Apr 2006-04 - Central Ohio Woodturners

CENTR AL OHIO
WOODTURNER S
APRIL 2006
NOTES FROM THE PREZ….
I’m sitting here at my computer with the sun shining in my kitchen
window. The birds are singing, my daffodils are starting to bloom,
and so I think we’re finally seeing the beginning of springtime. It’s
about time! I bought a snow blower for my hubby last December, and
we didn’t get to use it much this winter. Not that I’m complaining,
mind you, but I do like to see the change of seasons. Spring is very
welcome, I must say.
We had a good visit with Nick Cook in March, and he has donated all
of his demonstration pieces to be given away during our volunteers’ raffle in May. This is our thank you
to all our club volunteers, who will have a ticket in the hat for each time they volunteered throughout the
2005-2006 club season. There are still a few opportunities for the April and May meetings, so if you’d
like to participate in the raffle, please be sure to volunteer your time during the next two meetings.
Barbara Crockett keeps track of our volunteers in the infamous “blue book.”
Our April meeting will be full of hands-on activities with five simultaneous lathe demonstrations of
hollowing techniques. This is your chance to have some help in using hollowers such as the Soren
Berger tool, David Ellsworth hollowing tools, captured bar systems, and several other styles of
hollowing tools on the market.
Officer elections are just around the corner. Floyd Anstaett presented a slate of candidates at the March
meeting, but if you would like to serve the club in any fashion, we are still seeking nominations for
President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Of those offices, the Treasurer and Secretary have
expressed a willingness to continue their service (thanks, Craig and Claudia).
I really enjoyed our Program Director’s challenge from the past couple of meetings. I was amazed at
how many interesting saves were brought in for the March show-and-tell session. April is usually the
month where we bring in our big mistakes for an “April Fool’s” show and tell session. I don’t want to
break with tradition, so please do bring in your mistakes for an “April Fool’s President’s Challenge.”
Since May will be my last opportunity for a President’s challenge, I will put my own stamp on that one.
In May, I challenge you to bring in a turning that features surface enhancements – coloring, carving,
pyrography, texturing, etc.
We are still seeking volunteers to help with the AAW symposium June 22 – 24. Our club has
volunteered to help with AAW product sales, the youth turning program, the banquet auction, and the
“learn to turn” session. We’re doing pretty well on all the categories, except we need more helpers on
the product sales. If you are willing to help through one rotation during the symposium, please add your
name to our growing list of volunteers. Thanks!
Speaking of thanks, a big THANK YOU goes to Barbara Crockett, Devon Palmer, Craig Wright, Jim
Herrell, Walt Betley, Ron Damon and the staff at Wood Werks for making our visit with Nick Cook so
successful.
PROGRAM NEWS
by Barbara Crockett
Spring is finally here and so are lots of
woodturning events for Central Ohio
Woodturners to look forward to!
time. This issue will be discussed at the April
meeting so come prepared to share your pros
and cons with us. I will have more information
on Jimmy and his demonstration at the April
and May meetings so everyone can see what we
have to look forward to.
The April meeting will be a hands-on evening
with a wide variety of hollowing tools for you to
try. Some of the hollowing tools will include
the new OneWay boring bar with laser to keep
track of thickness, Ellsworth hollowing system,
Berger hollowing tool, Sorby multi-tip
hollowing tool and Donald Derry’s hollowing
system with laser.
In May we will feature spindle turning for
furniture. Presenters will include Ron Grady,
Freddy Dutton and possibly others. If you are
experienced in this type of turning and would
like to participate in the demo please let me
know.
Jimmy will also be teaching a hands-on class the
following day (June 14th ) for six participants. If
we have additional interest, a second day of
hands-on can be added on the 15 th, but we will
need to have a full class to cover expenses.
Don’t miss this opportunity to receive a full day
of hands-on instruction with an internationally
known teacher. He has yet to send a detailed
course description but has promised it “soon”.
To get a better idea of the kinds of hands-on
classes he teaches, check out his web site at
www.jimmyclewes.com .
This year we have added another meeting for
the month of June. The meeting will feature
internationally known teacher and demonstrator,
Jimmy Clewes who will be visiting the US from
England. The meeting will be on our regular 2nd
Tuesday of the month and at OSU. There will
be NO charge to members for this meeting, so
hopefully we will have a terrific turnout. The
presentation will be three hours long so there
will be no business meeting or show ‘n tell that
night. We will have refreshments and a short
intermission. We are debating whether or not to
move this meeting up to 6:30 so that we can
finish around 9:30 to get our friends from out of
town on the road at a little more reasonable
The following week offers the AAW national
symposium just down the road in Louisville. If
you have never attended one of these national
events, don’t miss this one! It’s a short drive
and well worth your time. The trade show alone
is awesome. You can see every woodturning
gadget from a complete array of lathes to wood,
tools and finishing supplies. Many vendors
have paid demonstrators on the trade show floor
to assist turners with the use of their tools. The
slate of professional demonstrators is
outstanding. There is something for everyone
regardless of your experience or interest.
Another reason to attend is the drawing that will
be held for 5 OneWay lathes and 50 gift
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certificates being offered by Packard. Whether
you have turned one day or a lifetime you will
leave this event so full of new ideas that you
can’t wait to jump on the lathe and try them out.
We are also planning to continue and improve
our Saturday mentoring program. May – Sept
mentoring will be hosted by Woodcraft outside
on their front walk. October – April will be
hosted by Woodwerks in their indoor classroom.
We are trying to set a designated Saturday of
each month for consistency. More will be
coming soon about this great opportunity for
new and experienced turners alike to get
together and share tips and techniques.
Also, don’t forget to get your ornaments turned
for the community service project. You can
bring in your ornaments up through the June
meeting for me to deliver in Louisville.
In July we have yet another special event. On
Saturday July 8th we will have an all-day
seminar with guest turner Jean-Francois
Escoulen. This meeting will be held in the
classroom at Woodwerks Supply from 9:00 –
4:00. Cost will be $25 for members. Seating is
limited to 75 persons, so sign up early with
Craig Wright to reserve your space.
I am also looking for volunteers to host open
shops this summer.
You don’t have to
demonstrate or anything formal; simply be
willing to share your shop with some fellow
turners who would like to make some shavings.
PROGRAM DIRECTOR’S CHALLENGE FOR THE LOUSIVILLE
SYMPOSIUM
Barbara Crockett
Each year at its annual symposium, AAW has a “Return to the Community” project.
This year in Louisville, the AAW will collect Christmas ornaments. These ornaments
will be delivered to the Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville. Each year the hospital
collects ornaments and decorated trees and auctions them or sells them to raise money to
help kids in need. Let’s see how many ornaments Central Ohio Woodturners can turn
between now and June. All ornaments should be turned in to me by Thursday June 14 th
so I can deliver them the following week at the symposium. If you have never made an
ornament before and would like to learn how, see me at one of our next meetings and I
will connect you with a woodturning mentor who can help you.
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TREASURER’S REPORT – Craig Wright
We will be hosting Jimmy Clewes for an evening demo on June 13th and a hands-on class on June 14 th. Quoting from his
website, “Jimmy is not your ordinary woodturner. Upon a first meeting one would think of him as a renegade, a free thinker
and not within the stereotypical image of a woodturner. His charming British style, unending wit, creative mind and magnetic
personality are only some of the attributes that make him popular in the woodturning demonstration circuit”. I saw Jimmy at
the Cincinnati Symposium in last October. This is a great opportunity to learn from a master.
Also start planning for your trip to the 20th Annual National AAW Symposium in Louisville, Kentucky on June 22-24, 2006.
The annual symposium will not be held at a location this close to Columbus for several years. Everyone one of you will
benefit by attending this world-class event. This year’s symposium will feature more than 150 demonstrations, 900+ pieces in
the Instant Gallery. There will also be lots of door prizes and three special exhibitions. For more information or to register to
attend, please visit the American Association of Woodturners website at http://www.woodturner.org.
Remember to visit our website at http://www.centralohiowoodturners.org before each monthly meeting for any last minute
information. Even though the website still has many pages that need to be added, there is plenty of interesting information to
be enjoyed. If you have any woodturning related articles that you would like to see on our website, please send them to the
Webmaster.
Also remember that the Central Ohio Woodturners is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(C)(3) charitable
organization. Any donations given to the Central Ohio Woodturners may be tax deductible. Donations do not include the
payment of your membership dues or other payments where you receive something of equal (or greater) value in exchange.
Financial Summary
Starting Balance (February 28, 2006)
Total Income
Total Expenses
Ending Balance (March 31, 2006)
$2752.39
$2057.00
$2168.00
$2641.39
Profit and Loss Statement
Income
Apparel Income
Donations
Group Purchase Income
Guest Turner Demonstrations
Guest Turner Hands-on Classes
Membership Dues
Silent Auction Income
Total Income
Expenses
Apparel Expenses
Bank Charge
Equipment
Gifts
Group Purchase Expense
Miscellaneous Expenses
Postage and Delivery
Printing and Reproduction
Refreshments: Guest Turner Events
Refreshments: Monthly Meeting
Refunds
Rental
Speaker Expenses
Speaker Fees
Supplies: Office
Supplies: Turning
Supplies: Wood
Travel Expenses
Video
Website
Total Expenses
$0.00
$0.00
$12.00
$615.00
$975.00
$455.00
$0.00
$2057.00
4
$0.00
$8.00
$81.66
$0.00
$12.00
$0.00
$37.80
$122.25
$320.48
$60.66
$25.00
$0.00
$67.50
$950.00
$0.00
$0.00
$25.00
$457.65
$0.00
$0.00
$2168.00
SWEEPINGS – by Editor, DAN DAPRA
All seventh-grade girls in my school had to take
Home Economics, and all seventh-grade boys
had to take shop. It didn’t matter if a girl
couldn’t boil water and didn’t know which end
of a needle to thread, or if a boy couldn’t drive a
nail in a snowdrift with a sledgehammer or
distinguish between board and bored. When I
was a senior in high school the administration
finally let girls take shop (a mistake), and let
boys take Home Economics (a bigger mistake),
but until then the matter was preordained and
there was no getting around it.
I hated school, and as a student I was both
pathetic and apathetic. Nothing interested me
except reading, but I looked forward to taking
shop because I had already learned a few basic
woodworking skills. It annoyed me that we
weren’t allowed to use any power tools in
seventh-grade shop, but it still seemed like an
attractive escape from my other classes.
My father had a ten-inch table saw, wired for
220 volts, that he used constantly while he built
our new house, and he taught me to use it. The
only blade he owned had eight carbide-tipped
teeth and he used it for everything, from cutting
sheets of ¼” plywood to resawing framing
lumber that he scavenged from abandoned
buildings. The saw was deafeningly loud and
none too accurate and various people used its
cast-iron top as an anvil, but it served its
purpose and that’s what I learned on.
I didn’t know it before, but I soon learned
that Mr. Larson, the shop teacher, was a
meticulous woodworker and a stickler for detail
and procedure. Instead of letting us plunge
headlong into working with wood, he spent
about six weeks imparting basic knowledge.
The first thing we had to learn was how to
compute board feet, and that was nearly our
collective undoing. I don’t know how many
times I heard him explain it: “Multiply the
number of pieces times the thickness times the
width times the length and divide the total by
twelve if all dimensions are given in feet, or by
144 if all dimensions are in inches.” He
typically handed out a list of problems to solve,
numbered from one to twenty, and always
cautioned “Do these on the back of the page and
in a workmanlike fashion so if you’re having a
problem I’ll be able to see what it is.”
One of my classmates, who was otherwise
good at math, always got the first problem right
and invariably missed the following nineteen.
No amount of coaching or reviewing seemed to
help him. Finally, Mr. Larson watched over his
shoulder as he did a few problems, and
discovered that the boy was doing everything
right-except that he was including the number of
the problem with the dimensions of the lumber.
Another student was sweating bullets as he
struggled to add ¾ and ¾. Mr. Larson patiently
helped him, being as nice as he could. He didn’t
even crack a smile when the boy looked up with
his desperate answer: “Six eighths?”
The students in this seventh-grade shop class
were beset by the problems that are probably
typical of all shop classes: apathy, inability to
pay attention, fear of the tools, fear of slivers,
fear of getting dirty, lack of imagination, and
general bewilderment. Those of us who had
some experience with power tools resented
being restricted to using hand tools, and those
who had no experience at all resented having to
take the class in the first place. They wanted to
take welding, which my school didn’t offer.
Everyone had to make a clipboard, a hot dish
holder, and a small shadow box, all to specific
dimensions, before being allowed to make a
project of our own choosing, Before we could
start these projects, however, we had to
complete a test piece.
Mr. Larson gave everyone an identical piece
of pine, ¾” by approximately 4” x 6”, and we
were instructed to reduce the piece to certain
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specific measurements within a given length of
time. All corners were to be square, all edges
straight, all surfaces flat, and we had to work on
at least five of each piece’s six surfaces. Mr.
Larson had prudently marked every surface with
red ink to reduce the temptation to cheat.
After he graded all the test pieces he laid
them out on a work bench for evaluation and
discussion. I wanted to hide. I didn’t want
anyone to see my piece. I wanted to take
welding. They were a misshapen assortment,
somewhat grubby, and some of them rocked
instead of lying flat. Several of them couldn’t
be laid on edge or stood on end without falling
over, and all bore untidy hieroglyphs left by
marking gauges, plane irons, bench dogs,
pencils, and over-tightened clamps. I’m sure
that there was a lecture about workmanship and
following instructions, but it couldn’t have been
too harsh or I would have remembered it. I
didn’t receive the highest grade on the
assignment, or the lowest. I was on my way to
realizing that developing skill as a woodworker
is like bidding on something at an auction: it
doesn’t matter where you start or how long it
takes you to get where you’re going; what
matters is where you stop.
MARCH MEETING SHOW & TELL
RALPH KUBAL
RICHARD RUEHLE
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AL SCHMIDT
BARB CROCKETT
CHUCK KEMP
JIM BURROWES
CHALLENGE PIECES
JIM ELIOPULOS
DAN ROBEY
GEORGE RAEDER
7
DEVON PALMER
MARK DAMRON
ED MILLER
RON FISHER
RUTH THOMAS
RODGER LYNCH
8
FREDDY DUTTON
WALT BERCHAK
DON LEHMAN
JOEL BOSSLEY
GUESTS AND
MEMBERS OF
OTHER CLUBS
ARE ALWAYS
WELCOME AT
OUR MONTHLY
MEETINGS.
COME SEE
WHAT WE ARE
DOING!!
JEAN HOCK
CRAIG WRIGHT
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NORTH COAST WOODTURNERS
PAUL KOSMOS
SEE IF YOU CAN MATCH THE DESCRIPTIONS ON THE RIGHT WITH THE FAMILIAR
NAMES ON THE LEFT. (MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT PUZZLE
QUESTIONS {AND ANSWERS} FOR FUTURE NEWLETTERS).
_____Photographer known for turning captive rings.
_____Specializes in collection plates.
_____Demonstrated hollow form, carving &
woodburning techniques.
_____Famous turner/toolmaker who introduced us to
alternative steels.
_____Has made over 250,000 bottle stoppers.
_____Turner/inventor from Newark, OH.
_____Pioneered hollowing techniques.
_____Has more wood then he can turn in five
lifetimes.
_____COW member with over 70 years woodturning
experience.
_____Turner who writes for “AMERICAN
WOODTURNING magazine & makes great
Christmas ornaments.
_____COW member who has played host to many
famous woodturners.
_____Creates extraordinary ribbon carvings.
_____COW officer who takes all the notes.
_____COW officer who has been to Australia and who
created “Dylan’s Song.”
_____Who you think of when you hear “Woodcraft.”
_____Guest artist known for turning madrone burl
baskets.
_____Who you think of when you hear “WoodWerks.”
_____Taught “Segmenting 101” to COW members.
_____COW officer good with cash & likes hybrids.
_____COW officer who taught Oct. Beginners’ corner
on texturing and knows fine wines!
1.) NICK COOK
2.) WALT BETLEY
3.) DAVE BOWERS
4.) DAVID ELLSWORTH
5.) J.R. BEALL
6.) BOB ROSAND
7.) FREDDY DUTTON
8.) ED MILLER
9.) JERRY GLASER
10.) THE DAMONS
11.) JEAN HOCK
12.) CHRISTIAN BURCHARD
13.) THE BAUMGARDNERS
14.) BARABARA CROCKETT
15.) LOWELL CONVERSE
16.) JACQUES VESERY
17.) CLAUDIA TAYLOR
18.) ANDI WOLFE
19.) CRAIG WRIGHT
20.) CHUCK KEMP
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LOWELL CONVERSE DEMONSTRATED HIS EXPERTISE IN
MAKING SEGMENTED PROJECTS TO AN EAGER AUDIENCE
AT THE MARCH MONTHLY MEETING
JOIN US FOR LOTS OF GREAT DEMONSTRATIONS AND CLUB
MEMBER SHARING OF WOODTURNING TECHNIQUES!!
CENTRAL OHIO WOODTURNER’S
MEETINGS ARE HELD EVERY 2 ND TUESDAY OF THE MONTH –
SEPTEMBER THRU MAY FROM 7:00 PM TO 9:00 PM AT THE OHIO
STATE UNIVERSITY INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY BUILDING
LOCATED AT 1100 KINNEAR ROAD, COLUMBUS, OHIO
MEMBERSHIP DUES FOR COW ARE $25.00 PER PERSON OR $30.00 PER
COUPLE OR FAMILY – SEND DUES TO: CRAIG WRIGHT, TREASURER
COLLABORATIVE UPDATE
Dave Bowers
The Chapter Collaborative project is coming along. We have a number of members making parts.
I have a few more that need to be made and assigned to some specific chapter members. I will
contact those members shortly. When we get all the parts in, we will need to have a
building/assembly day(s). Days and times will be announced later, but if you can give part of a day
and have some technical expertise, your help would be appreciated. Let’s get it done in time for
Louisville. If there are questions about the project, please call 740-927-9764 or email
[email protected]
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GOBLET COMMISSION -- Contributed by Floyd Anstaett
I consider myself to be a bowl turner of sorts. I
enjoy the process and the product of bowl making,
and that’s what I spend the majority of my turning
time doing. There’s nothing wrong with this
except that it can mask the pleasure that can be
derived from turning object other than bowls.
I recently had the opportunity to turn an order
of goblets similar to one that I displayed at the
Granville Inn craft show last November. This
project started with a call from a lady who brings
maple syrup and maple syrup products to the
Granville Inn show. She and her husband own
and operate a farm near Fredericktown where they
tap their maple trees and make syrup and maple
candy. She had seen the goblet that I had on
display and wanted nine similar pieces as
confirmation gifts for nine young people who are
becoming members of the local Methodist church.
I sold the goblet during the Granville show,
and since I didn’t remember its exact
specifications I made a prototype, called the
customers, and invited them to come down and
make sure that it was what they wanted. They
were quite happy with it, and we negotiated a
price that we could all live with. The requested
delivery date was the middle of May, which gave
me plenty of time-a good thing, because I am not
the fastest goblet maker in the world.
The majority of the bowls that I make are
turned into face grain, whereas goblets are turned
in spindle orientation and hollowed out into the
end grain. This requires the use of techniques that
are different from those used in traditional bowl
turning, and it reinforces the theory that regardless
of what type of turning you are doing, you have to
use sharp tools. I have noticed that some turners,
including myself, can tend to be a little careless
when it comes to maintaining a sharp edge on a
scraper. If any turning tool needs a sharp, highquality edge, it’s the scraper.
Turning these objects required the use of
spindle turning techniques in part because of the
orientation of the wood on the lathe and also
because it was necessary to make nine identical
pieces. Doing a job like this always renews my
respect for turners who make large numbers of
spindle turnings that are all the same. It’s a whole
lot easier to make a one-off piece than it is to
make duplicates.
I would recommend that
everyone take on a short production run of some
type once in a while just to see what’s involved. I
find it to be an enjoyable change of pace, but I
don’t think that I would want to do it every day.
Let’s deal with some of the tools and
equipment that I found useful on this job.
One of the first things that becomes evident
when turning a goblet is that it’s necessary to
control vibration. I used the Oneway Bowl
Steady to dampen vibration during the initial
shaping of the outside of the bowl. Once the bowl
was hollowed out and finished, I used the large
bullnose cone that’s included in the Oneway
Revolving Center package to control vibration
during the rest of the turning operation.
For cutting tools, I used four different gouges,
a skewed and a straight-across chisel, two
scrapers, and a parting tool. You are correct if
you assume that I don’t subscribe to the theory of
using as few tools as possible to do a job; actually,
I tend to use whatever tools I have to do the job
easily and well.
The blanks were turned round between centers
and then mounted in a Oneway Stronghold chuck
for the majority of the turning. I used a jam chuck
combined with the tailstock while I turned the
bottom of the base. Beware of jam chucks. They
provide a somewhat limited grip. I thought that I
could get away with turning away the little pip of
material that is left under the tailstock center,
which, of course, required doing some turning on
the bottom without the tailstock in place.
Disaster! The finished goblet came off the jam
chuck and rattled around, breaking a chunk out of
the foot, and landed on the floor. Much anguish
12
and no small amount of swearing followed that
inside of the cup was pretty straightforward until I
little episode.
started trying to sand the curve in the bottom. It
Hollowing the bowl is probably the most
was difficult to get my fingers inside while
difficult part of making a goblet. Hollowing into
holding onto the abrasive and applying controlled
end grain is not the easiest thing you can do on a
pressure to the surface without breaking off one or
lathe, and given that the cup of a goblet is often
more fingers and scraping my wrist on the rim of
deeper than it is wide, getting a nice smooth curve
the cup. I finally came up with a tool that is an
in the bottom of the cup can present some
expansion of the slotted stick that Richard Raffin
difficulties. I wish that I could tell you a nice
shows in his box-turning book. Rather than trying
easy way of finish-turning the bottom of the
to describe it here, I’ll just bring the thing to the
inside of a goblet, but so far I haven’t found one.
next meeting and anyone who is interested can
Mostly it requires the use of very sharp roundlook at it.
nosed scrapers and lots of practice. It gets a little
Some miscellaneous notes:
easier as you go along, and by the time I had 
Have a set of calipers set to each piece’s
finished the ninth goblet I was beginning to get a
major dimensions and labeled so that you are not
little better at it. Unfortunately, I probably won’t
constantly adjusting calipers.
make any more goblets for a long time, and by 
Remember that the human eye is more
then I’ll probably have forgotten most of the
sensitive to differences in height than in diameter.
lessons I learned during the production of these
In other words, if you mess up on the height of an
pieces.
element on a spindle, everyone will notice it and
Generally speaking, when using a scraper to
most likely tell you about it. If you mess up a
hollow an end-grain turning I will drill a pilot hole
little bit on the diameter of an element, most
down the center of the cup and then use a roundpeople will probably not notice it.
or oval-nosed scraper to remove the material. The 
Try to develop a routine when doing
cutting motion that I use is from the center out
multiples. I think that I pretty well had my
and uphill. Technically, that’s cutting with the
routine down pat on these goblets by the third
grain. I also use a sharp bowl gouge and cut from
piece.
the rim to the center going downhill, using the
The finish that I used on these pieces is the
same type of cut that I would use while hollowing
mineral oil and beeswax finish that I use on the
a bowl. I realize that this is cutting against the
majority of the items I make. These goblets were
grain, but if it’s done carefully with a sharp tool,
not meant to be used to drink from. I suspect that
it’s an effective and efficient way of removing
any type of wine or other spirits would stain the
material.
wood, and I imagine that the beeswax would
Sanding end grain can present some problems.
dissolve in the wine and give it an odd flavor.
The system that I finally selected for finishFinal analysis: The project was fun, and even
sanding the bottoms of the bases involved the
though I didn’t charge a lot of money for each
careful use of three-inch sanding discs in a drill
piece, it was profitable.
press, followed by hand-sanding. Sanding the
LUMBER FOR SALE
Limited quantity of oak, cherry, and walnut in random sizes available for turning or other
projects. Some surfaced, some rough-sawn, all pieces have been indoors for twenty years or
longer. Selection includes three 19” wide oak slabs and a few pieces of dimensional walnut and
cherry. For additional information please call Joe McKnight, 451-6641, or Dan Dapra, 4515830.
13
NICK COOK
DEMONSTRATION
BOTTLE STOPPER & COLLETT
DEMO PIECES
PLATTER TURNING AND SCORCHING
TECHNIQUES
14
TURNING TRUISMS, TIPS, AND TIDBITS
FROM NICK COOK
Contributed by Booker Brooks
Central Ohio Woodturners was fortunate to host Nick
cook for a full-day demonstration held in the presentation
room at WoodWerks.
Starting with the most
fundamental truism in turning, Nick advised the crowd to
start with the bevel; next, when beading with the skew,
use the heel only. When doing vees, be patient. Don’t
try to remove too much material at once. Vees are done
with the point, with the tool upside down. Don’t get
ahead of the cutting edge of the tool.
Nick proceeded to demonstrate various
small turnings. He started with a Christmas tree
ornament shaped much like an old-time clothespin.
When accenting the snowman’s hatband he used an
unusual method to burn the band. He introduced the
edge of a tempered Masonite tile to burn the thin band. It
worked wonderfully in about three seconds. He then
suggested a couple of sources for various paints to accent
your turnings. He recommended Polymark dimensional
fabric paint, available at Wal-Mart for about 75 cents, to
add the eyes, mouth, and nose. When adding the orange
nose, he demonstrated that a dab-on technique with a
quick pull-away produced a pointed nose. He suggested
bennywoodworks.com as a source for small fittings such
as eyes.
The next demo was a spurtle for stirring
food. Whatever length of spurtle you turn should be two
thirds dimension working area and one third dimension
for the handle, separated by about 1” of decorative
turning.
Nick had previously prepared a piece of
wood to be turned for a baby rattle. He had routed two
rectangular holes from matching pieces that he glued
back together before turning. He suggested that five
beans make the best sound. He strongly advised that the
handle end of the rattle have a 1” or larger ball at the end
to keep a baby from choking on it.
Proceeding to spinning tops, Nick had
numerous tidbits. Generally, he uses 2 x 2 hard maple
for the tops. He colors as he goes, sometimes chattering
the wood while it is being turned over Jacob drill chucks.
He believes that the collets do now “skew” small pieces,
as the chucks do. When sanding a cocobolo top he uses
220, 400, and 600-grit wet paper. He drills cocobolo
with a parabolic bit post-market shaped to a brad point to
it won’t dance off a hard wood like cocobolo. He uses a
“good” 3/8” maple or beech dowel to form the point and
handle. “Good” means not purchased from a big-box
store.
He turned a few of his favorite
moneymaking bottle stoppers next. One was a Christmas
tree that had four turned slants. It was predrilled with a
dowel to a depth of one inch. He uses translucent dyes
on the poplar with two coats of lacquer separated by 24
hours of drying time. He also turned a ball bottle top
from cocobolo. He charges $15 for both turnings
because it takes longer to produce the poplar top.
To finish the pre-lunch session Nick turned
a small box. He didn’t drill the top for depth. He used a
special tool to clear out the end-grain wood by starting in
the middle and pushing the handle out away from his
body. He used a specially-ground tool that looks like a
bedan (with a 1/8” cut-out section) to produce perfect
repeatable lips with straight sides for mating with the
bottom. When parting, Nick prefers to let the end-grain
objects drop into his hand, rather than try to hold them as
they part off, because that slight hand pressure can cause
the short grain of the piece to tear out.
After lunch, Nick created a pepper mill
that he left with the club for auction or as a reward to a
volunteer. He creates a 10” mill from 11” stock, with a
tenon on each end, and one about 3” down to form the
two parts of the mill. He parts the middle tenon down
the middle. He cuts his pieces on the bandsaw with a
fifteen-degree bias to produce the beautiful contrasts and
designs once shaped. He used various sizes of Forstner
bits chucked in the tailstock to drill the blank. He handrotated the tailstock to create the hole. (Shopsmith
owners would extend the quill from the headstock for the
same operation.) He suggested that we research his
article on this subject that was printed in the AAW
Journal a couple of years ago. He uses a jam chuck in
the bottom to keep the top and bottom together for
shaping. Note: always start your shaping at the juncture
of the top and bottom so that you don’t limit your design
options later. He suggests that you cut a donut of colored
paper to place between the top and bottom before
pressing the two sides together so that you will be able to
see where that line is while you are shaping. The colored
paper, unlike a pencil line, never wears out. He prefers a
urethane oil finish topped with coats of Briwax. He was
using a plunge screwdriver to insert the mechanisms that
a lot of people were interested in. He suggested that a
source might be www.toolsforworkingwood.com., or Lee
Valley.
Nick finished with a turned 12” platter of
ash that he burned. He trued the bottom after explaining
that it is important to keep the tool’s orientation on the
tool rest exactly the same all the way across. He then
created a dovetail middle for an expansion chuck. The
blank started out 1 13/16” thick. To create the bottom
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curve he cantilevers the tool rest and uses his body as a
moving arc to form the bottom.
Nick discussed the difference between a
shear cut and a shear scrape. The shear cut rides on the
entire bevel. It removes the tiny tearout that occurs at the
juncture of side grain and end grain around the work
piece. The shear scrape is created when the tool is turned
almost upside down, within 1/16” to 1/8” of the wood’s
surface.
Nick then removed the platter from the
screw mounting, turned it around, and chucked it in the
dovetail. He turned a crowned edge on the platter while
commenting that a crowned lip gives more depth to a
platter than does a straight or flush-cut lip.
A Benzomatic propane burner was used to
color the edge while slowly hand-rotating it on the lathe.
He immediately introduced a wet Brillo pad to wipe it off
and to remove the sapwood that burned deeper than the
winter wood. He slow-burned it again, followed by a
water wipe off with the pad.
Next came the hollowing of the platter.
Nick uses pressure across the face, not into or toward the
headstock. He used a vacuum chuck to turn it around
and detail the bottom. He used a bedan on edge to create
a couple of detail lines.
Nick favors a flat or matte lacquer to finish
a burned piece. He warns never to use a satin or sheen
finish because a shiny surface will reflect light that will
make the color very uneven.
A source for large cocobolo blocks is
www.anexotichardwood.com, according to Nick. Mr.
Cook closed his informative demonstration with a
question-and-answer session. We thank him for sharing
his expertise in such a cordial manner.
MARCH MEETING MINUTES – BY Claudia Taylor
Andi Wolfe opened the meeting with the introduction
of first-time visitors.
They were Phil Taylor of
Ostrander, and from the North Coast Turners, Ralph
Kubal, George Raeder, and Paul Kosmos.
The Nick Cook demo was all day Saturday. Nick
made more than fifteen small projects, and they will be
prizes in the volunteers raffle at the May meeting. Nick
whets one’s appetite with turning baby rattles, stir sticks,
spurtles, garden dibbles, and tops. Thanks to Barb
Crockett for hosting the hands-on class, and to John
Herrel and Craig Wright for organizing the hands-on
classes, and hosting the demonstrators.
th
COW is a host club for the AAW – 20 National
Symposium event. Our club is responsible for four
events: sales, youth training, hands on classes and the
auction. Our benefit is that all clubs that help will
receive a portion of the profits. They are expecting
record attendance, meaning record profits! Our event
featuring Jacques Vesery was made possible by last
year’s symposium profits. Please participate! Please
volunteer to help!
Just a couple or three hours for this multi-day event and
as a COW member you will reap the benefits.
Door Prizes will be given, consisting of five One-Way
lathes, and wood working gift certificates.
John Herrel explained it’s important to register in
advance, and there’s a discount for early registration.
Congratulations to Bobbie and Dan; the last
newsletter was fantastic! We need one more great one
for the AAW chapter newsletter competition.
Barb Crockett announced the calendar: April is
hands-on with hollowing tools; May is spindle turning
for furniture. If you have skills to share see Barb. July
will be the open shops tour. If you want to open your
shop to all, see Barb. AAW is sponsoring a turn for
charity. Turn ornaments to fill the big bowl, which will
be donated to the auction. Proceeds will go the children’s
hospital in Louisville.
June will be Jimmy Clewes; half-day demo and 1-day
hands on classes.
July I, Jean-Francois Escoulen will be here for an all day
presentation and a week-long class. See Craig Wright to
sign up. Jean-Francois worked 15 years as an apprentice
turning 4 to 6 spindles an hour. Tool handling is second
nature to him. His English is awesome.
Walt Berchak is taking orders for a full frame face
shield. It is extra heavy duty, comfortable, about $35.00.
Dave Bowers reported that we need parts for the
collaborative challenge. We need volunteers to assemble
it and to make circular tracks. See the chapter projects,
they are examples of excellent workmanship. Dave
encourages everyone to go to the symposium, even if just
for a day. Spindles you make for the challenge can have
bead, coves, off center spindles, etc.
Walt Betley commented on the snowman ornaments,
you can get the paint for 60 cents at Jo Ann’s. Andi says
make a puddle with the paint, use a toothpick to dot it on
to make the face.
The Treasures to Trash challenge is totally
astounding. Barb’s item went
to Booker Brooks. He turned it into a table accent piece,
“Hidden Treasure”. It is a walnut bowl, added cuttings
topped with a flower by Pier 1, with yellowheart,
padouk, and purpleheart enclosure.
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Barb Crockett worked on Bruce Kerns’ rotten
driftwood, transforming it into a tuxedo-dressed maestro
bird of cherry on a driftwood perch.
Walt Betley performed magic on Bruce Kerns’ walnut
cup with Deft finish.
Freddie Dutton and Mark Dutton, a turning in two
pieces, transformed Jim Burrows’ piece.
Bruce Kerns completed And Wolfe’s pin cherry vase,
and worked on Walt Betley’s funnel. He tried to make it
a lid, it’s now a decorative top called “funnel to funnel”.
According to Bruce, sometimes “a hole is hole is a hole”.
Jerry Hubschman’s spoons were distributed as
follows:
Tom Clark disassembled, laminated and reassembled
his, making a lovely spoon for a wedding dowry.
Floyd Anstaett made a spurtle, a strange-looking stir
stick.
Jean Hock decorated an oak spoon with beads, coves
and captive rings, displayed on a whatnot ornament
holder.
Jim Burrowes made a sculptural, off-center, fourlegged animal called a curly-tailed elephant -footed
lobster-eyed spoon dog.
SHOW AND TELL
Richard Ruehle – five bowls of buckeye burl, red
mallee, and maple burl, with a bird’s eye maple
decorative rim. He used an archival pen for color, the
form is beautiful, nicely presented.
Ed Miller – a bowl in black ash burl from the swamps
of Michigan. It has nice figure and form. Also a masur
birch bowl and pomelle sapele bowl, both with Watco
finish and Beall Buff.
Walt Berchak – a Why Not goblet, NAG, NAG of
ambrosia maple.
RuthThomas – a quilted ambrosia maple platter that
she made while watching a Nick Cook instructional tape.
Chuck Kemp – a poplar arrow through a wine bottle,
from a David Springett project. An ash bowl with
sanding sealer and Beall Buff. An English walnut bowl
from Utah.
Fred Dutton – a large curly ambrosia maple platter
with spray finish. A spalted maple platter, and a box of
pink ivory with finial.
Dan Robey – A boxelder bowl, turned on his
Powermatic.
Devon Palmer – a natural-edge vase of pignut hickory
with walnut oil finish.
From Nick Cook’s demo, made with hard maple and
shellac finish: honey dippers, a garden dibble, a
snowman ornament, and a tree form bottle stopper.
Joel Bossley –using scrap from Jimmy Clewes’ fire
pile, a cooling tower sculpture made from bored and
turned end grain.
Craig Wright – a pepper mill of goncalo alves, a
maple honey dipper, and a poplar garden dibble.
Jim Eliopulos – a natural-edge bowl, carved edge to a
basket form, of ambrosia maple and finished with oil to a
matt sheen.
Al Schmidt – a natural-edge bowl, a laminated ring
“bowl with LR” hollow form. A pedestal bowl.
Rodger Lynch – a curly ambrosia maple vase,
captured hollowing tool with square bar and laser and
Danish oil finish, on his Powermatic.
Ron Fisher – two bowls of cherry and one of black
locust, all with mineral oil and beeswax finish.
Lowell Converse – a segmented plywood bowl which
won first place at the Ohio Woodturners Guild.
Dave Bowers – an abstract, carved ribbon hollow
form.
From our guests from the North Coast Turners
club in Cleveland:
Paul Kosmos – a segmented vase of cherry, wenge
and curly maple. It is a Euclid Moore style with 2600
pieces. Also, a small segmented vase turned on his
Powermatic.
George Raeder – a big-leaf maple bowl, turned on a
One Way 2436. A masur birch box with ceramic
centered lid and a cocobolo box with finial, both turned
on a One Way 1018.
Ralph Kubal – oriented particleboard, laminated with
birch and pine, 1” thick, using a 3/8” bowl gouge and flat
scraper on the bottom. Also, a maple vase with leaf
burning and enhanced color (from Andi Wolfe’s
teaching) and a maple leaf bowl, all turned on a
Powermatic.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Floyd Anstaett is heading the nominations committee
for the election of officers, to be held at the May 9
meeting. The slate is: President - Chuck Kemp, Vice
President – Devon Palmer, Treasurer – Craig Wright,
Secretary – Claudia Taylor. Nominations will be held in
April. If there is more than one candidate we will have a
paper ballot; if not,we will vote “Yea or Nay”.
Treasurer’s report: the bank balance is $2,929.62
today. Craig Wright has membership cards for recent
renewals; please see him.
Richard Ruehle will be placing an order for Australian
wood. If you are interested let him know.
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Central Ohio Woodturners
c/o Craig Wright
7634 Whitneyway Dr.
Worthington, OH 43085
President: Andi Wolfe, 614-481-3184
[email protected]
Vice President: Chuck Kemp, 614-846-2066 [email protected]
Secretary: Claudia Taylor
[email protected]
Treasurer: Craig Wright, 614-885-9419
[email protected]
Program Director: Barb Crockett, 614-459-9113
[email protected]
Librarian: Nancy Kerns, 614-920-1184
[email protected]
Editors: Dan Dapra 614-451-5830
[email protected]
Bobbie Robey 740-668-2520
[email protected]
Equipment Manager: Devon Palmer
[email protected]
Central Ohio Woodturners – Andi Wolfe, President
Direct Correspondence to:
Craig Wright
7634 Whitneyway Dr.
Worthington, OH 43085-5311
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