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Well apparently Punxsutawney Phil got it right, at least for PA. Snow and sleet tonight, rinse and repeat for Saturday! Our Patriot Turners- @calabrese55 added a beautiful mixed media, mixed construction vase to our "What's Off" topic and our turners showed their appreciation for his work- Please head over to Mike's post and check out more images and the great comments- @RustyFN taught another bowl turning class at his local Woodcraft store. Please see his, and our turner's, comments at- What’s Coming Up- Click on the image for the link to more information and registration If you missed it, last Friday, Cindy Drozda uploaded her Tool Talk presentation- For The Newbies- This video is a live demonstration showing some of the things to do for lathe maintenance. Filming isn't theater quality Pen turning is a nice way to ease into turning and the pens make awesome gifts. This video, from Craft Supplies USA, takes us through the steps. Although there lots of specialized jigs that can be purchase to do pen turning, many can be shop made for practically no cost. Expand Your Horizons- It is the beginning of the month and the "4 Ways Collaboration" group has uploaded their versions of a long stemmed goblet- New Turning Items- Everything Else- Popular Woodworking provided links to several turning articles. Beginners as well as more advanced turners should be able to find something useful. Jimmy Clewes turns a natural edge bowl- https://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/turn-a-live-edge-bowl/ Judy Ditmer discusses turning multiple copies of an item- https://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/making-multiples/ Alan Lancer turns handles for turning tools- https://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/handles-for-turning-tools/ And, Yoav Liberman provides his insights into using carbide tools for the beginner. Although I disagree with his observation that carbide tools are "crude but effective." https://www.popularwoodworking.com/tools/carbide-tools-unlocking-woodturning-potential/ Safe turning
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Well, January is just about in the books and I see that Punxsutawney Phil will make his winter prediction on Sunday. Our Patriot Turners- @Gerald has been turning more than his favorite Georgia Pecan! Check out what this piece is going to be! @RustyFN received his new double ended bowl gouge! Rusty provided a source in his post- Rusty also gave us a heads-up on a great looking air filtration system from Rikon. Our members liked what they saw and added information on what they were using. Why not share your setup! Thanks, Rusty! @smitty10101 asked a question about turning a specific pattern as an access ring for a segmented turning. We had some detailed responses from our segment specialist. Check out Smitty's post and see if you can provide additional information- We had additions to our "What's OFF" the lathe as well as questions on natural edge bowls. Thanks @BuckeyeHomestead for the pictures and question and to @kreisdorph for awesome answers to the questions- The new comments and images start here- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to more information and registration- For The Newbies- A quick reminder from Carl Jacobson. Safety is paramount! Even the most experienced turners can have things go wrong- Expand Your Horizons- Found this article on various ways to stabilize soft and punky wood. I've been using the CA method for a while although it can create stain marks. https://www.aawforum.org/community/threads/hardening-spalted-punky-wood.23599/ Recently, Craft Supplies USA reviewed The Bowl Saver Max for coring bowl blanks. Richard Raffan demonstrates his shop made device for similar operations- New Turning Items- @Gerald's aluminum turning directed me to this, from Stuart Barry. Looks like Highland Woodworking is carrying Record Power lathes- https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/search.aspx?find=record%2c Everything Else- Safe turning
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Please checkout the update on our Operation Help a Hero Christmas Project Fundraiser 2024. There has been an additional prizes added to the raffle! Our Patriot Turners- Please welcome new turner @DE Turner! He sent me a couple of pictures of his beautiful work- Say Hi and encourage him to post more of his pieces! In our site's "Good Monday Morning..." forum, @Gerald posted a cool Christmas tree turning- His post can be viewed here- We have had a few additions to our continuing topic of "What's Off..." this past week! @User74 and @calabrese55 both added turning projects- Catchup on all of the new projects at- What’s Coming Up- Cindy Drozda's tool talk "I'm looking forward to spending some time online with you at my free Tool Talk Livestream. It's this Friday, December 6th, at 2pm Eastern (19:00 UTC)" https://streamyard.com/watch/6QBkMFj5Crnh Live Interactive Remote Demonstrations December 10, 2024, Tuesday, 7:00-9:30pm, Eastern Time, Details of Hollow Form Turning https://lylejamieson.com/product-category/live-interactive-remote-demonstrations/ For The Newbies- We post a lot of the activities from Cindy Drozda. This past week she shared a tour of her shop. It's great to get to see how other turners' shops are equipped and laid out- Mike Peace posted a video discussing techniques for drying wood for turning. This video from Mike Mahoney, made available through Fine Woodworking Magazine, shows how to sharpen various woodturning tools. I don't think you have to subscribe to the magazine to view the video. https://www.finewoodworking.com/2015/03/25/episode-2-sharpening-turning-tools Expand Your Horizons- With Christmas fast approaching, a couple of season related turnings. One from Alan Stratton and one from Sam Angelo. The "4-Ways" collaboration turning series posted these videos. This month's concept is to demonstrates how to turn an enclosed vessel with a height greater than its diameter, using readily available tools. New Turning Items- Not new but on sale- Bowlsaver Max4 Coring System Save $100.!! https://woodturningtoolstore.com/product/bowlsaver-max4-coring-system/?receiptful=674cfd640a220e4070fe56ec&utm_source=CM Commerce&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter-408&utm_term=newsletter&utm_content=other&receiptfultype=newsletter Everything Else- Safe turning
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Well another election is in the books. I, for one, will be glad to return to commercials for Ozempic and Liberty Mutual car insurance. Our Patriot Turners- @RustyFN picked up some great looking Sycamore logs- He received lots of comments on the popularity of Sycamore for turning. Check out the comments at- Rust also made a super score at his local Woodcraft store. Our resident Ring Master turner, @Headhunter, posted some awesome bowls he has completed! Head on over to Tony's post and see more images and the comments from our gang- @Fred W. Hargis Jr was perusing some of our older topics and posted an observation about a commonly turned wood- @DAB turned a nice little bowl from a wood I had never heard of- Ohia. I found this from an Internet search- https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/forestry/plants/ohia-lehua/ He has some interesting stuff he is thinking about storing in this one! @forty_caliber has several serious hobbies along with turning. It's fantastic when you can meld them together. In this post from "What's Off Yor Lathe...", Monty turned an adapter to help build his short wave radio antenna farm. Also, in the "OFF" topic is a really nice bowl posted by @user74- The new items start here- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to more information and registration For The Newbies- Safety video from Craft Supplies USA. PSA- not just for Newbies!! With Christmas coming, a gift idea from Alan Stratton @Steve Krumanaker Practice your spindle turning and a little hollowing with this item from Mike Waldt Expand Your Horizons- The "4 Ways" collaboration is back! A winged box!! A neat project for the seamstress in your life from Carl Jacobson- New Turning Items- I think we posted this before from another source. Here is Tim Yoder's assessment of the Tru-Arc tool Everything Else- Safe turning
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https://www.911memorial.org/ Our Patriot Turners- Member @Bob Hodge asked a question about finishing techniques. Please a take a moment to stop by his post and see if you can add to what has been said. @AndrewB got his lathe up and running. He had some banjo problems. Some more activity on our "ON/OFF" your lathe this past week- From "OFF"- @Gordon showed us a gorgeous ash bowl- Catch up with more images and comments here- And, from "ON"- @Gerald, @forty_caliber, @teesquare and @kreisdorph all added to the list of projects! See the new additions, images and comments starting here- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to more information and registration- And on Friday, September 13, Cindy Drozda is having a Tool Talk- For The Newbies- Sooner or later, when folks learn you are a turner, someone will ask you to duplicate a knob, spindle or similar item. Richard Raffan demonstrates his techniques. A nice article from the AAW for turning a box- https://www.woodturner.org/Woodturner/Resources/AmericanWoodturner/2024/39-4/Turn-an-Elegant-Round-Bottom-Box.aspx?fbclid=IwY2xjawFKoZFleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHd70o6bnhe3biMaw4eMHg0YMuogHclDn5Edy5zIkS5T_NplWyoMPlYYtOg_aem_tdq_nHfgzU8xEPiTDfDttA Expand Your Horizons- @Gerald uses paints to embellish some of his turnings. I this video, Mike Peace demonstrates using iridescent paints- Mike also posted a video for hand chasing wooden threads. He includes some good tips on wood selection. When I do turning demonstrations for Easy Wood Tools, the one product that seems to draw the most interest from new and experienced turners is the Easy Chuck. A short video on the chuck and some of its features. New Turning Items- Ron Brown has developed a new sphere turning jig. Looks like it might be a pretty nice piece of equipment. Everything Else- 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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Some nice mid-August weather. Mid-August can you believe it??? Our Patriot Turners- @kreisdorph added a new item to our "What's Off Your lathe...". A really nice piece of elm. In his post, Kent explains the function and added some really neat photos! @AndrewB has been keeping us up-to-date on the progress of his shop make over. Getting everything into just the right place can be challenging. Check out his most recent post on what all he has done- What’s Coming Up- Bunch of stuff coming up as the summer winds down. Click on the images for links to more information and registration. For The Newbies- Looking for a nice project? Richard Raffan turns a plate from some beautiful piece of wood. Plates/platters are fun to make and can be decorative or useful. The blank doesn't have to be several inches thick and hollowing is much shallower. Make a bunch from inexpensive wood and use them to support those flimsy picnic paper plates. Check out the oil finish at the end! For something (and someone) a little smaller, Mike peace turns a baby rattle- Expand Your Horizons- Alan Stratton turns and hollows some spheres. His method of laying out/turning the blank into a ball is really interesting. Mike Peace turns a mystery, no holes salt shaker. Check out the secret! New Turning Items- Niles Bottle Stoppers has their meat tenderizer set on sale. https://nilesbottlestoppers.com/product/tenderizer-set/ Everything Else- 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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Just days left in our fund raising raffle. If you haven't picked up your tickets for some really special prizes, check out- Every little bit helps keep our site alive! Our Patriot Turners- @calabrese55 is getting rid of his extensive stash of pen making supplies. If you are looking for kits or pieces, see his post- @Gerald and @kreisdorph added some gorgeous items to our "What Finished" post. Gerald's project is for an AAW swap he participate in- And, Kent's are a couple of turned Chalices made from elm. This is where the new entries begin- What’s Coming Up- Cindy Drozda and Todd Raines will host a free Sharing Session this Friday, August 2nd, at 2:00pm Eastern (18:00 UTC). It's FREE, live, and interactive on Zoom! https://www.cindydrozda.com/html/Signup.html https://woodturningtoolstore.com/ For The Newbies- Woodworker's Journal published their monthly issue of the Woodturning Monthly. Lots of neat ideas and projects. Here's the link- https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/woodturning-monthly/?utm_medium=email Expand Your Horizons- Richard Raffan turns some "twig pots"- New Turning Items- OK, I know this is a stretch, but hey, I'm trying Sketchup is not generally thought of as software used by turners. This video demonstrates that the software is versatile enough to create elaborate shapes for the turner. For a smaller learning curve, this free software is available. Lathe Magic can create visual, 3D renderings of turning shapes. Free download is available here- https://www.shapemagic.com/lm/index.htm Everything Else- The rolling pin workshop is done. They made about 21 Celtic knot rolling pins of various shapes and designs. We started with this- This was one of the finished pins- Safe turning
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We have a little over a month left in our summer fund raiser drive! Some great prizes from our very generous sponsors. Get your raffle tickets here- Our Patriot Turners- Please welcome back a forum member who checked in this week. Great to have @AndrewB posting again and getting all of us caught up with what he has been doing! @John Morris posted about a turning artisan he follows, Jarrod Dahl. Mr. Dahl's video created a question that got lots of responses from our group. Jump over to John's post and see if you can add more to the conversation- Another great week for our "On/Off Your Lathe" running post! From "On"- @Gerald's spalted maple plate. Beautiful wood and lovely shape! And from "Off"- Gerald showed us his finished sculpted lidded vessel. Talk about a beautiful work of art!! I can't imagine how much sandpaper he must have gone through!! Our gang gave him a huge thumbs up on this one! What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to more information and registration. Cindy Drozda's Tool Talk this Friday Cindy and Todd Raines Zoom Sharing Meeting- For The Newbies- When it comes to bowl turning, the grinds on a bowl gouge can be confusing. Which one is best? Which one should I use and where? Sam Angelo has some information that may help you answer these questions- Turning a bowl, box or any hollow type form requires the turner to know just how deep into the wood they can go before making the inside larger than the outside. Richard Raffan shows us how to make a simple tool to help with judging the depth. When hollowing out turnings with straight sides (i.g. boxes), the box scraper can help to make more precise cuts. Mike Peace takes a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of some of the tools- Expand Your Horizons- Don't have a nice piece of wood to turn a larger project? Alan Stratton has the answer- New Turning Items- Woodturners Wonders has a sale on lighting. https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/lamps?_kx=gV5SF2As_3IwtBi5TrpHVQM0F3UvGVbQKzhWGippDlk.VJvU8R Everything Else- Still working on those rolling pin blanks for a demonstration. Received the last of the wood an hour ago. Going to be in Leesburg VA at the Catoctin Area Turners club tomorrow evening for an Easy Wood Tools product demonstration ( @Jordan Martindale ) Safe turning
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Happy Birthday, America! Here's how it really happened! Our summer fund raiser is underway! If you haven't gotten your raffle tickets or checked out the great prizes, see the following post!!!! Our Patriot Turners- We've had some additions to our continuing post of "What's On Your Lathe" @Gerald and @kreisdorph both added images of what they have been up to- Catch up on all this week's action starting here- What’s Coming Up- It's been awhile since we've done a recap of the upcoming AAW events. Click on the images for links to registration and more information. Southwest Florida For The Newbies- Mike Peace posted a video to help turners understand the various methods and tools for center finding. Expand Your Horizons- Last week we posted a video on turning a trembleur. I guess the YouTube algorithm was watching me because this one showed up a couple of days ago. It's really neat how the turners create string steady rests- Carl Jacobson turns a cool paper clip holder- The collaboration between the "4 Ways" turners continues- New Turning Items- I received an email from Wood World of Texas covering their Kitchen Essentials products/kits. Check out their products here- https://woodworldtx.com/ Everything Else- Pulled this from a Woodturners Wonders email. Carbide vs. traditional HSS tools. This week, we want to share some helpful information so you can choose the best turning tool option for you. Additionally, we are offering a 15% discount on Sorby, Crown Hand Tools and Easy Wood Tools! * The discount will be reflected in the cart * Choosing the Right Turning Tools: Traditional vs. Carbide Woodturning is a craft that blends artistry with precision, and selecting the right tools is crucial for achieving the best results. At WoodTurners Wonders, we offer a wide range of turning tools from renowned brands such as Robert Sorby, Crown Turning Tools, Easy Wood Tools, and Yellowhammer Turning Tools. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned turner, understanding the differences between traditional and carbide turning tools can help you make an informed decision. Here are some factors to consider when choosing your turning tools, along with a comparison of the pros and cons of carbide and traditional tools. Factors to Consider When Choosing Turning Tools Skill Level: Beginners may find carbide tools easier to use due to their low-maintenance nature, while traditional tools offer greater versatility and control, which can appeal to more experienced turners. Maintenance: Consider how much time you're willing to invest in maintaining your tools. Traditional tools require regular sharpening, while carbide tools typically only need occasional replacement of the carbide inserts. Material and Projects: The type of wood you work with and the projects you undertake can influence your choice. Traditional tools are often preferred for fine detail work, while carbide tools excel in roughing and removing large amounts of material quickly. Budget: Evaluate the initial cost and the long-term investment. Traditional tools might have a lower upfront cost but require ongoing investment in sharpening equipment, whereas carbide tools have a higher initial cost but lower maintenance expenses. Comparing Traditional and Carbide-turning tools Traditional Turning Tools Pros: Versatility: Traditional tools come in a variety of shapes and sizes, allowing for a wide range of cuts and finishes. Control and Precision: Skilled turners can achieve intricate details and smoother finishes with traditional tools. Lower Initial Cost: Typically, traditional tools are less expensive upfront compared to carbide tools. Cons: Maintenance: Requires regular sharpening, which can be time-consuming and necessitates additional equipment like sharpening stones or grinders. Learning Curve: Mastering traditional tools takes time and practice, as each tool and cut requires different techniques and angles. Safe turning
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Beautiful day in south central Pennsylvania... Our Patriot Turners- @Fred W. Hargis Jr Started a new turning and a new challenge for him- Fred had several questions about the best way to mount the piece on the lathe and some procedural turning questions. Our gang wasn't shy about offering their ideas and included some images of what they have done. Check out all of the interactions here- There were a couple of new comments on Fred's post about the lidded box he had turned. You can see the comments and images at- @kreisdorph scored some freshly cut oak. He turned this lovely bowl as a gift for the person who gave him the wood. Always a great thing to repay a gift and this lets the tree live on. What’s Coming Up- Click on the image for the link to registration and more information- For The Newbies- Sometime turners will uses different terms to describe the same thing or vice-versa. Here's Mike Peace's take on the Natural Edge Bowl and the Live Edge Bowl- And here he shows us his techniques for turning a live edge, or is a natural edge, bowl??? And from Lyle Jamieson, a tip on creating a strong glue block connection for bowl turning. Expand Your Horizons- Richard Raffan shows his method of sanding the inside of his turned boxes. Nice tip! Tired of turning bowls? Looking for another form that will be well received as a gift? Try turning a platter- New Turning Items- New style bronze threaded rings from Niles Bottle Stoppers Everything Else- Ron Brown's newsletter included a free sharing of his published list of woodturning "Pearls of Wisdom" and a free download of the Turners Reference Guide. Ron Brown’s Pearls: Turners Reference Guide© brought to you by Ron Brown’s Best, LLC 1. There are exceptions to every rule except this one. 2. Six types of chisels are needed to make up a basic turning set (Spindle Gouges, Roughing Gouges, Bowl Gouges, Skews, Scrapers & Parting Tools). 3. Sharp Lathe Tools are more fun. 4. Speed formula: diameter in inches X speed in RPM should equal 6,000 to 9,000 (10” X 800 RPM= 8,000). 5. Rub the bevel on all cutting tools; not on scraping tools. ABC= Anchor the tool, Rub the Bevel, Pick up the Cut. 6. Have safety gear on hand and use it; full face shield, dust mask. 7. Always rotate the workpiece by hand before turning the lathe on to check for interference. 8. Start at slow RPM to check for balance, and then speed up. 9. Speed can be our friend. 10. If you are afraid, slow down and take a breath. 11. “Life’s too short to turn ugly wood.” John Jordan. 12. Carpe Lignum, Torne Lignum – Seize the wood. Turn the wood. 13. Variable-speed lathes are better. 14. Learn to hone. 15. Have a plan before you start. 16. Be Flexible. 17. Turn green wood often. 18. Greenwood is like lettuce, cut what you can use or it will spoil. 19. Learn to use your tools well and keep them sharp. 20. Sharp tools are safer. 21. Sharp tools produce better results. 22. Invest in a good sharpening system and learn to use it well. 23. Then teach others. 24. Don’t skip grits. Never jump more than 50%, i.e. 100 grit to 150 grit to 220 grit to 320 grit. 25. Your family will love whatever you make. 26. Listen to your spouse; they usually have a better eye for design. 27. Never point out your mistakes to others. 28. Spindle turning often requires more skill and imagination than bowl turning. 29. “Never scrape when you can cut.” Mike Mahoney. 30. If you must scrape, raise a fresh burr. 31. Get and learn to use a ¼” wide parting tool. 32. Learn to make lots of “Fun Stuff” like tops, pens, stoppers, light pulls and small lidded boxes. It will make you a better turner and your family will think you are a genius, especially at Christmas time. 33. Make Christmas gifts for your family every year and start in June. 34. Invest in education like classes, seminars and symposiums. 35. Spend the money for personal one-on-one instruction with a professional turner. 36. If you are not failing every now and then, you are not learning. 37. You learn the most when you teach others. 38. Buy good quality M2 High-Speed Steel tools. Avoid high-carbon tools; they are a waste of time. 39. Learn to turn right and left-handed. 40. You can use a bowl gouge on spindle work, but usually not the other way around. 41. Sandpaper is cheap; throw it away often and use fresh stuff. 42. Sign and date your workpieces along with the kind of wood. 43. Buy the best chuck you can afford, and then buy lots of jaws for it. Then buy another chuck. 44. Make your own tool handles. 45. Try someone else’s tools. They might know something you don’t. 46. Join an AAW chapter then go to the meetings. 47. Read turning magazines. 48. Watch turning videos on YouTube, but don’t believe everything they tell you. 49. Buy educational DVD’s. https://longworthchuck.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=10&product_id=219 Turners_Reference_Guide.pdf Safe turning
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May is quickly coming to a close. I think about my teaching friends and how busy they are at this time of the year. Our Patriot Turners- @HARO50 gave us a look at a display he saw at a gift shop. Lots of interesting turnings, including some turned, wooden hats! Check out John's post for more images and our turner's comments- Again, I'd like to extend my personal thanks to all of our members who take the time to post their works in progress and those that have been finished. You all keep our "What's ON/OFF Your Lathe" topics humming along! This past week's projects are awesome! From "ON"- @calabrese55, @Gerald, @Fred W. Hargis Jr and @kreisdorph gave us a look at what they are making- Check all their images and comments beginning here- From "OFF"- @kreisdorph finished up a couple of beautiful natural edge bowls- The new projects and comments start here- What’s Coming Up- For registration- https://www.cindydrozda.com/ https://mawts.com/ For The Newbies- Turning away end grain can be challenging. Richard Raffan demonstrated how it can be done while avoiding chip/tear out. Richard Raffan shows how to shorten or turn away endgrain without splintering the internal grain..mp4 Expand Your Horizons- I have recently been looking at John Beaver's work and considering attempting one of his wave bowls. (His bowl, not mine!) https://www.johnbeaver.net/wave-bowls I'm not sure if I'm more intrigued by the actual bowl or the elaborate processes involved. Anyway, Alan Stratton just posted a video on creating a multipurpose jig that used Mr. Beaver's process as part of the inspiration for the new jig. Hmmmmm.... Talk about "pucker factor"!! Melted Burl Platter.mp4 New Turning Items- Our very generous site sponsor, Woodcraft, has a sale on turning tools/products! Rikon Lathes Easy Wood Tools Ron Brown has a new gauge for measuring the thickness of a bowl bottom. Looks well made and universal for all lathes and chuck/jaws. https://longworthchuck.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=75 Woodturners Wonders has added the "Hold Fast" product line to their inventory. https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/hold-fast?_kx=gV5SF2As_3IwtBi5TrpHVQGZ2p91Dzyb6Hq8u86HRP26F2J3AVp8xSSqd_hTF8cT.VJvU8R Everything Else- Safe turning
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Looks like a thunderstorm brewing off to the west. Garden could use a little water. Our Patriot Turners- @Headhunter posted a couple of beautiful segmented bowls he created using a Ringmaster! These became gifts for friends. He tells us more about them in this post- Our What's ON/OFF Your Lathe again had some gorgeous content! From "ON"- @kreisdorph worked with several different species of wood to produce these lovely pieces- New items start here- And from What's OFF Your Lathe- @kreisdorph and @User74 showed us what they are doing! You can catch up and see more images here- What’s Coming Up- Just a reminder that this Friday, May 24, Cindy Drozda and Todd Raines are having a free Sharing Q&A Session on Zoom. Here are 2 links for signing up for the Zoom meeting. https://www.cindydrozda.com/html/Signup.html https://woodturningtoolstore.com/event/sharing-session-free-and-live-on-zoom-4/ If you don't have Zoom on your computer/phone, here's the link for the free download- https://zoom.us/download For The Newbies- Mentioned before that Sam Angelo has started a new YouTube channel to assist the new turner. This video compares and contrasts the spindle and bowl gouges. New turners are often confused why/where to use these two gouges. This is the opening lecture from a nine-hour seminar on how woodturning tools work, from Jim Rodgers. Lots of good information on the various HSS materials. Craft Supplies USA has a nice video on chuck maintenance. Although this video is for a specific brand/model, much of the information is common to all scroll chucks. Expand Your Horizons- If you have watched Richard Raffan for any length of time, you've probably noticed most of his turning tools have been resharpened many, many times! Not one to let tings go to waste, Richard repurposes an old spindle gouge. I remember @Gerald using various painting schemes and came across this method of creating a Cosmic Clouds motif with iridescent paints. I think this was done by Tim Yoder- Cosmic Clouds #shorts.mp4 Thinking about working with acrylics? Craft Supplies USA posted a start to finish hybrid handle. Casting and finishing tips included! Last week we posted that Niles Bottle Stoppers had their bronze threaded rings for sale. Carl Jacobson created a very stylish urn using a set of rings- If hand chasing threads is more your thing, Mike Peace recently posted this video creating threads in a piece of Palo Santo Wood, Bulnesia sarmientoi, from Argentina. Finally, the Woodworker's Journal published their Woodturner's Monthly newsletter. Here's the link to the entire newsletter- https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/woodturning-monthly/?utm_medium=email New Turning Items- OK, this is something you can create in your shop. I thought it was pretty neat as I do not have an accurate cross sled for my drill press. What is the vertex#diy #woodworkingtools #woodworking.mp4 Everything Else- A few thoughts from Ron Brown- Sharing Makes You Better Three reasons you will be better: 1) When you explain your process, you must organize your thoughts. You will discover some steps are unnecessary while others need more attention. 2) Your audience usually asks questions that spark new ideas to improve your process and ultimately the result. 3) Explaining how you do it will often uncover why you do it this way. There is always room to be more efficient and you usually discover them by accident often during an explanation. The skills you have learned are a gift and make you who you are. The laws of sowing and reaping are in full effect. The more you share what you have discovered, the deeper your understanding will become. This is true with any skill or knowledge set you have Safe turning
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Lots happened this past week! Our Patriot Turners- @Gerald posted more images of his "Frig Magnets". His Jaho jig really creates some spectacular designs! Here's where the new entry starts- @John Hechel made a couple of posts in our sub-forum for Ringmaster Turning. He showed us some of his glue ups and some absolutely gorgeous bowl! Check out his posts here- @RustyFN posted an update on his new McNaughton Bowl Coring System. He created some measuring devices to help setup the system for different sized cores. Thanks, Rusty for the update! I love all your posts on our "On/Off Your Lathe". It is so enjoyable to see the development and finishing of the projects. From "ON"- From @kreisdorph and @Gerald Catch up from last week starting here- From OFF- @kreisdorph and @User74 The latest entries start here- What’s Coming Up- If you missed Cindy Drozda's Tool Talk last week, she posted the video on her YouTube channel- Click on the following images for links to registration and more information- For The Newbies- The bowl gouge can be confusing for the new turner, especially when it comes to the type of "grind" on the tip. Professional turners seem to have individual preferences and provide that grind style on the tools they recommend/sell. Lyle Jamieson discusses his preference in this video. Jim Rodgers creates another custom pen. Check out some of the jigs he uses to create the pieces. Expand Your Horizons- Alan Stratton turns a bowl as a keepsake for a tree that needed to be removed. Most of us do this when we are gifted wood. What I found interesting was Alan's use of UV epoxy instead of the typical epoxy/acrylic. Here's the entire video- the UV information is at about 4:30. The "4 Ways Collaboration" continues. This month they turn multi-sided plates Mike- Tomislav- Sam- Richard- New Turning Items- From Ron Brown- Glue Press for Bowl From Board or Segmented Rings https://longworthchuck.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=536 Everything Else- My experiment with the turned blank from last week was a miserable failure. That turning became this- The prototype for a passive amplifier. There was a barely noticeable increase in volume but it looks neat. Biggest mistakes- don't use a spade bit for long holes, cutting an angle and rotating is not produce as nice as cutting 2 angles. As in Alan Stratton's video, I did turn a little bowl from our Crab Apple tree that is dying by inches. Planted it in 1969. Safe turning
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Relatives gone but the remainder of the week already scheduled with appointments. Our Patriot Turners- Our turners have been busy with projects and new journeys @Gerald is learning the ins-and-outs of his new JaHo jig. He posted a couple of cool bowl images and asked our opinion on the painting scheme- His post received lots of comments. Our turners are not shy offering their opinions! Check out his post and give him your input! @keithlong asked us for some leads on mechanical pencil kits. He has been asked to turn a special type of pencil. If you have any ideas for sources for these kits, Keith would appreciate any input- @Fred W. Hargis Jr has started down the slippery slope of wood turning ! He asked our group for some ideas on turning knobs. Specifically, how is the best way to hold the knob during the urning process. A lot of us chimed in with various suggestions and information sources. Fred's setup looks like this- Check his post/questions and our responses and give him some of your ideas- Our continuing post of "What's On Your Lathe" got a couple of hits this week! @kreisdorph posted images of a beautiful cedar bowl. New entries begin here- What’s Coming Up- Cindy Drozda has a free, live tool talk on Friday April 26. Registration link is- https://streamyard.com/watch/MJdeXdGa5fNC For The Newbies- Mike Peace gives us a refresher course on the various live centers available. If you are thinking of upgrading your center, he offers some good information. Sam Angelo gives talks about how to safely use the spindle roughing gouge- Lyle Jamieson has some tips on tips on wet wood storage and wet wood turning- Expand Your Horizons- Richard Raffan turns a lovely little jewelry box from "Sheaok". I had to look that up on the web. Interesting species. Also, watch how Mr. Raffan takes setbacks in stride! Alan Stratton turns a rose bush root ball. Someone said life is too short to turn crappy wood. I'd say the results were well worth the effort. New Turning Items- Found this in the Niles Bottle Stoppers newsletter- Here's the link- https://nilesbottlestoppers.com/product/bottle-stoppers-blanks/ Everything Else- Safe turning
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The old Dogwood tree, outside my window, should be in full bloom tomorrow. Hard to believe when I transplanted it, from my parents mountain property, it was a single, spindly stick. That was 56 years ago! Our Patriot Turners- @RustyFN showed us a beautiful new turned lidded box he made. He said this one is made from Maple. He certainly has perfected the flocking technique, too! Our turners gave him lots of compliments in his post- @Gerald has been creating amazing designs with his JaHo jig. His most recent refrigerator magnet is a beauty! Check out this addition to his post- More activity on our two continuing posts of "What's On/Off the Lathe" From ON: @Gerald provide a closeup look at his JaHo jig in action- You can see how this jig can create some fantastic designs. Check out Gerald's post for additional images. From OFF: @kreisdorph turned a gnarly piece of mulberry into a beautiful bowl- Kent also finished these beauties. This spalted piece caught my eye because of the shape. Years ago, an artist friend sent me a picture from a magazine. He fell in love with the shape. I think it was a hint for me to turn one. Alas, I have not done it. New projects start here- @lew was looking for some input on design and proportions for turnings. He used miniature hollow turnings to get an idea of what had pleasing shapes and asked our turners their opinions. As always, our members provided some excellent advice and suggestions. What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to more information and registration- This is a replay of the most resent Tool Talk from Cindy Drozda For The Newbies- Thinking of design and proportions, Lyly Jamieson's turning tip discusses the design for bowls, Pen turning is a great way to get into turning. Kits can be inexpensive and provide amazing results. Tim Yoder shows us how it's done!! Now for a little more of a challenge, Jim Rodgers turns a segmented pen- Expand Your Horizons- Last week we posted a shop tour hosted by Mike Peace. The craftspeople were making Beads Of Courage boxes. Mike takes a segmented glue up and turns his own version of a Beads of Courage box- Sometimes the most beautiful turning is not the most perfect piece. Alan Stratton explains- https://youtu.be/hx1qGGVvU-g?si=mSuL1RJNLd0YDMOu EDIT: Cannot get this video to show in published post. Link seems to work. A short video from Richard Raffan demonstrating how he utilizes as much of a turning blank as possible. Check out the unique parting tool! New Turning Items- Been really difficult to find anything new on the market. Maybe by the time the income tax return is ready there will be some new toys to spend it on. Everything Else- An excerpt from Ron Brown's newsletter on advice for the new turner My advice for a new turner or a student would include the following: Find a turning club in your area and attend some meetings. These people are a tremendous resource and are always eager to help. Start with pens. Start by watching some YouTube videos for instructions. Get setup for basic pen turning, a 7mm mandrel, some slimline pen kits, proper sanding grits, CA glue, friction finish, etc. Pens are quick to make, easy to turn, and provide an immediate sense of accomplishment. If someone wanted to sell a few pens to pay for more turning stuff, many folks earn turning money this way. Then make some spinning tops for fun and give them away. Turn a few bottle stoppers and give them as gifts to friends and relatives. As soon as you can afford it, buy an inexpensive 4 jaw scroll chuck. Add more jaws down the road or buy a chuck with a few jaws included. Quality chucks with multiple jaw sets can be very expensive. Save that for later. For now, just get a serviceable chuck for around $100. Turn small plates from a 3/4" thick piece of wood using a recessed tenon in expansion mode for practice. A family member might even wish to add decorations or paint your masterpiece. Now that you have a scroll chuck, practice making turned lidded boxes, goblets, and soup ladles for the kitchen. Try turning a few small bowls from green wood. Turn the walls to 1/4" and watch them go oval. Turn a few 1/2" thick to let them dry in a paper bag for a few months, then re-turn them to 1/4" wall thickness once they’ve dried if they didn’t crack or explode. Once you've done all that, evaluate your interest in turning and if you love it, like most of us do, prepare to spend some money (easily $500) on High-Speed Steel lathe tools, a specialty grinder, and a sharpening jig. Next, set about learning to cut with traditional turning tools and learn to keep them sharp. Note: You only need a few HSS tools. In the beginning, don't buy more than 10 total, and never buy turning tools in a set. Always purchase the tool you need for the job at hand. After that, plan to take some full-day turning classes and plan to attend some turning symposiums in your area. From there, the sky is the limit. Turning can be as much or as little as you want. You can learn to make shavings in a couple of hours. It takes a lifetime to become a “Turner”. Did play a little at the lathe this week. The largest usable piece of that wind shake cherry was dry so I put it on the lathe. The more I turned, the more defects were uncovered. Filled the cracks with CA and sanding dust. The colors are nice but I don't like the tiny splits throughout the piece. Sanded to 600 and beeswax/mineral oil finish. Safe turning
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Well, Al Jolson was certainly right about April showers! A little over 3" since Sunday evening and a little more yet to come Our Patriot Turners- Member @calabrese55 posted a great tip for protecting turnings when chucked to a set of Cole jaws. In his post, he shows us how he made these foam protectors. Thanks, Mike, for this great idea! @Fred W. Hargis Jr posted a question about the Easy Wood Tools square cutters. Our members offered lots of great information. Please check it out and share your experiences. ( @Jordan Martindale ) Member @User74 gave us a couple of interesting surveys this past week. Don is interested in our shops and our preferences for turning species. It is really nice to get to know our members on a more personal level. First off, Don inquired about the lathes we are using: LOTS of responses and we learned that @HandyDan wins first prize!! Secondly, he asked what our favorite wood to turn. Again, no one was shy about sharing their picks: We really appreciate having our members getting actively involved in these conversations. Lots of projects finished and OFF the lathe this week! @kreisdorph and @RustyFN gave us a peek at what they were up to The new posts start here- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to registration and more information: For The Newbies- Sam Angelo continues to offer videos for the beginner interested in learning woodturning. This one is about considering grain direction when turning- Well, you found a nice size log along the road and you are thinking about turning it into a bowl(s). A couple of videos to get you started. First from Richard Raffan showing how to break down the log- And from Craft Supplies USA demonstrating the roughing out process- Expand Your Horizons- It is a new month and the 4 Ways collaboration group has posted a new project. Each of the turners creates a version of a mystical goblet. Another turning from the antiquities. From Craft Supplies USA, an artifacts pot. Check out the microwave tip at the end! A neat birdhouse from Carl Jacobson. Maybe @Steve Krumanaker could shape it a little more like a bee hive to add to his product line! New Turning Items- For our Canadian friends, Lee Valley is now carrying some additional Laguna equipment. Check their site at- https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/tools/laguna-tools?utm_campaign=485417_Apr3-ProdFeature-Wood-LagunaLaunch-CA&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Lee Valley&dm_i=6EER,AEJT,12YD53,1HQJS,1 Everything Else- This was originally posted in the Woodturner's Forum. In case you missed it- From Ron Brown's newsletter- Just A Few Things I’d like to talk to you about incrementalism for your turning journey. Let’s assume that you already have the basics; a lathe, chucks, spur centers, faceplate, etc. And that you have at least a basic set of turning tools including a few carbide-tipped tools. Also, that you have at least a basic sharpening station for your High-Speed Steel tools. You’ve made the major capital investment needed. Now let’s suppose you want to turn pens and pencils. You only need a few more things like a pen mandrel to hold the blanks, a drill bit to make the hole for the brass tubing, and bushings to help make the proper sizing easily. You might add a pen press and a drilling fixture if you really decide to make lots of pens, but that’s about it. What about threaded lidded boxes? There are two routes, hand chased threads, and a threading jig. A great set of thread chasers from Robert Sorby including a depth gauge is only $149.94 on Amazon. With that set you’ve expanded your repertoire to small turned lidded boxes, burial urns, hollow forms with threaded lids, etc. You can add different thread pitches for around $100 with the addition of new thread chasers. Threading jigs begin at around $250 and go up to over $500, but there is practically no learning curve and you seldom fail. Let’s say you become fascinated with turning salt and pepper mills. You need a couple of forstner bits and a drill chuck for the tailstock. A drill bit extension for the taller mills is handy along with a couple of mandrels to hold the blank between centers as you shape the body. Pepper Mill kits are inexpensive and now you have added salt and pepper mills to your arsenal for about $100. And my latest favorite, Bowls From A Board. For under $150 you can add a basic system to your collection and open a whole new world of fascinating possibilities limited only by your imagination. Think segmented turning with 90% less work. It turns out there are hundreds of YouTube videos on making “bowls from a board” so you are guaranteed a quick start. Turning wood can be daunting because there is so much to learn. Many folks claim this line, “by the yard it’s hard, by the inch it’s a cinch.” I recommend you add one skillset at a time and get the few things needed for that. Pretty soon, you will have to decide which of your passions you want to enjoy next! Safe turning
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I hope everyone can enjoy a peaceful Easter accordance with your customs. Our Patriot Turners- @Smallpatch was hitting the yard sale circuit when he spied an old lathe. Not one to pass up a bargain, he took it home a refurbished it. Check out his post for more images and the back story- New member @User74 posted a question about carbide tools. We had a very informative discussion about the quality of tools and cutters. Check out the post and see if you can add to it- @Steve Krumanaker created a beautiful Beads of Courage box. Steve used a special technique to create the staves for his turning project. Head on over to his post for more images and our members' comments Another great week for our What's ON/OFF your lathe discussions. From ON the lathe, @Gerald and @User74 gave us a look at their current turnings New information starts here- And, from OFF the lathe- @RustyFN and @User74 completed some really nice turnings- New posts for this week starts here- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to more information and registration- Last week, we posted a link to the Mid-Atlantic Woodturning Symposium. One of the presenters is Alan Lancer. Here's a short video of what you can expect to see from him- For The Newbies- A tip, from Lyle Jamieson, for holding small turnings without a chuck- Easy Wood Tools shared a new video on how their products are made. Easy Wood Tools are made, in America, entirely in house- even their carbide cutters! @Jordan Martindale Expand Your Horizons- Tim Yoder shows us how he makes his French rolling pin. Tim is always fun to watch! Richard Raffan is bucking the trend of large turnings. In these two videos, he creates lovely small turnings. His commentary, while turning, gives an insight into his turning techniques- The Woodworker's Journal has published the Woodturning Monthly newsletter. Nice article on how to add butterfly patches to a turning. The newsletter can be found at- https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/woodturning-monthly/?utm_medium=email New Turning Items- Got a heads-up from @Grandpadave52 about a great price on a Longworth chuck sale. Everything Else- Safe turning
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A little early with Wednesday's post. 71° outside and I've just been informed I'll be cooking supper on the grill tonight Our Patriot Turners- @John Hechel posted in our Ringmaster Sub-Forum showing us an awesome bowl he fabricated from a neat glue-up. Check out his post for more information- We had activity on both our continuing posts about projects on and off the lathe! From "On" the lathe- From @calabrese55, @RustyFN, @Pauley and @kreisdorph showed us these beautiful pieces! Catch up on all the action and comments beginning here- From "Off" the lathe- Both @RustyFN and @Gerald shared their fantastic projects- More here with comments from our group- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to more information and registration- For The Newbies- I always struggle with the concept of "Form vs. Function". Lyle Jamieson gives us his thoughts in this short video- Richard Raffan adds another chucking idea for hard to hold pieces- We sometimes post links to the Woodturners Wonders site for their products/sales. I found this link with videos about many of their products. (Full Disclosure- I am not affiliated with Woodturners Wonders. I do purchase some sanding supplies from them from time to time). https://woodturnerswonders.com/pages/videos?_kx=gV5SF2As_3IwtBi5TrpHVQGZ2p91Dzyb6Hq8u86HRP26F2J3AVp8xSSqd_hTF8cT.VJvU8R Expand Your Horizons- If you do the Craft Show circuit, Carl Jacobson shows us a project that might be an addition to your product line. This project from Mike Peace would make an awesome gift and could also be a craft show article. It lends itself to design customization- When I saw this from Alan Stratton, I thought of some of the embellishments done by @Gerald. New Turning Items- Couldn't find anything this week Everything Else- Something I need to learn more about, from Rom Brown's Newsletter- Technical Skills or Wisdom and Discernment? When you see a finished piece that is visually stunning, do you ever wonder what made it that way? Perhaps the end result was because the maker has superior technical skills with lathe chisels. It is much more likely they got the proportions just right, presented a balanced form, and knew when to stop and call it done. A great form can make even a bland piece of wood appear pleasing. If the material is ordinary, that is an opportunity to add embellishment such as painting, carving, or texturing to the great shape. Out of balance shapes, non-fair curves, sloppy transitions, deep sanding scratches, tool marks, and torn grain all contribute to a less pleasing finished piece. While technical skills go a long way toward reducing the time and energy needed to complete a project, I’ve seen many beautiful pieces completed by much less skilled turners who developed an eye for forms, paid attention to details and worked on the finish until they got it right. That means having the wisdom to know what shapes go together to make a pleasing finished item. A prime example where discernment is key might be a lidded hollow form, lidded small box, or Christmas ornament. Getting the finial in balance relative to the piece, or a lid and knob combination that compliments the box can be challenging. Discernment is knowing when to stop and move on to the next step. Those of us who have a loving partner will benefit mightily by asking their opinion on how a project can be improved. Ask for their honest observations and tell them you can only learn by seeing through someone else’s eyes. They won’t want to hurt your feelings, but this is a time for brutal honesty if you really want to improve. “Technical skills are important, but a discerning eye is importanter.” I would encourage you to develop your understanding for the things that result in a pleasing form along with your technical expertise. I studied shapes in other media including pottery and ancient vessels that survived the ages and it really helped. Don’t forget how important the Fibonacci formula is throughout nature. Safe turning
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March already! Some of the trees are starting to show signs of waking up and I have garlic greens showing through the mulch! Our Patriot Turners- @Fred W. Hargis Jr posted an inquiry about a new tool rest. He asked particularly about the curved type used for turning bowls. Several of our members offered their opinions. Maybe you could hop on over to Fred's post and provide additional insights. @HandyDan posted a link to a site for turning tool handle inserts. If you make your own handles you might want to check it out. The site is for Trent Bosch tools and there are lots of other items there. Here's the link to his site's home page- https://trentboschtools.com/ @Gerald showed us the setup for his new JaHo jig in the "Good Monday Morning" forum- There is additional information in his post- Our continuing thread on the "What's On Your Lathe" post continues to showcase new and beautiful items. This past week @teesquare, @kreisdorph and @Gerald all posted projects! Catchup on all the activity at- In addition to the ones still on the lathe, We had entries into the "What's OFF Your Lathe And Finished". @Gerald and @kreisdorph both added their finished items. The new entries and comments start here- What’s Coming Up- Click on the image for the link to more information and registration- For The Newbies- Not quite ready to make the deep bowl? here's an intermediate step from Alan Stratton. Reading a post on social media from a turner who upgraded to a larger lathe. He was lamenting that his expensive Cole Jaws were small and would not allow him to use the maximum swing of the new lathe. One person recommended this video from Alan Stratton- Expand Your Horizons- Several of our turners give back to others by participating in events such as Turning Pens For Our Troops and Beads Of Courage Boxes. This month the turners participating in the "4-Ways" turning collaboration are making Wig Stands. Anyone who has suffered the ravages of cancer and chemo would certainly appreciate one of these items. New Turning Items- Many turners tint their epoxy/acrylic work with various products. Up until now, tinting CA glue was limited due to the reaction between the glue and the tinting substance. Starbond has released an assortment of materials to tint their CA glues. Check it out at- https://starbond.com/collections/powders-inlay-supplies?utm_source=1. Starbond Newsletter Subscribers&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SB - TOTD Mica Mix (01HR9F16QNEP00ZFQF4704JB87)&_kx=UWBjOrBvGqdgxjbKJKjzdYtukO2Hko9tBjUvyv5yRmCPEYlA8GzGmWiEh-BS_64B.KAnW2a Wasn't sure where to put this but Woodturners Wonders is having a give-a-way contest- If you do that sort of things, here's the link- https://woodturnerswonders.com/pages/giveaway?_kx=gV5SF2As_3IwtBi5TrpHVQM0F3UvGVbQKzhWGippDlk.VJvU8R Everything Else- From Ron Brown's Newsletter When Size Matters What is the second major difference between a 12” swing wood lathe and a 16” swing wood lathe? The first difference is obvious, the 16” lathe can swing a 4-inch larger vessel. The second major difference is in the motor or horsepower. The smaller lathe is most likely equipped with a ¾ or 1 horsepower motor while the larger lathe will typically have 1-1/2 to 2 horsepower motor. Why does horsepower matter anyway? When all you turn are pens, wizard wands, and bottle stoppers, HP doesn’t matter. But when you are roughing out bowl blanks, plates, platters, drilling salt and pepper mills, or virtually any hollow form, the extra HP keeps the lathe from stalling. The larger the diameter, the more HP is needed because you lose the advantage of leverage. Imagine going up a steep hill with a heavy load in high gear. With the smaller HP you are forced to take lighter cuts and can’t be aggressive without stalling the lathe in its tracks; been there done that. You can turn little stuff on a big lathe, but it is much more difficult to turn big stuff on a little lathe. It can be done, of course, it’s just not as fun, safe, or easy. I have discovered recurring patterns after observing many thousands of turners over a few decades: 1) Most new turners start with a mini-lathe if they buy it new. 2) If they inherit the lathe from a relative or purchase it used, they are likely to get a larger machine to start with. 3) Although they planned to sell the smaller unit when they upgraded, they most often kept both lathes. I had 5 at one time. Now I’m down to only two. 4) These days, 2020 and later, most new turners start with carbide-tipped tools rather than the High-Speed Steel traditional tools. They are easy to use, quick to become proficient with, and they don’t require frequent sharpening or an expensive sharpening station. 5) After the new turner decides to pursue turning as a hobby, (1 to 3 years later) most will undertake learning how to use and sharpen HSS tools. They will invest in a fully equipped sharpening station including a slow speed grinder and sharpening jig. A no-fail way to introduce someone to turning wood on a lathe is to help them turn a wooden pen using a carbide-tipped tool. They treasure that pen and use it every day. They can spend the minimum amount of money and easily make lots of pens to give away or sell to their friends and associates. Their sense of accomplishment is validated often and they will have firmly joined the family of wood turners. Just like everything else in life, we all have to start somewhere. Me too. If you recognize the path each of them must walk on their journey, you will be better able to help and advise other turners who are not as experienced as you are. Experts were once beginners too. That is why we are always ready to help whenever we can and invite folks to call with their turning questions. Where are you on the path? Safe turning
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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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If you haven't gotten that Valentines present, maybe you should dig out a pillow and a couple of blankets for the couch! Our Patriot Turners- @RustyFN posted a beautiful walnut bowl in our continuing thread "OFF The Lathe And Just Finished"- Rusty has another image and a little about the finish in his post. Rusty also posted that he is looking to purchase a McNaughton Center Saver. Check out his post here- @StaticLV2 is tinkering with segmented turning. He created a really nice cutting jig for the angles. The results are gorgeous! You can see the jig and his process images starting in this post- We have a new member to our forum! @kreisdorph, from Tennessee, posted some of his awesome work. You really need to check out his post to see more of his turnings- One of our members, Brian Longshore, "Big B", is battling the dreaded "C". He's a Navy vet. Here's the link to his Patriot profile- https://thepatriotwoodworker.com/profile/4825-big-b/ If you do Facebook, you can follow his progress at- https://www.facebook.com/brian.longshore.9. What’s Coming Up- Click on the image for the link to registration- From Cindy Drozda- For The Newbies- From Richard Raffan, a tip on making/using a "tail center disc" Last week we posted a safety tip when using the Jacob's Chuck with the tail stock. Lyle Jamieson has an idea that secures the chuck in the tail stock- Expand Your Horizons- Richard Raffan continues to work on his stash of green elm. The warping really creates interesting designs. New Turning Items- Sorry couldn't find anything interesting. Everything Else- I had gotten some cherry a while back only to discover most of it had "windshake" damage. One of the pieces destined to be a bowl became pretty much fodder for the garbage man. I salvaged one small piece for a little bowl only to have it explode while sanding. So as not to have the efforts be a total loss, I cut what was left to see the profile and how I was doing with wall thickness consistency. I was using only my fingers as a gauge, except for the bottom, where I use a gauge/jig from Sam Angelo to determine the thickness. I'm pretty happy. The wall thickness could have been a little better at the transition from side to bottom. And maybe a little thinner overall. Safe turning
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Our member @Gerald is recovering from knee surgery and some complications. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Our Patriot Turners- @Steve Krumanaker decided to get a head start on next years Christmas ornaments! Steve does awesome turnings and embellishments. Check out our member's comments- @RustyFN asked a question concerning a specific bowl saver system. If you can give him some information, I'm sure he would appreciate it. @knockonit posted some of his recently turned rolling pins in the "What's On Your Workbench" forum. You can see his post at- @Grandpadave52 gave us a heads up on a video from Tom Silva (This Old House). Tom makes a segmented bowl. Dave's post is here- We've had entries in both our continuing threads of lathe projects. From "What's On Your Lathe" an almost finished platter And from the "Off The Lathe And Just Finished" thread- @RustyFN showed us his sweet pyrography work on his latest bowl- Also posted was a little, odd shaped walnut bowl- You can catchup on this thread at- What’s Coming Up- Just after the first of the month and the "4-Ways" video series continues. From Sam Angelo From Tomislav Tomasic From Richard Raffan- From Mike Peace- Free web presentation from All Things Woodturning- Registration link- https://streamyard.com/watch/gGs2fUP3i5Fq?receiptful=65c254ccf68490003ed627d1&utm_source=CM Commerce&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter-314&utm_term=newsletter&utm_content=other&receiptfultype=newsletter For The Newbies- A turning tip for finishing, from Lyle Jamieson- Expand Your Horizons- I saw this finished item on a couple of social media sites and was intrigued by how it was made. Then this popped up! Tim Yoder turned a "bowl from a board" In the video he used a device from Ron Brown's Best. https://longworthchuck.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=64 Kind of a neat idea from Alan Stratton. I'm always amazed at how easily he make it look to turn spheres. New Turning Items- From Ron Brown's Best- And a sale on sanding supplies from Woodturners Wonders- https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/ultimate-sanding-system?_kx=gV5SF2As_3IwtBi5TrpHVQM0F3UvGVbQKzhWGippDlk%3D.VJvU8R Everything Else- Today was laser day in my shop. Had several turnings and other stuff that needed signed/dated. The little scissor lift works really well for focus adjustments. I usually wait until I have several items as it requires a little space to set up everything. Safe turning
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End of January already. Friday is Groundhog Day and in 2 weeks it's Fastnacht Day! Our Patriot Turners- @Steve Krumanaker posted images of a bird turning. This one is different than the small birds he adds to his bird house ornaments Check out Steve's post for his description and inspiration for these lovely likenesses. Keeping with the bird theme, @HandyDan posted some awesome birdhouses/gnome houses Dan has gotten those tiny birds down to an science! See his post for more images and additional information about these fantastic turnings! @Fred W. Hargis Jr posted a safety oriented video that reminds us there are dangers lurking when using the lathe! I, for one, will take this video to heart. A few things were added to our "What's On Your Lathe" continuing thread. You can catchup with all the comments and more images starting at- A gorgeous ring box made by @calabrese55 An incredible lighted turning from @teesquare And a walnut bowl along with a white oak platter with a Pewa patch What’s Coming Up- Click on the above image for the link to more information and preregistration. For The Newbies- If you are considering using traditional tools for bowl turning, you may be confused by all of the different "grinds" or shapes for the bowl gouge. In this short video, Lyle Jamieson discusses his signature grind and why he uses it. Here are a few more resources for learning about the various grinds- https://turnawoodbowl.com/bowl-gouge-basics-beginner-guide-parts-use-sizes-grinds-inforgraph/ https://turnawoodbowl.com/bowl-gouge-sharpening-angles-illustrated-guide/ https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/video-understanding-bowl-gouge-grinds/ https://stuartbattytools.com/free-videos-%26-articles#11a33c77-bf25-4de7-9257-fd1dbc667a1c When you first start down the slippery slope of turning, it is tempting to purchase expensive exotic woods for those beautiful pieces you've seen. In these two videos, the common thread is to use "green" (freshly cut) wood. Green wood turns much easier than dried wood. It is less expensive than the exotics. And, you'll often be surprised at the beauty hiding within the pieces. Expand Your Horizons- Add some finesse to your next lidded box with a finial! Lyle Jamieson discusses finial design considerations- Mike Waldt has started a multi part in-depth guide for turning a lidded box- Part#1 New Turning Items- Woodturners Wonders has become a dealer for Easy Wood Tools Check out the products at- https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/easy-wood-tools?_kx=gV5SF2As_3IwtBi5TrpHVQM0F3UvGVbQKzhWGippDlk%3D.VJvU8R Everything Else- Safe turning
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