North Carolina WOODTURNERS Journal of the North Carolina Woodturners Association

Transcription

1 Courtesy of Members of NC Woodturners Volume 24, No. 2 Website: Journal of the North Carolina Woodturners Association A Chapter of the American Association of Woodturners President s Message By Renhard McLaurin Good Intentions I have heard that the road to H-E-double hockey sticks is paved with good intentions. Well, I must be on my way because I had two GREAT ideas for a president s letter this month, but I was not able to pull either together. My first thought was to pull together some information about tool metals and the properties of each. There are so many types of tool steel (and other metals for that matter) that it was something I was interested in learning. I was unsuccessful in my endeavor. I just wanted to find a simple guide to the difference between cryogenic steel and powder coated steel. What I found kind of sounded like, Κρυογονική σκλήρυνση είναι μια κρυογονική κατεργασία θερμότητας όπου το υλικό ψύχεται στους περίπου -185 C (-301 F), συνήθως με τη χρήση υγρού αζώτου. Contents President s Message 1 Demonstrator 3 Newsletter/Membership/Library News 3 February Raffle Items Challenge Projects Programs (and presenters) Officers and Board of Directors 5 Mentorship Information 5 Challenge Project Photos 6 Tips, Tricks N Techniques 10 Woodturner s Fear Factor: How to Avoid a Catch 10 The AAW is dedicated to the advancement of woodturning by providing education, information, organization, technical assistance, and publications relating to woodturning. The North Carolina Woodturners Association purpose is to promote an interest in wood turning for persons of all levels, and to encourage membership in, and give support to, the American Association of Woodturners. Volume 24, No. 2

2 Page 2 of 12 My second idea grew out of a discussion I had with a new member after our meeting last month. He asked me the same few questions all new turners ask. What are the first few tools I should purchase? and What is the difference between a bowl gouge and a spindle gouge? I am not going to tell you what I answered. I know everyone has a different opinion as to the response to the first question, and I was not sure about my answer to the second. Although simple, I found the second question quite perplexing, and it shouldn t have been. After all, a bowl gouge is used on bowls and a spindle gouge is used for spindle work. What more do you need to know? Well, as it so happens there was a follow-up question I wasn t expecting. WHY! Why can t I use a spindle gouge on a bowl? Why is a spindle gouge better for spindle work? This new member even had the audacity to ask me what the difference was between a spindle gouge and a bowl gouge. Before you read any further I would like for you to answer for yourself what the difference is between these two gouges. Not just the difference in the shape but why one of them works better on bowls and one for spindles. I began my investigation like all great researchers, I went straight to Wikipedia. Wiki and Google had SEVERAL answers to the questions, but none made sense or actually came to a definitive conclusion. Many of you have answered the question the same way I attempted to answer it. A bowl gouge has a deeper flute than the spindle gouge. WOW. That clears up a lot. So what? What difference does the size of the flute make in turning? Is bigger really better? Doesn t it make sense that a deeper flute means more of the metal has been removed from the tool and thus rendering the tool less effective for the end grain turning of bowls? But wait the spindle gouge has a shallower flute, and as its name implies, it is not the go to gouge for bowls. Actually, I learned that some professional turners actually claim to only use spindle gouges for turning bowls. TOTAL CONFUSION. A few of you actually know WHY a bowl gouge is better for turning bowls. Some can explain how the different gouges, used in different ways, can more effectively remove wood from the bowl blank. I would assume that someone in the club could actually state the point at which a gouge changes from a spindle gouge to a bowl gouge. (If you are that person, and you know who you are, you need to get out some time.) Well, my good intentions of passing along some FACTS about our craft have fallen to the age old adage of there are a thousand ways to do something and you should just find the way that feels right to you. In the end, I am still looking for definitive answers. One day I will know what steel holds an edge the longest and which is easier to sharpen. More importantly I will one day know, when staring at a bowl blank, which tool is best for the cut I want to make. In the end this is learned best by practice, practice, practice. After all, matching the wood, the cut and the tool make turning fun and effective. Isn t that what we all are striving for?

3 Page 3 of 12 Demonstrator By Beth Parham February s demonstrator will be Morris Schlesinger. Morris will be demonstrating his unique design for pepper mills in the morning. In the afternoon Morris will be showcasing thread cutting and sharpening. After reading about the craft of wood turning in a magazine in the early 80 s, Morris Schlesinger bought himself a lathe and tools and began giving wood a second chance as he says. Morris is a member of a group of wood turners in Virginia. Morris considers himself a technician rather than an artist. He has studied with some of the premiere wood turners in the world at various symposiums as well as week-long classes at John C. Campbell Folk School. Morris jumped at the chance to join the Freedom Pens Project, a nationwide effort to provide custom hand-crafted pens to American servicemen and women in Iraq. Morris contribution was 100 of the 20,000 pen goal. He is a retired US Postal Service employee and a veteran himself. Schlesinger also plants thousands of trees each year. He says, Wood is grown for a reason, whether it is for houses, heating or bowls. This is a way to keep the cycle going. [Adapted from The City Gallery, Galax VA, website - Newsletter/Membership/Library News By Beth Parham Newsletter Newsletter this month may be abbreviated from its normal content but the editor (that d be me!) has a bulging disc in my lower back and doing this from being confined to lying in bed it not the easiest thing I ve ever done. So any missing items will be back in March (hopefully). Library I have purchased software to allow us to computerize the library system content as well as loaning system. When I can get up and about, I will be working to get to Klingspor on a Saturday and/or Sunday to do the cataloguing. Membership Memberships are due by March, 2014 meeting or you will be dropped from the roster which means you would lose your Klingspor club member discount. You can pay at the meetings or send to me via mail. Please pay by cash/check/money orders; we are not set up for credit card payments.

4 Page 4 of 12 Types of Membership and annual pricing. See me at meetings if you want to join or have questions regarding membership. Also, remember that membership entitles you to a 10% discount from Klingspor on all purchases (except wood and things with a plug). Regular $50/year Centurion Lifetime Benefactor After July 1 st - $40.00; After October 1 st - $55.00, which includes the following year. $100/year (paid to NCW Education Fund. Includes special name tag.) $600 one time paid to NCW Education Fund. Includes membership for life and special name tag $1,000 one-time paid to NCW Education Fund. Includes honorary membership in NCW (designed for businesses) February Raffle Items By Evanna Brening/Scott Caskey 3/8 Detail gouge Thick CA Adhesive (2.5 oz) Rev. right angle drill 3/8 3" Sponge Pad H&L Medium W/ Spindle Sealtite Wood Sealer PS33 60C 3 No Hole K/O Scalloped disc (50 pk) 3/8 Bowl Gouge cryogenic (Raffle Items are always subject to change from what is posted in the newsletter.) 2014 Challenge Projects By Scott Caskey MONTH CHALLENGE PROJECT SKILLS TARGETED February Item/any item for Lions Club trip to beach March Platter Face plate work April Jewelry Stand Spindle and face plate May Lidded box With finial and textured and/or carved embellishments June Duplicate a piece of art / glass / pottery in Bring object (or photo) of piece being copied wood July Ball Round as round can get August Glue it up! Creativity and using scrap wood from the shop Something made from something you glued up September Maracas October Bracelet / Broach / Jewelry November Something you made at Extravaganza Sharing our skills with community December Hollow form Hollowing

5 Page 5 of Programs (and presenters) By Renhard McLaurin MONTH PRESENTER TOPIC February Morris Schlesinger Unique design for pepper mills (AM) Showcasing thread cutting and sharpening (PM) March Frank Penta TIME: 10 AM 1 PM April Individual from Symposium May Club Member / TBD TBA June Don Olsen TBA July Club Member / TBD TBA August Jim Duxbury Kaleidoscope September All you want to know about Wood (AM portion of meeting) Inlay (PM port6ion of meeting) October Finishing TBA November Learn and Turn Bring a guest! Club members teachers/mentors December Christmas Party 2014 Officers and Board of Directors OFFICERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Renhard McLaurin (704) Brent Cook (704) VP/ Program Chair Last year of term (term expires 2014) Mike Mills (704) Gene Parham (828) Last year of term (term expires 2014) Treasurer Bruce Whipple Ed Mackey (704) nd year of term (term expires 2015) Secretary Journal Editor Beth Parham (828) Jerry Long (704) nd year of term (term expires 2015) Website Director Mike Mills (704) Tim Simmons (828) st year of term (term expires 2016) Past President Evanna Brening (704) Tom Denne (828) st year of term (term expires 2016) Mentorship Information If you are interested in learning new skills, or improving the skills you have, contact one of these NCW members: Scott Caskey (Iron Station, NC) Sam McDowell (Statesville, NC) Jim Miles (Cornelius, NC) Edgar Ingram (Statesville, NC) John Melius (Mooresville, NC) Don Olsen (Lincolnton, NC)

6 Page 6 of 12 Challenge Project Photos By Scott Caskey Challenge project was rolling pins. (Examples of spindle working) Tim Simmons Gene Shook

7 Page 7 of 12 Jerry Long Brad Angel John Logsdon Tom Crawford Renhard McLaurin Ric Moffatt Dean Wright Dean Wright

8 Page 8 of 12 Gary Ritchie Gary Ritchie Gallery Photos By Scott Caskey Brian Butler

9 Page 9 of 12 Edgar Ingram Mick Hundley Max Schronce Mike Mills Gary Ritchie Harold Lineberger

10 Page 10 of 12 Jerry Ostrander Tips, Tricks N Techniques is a revamped Beginner s Corner. These tips, techniques and suggestions will be of most interest to those members who are in the early stage of their turning career. But we all can benefit from refreshing our memories on various topics. Sometimes we just get in a slump and assume we recall all information. Some articles will be recycled tips/techniques from past years of the newsletter (Beginners Corner and new articles as well. Please feel free to submit your questions/suggestions/requests for subjects in this section. Never hurts to knock the dust off our brains from time to time. Woodturner on Board Tips, Tricks N Techniques (for the new turner but good review for all) Woodturner s Fear Factor: How to Avoid a Catch Courtesy of and (reference link to see photos and diagrams that are not included in this newsletter). If you understand what causes a catch, you can eliminate the cause. There are just four cuts in all of woodturning; 1) push cut, 2) pull cut, 3) scrape and 4) sheer scrape. Let s break down these cuts into two groups: The push and pull cut require bevel support to prevent catches. The scrape and sheer scrape require that you don t violate the 90-degree rule. Start with sharp tools. A primary aid to preventing catches is to turn with sharp tools. A sharp tool can sheer off those end grain fibers cleanly and smoothly. However, a dull tool will push, grab, and tear out end-grain fibers. You can have all the right techniques and still have trouble with catches if your tools are not sharpened properly and often. When using gouges and doing the push and pull cuts, most catches come from allowing the gouge to cut while not being supported by the bevel. Without bevel support, the cut will dig in violently in a split second. Big chunks of wood are ripped away. The bevel prevents the gouge from cutting too aggressively it is a controlling factor. Inside the bowl. Let s first focus on the inside of a bowl, since that is where catches are most apt to occur because the inside of a bowl is where we are prone to loose bevel support. The direction the gouge wants to cut is along a line from the heel of the bevel to the sharp point of the edge. The first approach is to relax and let the tool go where it wants to go. Relax the tool rest hand and direct the cut by moving the handle hand. You can get pretty good at white knuckling your way through a cut, but the surface left behind needs lots of sanding. It is not much fun when a catch ruins the shape you intended. Relax and follow the direction the tool wants to go by steering it with the handle hand.

11 Page 11 of 12 Find the sweet spot You will hit the sweet spot for a clean cut with the flute pointing the direction you want to travel with your cut. The twist of the tool will have the flute pointing at a 45-degree angle. Whenever possible, maintain this sheering cut to cleanly slice through each grain fiber as it spins past your tool. Your gouge cuts the shaving at the tip of the cutting edge. This may help: Think of the motion of an ice cream scoop scooping out the inside of the bowl. You have one hand on the handle of the ice cream scoop and you follow the shape of the rounded scoop for your ice cream cone. Now with the bowl gouge, you follow the little tiny tip of the tool, or the bevel. Swing the tool handle to follow the contour of the vessel with the bevel. Ride the bevel is the usual term to describe this, but it is a terrible term. You don t ride the bevel; you need to follow it gently. Riding the bevel too hard will result in a number of problems: burnishing the surface left behind, creating vibrations, and bouncing the bevel into any voids in the vessel. Bevel-supported cut is better. Bevel-supported cut One of the hardest things to accomplish is to start in a bevel-supported cut. The tool wants to skate in a spiraling manner across the face of the wood when you touch the wood at a 45-degree angle. To get this angle, twist the tool on its axis with your handle hand. The shaving comes off the righthand side at the tip of the tool. The bowl-gouge grind can make it easier to enter a cut. I refine the Ellsworth grind slightly to make the entry into a cut easier for me. David s grind has a slight hump near the tip that attempts to grab the wood first before the bevel support has been established. (See drawings in web link.) Hollowing systems When setting up your supported hollowing system for boring out the interior of a hollow vessel, make sure the scraper cutting tip is parallel to the floor and on the centerline of the vessel and you will never get a catch. This set up will be cutting right at 90 degrees. (You can error slightly with the tool-rest position on the high side but never have the cutter below center in a hollow form.) If you choose to twist the cutter for a sheer cut, keep this in mind: When you angle one side of the cutter down to sheer scrape, the opposite side of the cutter is pointing up into the wood and will get grabble and produce a catch. Scraper strategy A scraper requires an entirely different process. Whenever a cutting edge touches the wood without the bevel support, a catch can occur. (The exception is the edge touching the wood at less than a 90-degree angle.) With a scraper positioned flat on the tool rest and parallel to the floor, the toolrest height is critical. If the tool rest is high on the outside shape, (like a spindle) it gets risky. If the tool rest is too low on the inside shape, like a hollow form, it gets risky. This is why the popularity of negative rake scrapers came into vogue. The negative rake gives you extra insurance to not violate the 90-degree rule. With hand-held scrapers, you can change the angle at which the tool touches the wood by raising or lowering the handle. Move beyond fear There are many self-taught students. They settle for techniques that are difficult and demand considerable sanding. Some techniques are downright dangerous. The fear generated from catches is suffocating. If you walk up to the lathe with the fear of getting catches, you don t know what fun you are missing. Do you fear taking one more cut? The fun and enjoyment starts by being in control. Taking catch out of your vocabulary will make turning a lot easier and more fun.

12 Page 12 of 12 February 8, 2014 Remember, our regular meetings are always on the second Saturday of the month 10 pm 4 pm (with lunch on your own at 12) Klingspor s Woodworking Shop st Street Drive Hickory, NC unless otherwise noted in the Journal. North Carolina Woodturners c/o Beth Parham 2154 Frye Avenue Hickory, NC 28602