I’ve taken those challenges as my personal mission to invent unique solutions that make tasks easier, safer, and quicker. Safe turning
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Back to milky skies from the Canadian wild fires. Our Patriot Turners- @Ron Altier has perfected his technique for getting a glass like finish on his Christmas ornaments. Now inquiring minds want to know his secret!! Head on over to Ron's post and add your comments- @RustyFN finished up his lidded gift box. His mixed media turning is truly beautiful. Notice how closely the grain matches at the lid/box interface. Check out Rusty's post at- Our "What's On Your Lathe" still has weekly additions! I really want to thank @RustyFN to starting this thread. It's so great to see what everyone is doing and the progress on the projects. This week picks up here- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to more information and registration. For The Newbies- Haven't turned a bowl yet? Here's a nice little beginner's bowl from Mike Peace- Some important safety information for beginners and experienced turners alike. Kent Weakley discusses the importance of keeping that respirator clean and functioning properly. Expand Your Horizons- You've turned a natural edge bowl, now how about a natural "sided" box?!?! Alan Stratton shows us how it's done! See how Richard Raffan re-turns a small warped bowl. Notice how he chucks the bowl to true up the outside. You might remember that Easy Wood Tools ( @Jordan Martindale ) recently added beading cutters to their product line. In this video, Carl Jacobson demonstrates their capabilities as he turns some really neat refrigerator magnets. @Steve Krumanaker might just ad these to his product line! New Turning Items- Last week we posted a video from Mike Peace where he demonstrated how to make wooden faceplates/glue blocks. Part of his video mentioned the Beall taps. This week he updated the Beall information to let us know that John Beall sold his company to Lee Valley and that Lee Valley will be the sole distributors of Beall products. Mike there is a quick note in this video- Everything Else- Interesting thoughts from a recent Ron Brown's newsletter- How To Become An Overnight Success As a new turner, you are anxious to become as good as some of the names you hear regularly; Nick Cook, Richard Raffan, David Ellsworth, Kirk Deheer, Mike Mahoney, Cindy Drozda, and many more. So, you develop a plan: 1. You buy a top-of-the-line lathe, a Powermatic 4224, a Robust American Beauty, A OneWay 2436, a Laguna 2436, or something in that same category costing between $5,000 and $12,000. 2. Next, you spend whatever it takes to get the very best lathe chisels, Robert Sorby, Carter and Sons, Crown, Ashley Iles, Doug Thompson, etc., and you need at least one of everything they sell in multiple sizes because great tools make great turners, or so you’ve been told. 3. Then you must set up your sharpening station with a slow-speed grinder, sharpening jig, and not one, but two CBN wheels. 4. You’ve watched untold hours of YouTube videos, including some of mine, so you have tons of head knowledge under your belt. You have many ideas on how this turning thing works; now is your time to shine! Wait! You are still not a turner. You are a student and you will be for the next several years. Granted, you are a student with lots of nice expensive gadgets, but you are missing the one thing you can’t buy: Time in the seat, or hours in front of the lathe. You are a novice until you have put in the time, made the mistakes, tried something 10 different ways, made 100 pieces of the same thing, and made 10 different kinds of turned items. The wonderful thing about turning is that even our first pieces while we are learning can turn out pretty good and it is just a given that our wives (and most of our kids) will love whatever we make. But you are still a beginner. That isn’t a bad thing, it is just a thing. Over the years I’ve met thousands of folks that had been turning for 20 years. The problem was that they had one year of experience 20 times over! Since you can’t get around the time needed to become an overnight expert, a master, or someone to pay attention to, just put in the time as a student to acquire those skills, make those mistakes, and perfect those methods and techniques. It is all part of the journey that will one day result in your overnight success. Safe turning
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Our Patriot Turners- @nevinc posted images of his walnut bowls and a question about warping. His beautiful walnut bowls changed shape after they set for a bit. Check out his post and see if you can provide more information or suggestions- @Gerald had a craft show this past weekend but unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate. This is one of his "Friendship Bowls" he had for sale- Head on over to his post to see more of the bowls along with other items he had for sale- "What's On You Lathe" continues to highlight our turners' work! Some of what was posted- You can catchup here- We had some interesting comments on last week's "Wednesday's" about chuck removal. I appreciate the input- What’s Coming Up- 2023 Mid Atlantic Woodturners Association Symposium. Click on the image for registration For The Newbies- Turners are often asked to duplicate another piece. This video from Sam Angelo demonstrates one technique. What I found particularly interesting was the story stick he made with the pencil point notches- Expand Your Horizons- Watch Mike Waldt turn a Spalted Beech Lidded Box This video, from Turn A Wood Bowl, gives a a little insight to the question asked by @nevinc concerning warping- It is less expensive to buy unhandled lathe tools and then turn your own custom handle. Alan Stratton explores the possibilities- New Turning Items- Ron Brown has a new parting tool kit. Check it out here- https://www.longworthchuck.com/index.php?route=product/product&search=PARTING TOOL K&product_id=475 Everything Else- Tim Yoder got a new "toy"- Safe turning
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Unbelievable, planted tomatoes last week supposed to be in the low 30's tonight! I hate this global warming! Our Patriot Turners- @Ron Altier brought us up-to-date on his epoxy finish for ornaments. Looks like he has pretty much perfected the process. Ron provides lots of tips on how he gets this mirror like finish- Several members posted in our "What's On Your Lathe" this past week. You can catchup with the new posts here- @forty_caliber added a couple and @teesquare added this beauty (and a couple of other pieces as well)- Do yourself a favor and check out all the new turning in the past week! What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to more information and registration For The Newbies- Thinking about turning that first bowl or maybe just need some more pointers? Kent Weakley's video could be what you are looking for. I thought this one was particularly helpful with the dialog and tips throughout the presentation. Richard Raffan puts his spin in the natural edge bowl project- Something to think about from Ron Brown's newsletter- This Is Just The Beginning It is easy to forget how much you have learned along the way. New turners also have to learn the same things we did. Or, if you are a new turner, there is much to learn. You can learn to sail in an hour – It takes a lifetime to become a sailor It is the same with learning about a wood lathe. Just like any other craft, getting the machine is only the beginning. Let’s start with the Four Pillars of Woodturning: #1-The Wood Lathe Itself There is a multitude of quality wood lathes available to fit most budgets. The most common starter lathe nowadays is a 12 to 12.5-inch swing lathe with a 1 hp variable speed motor. Many folks will keep this lathe when they upsize to a larger lathe with swings of 16 to 25” and motors up to 3 hp. #2-The turning chisels Beginning turners will see much faster results if they begin with carbide-tipped tools. A sharpening station is not required for carbide tools. High-Speed Steel tools require frequent re-sharpening and require a suitable sharpening station (more in #4) The turner must learn a whole new skill set for sharpening in addition to learning woodturning. #3-The means of holding your work Most lathes come with a spur drive center for the headstock and a live center for the tailstock. Great for beginning spindle projects like baseball bats, lamps, etc. Most lathes also come with a faceplate mainly used for turning bowls. I consider a 4-jaw scroll chuck a basic necessity. I recommend extra jaws also Pin jaws for very small spindle projects #3 or 100 mm jaws for larger spindle work and for many larger bowls. #4-A sharpening station Slow-speed grinders (1750 rpm or similar) with 8” grinding wheels made to work with High-Speed Steel are recommended A sharpening jig specially designed for sharpening lathe tools is virtually a necessity when using HSS lathe tools. Note: Using only carbide-tipped wood lathe tools eliminates the need for any kind of sharpening station and eliminates 25% of the learning curve and initial expense. Folks trying their hand at any new craft are much more likely to stick with it if they can experience early success. Easy projects to learn on are pens, small bowls, spinning tops, and small lidded boxes. Someone can successfully make all of them with simple carbide tools. Some folks only turn bowls while others only turn pens. As long at they turn something, I’m happy for them. Most folks who begin using carbide tools eventually add HSS tools and a sharpening station down the road. I recommend that route to see if they are going to enjoy turning wood and if they are going to stick with it long term. It seems like you never have every widget you want, but over time you can accumulate most of them. Remember that you can turn small items on a big lathe, but it is much harder to turn something big on a small lathe. So get ready to see that huge smile on that kid’s face from ages 8 to 88 when you show them how to make their first slimline pen or maple bowl. There is nothing like it! Expand Your Horizons- In last week's post, one of the "What's Coming Up" events were classes on turning kitchen utensils. The classes were at Highland Woodworking in Atlanta, GA. Not everyone can travel that far to learn to turn a spoon, so I found a bunch of videos, if you'd like to give it a try. If kitchen ware isn't your thing, Mike Peace demonstrates how to add an insert to a turned box New Turning Items- Sorry, couldn't find anything this week Everything Else- Started working on one of the elm rough blanks. I have enough meat on the bottom to remove some of the thickness around the mortice. It will make the thing set a little lower on a surface and lighten up the piece a bit. Safe turning
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Birds chirping, sun shining, grass is green here in south central PA- probably snow tomorrow! Our Patriot Turners- @jthornton Posted a question about dust collection for his lathe. He posted pictures of his shop along with a description of what he currently has set. Please check his post and see if you can offer any suggestions to help him. JT continues to work on his "Dizzy Bowl". He has taken a lot of time to document the steps a and share the progress with us- You can catch up with his continued progress here- @Masonsailor finished up the bowl that will be the prize in his neighborhood's get-together. Some lucky family will really be happy with this- You can catchup here- "What's On Your Lathe" got a post from @forty_caliber. I think he must have hit the jackpot on Pecan! What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to registration and more information- For The Newbies- Ever use CA glue to fix a turning only to find out later that the CA stained the wood? This came in an email from Kent Weakley from Turn A Wood Bowl- Richard Raffan demonstrates how to modify an already turned bowl. Notice the use of the jam chuck which will be talked about more in Cindy Drozda's presentation. Another toothpick holder with a unique shape. Some spindle work and a little hollowing from Carl Jacobson- Expand Your Horizons- Alan Stratton continues to add Celtic Knots to his turnings. This time he experiments with a bowl. Embellishing a turning with color can turn an ordinary piece into something spectacular. This one from Craft Supplies USA on dying- Ebonizing may only be a single color but it can add striking effects to a turning. This article from Fine Woodworking was written more for the woodworker but can easily be "applied" to a turned object- https://www.finewoodworking.com/project-guides/finishing/ebonizing-wood-2 A video for the recipe for the ebonizing solution can be found here- https://www.finewoodworking.com/project-guides/finishing/video-ebonizing-oak-steel-wool-vinegar?oly_enc_id=7454G3912223B7R New Turning Items- Neither of these are really new. But some insights from other turners on equipment and resources. Everything Else- Been finishing up those little natural edge, flowering cherry tree bowls. Pictures to follow...
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Third day of May here in South Central PA- Sleet on the back deck this afternoon! Our Patriot Turners- @jthornton Is giving us a great tutorial on how he does his his "dizzy bowl". He has uploaded process shots, with explanations, in his post- @Headhunter got us caught up on some of the things he has been making. Make sure you see all his stuff by subscribing to our "Ringmaster Turning sub-forum". His work certainly has some gorgeous patterns! He posted lots mor pix here- @Fred W. Hargis Jr posed a question about lathe speed fastest rpm. Several of our members provided their thoughts. Why not hop on over to Fred's post and give him your thoughts- @Masonsailor is taking a little break from his laundry room project to make a bowl. Paul explains the materials and the purpose of the turning, in his post- We've had several additions to our "What's On Your Lathe"! This is where we left off last week- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to more information and registration- For The Newbies- Richard Raffan explains the shear scraper- I think this happens to us all. Sometimes more than once. Whether you're a newbie or experienced turner- Expand Your Horizons- Something from Tim Yoder- In my own turning, it seems my bowls don't have much variation is shape/design. Ernie Conover shows us examples of different bowl shapes. Being the first of the month, Sam Angelo, Mike Peace, Richard Raffan and Tomislav Tomasic have put together the "4 Ways" videos. New Turning Items- This is not new but a chance to have input on the design of a relatively new product- If you would like to submit input, the email address is- [email protected] Everything Else- An interesting read from Ron Brown's newsletter- “Dividing up the budget is a zero-sum game.” Don’t live your life like it is a zero-sum game. When you give encouragement to someone, your optimism bottle won’t run out. When you teach someone about lessons you’ve learned, your box of skills is just as full, and likely even more full. When you gift a nice piece of wood to someone, you can be sure there is another one headed your way, probably even nicer. I have a few special methods in my manufacturing processes, and the more I help others, the more I am helped. That is simply the law of sowing and reaping. If you want better tools, start giving some tools away! If you want to turn better pens, teach someone who wants to learn to turn pens; amazingly, you will begin to make better pens yourself. If you want more friends, be friendly; invite someone to coffee, breakfast, or lunch. Try hosting a small impromptu-turning get-together for 2 or 3 folks at your shop. One of the paradoxes in the life of a turner is how quickly turned items multiply! You make a few bowls, pens, or Christmas Ornaments, and the next thing you know they are everywhere. There is literally not room enough to contain them. You think about selling a few after you’ve given every relative, friend, and neighbor something you’ve turned, and still, the turnings keep multiplying. They are like Tribbles (Star Trek reference) only real. My encouragement today is to not be afraid to give to others. It really doesn’t mean you will have less, in fact, you will get more. Remember that wherever you go, there you are. A little lathe time for me. A couple of natural edge bowls from a flowering cherry tree limb. Not quite finished. Pulled the elm platters from the soapy water soak today and placed them in the drying box. Pretty ugly looking rite now. Probably take about a week to reach equilibrium. Safe turning
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Beautiful spring day here in south central PA. Dogwood trees in full bloom. Our Patriot Turners- @Ron Altier posted some images of his Christmas ornaments. One of his pieces was finished with his experiment using epoxy. Ron asked us what we thought about the finish. Please hop on over to his post and let him know what you think- "What's On Your Lathe" continues to show our turner's work. This week, @forty_caliber was working on some bowls- You can catchup here- What’s Coming Up- Click on the image for the links. For The Newbies- Received this information in an email from Kent Weakley- 49-Must-Know-Wood-Bowl-Turning-Terms.pdf Kent is a bowl turner and this video demonstrates making a natural edge bowl- starting with a log through to the finished piece. Mr. Weakley uses traditional turning tools. This video, from Craft Supplies USA, demonstrates turning a bowl using Easy Wood Tools carbide cutters. Lots of great tips for getting the best finish. Expand Your Horizons- Some random ideas to spark your creativity Carl gets "artsy-fartsy" Add marbling effects to a turning- Several of our members do four sided "inside-out" turnings. Alan Stratton made some with three sides- New Turning Items- Ron Brown has a new version of his chatter tool available- https://www.longworthchuck.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=23&product_id=261 Everything Else- Took a couple of days but I finally got this little elm bowl finished. Use the Easy Wood Tools beading cutters (1/4" & 3/16") @Jordan Martindale. Out of the drying box- Finished with Yorkshire Grit And from Ron Brown's newsletter- A journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step. Excellence takes time, patience, and practice. Becoming an excellent craftsman or craftswoman is possible for all of us, but we must remember that improvement comes in small bites. Every time I walk away from the shop, I ask myself what I learned from this session. And there is always something new. It might be small, but it represents one more step in my journey to excellence. “The Expert In Anything Was Once A Beginner” Helen Hayes There is joy, sometimes hidden, in every journey. It is up to you to see and understand it. In a world gone crazy, common sense is still the currency you can count on. Study, practice, and remember. Before you know it, you will have become someone’s expert just like the expert you so admired yesterday. Being in my seventh decade of glorious living, I’m often asked when I plan to retire. My answer is always the same, “This is me retired.” This is what I would be doing if I didn’t have to work at a job. Last week I read about an interview with two sisters, one 106 and the younger one 104 years old. Asked about their secrets for long life, they both agreed on a few things that keep them young; reading, staying active, meeting new people, and learning new things keeps their minds sharp and their attitudes positive. It makes each day worth getting up. You’ve all heard about the “Supply chain issue,” with Asia. We are affected by it along with everyone else. When I have issues importing a popular product, I often figure out how to make it myself right here in Georgia, USA. And while I’m at it, I look at how I can make it better. That is exactly how you got the Longworth Chuck Type 2 and, ultimately, the doughnut ring option. Each product involves new equipment, processes, and materials most of which I have not worked with before. Hence, the joy of the journey. This week, I’m introducing our Chatter Tool Version 2.0 as a replacement for an item I’ve sold many thousands of over the years. Why? Greedy foreign manufacturers forced me to figure out how to make it in my own facility in Georgia. This improved version features an ergonomic vibration-dampening soft grip handle designed to reduce fatigue, and it comes with three blades. As companies fade away and their products become impossible to find, put on your inventor’s hat and figure it out. I know you can do it with a little persistence. Remember that wherever you go, there you are. Safe turning
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Mother Nature decided to treat us with two days of summer. Got a lot of yard work done. Our Patriot Turners- @Headhunter showed us some of his early work. Like a lot of turners, he started out with some pens. He wondered if any of our turners started that way- @forty_caliber posted some images of a platter he turned. I wasn't familiar with his term for the species. Well, Google is your friend and discovered another name for it Check out his post for more images. Oh yeah- it's Osage Orange. Forty also posted a beautiful bowl. I really love the colors and contrasts in this one- Check out how he did this! Our thread of "What's On Your Lathe" continues to be quite popular. This is about where we left off last week- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to more information and registration. If you missed it live, Cindy Drozda put her presentation of "Planning A Turned Box" on her YouTube channel. The beauty of her turnings don't just happen by accident! For The Newbies- A neat little spring turning for Easter- The bandsaw is quite possibly the next most used piece of equipment, besides the lathe, for a turner. Mike Peace demonstrates some of the push sticks that can be used when cutting- Expand Your Horizons- Something I've always struggled with is pricing a turning. Kent Weakley has some guidance for turned bowls- Every turner seems to have their own procedure for turning an object. This is the second in the series of "4 Ways" where four turners do the same project, using their own techniques. Tim Yoder turns an arched, winged bowl. Not sure what kept the lathe from taking off and flying around his shop! Richard Raffan turns and burns a natural edge bowl. What I found interesting is that he does the entire bowl without the aid of a faceplate, Cole jaws or jam chuck- New Turning Items- With all of the "burning" as embellishment, this might be something interesting- Everything Else- Playing with some of the elm from behind the shed, This piece was rough turned and then soaked for 3 days in a soap/water solution. Looks pretty ugly but as it dries the color will lighten and turning to the final thickness will remove all discolorations from the soak. These go into my little drying box ala Rick Turns. I weigh the pieces once each day until they reach equilibrium. The day after I put this one in, it lost 100 grams of weight. Safe turning
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Remembering all my Brothers and Sisters on this 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, Welcome Home. Our Patriot Turners- @Headhunter posted some of his Ringmaster turnings in our sub-forum. Thought it would be nice to share them with the entire group. He also posted an awesome open segment turning. Headhunter was kind enough to add a photo of how he created the blank to create this beauty. @forty_caliber Has bee working with some spalted pecan. I really like the way he embellished the rim of this bowl- Check out his post to see what our turners had to say- Forty also posted an inquiry asking if any of our members had any experience with a specific type of knot/gap filler. Please check out this post and offer any additional help- Can't express how happy I am to see everyone adding to our continuing thread of "What's On Your Lathe"! Some of the recent additions include- This is about where we left off last week- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to more information and registration- For The Newbies- Found this article that compares these tools. https://turnawoodbowl.com/carbide-vs-traditional-hss-wood-turning-tools-high-speed-steel/ Alan Stratton's video on turning a box from tree to display. To add interest to the turning, Alan burns some detail lines. Check out his wire burning tool at 9 minutes- Expand Your Horizons- Carl Jacobson turned a small lidded box, and used the urn threaded rings. This was a live demonstration so it's a little long- Mike Waldt turns a hollow Mulberry hollow form- New Turning Items- Couldn't find anything new but checkout this week's Vendor Showcase (link above). Not sure what they will be doing. Everything Else- From Ron Brown's newsletter- Driving A Stake In The Ground Sometimes progress seems so slow that you have to drive a stake in the ground to see if you are moving. I first heard this phrase when I worked on the railroad as a long-haul trainman. The first half of our route took us from near sea level over a 4,000 foot high mountain range. Sometimes I could run alongside the train faster than it was moving! Developing our skills can be a lot like that. You want to be able to use a skew chisel like they do on YouTube and roll perfect beads, disks, and wonderfully symmetrical coves. But you get catch after catch and it seems like you are never going to figure it out. Or the grain tears on the outside of your bowl blank even with freshly sharpened tools. You wonder if you will ever be able to start sanding with 120 grit or higher rather than 60 or 80 grit. You look forward to the day you don’t have to spend so much time sanding. Practice makes perfect because each time you try, you get a little bit better. You develop muscle memory whether you know it or not. Suddenly, or so it would seem, you can roll a beautiful bead with that skew and not get a catch. Where is the stake now? I used spinning tops as my demonstration canvas on the Woodworking Show Circuit for 13 seasons. I glued up 1,200 top blanks at the beginning of each season and more when those ran out. All day long I would load a blank into the lathe’s collet chuck for my next demo. I used a skew to turn the disk to round in less than 3 seconds. Then I shaped the disk in preparation for texturing. That took another 10-15 seconds, one pass on the front, and one pass on the back. In one continuous motion, I shaped the stem using the same spindle gouge I had shaped the front and back of the disk. Then I made 3 cuts with the texturing tools and finished with various color combinations. I had developed so much muscle memory that I could carry on a lucid conversation and make the top at the same time. Elapsed time, less than 5 minutes including all of the decoration and coloring. It didn’t start out like that, but after the first thousand tops, it got easier. I’ve told you before that you don’t really know how to make something until you made 50 or 100 of the same thing. Then you begin to understand but still have much to learn. So, drive that stake in the ground, metaphorically, and watch as you get better each time you try again. Remember that wherever you go, there you are. Safe turning
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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
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