Welcome back to the first in-person club night of 2022, where we had a live demonstration from our very own committee member Wolfgang whose project will be a Chinese Style Square Box with Lid.
Thanks to the club’s audio-visual setup, we were able to broadcast the demonstration via zoom to other members of the club who were unable to attend the meeting, Many thanks to Rob for his expertise.
Covid regulations and guidelines were followed and in line with the club’s covid policy.
This evening Wolfgang will be turning a Chinese Style Square Box with a Lid made out of Crab Apple which has a fine grain.
Tools he used were 2 x bowl gouges, 2 x skew chisels, and a basic chuck.
Wolfgang started by marking the centre and setting up the lathe so that the blank was positioned against a pressure pad for the drive with the tailstock positioned up close to apply a ridged and secure position for the blank.
The first thing to carry out was clean the surface and then form a tenon for mounting within the chuck later, the speed was set up to 2700rpm which means that you keep your fingers and hands away from the edges whilst it is spinning. Whilst the blank is spinning at this speed and the square shape it is essential to have sharp tools for developing the corners and keeping them sharp and clean, also you have a better chance of not having the corners chipping off.
When shaped the corners will need to be sanded whilst the lathe is stationary and your fingers are safe.
When he was satisfied with the base of the box Wolfgang turned it round and mounted the tenon into the chuck, at this point the flat wings were perfected and the bowl part formed, at this point we are now at the halfway point.
Sanding was carried out at this point, which Wolfgang stated that he goes to 240 grit only unless it is a gallery piece.
The same process was carried out for the lid apart from making sure that the lid actually fitted the box base
Wolfgang explained and demonstrated how gentle you needed to be so as to get a sharp edge on the corners.
To remove the tenons from both parts of the box a jam chuck was used which was a softwood so as not to damage the crab apple project, this chuck was used with both parts with the smallest being done first and then the largest, in this way we only need to produce one jam chuck.
The club would also like to thank all of the club members who helped out during the night with putting everything together and taking it back down again.
Report by Barrie Fisher and edited by Steve Hackett
The demonstrator for this evening is Stewart Furini. He will be carrying out some basic turning and applying various colouring techniques. He will be using a Sycamore blank 8″ x 2″. He began the evening by going through some basic Health and Safety issues to observe whilst woodturning.
Stewart started by finding the centre of the blank and drilling an 8mm hole to accept the screw chuck which was 19mm deep.
He used a draw cut to produce a flat surface with the use of a 3/8 bowl gouge, he then started to cut across the corner to produce a basic bowl shape with a recess for the chuck to be mounted and a foot for the bowl to stand on. The recess was cut to 4mm deep with a dovetail shape for the chuck, the lathe speed being 600 rpm to start with. The foot is not as deep as the recess so when the chuck is expanded it is not expanding onto very little material but is more solid.
The bowl was now reverse mounted and the face was flattened but without the centre being hollowed out. This face is now sanded down to 240 grit ready for spirit stains to take effect. The dust was removed with a tack cloth to keep it clean. The surface is now hand sanded with the grain to remove any circular scratches that may be present.
Technique 1
A white colour spirit stain is applied first to half of the bowl surface from Chestnut Products, this was painted on and a hair dryer was used to dry the base colour.
Airbrush was used to apply the various colours that will be applied in sequence, and the lathe will be running for this, the closer to the wood then the colour is cleaner and more precise.
The first colour applied was blue and produced a ring, followed by Chestnut blue, Purple and then a lighter blue whilst expanding the rings to get an even covering, the stain is showing up cleaner on the white background.
A further set of rings were also produced using Red, Yellow and Orange, it was at this point that black was added for definition on the edging, this would normally be left overnight prior to using a sanding sealer aerosol, Stewart stated that he would not apply a sanding sealer by hand due to the possibility of the stain breaking down.
Technique 2
Just after half time Stewart started by using an ebonising lacquer to cover the bowl surface black, this was done twice to get the required coverage.
Stewart then produced his homemade box to stop the paint flying from the bowl and onto the walls and ceiling, this was fixed down by use of two magnets which held on to the lathe bed.
The paints used were produced by Chestnut Products with a flow medium by Jo Sonja, this will thin the paint without diminishing the pigment content of the paint.
Yellow will be applied first with the lathe spinning and then the speed will be increased and then the pattern checked, this colour was then applied again to get the pattern spread a bit further. A Sherice colour was then applied over the top again with the lathe spinning. The finished colour was a sprayed-out system.
Technique 3
Dabbing and Centrifugal
The ebonising lacquer was again applied, over the top of the face of the bowl ready for the next lot of paint to be applied.
The next paint to be used was the Jo Sonja Silver, this was applied by the use of a paper towel and dabbed onto the bowl in a non-uniform manner around the edge. The same technique was used for the next colour Gold.
The next colour to be added was Crimson which when applied was set off spinning to form a starburst, the next colour was Gold and also spun around.
At this point, the centre of the bowl was then taken out to the required depth.
Technique 4
For the next session, Stewart used a Proxon long-necked grinder and a cutter with six blades is used, this was applied to the bowl at approximately 7 and 8 with reference to a clock face. The lathe is set to 600 rpm to form the texture. At this point, the textured surface is brushed out with a brass brush to remove the residue. A Nylon filament rotary brush was then used to smooth the texture of the surface.
A green colour was applied first in a solid block, then splodged on, streaked and then dots so that we have four example areas on the same bowl when applied a purple was used over the top of the green.
Technique 5
For this one, the cutter was used again but with the lathe being switched off and the bowl being turned by hand, the cutter was used across the bowl both back and forth. This was then brushed and cleaned with the nylon grit wheel.
The airbrush was used again with red colour and is applied from the side at the bottom, Yellow was then used but sprayed on from the top again from the side.
A black was then applied across the top of the ridges by using a dry brush technique.
This would be finished with a sanding sealer aerosol and then a gloss lacquer.
Technique 6
The top surface of the bowl was again turned flat again, this was then taken off the lathe to apply the paint effect.
The paint applied was colours by Montana 94 Acrylic
The yellow paint was sprayed over the complete surface followed by red, then yellow again and finally white.
Whilst the paint is still wet either a newspaper or a paper towel is folded to form a creased edge, this was then applied to the paint and lifted off this removed a certain amount of paint, and this was carried out over the area of the bowl. This technique was moved around the bowl with a radius.
A lollypop stick was also used with the edge and also the flat part of the stick, other ways of doing this can also be used.
We finished off by giving Stewart a big thank you for the evening’s demonstration, all questions were answered during and after the demo.
Report by Barrie Fisher and edited by Steve Hackett
For this evening’s demonstration and entertainment, we welcome Richard Findley who has his own business known as ‘The Turners Workshop’ and is a production turner for his living. The project will be a Box with Alternative Ivory Insert. The wood will be Walnut. Size being 80mm x 80mm x150mm
Tools that Richard will use:-
Slow speed grinder with a CBN wheel
Spindle Roughing Gouge
3/8 & ½ Spindle gouge
Beading and Parting Tool
Narrow Diamond Parting Tool
Negative rake Scrapers, Round & Curved
For those that joined early, they were shown by Richard how he sharpens his chisels and gouges which is via a freehand method.
The Walnut blank needed to be turned down to approximately 75mm square, it was roughed down to round and had a tenon put onto each end ready for the chucking process. Richard roughly shaped the blank to help decide where to part off the pieces. At this point, the sections are parted.
TIP – When checking the size of the tenons with callipers, round the tips of the callipers so that they do not dig into the wood and also do not press too hard when getting the required size.
LID – This is mounted onto the chuck and then hollow out the inner area by using a spindle gouge with the flute at about 10.0’clock on the centre line, do not use an aggressive cut as this will tend to rip the wood out. The round negative rake scraper to clean the end and also cut a recess which must be square. When the desired inside is finished it is sanded to a final finish.
TIP – Use a rule to press into the recess and line it up with the lathe bed, in this way we would have a parallel edge on the lid.
BOX BODY – This is also mounted onto the chuck and the edge is now cut to match up with the lid, this is not the final fit at present, this is done later, therefore he starts with a cut that does not match up at present.
The hollowing is now carried out with a slight undercut produced within the confines of the body and then sanded to a finish.
At this point, Richard gave a good explanation as to why he prefers to use a negative rake scraper and also to keep the angles the same, which in his case is 350. This was followed by a demonstration of how he sharpens a negative rake scraper.
The tenon where the lid fits into the box has a rounded dome shape applied so that the lid will fit on without having to push down on the straight edge of the box body.
The lid is fitted to the box using the body as a jam chuck, the final shape of the box is then refined, prior to removing additional material from the lid to form a recess to take the alternative ivory.
The box body is now also ready to be parted off from the waste material prior to finishing the base. The remaining blank material is now turned so that the box base can be jam chucked onto it. The box base turned to clean the parting cut. Then sanded to a finish.
Richard demonstrated an ALTERNATIVE IVORY RESIN insert material for the lid. This is a dense material which is ideal to use a negative rake scraper with, we also need to be careful as it can chip.
The streamers that come off will need to be removed with the lathe off for safety purposes. This is cut to the required diameter to match the recess within the lid.
This material is now semi-parted off and then sanded, this needs to have a finer finish than the wood, and an abrasive of up to 1200 grit was used as a final abrasive, a burnishing cream was then applied as a final finish.
The depth of the disc is now measured and can be cut to fit the lid.
The project would be finished with hard wax oil.
Richard gave a good explanation all the way through the demonstration and answered all of the questions that were presented to him.
Richard recommended a book on turning boxes.
REFERENCE – Turned Boxes 50 Designs by Chris Stott. 1-86108 203 7
Yet another very good excellent demo from Richard, which went down well with the members.
Report by Barrie Fisher and edited by Steve Hackett
The evening’s demonstrator was Martin Sabin-Smith from “Hampshire Sheen & The Woodturning Shop.”
Who will demonstrate a bowl with a textured and colored band to include Hot wax technique and a demonstration of Hampshire Sheen products.
Martin welcome everybody and started the demo, with prerecorded videos on how Zoom meetings run and how to use it, which was followed by additional information about health and safety and the requirements of PPE to be used within the workshop for the various aspects of woodturning.
Wood blanks for the project was Maple sized to 10 inches by 3 inches. Martin started off by producing the outside of the bowl to a set curve, following the rule of 3rds and the golden ratio, producing a shape that is pleasing to the eye.
At the same time as producing the outside of the bowl, Martin was describing the three-point contact for the tools, During this process, Martin suggested that we should always try using each cut as a final cut to get a good finish without tear-out of the wood, in this way we are always practicing a final cut. A tenon was produced on the base of the bowl ready for mounting into Axminster gripper jaws,
When satisfied with the shape Martin decided where the band would be placed, at this point he used an Arbotech carver which had a standard cutter disc attached, this was applied to the bowl at around the seven o’clock position, with the lathe running at 400rpm. The cutter produced a texture all around the bowl, it did take a couple of cuts to get the required texture
ready for coloring.
At this stage, a parting tool was used to put a line on either side of the band. A sanding sealer was applied over the band at this stage. This area was now sprayed with a black spray and allowed to dry prior to adding a gold embellishing wax over the raised texture, with a light touch, using a paper towel so that it only covered the top of the raised texture.
Martin then took questions from a number of participants and answered accordingly.
The area above and below the band was now cleaned up with cuts to remove the overspray leave an unpainted area ready for sanding, then for sanding sealer to be applied, and when dry a lacquer was used from the Hampshire Sheen range of products.
The bowl was now reversed and held in the gripper jaws, at this stage the center was hollowed out at the same time as describing how to manipulate the gouge and keeping the bevel rubbing when removing the waste wood. Martin gave good explanations all the way through the demonstration.
Sanding started from 180 grit using a drill & pad and then through to 240 grit, then to 400 grit, and sometimes 600 grit. Martin then applied the sanding sealer, when dry Hampshire Sheen finishing wax was applied, a very small amount was used and then buffed up by applying light pressure with the finger pads and continue to shine, a number of coats were applied.
The final application of wax was heated by a hot air gun to melt the wax to give a shine and then it was and buffed up as before with the pads of the fingers to give a high shine.
At the end of the demonstration, a number of people asked for Martin to be a demonstrator in the future, due to it being very well presented and enjoyable as it progressed in addition to being over the three-hour mark for the evening entertainment.
At the end of the night, Martin gave a discount code for his products which I would hope some people took up. In our opinion, the demonstration was to a very high standard and worth every penny that we paid for his expertise.
The evening’s demonstrator was Chris Parker from “The Bald Woodturners” who will demonstrate a Hollow Form with a Fluted Top and then colored similar to this picture.
Chris is a full-time Turner, artist, demonstrater & teacher. He enjoys being able to pass his knowledge onto others. His passion for our craft is as strong now as it was when he started. He enjoys texturing his turned pieces with various techniques from a simple wire brush to more advanced techniques, he likes his pieces to be organic & individual. He finds inspiration for his textures & forms from various places, but most notably from the ancient ceramicists. https://www.thebaldwoodturners.co.uk/
The project itself is from a piece of Sycamore that is 7 1/2in x 3in thick and is turned at a rate of 1100 rpm for starters. It was mounted on a screw chuck for the initial process.
Chris started by curving the base round whilst also producing a tenon for the chuck, this curve being produced without the need of turning the blank to a true round. A pull cut was used to remove a large amount of the waste wood and then a push cut to produce a fluid curved form around to the top of the blank.
The marking out for the tenon was produced with a pencil attached to a piece of plywood sized to a set thickness, which when placed on the top of the tailstock and pushed against the blank to get the size required for a set of H gripper jaws made by Axminster.
Chris answered the various questions asked by the participants on the chat screen, with Rob relaying the questions to him, this in itself worked well. Chris also used Blue Peter moments to keep the process moving at an even pace throughout the process, the blank was reversed onto the H jaws and then hollowed out, at this moment Chris produced his second blank which had been hollowed out and allowed to dry.
This then needed to be re-turned to bring it back to true round, this was achieved by mounting the blank onto Pin jaws that had hosepipe pushed over them so as not to mark the wood, this was inserted into the opening, and carefully secured.
A Simon Hope 6mm hollowing tool was used for this and a hook tool. When Chris was satisfied with the shape and the hollow form he then used his indexing plate to form 14 segments around the top of the form by drawing a line straight across the form using a pencil jig set to the height of the lathe center.
The hollow form was again refined with a curve from one aspect of the segment to another, (a French curve could be used for this) in this way a gentle curve was produced around the top of the form.
This was then removed with the chuck and fitted to a Woodcut Carvers Clamp that was inserted into the tool post holder. At this point Chris put a line around the top of the hollow form as a guide to how deep he could go, bearing in mind that he had a wall thickness of around 12mm to play with.
Chris then produced a Die Grinder with a Kutuall ¾ extreme bull nose burr which he used to start refining the top of the form in a sweeping motion for each segment, when satisfied with the depth and the progress he swapped to a 9.5mm smaller extreme burr to finish off the process. A further texture was added at this point by the use of a Dremel engraver with a blunt nail which was used in all of the flutes.
Chris demonstrated this process on three flutes and then produced another hollow form with all of the flutes cut and engraved. The smoothing process was carried out with a Silverline Filament Wheel which has a silicon compound embedded into it so that it always has a sharp edge.
The top of the form was then sprayed with Black Acrylic Paint from the center outwards to keep the paint spray away from the out edge of the curve, this was then dried utilizing a hot air gun although Chris did state that he normally allows them to dry naturally.
At this point a Metallic Gold Paint was applied to the ridges of the flutes utilizing a dry brush technique, this highlighted the ridges and also the texture produced by the texturing. This dry technique allows for more paint to be added if required but it cannot remove it if the brush is overloaded with paint. Stroke the paint onto the form, do not dab it on.
When the paint has dried a Lacquer was applied,with either a Satin or Matt finish as Chris prefers this to gloss. When dry the hollow form is again reversed to remove the foot from the project, at this point either a flat or rounded foot can be used, for our project a flat foot was produced.
Chris’s demo went down very well with all participants and was also mentioned that he would be coming back to demonstrate for us again in the near future.
All references to the tools and additional burrs used will follow at the end. I would like to thank Rob Hackett for his work with relaying the questions and for the excellent job of co-hosting the event as usual. I would also like to thank the BCWT club for putting on this demonstration at no cost to members.
Ian Brown gave a date out for the Mary Stevens Summer Fair which was 4th September 2021 and hoped that club members would undertake various projects that could be used to sell for the charity event on a table that has been provided for us to use, with access to PowerPoint for the club demo lathe.
I will finish by stating that I think this was one of the best demonstrations that we have had and has given us all an interesting sequence of developments that we can use for our own project in the future. Remember that our next chinwag event will be held on the 3rd of June 2021.
Don’t forget to send in your photos for the chairman’s challenge and any other items you are working on to blackcountrywoodturners@gmail.com Report by Barrie Fisher and edited by Steve Hackett.
Sue started the demo by welcoming the members and explaining the project she would be demonstrating, an open segmented vase.
Sue started with the base and was faced off so that the segments can be positioned correctly.
Sue produced a segment jig which makes it easier to position and measure between the spokes at the outer edge of the project,
Sue stated that we needed to use side grain and not end grain for these segments, (35mm x 7mm) the angle being 150, whilst cutting you will need to flip the wood over whilst cutting the required amount of segment,
These were then sanded and glued into position.
The glue used was Titebond Quick and Thick.
Sue explained how to position each segmented section and how to glue each one for the build-up and cut down on the glue where the openings will be. A pipe cleaner and water being used to wipe the excess glue out of the holes. A thick piece of paper was used between the top and bottom, prior to the complete glue-up process being undertaken.
At this point, it is time to shape the vase to your requirements.
We now need to separate the two sections where the paper is holding the two parts together, these should be able to break apart where the paper is holding the two pieces together.
At this point, we can hollow out the base to a depth as per the requirement. You will need to be careful of the wall thickness at this point you will need a wall thickness of about 5 to 6mm.
Sue then hollowed out the top section being careful with the segments as there are gaps between the wood shapes.
Sue then put the two parts back together by using CA glue ( CA for the demo quickness, Titebond is usually used) and only apply on the segmented ends, pressure can be put on the two parts by the lathe as the CA glue dries. When dry the final shape and sanding can take place to the required standard.
The entrance to the vase now needs to be cut, as the top was drilled out we know that there is a reference point within the vase that will be close to the top opening. By taking it carefully we can meet up with the drilled hole and shape the inlet part of the vase.
The complete vase can now be parted off from the waste wood. We now need to consider the process of removing the parting tool marks, therefore we will need to produce a type of jam chuck that the vase can be mounted on and held in place by the tailstock drive center. This jam chuck is not a tight fit as you will need to use a gripped mat to help with the holding. The base can now be turned off. The nub will now need to be removed and sanded.
A finishing oil of hard wax oil is used to cover the vase but you need to remember to also fill the gaps between the segments for full coverage.
As the evening progressed, I think that we all should have been able to take something from the demonstration as Sue explained everything as she went along.
On behalf of the club, We would like to thank Sue Harker for this months demonstration. Report by Barrie Fisher and edited by Steve Hackett
This month’s demonstration via Zoom was hosted by Rob and Steve Hackett in a role reversal from last month. With Rob being the turner and Steve the cameraman.
The evening’s demonstration is a Basket Weave Illusion on Hollow Forms and Boxes.
Sycamore is the chosen wood for the evening, and Rob emphasized the health and safety aspects of using the lathe prior to starting. The blank was turned around and a 50mm Tenon produced on the end.
Rob introduced his shop-made beading tools, one made from an old bowl gouge, and one from an old carving gouge.
And another made from a bolt.
Rob shaped the blank ready for the beading process.
At this point, Rob used his beading tool made from a bolt, to apply three beads at a point where the blank was to be parted.
The central one was then removed for the parting to take place, at which point a depth of 5 to 6mm on the rim was cut for when the blank would become one piece again,
After parting the blank both ends were then hollowed out to the required depth, the shape of the lid part was taken down prior to parting with a small 18 or 19mm tenon for holding.
At this point, Rob introduced a Collet Chuck which can be found on Amazon’s website. 2MT ER32 Collet Chuck or 2MT ER25 Collet Chuck
After both parts had been hollowed out they were then glued back together with some CA glue in this instance for quickness, epoxy would be better. Being careful not to run the glue to the edge of the item as it could cause fumes when banding the item when dry, the beading then starts to take shape along the length of the hollow form.
At this point, Rob explained how he made a beading tool out of a normal bolt which worked very well, a slower speed was required for the beading of the hollow form with the tool being moved from side to side but it must be remembered not to go all the way to the bottom of the tool as tear-out could happen and spoil the artistic flair of the item.
At each point where the beads meet a wire was inserted with the lathe running to get a burnt line around the item, where the wire could not be used a small piece of Formica was used.
Drill out the top of the hollow form at this point with a 12mm drill to form the opening.
At this point, the complete project is sanded down ready for the decoration to be applied.
As Rob stated the basketweave required could be applied either by eye or by measurement depending on what you require the outcome to be, the upright lines are now burnt into the form being very careful not to touch the beads, work from both sides to aid in this aspect.
When you are satisfied with the pattern you can start to think about the colors that will be applied and in what shape. The paint used was acrylic with a high pigment content, this will mean that you only need to color twice to get the depth of color that you would require.
All questions were answered throughout the session with good positive answers by Rob with additional information added also.
On behalf of the club, I would like to thank Rob and Steve for this month’s demonstration and for the bumping car announcement partway through.
Report by Barrie Fisher and edited by Steve Hackett
Our thanks go out to both Steve and Robert Hackett who were again able to come together via Zoom and put on the turning demo for those of us who are in lockdown and unable to move around.
The meeting started with Ian Brown going through some club information prior to the demonstration
The live demonstration for this month is being put on by Steve Hackett who is turning a Pool ball trinket
box along with Rob who was looking after the audio and video side, in addition to hosting the event.
Steve began the demo with a slide show talking about pool/billiard balls, their common sizes. The phenolic resin that they are made of, and the possible hazards in machining them. The importance of using a dust mask and dust collection.
Steve explained the process that he was going to follow and the tools he would be using.
8mm tapered tap
8mm plug tap
Tap wrench
6.8mm drill
Centre drill
Doughnut chuck
8mm Screw chuck
Steve then showed a video on how he drills a centred hole in the ball using a jig on a pillar drill, ready for tapping an M8 thread
Instructions on how the doughnut and screw chucks were constructed. The doughnut chuck was used to the pool ball was secure into the chuck with an 8mm bolt through in the centre of the doughnut chuck, this is then further secured by adding an additional top ring to the mounted base unit of the doughnut by three M8 flat head Allen screws that are recessed, these are 120 degrees apart.
At this point, a further hole is drilled into the top of the ball and again tapped with an M8 thread, which means that the holes are lined up 180 degrees apart and in line with each other.
The top of the pool ball is now removed by using a a homemade thin-bladed parting tool.
This is then smoothed flat and glued on to a piece of end grain elm. The glue normally used to do this is epoxy but in this demonstration CA glue was used for its quicker setting.
Whilst waiting for the glue to dry a hole was cut into the main body of the ball in various size bits to a depth
of 20mm. This was then turned to a smooth surface and sanded, Yorkshire grit was applied and then
polished with microcrystalline waxto an even shine.
At this point Steve started on the top of the ball by using a screw chuck with a 8mm bolt fixed into the
centre position. The wood was turned down to form a round shape, this was then put together with the
base to form a complete round sanded and finished item.
Steve Turned the base and the finial, also made out of elm. Both of them have a 7mm stem turned with
the aid of a spanner to measure the shaft size. These were then screwed into the pool ball threaded holes, in this case without the need for glue, but it is recommended.
Steve has stated that if anyone needs additional information, then please contact him.
Our thanks go out to both Steve and Rob for this demonstration.
Next month Rob will be doing the live demonstration. He will be turning a hollow form colour and pyography decoration.
Our thanks go out to both Steve Hackett and Robert Hackett who were able to come together and put on the turning demo for those of us who are in lockdown and unable to move around.
Robert Hackett – Gesso Texturing Technique
Robert started by applying black gesso on to a pre-turned bowl shape, whilst this was still wet sawdust was added which adhered to the surface of the wet gesso.
A second layer of gesso was then added all over to remove the color of the sawdust showing. This technique when applied does not need to be perfectly smooth as it is covered and will allow for a better key for the gesso.
When this piece had dried a mixture of Hampshire Sheen Embellishing Waxes was applied by dabbing this onto the top of the gesso and then rubbed into the bowl surface by way of a cheap toothbrush. Robert was also explaining the process as he progressed through the complete process.
Steve Hackett – Twisted Three-sided Weed Pot – (Multi-Axis Turning)
Steve started with a blank that needed to be turned round. When this had been accomplished the marking up process was detailed onto the blank.
This marking up process was shown both live and through the use of a slide show.
Steve started by dividing the blank into three equal parts by means of the indexing set up included in the lathe headstock. Two pencil rings were added to each end of the blank, the first one 10mm in and then the second one, in a further 5mm. The equal lines were then extended down each end so that we have three areas marked on the inner ring. These were then numbered 1, 2, and 3 on each end so that they matched up, these are 1200 apart.
To get the twist the following number combinations were used;
1 – 2, 2 – 3, 3 – 1 these give a twisted shape
If you only require a three-sided item, match up the following numbers;
1 – 1, 2 – 2, 3 – 3
Additional multisided items can be developed by using the same method.
The blank was mounted between centers with a two-prong drive in the headstock and a pointed live centre in the tailstock.
At this point Steve started the process of turning the twist, this was done by looking at the ghost image at the top of the turning blank, following the curve to get an equal displacement along each side.
Steve stated that the turning should be cut from the centre out towards the ends, this prevents an aggressive cut from being applied to the ends. The speed of the lathe went up as high as was safe to do so due to cutting a lot of free air. If you only cut straight across, you will end up with a project that bulges in the middle.
This was then sanded and sealed, a tenon was cut onto the one end and remounted into a scroll chuck.
A hole was then drilled down the weed pot by using a starting point with the aid of an engineering centre drill. The top of the jar was then trimmed by scalloping the top into the bored hole.
At this point, a jam chuck was mounted and the weed pot was inverted and mounted on the jam chuck, the base was then scalloped out and finished, this process allowed it to stand correctly on a surface.
The weed pot was finished by buffing with a series 3 of buffing wheels on the lathe, Steve explained and demonstrated how to use this system.
The buffing wheels used are available from The Polishing Shop.
Steve commented on the process as he worked through it, during the demo, a Blue Peter moment was required when the blank voluntarily removed itself from the lathe.
With the way that the lockdown is developing at present, the next demo will also be put on by Steve and Robert Hackett.
Last but not least we must also thank Robert for operating all of the equipment that allows these demos to take place.
This month the club had a Zoom demonstration put together by John Boyne-Aitkin, better known as the Bowler Hatted Turner who is primarily a jobbing turner.
We want to say a big thank you to The Shropshire Turners who joined the event in collaboration with us. This made the event a lot better with respect to the cost of the demonstration.
The Zoom session opened at 6.45 pm for a 7.00 pm start time, the demonstration went on until 9.30 pm with a refreshment break in the middle, and John was answering questions throughout the evening.
Project 1 for this evening is a Sea Urchin Ornament for hanging.
The project was made out of Maple for the top and bottom areas of the project.
The bottom part was 1.5” sq x 8” long – Top part was 1.25” sq x 6” long
The Sea Urchin shells can be found on Amazon or eBay but a good link would be www.onlineshells.co.uk
John has a good method of explaining everything as he goes along and uses close-up camera work for this also, we did have a problem with one camera at the start when it stopped working, but John was able to sort it out with the help of his technology expert.
John mentioned the use of Health & Safety throughout the demonstration.
First, start by making the hole at the top of the shell round by using a Dremel with a 10mm grinding cone.
To make the shells stronger when using them, paint the insides with PVA glue and let it set.
Turn the bottom section down to round with the speed set at 1330rpm.
On the end of the spindle turn a 12mm tenon about 19mm long, this needs to be the full depth of the sea urchin and the shoulder needs to be undercut to take into account the shape.
At this point, drill an 8mm hole down the centre of the tenon to a depth of 20mm
Turn the spindle around in the chuck and start to shape, this can be any shape that you require, as John said it is your work and your idea as to the finished shape. John used his Skew chisel for this.
At this point, John sanded the project and then used Friction Polish, and Carnauba Wax to give it a shine, the overall finished length for this being just over 6 inches.
The second part of the Top of the project.
Turn to round again and take the tenon down to 8mm, John showed a couple of methods of carrying this out.
The shoulder again needs to be undercut for the shape, and then the top shaped as required.
At this point, John sanded the project and then used Friction Polish, and Carnauba Wax to give it a shine, the overall finished length for this being just over 6 inches.
The two parts now need to be put together carefully with the shell being able to rotate freely, this is required due to the possible movement in the wood as it may still be drying.
At the very top end, a hole must be drilled through so that a ribbon can pass through and the ornament can then be hung up.
Project 2 for this evening was a mirror/picture frame.
Wood was 8.5“in diameter, and Mirror was 4” in diameter.
Turn a hole larger than the 4” diameter mirror due to the possibility of the wood moving, which could put pressure on the glass.
He turned the project around to cut the hole so that the mirror would not fall out of the front.
To cut a hanging point on the back of the frame, drill a hole large enough for the screw head to go through then drill a smaller hole above for the shaft of the screw, this is then run into the larger hole.
Take a screw and grind the head down so that you have a cutting edge, at this point insert this into the drill and you will be able to cut the slot at the back of the wood so that it will remain on the wall.
A piece of hardboard was used to protect the glass at the back and keep it in place,
Glazing sprigs were used at this point to secure the mirror into the frame.
John answered various questions throughout the demonstration whilst carrying out the demonstration, he showed some very useful techniques of how to achieve different effects for patterning also.
At the end of the evening, John showed us around his workshop area with all of the various machines in place.
The club would like to thank John for the demonstration.
This may be the first of additional collaborations with SAW when we can share a demonstrator.
