Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'tops'.
Found 21 results
-
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
- 5 replies
-
- 4
-
-
-
- peachtree
- longworth chuck
- (and 29 more)
-
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
- 11 replies
-
- 6
-
-
-
- ron brown newsletter
- lamps
- (and 32 more)
-
Hope everyone has an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas. Our Patriot Turners- Our continuing thread of "What's On Your Lathe" has been really busy this past week! @forty_caliber, @Fred W. Hargis Jr and @Gerald have been busy cranking out some awesome turnings. Catch up on all that's been happening here- @Gerald also posted in the thread "Off The Lathe And Finished" - Gerald's description is at- @John Hechel asked our members for their opinion on a lathe set up for his Mrs. She needs to turn small items and still be near her store. Check out John's post and see if you can provide some input- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links to more information and registration- Email to: [email protected] For The Newbies- A simple turning to practice hollowing, and a place to put your spare change, from Craft Supplies USA. Some bowl turning techniques from Richard Raffan- Expand Your Horizons- Want to get into bowl turning but you are holding off to purchase a chuck? Wait no longer- Kent Weakley, from Turn A Wood Bowl, has the answer- This short video, from Lyle Jamieson, offers other reasons why a chuck may not be what you need to make some turnings- A neat project from Alan Stratton using yet another one of his shop made jigs. Offset turned icicles! And not to be outdone, Carl Jacobson turns a lidded bowl with an offset turned finial. Carl uses the Joyner Offset Jig for his turning. Everything Else- From Ron Brown's Newsletter- The Genius Of Simple Simple can often be complex. The adage “KISS – keep it simple silly” is a foundational principle and applies to virtually every area of our daily lives. As a lifelong salesman, I was often coached to give my presentation to a 5th grader. If I could explain my product or service in terms a 10 to 12-year-old child could understand, my story was simple enough for most adults to understand. I would have more success in a shorter amount of time. When we try to explain how we approach a project or execute a particular cut, we too must keep it simple. You don’t have to explain every little detail and nuance you’ve discovered. When teaching a subject or giving a demonstration, think of levels like schools; 101, 201, 301, etc. Club demos are almost always at level 101, while all-day hands-on might be at level 201 or even 301 in rare cases. Remember that your knowledge base comes from your lathe, in your shop, with your tools ground for you. Everyone else has a different situation. When you explain your subject in level 101 terms, they can adapt your insights to their situation and enjoy newfound success for themselves. When it comes to design, simple classic shapes with fair curves and flowing transitions usually work best. Even projects that are greatly embellished fall flat if the core shape is not pleasing. Here are two examples of what I mean: 1) Pens: Slimline pens (the most popular) are not meant to incorporate beads, coves, or lumps and bumps. They always look best as a simple cylinder relying on the figure of the wood or other material to impart beauty to the project. Even the larger pen kits are always more appealing with simple lines rather than bulbous shapes. You can always spot new turners who feel they must offer more than just round and straight. (Just my opinion). 2) Finials: One of the best-known finial turners is Cindy Drozda. If you study the finials she turns, you can’t help but be blown away. There are always 4 elements to her work; a. a large Fibonacci cove as the base (Golden Mean) b. next is a large bead c. followed by a tall ogee-curved taper d. ending in a delicate tip usually with a series of small disks with a point. Here is a link from The American Woodturner Magazine in the spring of 2006 where Cindy gives an analytical approach to her finial design for comparison. (Not Simple) If folks want more details, they will tell you. Tell them a little more while still keeping it simple and so on. I was prepping some turning blanks when the washing machine bit the dust. Everything needed to be moved to allow access for its replacement- tomorrow. Sycamore, cherry, red oak and somewhere back in there is a chunk of walnut. Merry Christmas to us. You know those old ringer type never wore out. Safe turning
- 5 replies
-
- 6
-
-
-
- alan stratton
- icicles
- (and 19 more)
-
Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Remember, only 25 shopping days until Christmas! Our Patriot Turners- @calabrese55 and @Gerald added to our running thread on "What's On Your Lathe"- Read the comments and see Gerald's videos at- @Bob Hodge Posted a beautiful piece of art in our continuing thread "OFF the Lathe and Just Finished"_ Lots of nice comments here- What’s Coming Up- Actually, in case you missed it, this happened last week from Cindy Drozda on making a pizza cutter- And then coming up, Cindy and Todd Raines are co-hosting a live interactive sharing session, Friday December 1, at 2pm EST. You need to signup- it's free- at this link: http://www.cindydrozda.com/html/Signup.html For The Newbies- The Woodworker's Journal published their Woodturning Monthly newsletter. Some nice projects, just one example- Read the entire newsletter at: https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/woodturning-monthly/?utm_medium=email Expand Your Horizons- Happen to catch our local PBS airing of The Woodsmith Shop. It was a rerun from season 15 but the guest was Jimmy Clewes demonstrating his colored platter techniques. Here's the link to the Woodsmith site and information about the episode, including a PDF of the project. https://woodsmithshop.com/episodes/season15/1511/ New Turning Items- Lots of sales but nothing new. Woodturners Wonders and Easy Wood Tools among others. Everything Else- Relatives left and I had a chance to complete a shallow table centerpiece bowl requested by a dear friend. Walnut, about 11.5" in diameter and 2.5" deep. Finished with mineral oil and beeswax. Engraved with my little Ortur laser. Safe turning
- 6 replies
-
- 6
-
-
-
- jimmy clewes
- centerpiece
- (and 16 more)
-
From "All Things Woodturning"- Here's the link to registration- https://streamyard.com/watch/n7Hjh6rUijUZ?receiptful=654380ae62ed6c003ed8d73a&utm_source=CM Commerce&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter-287&utm_term=newsletter&utm_content=other&receiptfultype=newsletter
- 1 reply
-
- 2
-
-
- november 3 2023
- free demo
- (and 2 more)
-
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
- 3 replies
-
- 6
-
-
-
- lyle jamieson
- sale
- (and 27 more)
-
December 21, first day of winter. Guess I should start to think about doing some Christmas shopping... Please don't forget we still have about a week left in the Ward 57 program. Lot's of spectacular prizes in the raffle. Remember ALL of the proceeds are forwarded to the Forney family! Our Patriot Turners- We have had a bunch of additional input to @Bob Hodge's request for information on a finial spindle gouge. @forty_caliber picked up Cindy Drozda's version and posted some of his results. The post continues at- @Masonsailor decided it was time for a new mallet. He turned a real beauty! Check out the additional images in Paul's post. What’s Coming Up- Cindy Drozda is having a tool talk on THURSDAY DECEMBER 22. Here's the information from social media- Click on the above image for the link to registration. For The Newbies- Turners know there is always more that one tool to get the job done. In this video, Jim Rodgers uses practically every tool in his shop and the ones he didn't have, he makes! Jim shows, in detail, how to create some specialized tools. A nice video from the Woodworker's Journal featuring Ernie Conover turning some tops and yo-yo's. Expand Your Horizons- Although you probably have completed turning your Christmas ornaments, this article may be helpful in getting you started on next year's batch. From the Woodworker's Journal and the AAW- The full article can be found at- https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/project-hollow-sphere-ornament/?utm_medium=email "Waste not; want not" -Richard Raffan uses just about all of this gorgeous log- Last week we posted a project from Mike Peace where he did hand cut threads. In this follow-up, Mike talks about what you should know before purchasing a set of thread chasing tools- New Turning Items- Not a new product but these blends are being sold by StarBond Adhesives- All of StarBond's products can be seen at- https://starbond.com/ Everything Else- No videos from Rick Turns this past week, maybe he is taking a well deserved vacation. Actually got to spend a day at the lathe! A friend is refinishing a piece of furniture but it is missing the legs. Pretty simple tapered pieces. Used Sketchup to get the measurement, story pole for the layout. Left some waste on the "foot" ends to allow for leveling. Working via text and pictures is a little difficult to get precise dimensions. And for the traditionalist, not one Easy Wood Tool was used on these turning- unless you count the awesome Easy Chuck and the Multi-Spur Drive Center Safe turning
- 4 replies
-
- 2
-
-
- spindle gouge
- strabond
- (and 17 more)
-
Awesome news from our sponsor Easy Wood Tools ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools )! Easy Wood Tools has acquired Yorkshire Grit. Yorkshire Grit abrasive paste produces a super smooth finish, with less sanding! Check Easy Wood's site for more information- https://www.easywoodtools.com/. This pdf lists locations for purchasing- Yorkshire Grit - Purchasing Options Customer Email.pdf Our Patriot Turners- @forty_caliber posted a pecan bowl he finished. The grain in that wood is spectacular! Head on over to his post and see what our turners had to say about this beauty- A couple of weeks ago, @Gerald posted a bowl he had embellished with flamed copper pieces. He posted the finished work this week. See how he decided to protect the copper- Gerald explains in his post- @Steve Krumanaker wore his Easy Wood Tools/VetsTurn T-shirt to a an antique show and was rewarded- Steve shares the story here- What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for more information and links to registration. From As Wood Turns, a Christmas Ornament Challenge with prizes! There is more information here- https://www.aswoodturns.com/challenges/ For The Newbies- Use tenons or mortices when turning? Here's Mike Peace's take on it- Expand Your Horizons- Jim Rodgers turns a transitional vessel- New Turning Items- If you haven't tried the Yorkshire Grit sanding paste, give it a try! When used as per the instructions, you can apply any finish to the turning. Everything Else- Ron Brown's newsletter came this week and there was a story that we can all relate to when it comes to pricing our work. I asked Mr. Brown if I could share it here and he graciously agreed. You can sign up for his newsletter at his site- https://www.ronbrownsbest.com/index.php?route=account/login While you are there, check out all his great deals! Rick Turns list of YouTube woodturning videos from last week- Safe turning
-
Well, one more day and March will be in the books... Typical spring weather here in PA. This morning we were under a winter weather advisory. Tomorrow afternoon a severe thunder storm watch. Our Patriot Turners- @Steve Krumanaker said he finally mastered the operation of a Throw Top. Some of our members sympathized with Steve's predicament. Check out the post at- Steve continued his adventures in gnome turning. He added his unique touch to this one- Along with his post was a challenge to guess the source of the "hair". @Gerald added a great comment to last week's "Wednesday's..." post. His idea was that we might share our thought process of determining what the final piece will look like when starting with a chunk of wood. I'll try to start something this week and hope our turners will share their ideas. What’s Coming Up- Several upcoming events. Click on the images for the links to more information and registrations. For The Newbies- Mike Peace has another video to help us with lathe problems. This one covers the banjo- Cindy Drozda talks about her Vortex and Pyramid Tools. From a live presentation- Expand Your Horizons- You say you'd like to try segmented turning? Check this out- Alan Stratton has a cute video just in time for Easter- Turned finials are a great way to add pizzazz to hollow forms. But, how to turn them really thin and delicate without breaking? Cap'n Eddie has a tip- New Turning Items- This isn't exclusively for turning but certainly can be used to get those glued up blanks on the lathe a little quicker. Big thanks to @Gene Howe for the heads up- Everything Else- Rick Turns list of YouTube woodturning videos from last week- A couple of weeks ago, Alan Stratton, posted a project where he added Celtic Knots to a segmented turning. Using his jig concept to make my own version, I've been playing around with some turnings. My first attempt- Just some glued up scraps and quickly turned to see if the knot would look OK. Second blank. Not sure how it will look as I goofed on one of the setups. This one might become a small sugar bowl or a "pepper cellar" Working on getting a blog written up with detailed process shots. Safe turning
-
Lovely spring day here in south central PA. My grandmother would have called this "the robin snow" Our Patriot Turners- Not too much happening from our turners this week. @Gerald did post about some of his sales on a different forum in answer to questions about craft shows- What’s Coming Up- From "Meet The Woodturner"- A two day event featuring quite a list of presenters and a wide variety of topics. Click on the above image for the link to the home page and associated information. From Ruth Niles- Click on the above image for the link to registration. For The Newbies- Turning can be like dancing- there are lots of subtle moves that makes it an enjoyable pastime. This video from Kent Weakley demonstrates body movements that can really improve your turning abilities. Cap'n Eddie has a nice little video with a shop tip on protecting your lathe ways. Simple device and easily made- Our shops are almost always in a state of flux. New equipment, saying goodbye to old stuff and changes in interest can all lead to rearrangements. Some of you may be lucky enough to have local friends to compare notes and idea. Others need to rly of folks like Mike Peace to help with ideas on shop reorganization. Expand Your Horizons- Lyle shows shaping and hollowing small objects with Hollowing System and laser measuring. Richard Raffan posted a couple of really nice turned box videos. Both are cross grained turnings. The second video shows making a suction fit lid. New Turning Items- The folks at Woodturners Wonders have a new lamp available. Check it out at- https://woodturnerswonders.com/products/nebula-led-lamp Everything Else- Rick Turns list of YouTube woodturning videos from last week- You may remember from last week, I was trying to figure out what to do with that piece of Manzanita. Gerald suggested carving it instead of turning. I seriously considered that, however, that would have required the purchase of new realm of tools/equipment. As I have already spent my allowance on a new laser engraver, turning it seemed to be the least expensive option. The piece had 3 nubs on the most flat side (circled) which seemed to say "these will be my feet". That meant some sort of mounting had to be made, on this side, for chucking the piece. The stumper was that the opposite side was anything but flat! Using scraps under what would become the top, and hot melt glue, the piece was fastened to my very old shop made chuck; making sure the 3 nub feet were at a level plane. Various length posts added to hold the piece while spinning. And some additional safety taping. Turned a recess. I wanted to leave as much of the natural shape as possible. If I had cut a dovetail mortice for the main mounting, the chuck would not fit with all of the natural shapes. Made a glue block and a paper joint. Utter failure! Considered just a plain glue joint but recently saw a lot of information on hot glue for mounting. I'm Sold! That stuff really holds!! Re-chucked in the lathe. Fairly well balanced and had no trouble with vibration up to and above 1000 rpms. Ready for sanding on the front. First coat of wipe on gloss poly. After the second coat, I'll see what it looks like. Then remove the glue block, reverse chuck it and finish up the area where the glue block is located. Safe turning
-
Beautiful day today, 67° and sunny. Tomorrow, winter weather advisory. Ahh, spring time in PA. Our Patriot Turners- @BillyJack asked our members for input on some turning tools. Several gave their recommendations on what he might consider. I hope he posts the tools he gets so we can all drool over his choices! @Gerald gave us a look at some of the turnings that were done at the last club meeting. Gerald posted several more images of turnings that were done during the demonstration. Gerald said their guest demonstrator was Matt Monaco. If you do Instagram, here's a link to Mr. Monaco's page- https://www.instagram.com/monaco_bowls/. Gerald also posted some images, in response to some thoughts from last week's "Wednesday's...", showing some of the embellishments he has done using various tools. See this post for more pictures- I appreciate Gerald's willingness to share his knowledge with all of our turners. What’s Coming Up- Click on the images for links and more information. From the AAW- From Lyle Jamieson From Cindy Drozda- Not sure if you need a Facebook account to view this presentation- For The Newbies- From the AAW, a short video on sharpening- Mike Peace continues his series on lathe drilling. This video discusses drill bit selection- Expand Your Horizons- Cindy Drozda is asking for input on IRD content. She has developed an anonymous online questionnaire. Maybe you could help her by responding. Here's the link- https://us18.list-manage.com/survey?u=4fd7472bedaf1b07e398a732a&id=73c2cb5054&attribution=false Cindy also uploaded a video of the equipment she uses to do her IRD's and training videos. If you have thought about getting into this area, maybe her experiences might be helpful- Alan Stratton finishes up his series on the eccentric chuck and turnings with a video on making his chuck. Carl Jacobson turns a vase with an off-centered lid- New Turning Items- From Ruth Niles' latest newsletter- Click on the image for ordering. From the folks at Woodturners Wonders- FREE Shipping! https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/new-products/products/powermatic-3520c-lathe-100th-anniversary-edition Everything Else- Rick Turns list of YouTube woodturning videos from last week- No turning for me this week. As the old saying goes- "No good deed goes unpunished". One of those-"if we supply the lumber will you donate your time". A little Free Library for the local state park- Just getting to the roof when the spring pin, in the table saw trunnion worm gear, decided to fall out. Of course everything had to fall down into the dust collector hose. It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood... Safe turning
- 3 replies
-
- 2
-
-
- ruth niles
- stopper blanks
- (and 28 more)
-
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It won't be the typical holiday to which most of us have been accustomed. However, let's give thanks for what we do have. There are those who have a lot less and are in more dire predicaments than us. Let's share our good fortune with our adopted wounded warrior family. Please donate to make this their best Christmas ever. Our Patriot Turners- @Ron Altier found a piece of long lost wood and turned a beautiful ornament. Ron wasn't sure of the species and posted a query to our members for help. Ron's post is here- Ron also posted a neat video of a piece of acrylic with imbedded nails being turned. Not sure if I would do this but it's fun to watch! @Steve KrumanakerSwitched from birdhouses to toy tops. Steve showed us some of the ones he has made- Steve got lots of great comments and he also told us a little on how he makes these. @AndrewB is working on some claro walnut bowls. This wood has some awesome grain Check out Andrew's post- What’s Coming Up- Mike Waldt is hosting a live event showing his shop and setting up for streaming and videoing. This will be broadcast on YouTube on November 27. Check Mikes channel for more information- Cindy Drozda has another live demonstration on November 28. Click on the above image for the link to Cindy's site. Woodturners Retreat is presenting interactive online woodturning demonstrations. The program date is December 12, 2020 Click on the image for the link to their website. For The Newbies- If you are unsure about how to turn a bowl, here's a complete course from start to finish- https://turnawoodbowl.com/courses/wood-bowl-turning-start-to-finish/ Woodworkers Journal posted a nice tutorial on making earring stands. Maybe your wife or girlfriend (or both) would appreciate this for Christmas https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/project-turning-an-earring-stand/ Expand Your Horizons- Mr. David Reed Smith has added another detailed tutorial on making rim wire hangers for turned items. @Steve Krumanaker uses twisted wires for his ornament displays. http://davidreedsmith.com/Articles/RimWireHanger/RimWireHanger.html Carl Jacobson did a live demonstration this past weekend for the "Virtual Craft Festival" presentation. Although the turning wasn't completely finished, you can get a pretty good idea on how to turn a scoop- New Turning Items- Nova has a new chuck available! Check their website at- https://www.teknatool.com/ Ruth Niles created yet another bottle stopper design- actually 3! This is a copy and paste from her latest newsletter- You can see all of Ruth's products at- https://nilesbottlestoppers.com/ Everything Else- I was checking out some of the deals at Woodturners Wonders and noticed they are holding monthly contests. Although November is almost over, there is still time to submit an entry. Check back in December to see what the topic will be. Great Prizes- https://woodturnerswonders.com/blogs/news/november-turning-contest Every week Rick Morris posts a list of woodturning videos posted on YouTube. Well, this week he outdid himself. Rick posted the list of all the wood turned Christmas ornament videos on YouTube! All 1084 of them!!! If you can't find something that strikes your fancy, I believe your middle name must be Grinch! Rick also posted his regular weekly list of YouTube turning videos- Safe turning and stay well
- 15 replies
-
- 8
-
-
-
- cindy drozda
- ornaments
- (and 8 more)
-
A while back I started sizing my ornaments blanks to have enough of a cutoff to use for the body of a two piece top. One piece tops waste a lot of material but two piece ones are just the opposite and provide a way to use up cutoffs and small spindle scraps. Add to that, they are quick and fun to do while building skills. I will probably make 30 or 40 of these before I'm done. Everybody loves a spin top.
-
Daylight Savings time begins this coming weekend. Don't be late to Sunday School!!! Our Patriot Turners- Last weeks "Wednesday's..." had a reply from @Gerald showing us some tops he made. His post generated several comments- In case you missed it, here's the link to where the conversation begins- How about that cool way Gerald hold his turnings while the finish dries! Gerald then showed us some of the other tops he has turned- Check this post for more examples- I need to apologize to @Masonsailor. I completely missed his post on the additional work he has done on the Lazy Susan Tulips. Check out the metal work and his installation progress- Member @Bob Hodge posted a beautiful cherry bowl- Bob also asked our opinion concerning finishing the inside of a turning. He received a bunch of responses. Please head on over to his post and maybe you can add to the ideas from our turners- Bob also made us all jealous with this post about his new source of turning wood! How's this for some beautiful grain- Check out where Bob picked up this gorgeous piece of wood- @FrederickH asked our opinion on some shop made turning tools. Check out Rick's post and see if you can add any information to help him out- @Woodbutcherbynight asked our opinion on a technique for turning a narrow mortice- He received several ideas on procedure and tools. What do you think would be the best way to accomplish what he wanted to do? The topic of working with textures continues to receive comments and questions. If you haven't been following along, here is some additional information- What’s Coming Up- Our awesome sponsor, Easy Wood Tools, wanted everyone to know they will be displaying their products at the Secaucus, NJ Woodworking Show. Thanks @Jim from Easy Wood Tools! Also- Click on the above images for links to more information. For The Newbies- You have seen them in the videos and social media. You have probably thought "I can do that!" Well here is your chance to give it a try. Mike Peace shows us the steps for making a small Winged Bowl. Expand Your Horizons- Tim Yoder is always enjoyable to watch turning. With this video, Tim gives us an insight into what the turning might look like when still hidden within the tree. New Turning Items- Saw this while watching a live feed from Carl Jacobson. It's not really a "new " item but it might just open up a new avenue for some of our turning endeavors- A Carving Stand that can be locked into your lathe banjo or bench mounted. It accepts your lathe chuck so you don't have to unmount your turning. Available from- https://trentboschtools.com/product-category/carvingstands/ Everything Else- Well, I finally finished up that hollow vessel (spaceship). Two applications of brush on gloss poly and an application of black acrylic paint on the inside. The black burned rings on either side of the gold leaf aren't as pronounced as I imagined they would be. Live and learn. I am more please with the photo results from the Mike Peace imitated photo booth. I do need to be more careful in making sure all of the dust is removed before taking pictures. I have on final piece of that walnut log. But, this failure is going to mean a different, smaller turning. Just have to figure out how to remount it- Also started an elm bowl from the old tree we had taken down last year. Roughed out and now soaking in the liquid soap/water solution. Safe turning
-
Saw this on AAW Forum and thought it looked like something Dan would do. http://abctoupie.com/en/toupie-volante/
- 5 replies
-
- 5
-
-
-
- flying top
- magnetic top
- (and 2 more)
-
The Patriot's Wounded Warrior Christmas Raffle is on! There are some great prizes donated by our very generous sponsors. But the real winners are going to be the Bassett kids on Christmas morning. Please consider purchasing tickets and let's make this the best Christmas ever for the Bassett family. More information about the family and the raffle is in this post- Our Patriot Turners- The turning club that @Gerald belongs to is having a demo and sales event. Gerald build a test arena to provide the kids a testing place for the spinning tops. Nothing like hands on to boost sales! @HandyDan is hard at work making Christmas ornaments. You have to look really hard to realize these are not real electric lights! Dan describes his techniques in his post- @Ron Altier showed us another on of his beautiful ornaments. We know Ron turns a fair number of pieces but wait until you read his post and just where those pieces end up! @John Morris turned some ornaments for the Easy Wood Tools Christmas tree. According to John, this was a family collaboration- John describes his process in this post- What’s Coming Up- The American Association of Woodturners, 33rd Annual International Symposium, Raleigh, North Carolina, July 11-14, 2019 For more information and registration- http://The American Association of Woodturners 33rd Annual International Symposium Raleigh, North Carolina July 11-14, 2019 For The Newbies- In keeping with the Christmas theme, Tim Yoder has posted a simple, spindle turned bottle stopper. These would make nice gifts for friends and relatives. Tim uses a Ruth Niles stopper. If you have never used Ruth's products, you owe it to yourself to try the very best! https://nilesbottlestoppers.com/ Expand Your Horizons- Mike Peace added a continuing video to the ornament posted last week. In this video he demonstrates turning and adding a finial to the hollow sphere. Those of you that use carbide tools may be aware that Easy Wood Tools has recently added negative rake cutter to their line. These cutters can be used to replace the standard EWT cutter. The negative rake cutter was originally created to produce smoother cuts on acrylic casting. Turners have found the cutters work equally on hardwoods ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools ) Tracey Malady posted a video demonstrating these new cutters New Turning Items- I saw these on the Ruth Niles site. They would make a great gift for the Espresso lover- More information at Ruth's site- https://nilesbottlestoppers.com/product/coffee-tamper/ Everything Else- Last week, I mentioned an offset turning jig used in a Rick Turns video. Rick responded to my question about the jig. It is from Ron Brown. Rick provided the link to the product as well as a video of it in use. https://www.ronbrownsbest.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=63) I have been working on Christmas present and finished up the last 3 bowls/dishes today (5 in total). These are small flame box elder turnings finished with some Bumble Bee Butter (bee's wax and mineral oil). I heat the mixture until it becomes liquid, then apply and buff off. Turned completely with Easy Wood Tools. Safe turning
-
Our club is doing a demo and sales event for two evenings . Had wanted a top display and finally got around to getting it done. When the kids take a test run with tops some of the tops end up on the floor so the sides will reduce that happening.
-
We were in the midst of the famous "Pennsylvania January Thaw" but winter returned today. Cold and windy with a few flurries. Our Patriot Turners were busy this past week producing some gorgeous objects. @Steve Krumanaker Created a beautiful maple bowl with the help of Mother Nature- See Steve's post and the comments he received here- Steve also made a fantastic display holder. This one is destined to hold humming birds but he also uses this type of display to show his turned ornaments. You can see more images and additional information at in his post at While on the subject of turned ornaments, @Ron Altier is getting a jump on next year! This is his latest creation Ron answered questions about the piece in his post- @HandyDan Made some more Tops. He talks about some difficulties he had and what he did to resolve the problem. Read his post and see what material he found works perfectly for these little toys- Our friends and a most generous Patriot sponsor, Easy Wood Tools ( @Jim from Easy Wood Tools ) shared a video by Carl Jacobson on making a hybrid resin art piece. Carl uses the Easy Wood Tools to create this beautiful project. I've been experimenting with the Alumilite casting resin. Lots of possibilities but I'll need to add some specialized equipment if I want to make casting without imperfections. Tim Yoder posted a new video on making a dead blow mallet. What is really cool are the materials/methods Tim used. He creates his own thread chase and die for the project. Check out the Easy Wood Chuck, too! We always try to post the latest Rick Turns, video for the month's woodturning videos. Rick posted a summary of 2017 on YouTube- Last week I mentioned I was playing with a piece of Manzanita. The piece had a void that I was afraid would separate during turning. I wanted to fill the void with Alumilite and then complete the turning. You may remember I sealed the piece with modeling clay to create a barrier to contain the liquid casting resin. That turned out not to be such a good idea. The clay did contain the resin but it was nearly impossible to remove all of the clay from the nooks and crannies of the wood. I ended up using a heat gun (on low) to melt the pieces of remaining clay and air pressure to blast out the liquid clay. (Note to self: wear an apron so you don't ruin another sweatshirt). This process is certainly going to affect the type of finish I'll be able to use. On the positive side, the casting resin is holding the piece together. I sanded everything to 4000. That's great for the wood but the resin needs to go to 12000. I have the micromesh pads and I'll need to do the final sanding by hand. I think the finished piece will make a nice change/key holder or a place for extra paper clips. Safe Turning
- 8 replies
-
- 6
-
-
-
- wwednesday
- wisdom
- (and 4 more)
-
Back in December I made some spin tops with string launchers. Everyone enjoyed them immensely. Those were all made around 2.5 inches in diameter. They all worked well but some of them would dance around wildly if they were spun too fast. I had also made one special one that was twice the size at 5 inches diameter. Well the youngest of the kids were impressed and all wanted to take the large one home and since I had just one I had to promise to make them each a larger one. I made eight of them but there was a problem. Five of them spun wildly and it took me a while to figure out that it was balance that was throwing them off. Using wood it had to be straight grain lumber with all the growth rings close in size or flat sawn could be used if the grain on the end of the board looked like it was giving you a big smile and the center hole was dead center of the arc to get a good balance. Then I got to thinking what could be used that would have better balance. MDF or particle board would work but I just didn't like the idea of using them. I did make one out of cabinet grade plywood and it worked perfect but wasn't the best candidate for turning. I went to looking around to see what else I might have and found some shorts of composite decking boards. I almost passed them over thinking they would be in the same category as MDF. Luckily I didn't and threw a piece on the lathe. Worked out fabulous. It turns like green wood with big ribbons which is good but it also throws smaller pieces when making some fine cuts. The smaller piecse stick to everything, static electricity. Not so great but livable. It sands okay and burnishes smooth with some medium steel wool. They are perfectly balanced and spin a long time. I actually clocked one at over five minutes. They spin long enough and smooth enough that I got six of them going at the same time. There was two more wooden ones but the grandsons got theirs already.
-
After reading & following a lot of these turning post it still amazes me what you guys can do with a block of wood. There are ton of videos on the web and I could watch them for hours, & a lot of times I find myself doing just that. Having said that it still leaves a couple hundred questions in my head. I don't own a lathe but would like to move in that direction. As a newbie: What type of lathe to buy, I"m sure there are plenty of choices, pros & cons? How do you set up your tool to eliminate vibration? Basic tools to start with. Keeping tools sharp. Types of wood, green, dry, walnut, maple oak? Woods to stay away from. Treatment of wood before and after turning. I'm sure there will be more questions down the road but let's start here.
-
Decided to make string tops for the kids this year. I usually take a hand made toy for each of the kids when the family has Christmas dinner. Last tear was Yo-Yos and they were a big hit. Started last weekend and made some brass tips for them on the metal lathe. Once the lathe was set up why not make forty. There is not much out there about turning the tops. I want to thank Charles Nichols for his valued input and getting me started. These are the trial and error specimens. I tried to buy a top. Wally World and Toys Aren't Us didn't have one so I went ahead and turned the one on the far left first. Made a string for it from a ball of cotton string I had and couldn't get it to spin for the life of me. Took a break and watched a how to video on top throwing. Only thing I saw different from what I was doing was the actual string. Their string was way thicker than mine. I have a spool of window blind string which is about 1/8" thick and the top worked as it should. Why the string thickness matters I don't know. The first one spun well and for a long time but wouldn't stand up straight. The next two I lowered the center of gravity and found the last one (far right) spun the best. I saw only one suggested measurement on the net and it called for 2.5" dia. and a 3" length. So far I found that if the blank is turned round and a half inch is added to the diameter the top works very well. I also read that there is no need to make them smooth and shiny for two reasons. 1---The string will slip too easily 2---They are going to get banged up on the floor anyway. So I am sanding with 150 sand paper and will put on a Shellac seal coat and call them done as suggested.
.jpg.6d2b5a1df9f55bfc951bffb348242ee8.jpg.8a1775a51e727069e8f704c6c0a3bd85.jpg)
AllThingsWoodturning-SpindleGouge-WhatElse...__Facebook.png.1f312ff0220f3ad30fd6bc89d04fd999.png)
.png.9fd9239eea304ea96e4488ab15edb3a2.png)
.png.092ae258479b9dd659cf89970a073ef2.png)
.png.8c2eddd8e897b9492e445e6620a889b2.png)
cindydrozdathefineartofwoodturning-SearchResults_Facebook.png.79516e11e0732740962994b7669edf0f.png)
Instagramphotosandvideos.png.e2adbefe6805135c51a6c8298c17fa0b.png)
.png.12676b340dfcdd0b7818ffedb9fc1673.png)
Facebook.png.9c32c2ee6d0d234a042789b3151678ff.png)
.png.87896269a310cd8aad0a864c669a36e5.png)
.png.c5fb13e1342fc6845476988baaebccea.png){kind=spacer}
.jpeg.c9722f5dc48bcf6e7e43437db168028b.jpeg)
