John Lucas Shows How to Turn a Footed Bowl By Ramon Chow

Transcription

1 May 2018 Vol. 1 #5 Thank You - I don t quite how to explain it, but last month s DAWG meeting was different for me. It was more fun for me than some other meetings. Even my mild disappointment that John forgot that he had agreed to demo Christmas ornaments, could dampen my mood. On the way home I realized what had made the difference. It was you. Yes, all of you. But, especially those of you that had pitched in to help with things that needed to be done. Before I even had time to think about it the chairs and round tables were set up. The lathe and video equipment were set up ready to go. And after the meeting ended, the chairs, tables, lathe, video equipment, and even the saw dust had disappeared. I knew that it was not just one or two people that had done that, but that many hands had made fast work of what needed to be done. So give yourselves a big hand. I thank all of you that helped. It made a big difference to me. Please keep it up! Jared DAWG News May 2018 John Lucas Shows How to Turn a Footed Bowl By Ramon Chow As an aspiring wood turner, one thing I have learned from reading articles on woodturning and watching other highly successful turners, is that many tend to be nonconformist willing to experiment and create new products using the tools they have. John Lucas skillfully shared with us his experience and creativity by turning a Footed Bowl. He begun by securing a 4x6 blank of ambrosia maple between center on the lathe and turning it to round using his favorite gouge, the Thompson 3/8 bowl gouge. A dovetail tenon is created while shaping the outside and once the outside of the bowl is to the point of satisfaction, the blank is reverse chucked and he proceeded to hollow out the inside and shape the outer edge of the rim to provide for the design of the two handles. With a pencil, he carefully marked the areas where both the three feet and two handles will be located and with a Continued on Page 2

2 DAWG News John Lucas coping saw, he then proceeded to remove the excess wood leaving the feet and handles to be finished using a variety of tools, including a rasp, files, sander and grades of sandpaper. A tool made by Best Wood Tools which is attached to the banjo, holds the blank tightly while allowing it to be locked in place at just about any angle, making the process of finishing a lot easier. This demo shows a bowl with three short stubby feet and two handles. The ultimate design and finishing of the Footed Bowl is entirely up to the turner. We thank John for sharing his experience, expertise and creativity with the club members. Remember to patronize our sponsor Woodcraft DAWG News May 2018 Page 2

3 President s Challenge Pictures by Tom Barksdale James L. Ridley Cherry Rule Manning Poplar Rick Urban Hackberry Jared Bruckner Walnut Doug Anderson Maple/Walnut DAWG News May 2018 Page 3

4 Show & Tell Pictures by Tom Barksdale Doug Spohn Platter Paduck Charles Jennings Platter Maple Burl Charles Jennings Platters Maple Burl Charles Jennings Platters Maple Burl Charles Jennings Platter Pecan Charles Jennings Bowl in a Tree Balsam Poplar DAWG News May 2018 Page 4

5 Show & Tell Pictures by Tom Barksdale Charles Jennings Firestarters - Various Rule Manning Bee Hive Box - Maple Rule Manning Bee Hive Box - Maple Rick Urban Miniatures Mulberry/Pine/Maple John Bramlett Vase Maple Peter Holt Bowl Walnut DAWG News May 2018 Page 5

6 Show & Tell Pictures by Tom Barksdale Jared Bruckner Emerging Bowl Mango John Bramlett Vase Maple Jared Bruckner 5 sided Vase - Maple Jared Bruckner Bowl Holly DAWG News May 2018 Page 6

7 Sanding Methods and Techniques Help Desk By Rick Urban With sanding you begin the process of making scratches appear to disappear. Before a discussion of methods and techniques, it might be helpful to consider how we view scratches Why is there always time to do it twice but never enough time to do it right? Straight lines are not very natural. Nature doesn't produce many straight lines. Edges of crystalline structures are an exceptions that comes to mind, but I can't think of many more. Because straight lines contrast with the curvy lines you see in the grain and figure of a bowl they are easy to spot, and your brain will target them if you are looking critically. Also there is usually a natural flow of one curve into another in nature. Imagine a forest with a natural meadow as seen from an aircraft at 20,000 feet. Now Imagine that same forest with a subdivision instead of a meadow. Further, the angle that a straight line makes with a curvy line makes a difference, too. A straight line almost parallel to a part of a curvy line may not be very noticeable, but one that cuts straight across jumps out at you. You can't avoid scratches. When you sand you can't avoid making scratches that conflict with the natural lines in the piece you are sanding. All you can do is minimize the degree of conflict and reduce the size of the scratches. What should I do? If you can't avoid scratches, make them so small you can't see them. I find if I sand to 240 grit, I can't easily see the scratches. After that, I continue sanding only if I want to produce a shiny product. Even if you can't see the scratches, they can scatter the reflected light and make the surface less mirror-like. Make the scratches as short, interrupted, and in line with the grain or as random in direction, as possible. Choices. There are some choices in sanding media, but those don't typically change how you use them. The two main ways I choose to use are hand sanding and power sanding. I hand sand only when I can't, or shouldn't, power sand. That is only partly because I am lazy as I hope you will realize later. I'm also lazy when I write, so I will call everything a bowl. If you are working with something besides a bowl, just substitute whatever as you read. Hand Sanding. The next few items touch on some considerations that apply to both hand and power sanding. Never wrap sand paper around your finger and sand the inside of anything spinning on the lathe! Hard and Soft. There are times when part of what you are sanding is soft and part is hard. End grain / side grain, bark inclusions or natural edge pieces are examples. If you are not careful, you may sand away lots of the soft parts and not much of the hard parts and not notice it until there is little you can do about it. This applies to both hand and power sanding, but power sanding can get you in trouble a lot quicker. Continued on Page 8 DAWG News May 2018 Page 7

8 Help Desk By Rick Urban Respect the edges. Avoid sanding away sharp, crisp, edges. You want them to be user friendly but rounding them off detracts from the boundaries of the form you have created and blurs the desirable separation of one part from another. Another edge to respect is the edge of the sandpaper which can produce a gouge, burn, or bruise that is tough to get rid of. Keep it moving. If you hold the abrasive still while the bowl is turning, you will scribe a zillion scratch rings straight around the bowl. Remember what I said about straight lines. Extra love. It is not uncommon to encounter spots that need special attention when the rest of the bowl doesn't need or want it. You may need to sand a little with the grain in those spots or maybe in a completely random manner. After doing that, finish up by going over the whole bowl again so the extra love doesn't call attention to itself. Change directions. If you've been parting your hair the same way for 50 years you know what happens if you try to change that. Something like that can happen to wood fibers, too. If you are having trouble with an area, try reversing the direction you are sanding. Instead of lying down, maybe they'll stand up and get whacked off. This can also help when the grain is something other than straight. Power Sanding. Now for my take on power sanding. Remember the points above still apply. Circular or random orbital. Theoretically, a random orbital sander will produce more random scratches which should be less noticeable and, therefore, better. In practice, it all depends (in my opinion) on the skill and finesse of the operator. I have both. I grab the one that's easier or quicker to put to work. My random orbital sander only goes one direction and my other ones are reversible. Being able to reverse sanding pad rotation is more important to me because I find it easier to maintain control to avoid problems like grinding a chunk of the bark away by accident. I also find it easier to present the spinning disk to the piece the way I think it should be. Ergonomics. I have a couple of inexpensive (alright, cheap) close quarters drills that leave something to be desired from a fatigue perspective, and I will probably opt for something a bit more comfortable for my aging joints when these die. If all you have is a pistol grip style drill to hold your sanding mandrel, I recommend you put something else on your wish list for Christmas or your birthday, whichever comes first. Mandrels. I have tried a bunch of different kinds and keep coming back to hook and loop, primarily because of ease of changing paper and they don't care which way they're spinning. Edges. Toward or away. The edge of a bowl (think bark edge) is pretty fragile compared to the center of the bottom, especially when it's up against that fresh 80 grit shaping paper, as they call it down under. I find it easier to avoid accidentally damaging the edge by sanding with the contact area of the disk moving from center toward the edge, AND paying extra attention to the angle and direction of the edge of the sanding disk as I approach the bowl edge. How I do it. Finally! I will try using words to describe how I power sand. First, though, remember the Continued in Page 9. DAWG News May 2018 Page 8

9 Help Desk By Rick Urban particles on sandpaper are cutting tools, and uphill and downhill don't change just because you pick up a different cutting tool. Also remember when using a gouge you typically hold the handle against your body for stability and control.. Illustration 1: Bowl spinning forward sander in reverse Now comes the hard part... explaining how I use a power sander. The two pictures illustrate the basic principle I follow to present the sanding disk to the bowl. On the left, the bowl is spinning forward and the sanding pad is spinning counter clockwise. Only the lower right corner of the sanding disk is contacting the bowl and it is sanding from the smaller to the larger diameter (downhill). The grit is moving at approximately 45 degrees to and toward the oncoming wood fibers. I sand in this location because I can hold the sander close to my midsection and pull it through the area to be sanded. I have better control if I pull than if I push. Illustration 2: Bowl spinning reverse sander in reverse On the right, I am still sanding downhill (smaller to larger diameter) with the bowl spinning in reverse, and the sander in reverse, with the upper left part of the sanding disk contacting the oncoming wood fibers at about 45 degree angle. I could sand this same section of bowl by reversing both the lathe and sander and sanding below center with the lower right part of the sanding disk contacting the bowl. The objective is to move the sanding particles like little gouges downhill and into the oncoming wood fibers at about a 45 degree angle. Where on the bowl you want to sand will determine the directions of rotation, sanding disk position, and mandrel angle to do that. That's my two cents worth on sanding methods and techniques. I invite you to visit with me to clarify any of this or discuss alternatives. Don't breath sanding dust! DAWG News May 2018 Page 9

10 Turning Classes at Woodcraft Advanced Bowl Turning Advanced Spindle Turning Date Night At The Wood Shop: Turned Garden Tools Intro To Turning Intro To Pen Turning Thursday, May 31, 10 AM - 5 PM Friday, June 1, 10 AM - 5 PM Friday, June 1, 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM Friday, June 8, 10 AM - 5 PM Thursday, June 21, 5:30 PM - 8:30 AM Protect wood from chuck jaws Show & Tell Tip from the AAW After trying several ideas for reversing a small turning and holding it in a chuck to finish the bottom, I devised my own method, which is simple and inexpensive. I had tried cloth, tape, foam, and electrical wire, but always ended up with marks on the turning from the chuck jaws. To solve this, I took some plastic tubing, which is available by the foot in a variety of sizes, and slid it on the chuck jaws. For pin jaws I cut pieces the length of the jaws. For No. 2 jaws, I cut pieces long enough to cover each jaw. I cut a slit in the tubing so that it can slip over each jaw. The tubing is thick enough to prevent the marks and also provides some holding power for the work piece. For pin jaws I use 5/8 (16 mm) ID tubing and for the No. 2 jaws, 3/8 (10 mm) ID tubing. Other chucks may require different sizes. ~ Bill Fordney, Pennsylvania DAWG News May 2018 Page 10

11 By Lloyd Speer Wood Talk Black Cherry Common names for Black Cherry are: Cherry, American Cherry, Cabinet Cherry, Mountain Black Cherry, Rum Cherry, and Wild Black Cherry; with the scientific name of Prunus serotina. The wood is prized for furniture-making, while the fruit is avidly consumed by birds, who spread the seeds widely. It grows in Eastern North America and can reach from ft in height and with a trunk diameter of 3-5 ft. The average dried weight is 35 lbs/ft 3, with a specific gravity (Basic, 12% MC) of.47,.56. The Janka hardness is 950 lb. Crushing strength is 7,110 lb f /in 2 (49.0 MPa) with a shrinkage of Radial: 3.7%, Tangential: 7.1%, Volumetric: 11.5%, and T/R Ratio: 1.9. The heartwood is rated as being very durable and resistant to decay. It is a light pinkish-brown when freshly cut, but darkening to a medium reddish-brown with time and upon exposure to light. The sapwood is a pale yellowish color. The grain is usually straight and easy to work with the exception of figured pieces with curly grain patterns. The end grain is semi-ring-porous to diffuse-porous; small to medium pores in no specific arrangement, numerous; solitary and radial multiples of 2-3; mineral/gum deposits occasionally present, though not easily visible with lens; growth rings usually distinct due to a concentration of earlywood pores; medium to wide rays visible without lens; parenchyma absent. Cherry is known as being one of the best all-around woods for workability. It is stable, straight-grained, and machines well. The only difficulties typically arise if the wood is being stained, as it can sometimes give blotchy results using a sanding sealer prior to staining, or using a gel-based stain is recommended. Sapwood is common, and may contribute to a high wastage factor. When being worked, Cherry has a mild, distinctive scent and breathing the sawdust has been associated with respiratory effects such as wheezing. Since Cherry is a domestic lumber, prices should be moderate, though it should typically cost more than oak or maple, usually close to the price of walnut. This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The wood has a fine, even texture with moderate natural luster and is commonly used in cabinetry, fine furniture, flooring, interior millwork, veneer, turned objects, and small specialty wood items. Black Cherry develops a rich reddish-brown patina as it ages that is frequently imitated with wood stains on other hardwoods such as Yellow Poplar. This aging process can be accelerated by exposing the wood (in a judicious manner) to direct sunlight. Related species are: Apricot, Plum, and Sweet Cherry. Sources used: The Sibley Guide to Trees, by David Allen Sibley, 2009, p264 DAWG News May 2018 Page 11

12 A book review Jared Bruckner Turning Pages Early in my turning experience I took as couple of classes from Richard Raffan, so when I ran across his book The Complete Illustrated Guide to Turning on Amazon for $22.38, I bought it. This book is for the beginner in all of us. I have only been turning for about 10 years, and I think that I know how to use most tools correctly. Actually, I am not really sure about that, but, at least I know how to get pretty good results. I even pick up a skew fairly often to smooth out or reduce the diameter of a spindle piece. But when it came to turning end grain, I never used a skew. I wondered if this book could teach me how to use a skew to turn end grain. Part four of the book was titled Turning End Grain, so I figured I might find something there. Sure enough, on page 125, Raffan has pictures of using a skew for turning end grain flat. That is just what I wanted to learn to do. In addition to three pictures, there has a paragraph describing the process. So, I headed for the basement where I found a piece of wood already mounted in a chuck that would be perfect for me to test on. I was a bit surprised at how easy it was. I just followed his three steps: starting the cut, making the cut, and finishing the cut. And, best of all, no catches! (A catch could be really nasty here.) I may just reach for my skew the next time I need to flatten end grain. Of all the woodturning books I own (fifty some), this is without a doubt the best book for learning about woodturning. Especially, how to use woodturning tools correctly. You might think of this book as the instructions that don t come with the tools you bought! The book has over 850 pictures, most with written descriptions of what is being shown. The 241 pages are divided into six parts. Part One: Tools and Materials consists of four sections: The Lathe and Attachments, Shaping Tools, Ancillary Tools, and Wood. Part Two: Preparation has five sections: Setting Up the Lathe, Laying Out and Measuring, Preparing Blanks, Fixing Wood on the Lathe, and Sharpening. Part Three: Spindle Work is divided into two sections: Spindle Techniques and Spindle Projects. Part Four: Turning End Grain has three sections: End-Grain Techniques, End-Grain Hollowing and Shaping, and Chasing Threads. The sections in Part Five, Face Work are Face-Work Profiles and Face-Work Hollowing. Part Six, Sanding and Finishing, has only one section: Sanding and Finishing. Without doubt, this is the best book I know of for a person trying to learn woodturning on their own or just beginning woodturning. It is also a great book for the beginner in all of us. Raffan, R. (2014). Taunton s complete illustrated guide to turning. Taunton Press. ISBN: DAWG News May 2018 Page 12