TIDEWATER TURNER. September Demonstrator: Jim Syversten MEETING AT 6:30PM NOW!!! President: J Farrell

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1 TIDEWATER TURNER A CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF WOODTURNERS MEETING AT 6:30PM NOW!!! The Tidewater Turner Monthly newsletter of the Tidewater Turners of Virginia Published monthly by the Tidewater Turners of Virginia, INC 764 Olivieri Lane Virginia Beach, VA VOLUME 11 ISSUE 9 September 2010 September Demonstrator: Jim Syversten OFFICERS President: J Farrell Vice President: Sam Warren Secretary: Connie Shiera Treasurer: Dave Zurek For our September meeting Jim will be demonstrating a small hollow form with a finial. Some examples of Jim s work can be seen to the right. For more information about Jim and to see more of his work, you can visit his web site at Board of Directors Larry Anderson Bill Caillet Bob Deml Tom Meade Amos Peterson Webmaster Matt Lewis webmaster@ Tidewaterturners.net Editor Scott Paris editor@tidewaterturners.net Next Membership Meeting 28 September, 6:30PM Woodcraft Store Janaf Shopping Center, Norfolk, VA Demonstrator Jim Syvertsen Fimials & Burls

2 Page 2 Tidewater Turner September 2010 President s Notes Here we are in September 2010 already. All of the wonderful events that have come and gone seem to blur before me. It is amazing what has occurred in all this time. Thanks to Steve Humus Vega Duplicator demo. I liked it and found it very interesting. This month we welcome Jim Syvertsen Finials and Burls demo. Check his website: He's from down under and he has an interesting story to tell on his website. Click on About Jim. September is a good time to prepare for November. As a note the CHKD Christmas Tree is getting some attention. How many ornaments do you have made for the CHKD Christmas Tree? The Symposium begins October 23, (8:00am -6:00 pm) and ends Sunday October 24, 2010 (8:00am -3:00 pm). It s Your Turn, 2 Everyone ready for the Virginia Symposium? Ray sent out an to everyone with info thanks to Al Kiebert. This event is located at Expoland in Fishersville, Virginia. Visit the for webpages on Registration, Schedule, Keynote Demonstrators, Mentors Sessions, Vendors, Direction and Contact info. Thanks to Mike DeRousse for his contribution and effort while he was the newsletter editor. He did a fine job and kept after all of us (me) for our inputs. Hello and thanks to Scott Paris for volunteering to take on the newsletter editor until December There is still some black maple available at my neighbors yard. It could be used for spindle turning or turning boxes. If you are interested contact me by to pick it up. First come first serve. See you on 24 Aug 06:30. j Notes from our Den Mother and Secretary, Connie Shiera Dues are: One Year: $25.00 Two Years: $45.00 Sign up for demonstrations & workshops or to teach classes, contact Debbie Glaze, Keep your information updated with me. Address, phone numbers, & s.. The meeting was called to order by J Farrell, President. He welcomed all visitors and new members. Dave Zurek showed the spinning wheel several club members made and how they plan to take it to the next AAW Symposium for our club collaborative. Cliff Guard talked about items for the next Symposium, either each member bring in a piece or several doing a collaborative and have it judged so one could be sent to the symposium. Cliff will chair this committee and have all the information at the next meeting. The club will pay the $40.00 entrance fee. Tonight s demonstrator is Steve Humus. Steve showed how to use the Vega Duplicator. Very informative and interesting demo. Thanks Steve and come again. Show and Tell: Jerry Whitehurst, Gary Goble, Nancy Hill, Larry Shiera, Ray Kallman, Ray Rountree, John Kielwein, Cliff Gaurd, Al Keibert, Henry Bean, Amos Peterson, Dick Hines, Bob Deml and Sherman McLaughlin. Door Prizes Winners: Chuck McCoy, Larry Shiera, Mike Campbell and Ivan Clark. The meeting was closed until Tuesday, Sept.38th at 6:30pm. Do not forget to bring your Christmas Ornaments for the CHKD Hospital. Meeting closed until Tuesday, Sept. 28th at 6:30 p.m. connie

3 Page 3 Tidewater Turner September 2010 Gluing Oily Tropical Hardwood by Eric Meier Conventional wood glues like Titebond are water-based, and they rely on penetrating into the grain of the wood, and then (once the water has evaporated) hardening, leaving a bond that is in many instances stronger than the wood itself. The Problem: Many tropical hardwoods are so oily or resinous that they re practically waterproof. It would then stand to reason that if conventional wood glues need to penetrate into the wood in order to obtain a strong bond, then these oily woods would present a challenge in gluing. Water beads up on the surface of Cocobolo. Above you can see a picture of untreated, raw Cocobolo, which was misted with a spray bottle full of regular water. It should be plain to see that this wood, (along with a handful of other tropical species), appear to be nearly waterproof. They re technically not waterproof: since all wood, (even the Cocobolo pictured above), contains some degree of moisture that changes depending upon the relative humidity of the surrounding air. But for most intents and purposes, in the short amount of time that is elapsed in the gluing process, so little of the glue sinks down into the wood grain that it is essentially waterproof, or perhaps more accurately, glueproof. Between different types of wood, and even within the same species of wood, there can be a lot of variability in oil/resin content, and gluing success/difficulty. Sometimes an oily wood can be glued with regular yellow glue with no problems, and in the next instance, the glue joint will almost fall apart on its own. It would be preferable if the objects which we are building would stay in one piece! So what can be done about this unpredictable nature of wood? Some Solutions: Please note that these are some solutions that can help give consistent results in gluing troublesome woods; but it is by no means a cure-all that is guaranteed to work every time, with all wood species and with all types of wood joints. On the whole, employing these tips should result in generally stronger, longer-lasting glue joints in oily woods.. 1.) Wipe the wood surface with a solvent prior to gluing. Since the primary problem that tropical woods present in gluing is their oiliness, (with density probably being the second biggest problem), any of these natural oils and resins that you can remove from the wood surface will help the glue adhere that much better. While it s not a cure-all, wiping the wood with a solvent first goes a long way. But you have to be sure of two things: first, you should try to glue the pieces of wood to be joined as soon as possible after the solvent has evaporated from the wood surface. This is because the wood s oils will tend to migrate back to the surface of the wood where you removed some of the oils. Secondly, you have to be sure that the solvent you re using is actually dissolving and removing the wood s oils. A good way to gauge this is by checking the towel that you re using to wipe the solvent to see if it s changed to the wood s color.

4 Page 4 Tidewater Turner September 2010 Gluing Oily Tropical Hardwood A solvent should lift surface oils from the wood. Note in the example above, mineral spirits was used to lift some of Cocobolo s oils off the wood surface: and you can clearly see the stained orange cloth as evidence. If you re initially testing a solvent, make sure that the wood is clear of any small particles of sawdust that might make it appear as though the towel is being discolored. Try a cloth with water first as a baseline: it should basically stay white since the water does not dissolve the wood s oils. Some common solvents that you can try are: acetone, denatured alcohol, lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, and naphtha. 2.) Sand the wood to help open up the grain. You ll notice that sometimes on particularly dense woods, just after they re out of the planer, that they almost have a shine to them. This is because the blades of a jointer/planer can actually burnish the wood as it passes through the machine. Sanding helps to break up this flattened/polished surface so more glue can penetrate into the wood. It s tempting to take the wood straight from the planer or jointer and glue it immediately, but for stronger joints, especially in dense woods, it helps to sand the wood with medium-grit sandpaper before its glued. 3.) Use synthetic, non-water-based glues. Since water is repelled by the wood s oils, using water-based glues like Titebond can pose problems though Titebond II or III are usually better at gluing oily woods than Titebond Original. Instead, use glues that aren t water based, and/or glues that can bond a wider variety of materials like plastics and other non-porous surfaces (since that s practically what we re doing with these exotic woods anyways). Some examples of such adhesives would be: polyurethane glues (i.e. Gorilla Glue, etc.), 2-part epoxies (i.e. West System, System 3, etc.) and, if the parts to be glued are fairly small, cyanoacrylate glues (i.e. super glue, Hot Stuff, etc.). Also, if using a polyurethane-based glue, it s important to wet the wood surface with water just before gluing. Polyurethane is activated by moisture, and it may not receive enough moisture to cure properly if the wood has been kiln-dried and is very low in moisture content.

5 Page 5 Tidewater Turner September 2010 It s Your Turn Virginia Woodturning Symposium On October 23&24, the Virginia Woodturners Inc. will present the 2010 Virginia Woodturners Symposium, It s Your Turn, 2 The Symposium provides an environment of networking, education, and collaboration for members of the regional woodturning community. It also promotes the art and craft of woodturning to non-club members. This will be a hands-on turning and learning event, so come prepared to get your hands dirty! The Symposium begins October 23, (8:00am -6:00 pm) and ends Sunday October 24, 2010 (8:00am -3:00 pm). This event is located at Expoland in Fishersville, Virginia. Just south of Interstate 64 at exit 91, Expoland provides a central location easily reached from all parts of the state. Visit the for web pages on Registration, Schedule, Keynote Demonstrators, Mentors Sessions, Vendors, Direction and Contact info. Vendor List: Got Wood? Domestic Turning Blanks Lyle Jamieson: Laser guided hollowing systems Ruth Niles: Stainless steel bottle stoppers Hannes Tool: Turning tools and accessories Alan Lacer: Tool, project kits & DVD s Thompson Lathe Tools: Gouges and scrapers Easy Wood Tools: Carbide insert turning tools Offcenter Tools: Shapeshifter for off-center turning Best Wood Tools: Lathe accessories VincesWoodNWonders.com: Abrasives and Sanding Accessories

6 Page 6 Tidewater Turner September 2010 Box Elder Wood of the Month Fast-growing boxelder was widely planted throughout the East and Midwest for street shade and windbreaks until the early 20th century. However, because it lacked the beauty, resistance to storm damage, and long life of its more glamorous cousin, the sugar maple, the practice eventually was discouraged. In the open reaches of the Great Plains through which flows the Missouri River, though, the boxelder was welcome. Able to endure climate extremes and drought, it grew to greater stature, providing needed shade and shelter from the everpresent winds. Its seeds, like tiny helicopters, swirled with the breezes to find homes for sprouting, and grew where nothing did before. A true maple, boxelder even today is tapped for its sweet sap, which is made into syrup and sugar. This is especially true in its western range, where the preferred sugar maple fails to grow. Boxelder's comparatively soft, light wood never attained the woodworking status of the hard and often distinctively grained sugar maple. Yet, where it grows to any great size, it finds its way with other nondescript maples into slack barrels, boxes and crates, woodenware, and inexpensive furniture. You'll find boxelder (Acer negundo) parading under a number of local names - ashleaf maple, sugar ash, and Manitoba maple to name a few. Throughout most of its range, boxelder inhabits stream and river bottoms, and lake shorelines. In these moist places, elm, hackberry, black walnut, cottonwood, and willow make up its neighbors. Except for the occasional specimen in the western part of its range that grows to 75' tall and a diameter of 4', boxelder commonly peaks growth at heights of 40-50' and 2-3' diameters. Rarely does a boxelder reach 100 years of age. Boxelder's pointed leaves resemble those of white ash, but with more scallops. Double seed pods joined into a v-shape hang on the tree's branches from early summer on. At first glimpse, boxelder's gray-brown bark could also pass for that of white ash - its flattened ridges appear similar - except that the furrows run much shallower. The wood of boxelder, at 27 pounds per cubic foot dry, weighs nearly the same as white pine and rates as the lightest and weakest of the American maples. Close-grained and creamy white in color, boxelder tends to be brittle. Sometimes a boxelder tree contains wood that carries raspberrycolored streaks and flecks, a property that woodturners find especially appealing for bright bowls, slender goblets, and attractive platters. The red streaks are composed of a pigment from a fungus. The light wood lends itself to boxes, carvings, turnings, treenware, toys, and simple furniture or storage projects. Spalted boxelder, with its raspberry streaks, is highly prized for accent work and turnings. The wood isn't suitable for outdoor projects. Where boxelder grows to commercial size, it's mixed and marketed with soft maples for retail sale. Small local mills may distinguish boxelder from soft maples, and specialty suppliers of spalted turning blocks and squares certainly do. Lumber should run less than $2 per board foot for FAS. Veneer or plywood isn't available. Because there's little difference between the color or the working characteristics of boxelder's heartwood and sapwood, you needn't sort through piles looking for one over the other. Once you have your stock, though, keep these working tips in mind. If you like to work with hand tools (or want to try it), you'll get a kick out of working this soft maple called boxelder. Aside from being low-cost, it's easy on cutting edges, bits, and abrasives. In fact, this is a perfect wood for kids to work. Example of Tree Example of Leaves Example of Bark Example of Turned Bowl