FRIENDSHIP CUP
How to make a traditional Italian drinking vessel
Turn a lazy Susan with serving bowls • Make a contemporary hallway table New technical series: Fundamentals of working with burrs & turning for furniture
“This machine punches well above its weight and performs very well. Having already tested various large capacity lathes within the £2,000 - £3,500 bracket, I believe that the MAXI-1 is exemplary in terms of the versatility, capacity, solidity, control and the power it offers. Go and try one out I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. Huge Capacities Using the optional bowl rest, huge work can be completed with ease. The large motor and solid cast iron construction give ample rigidity and power for the most heavy-duty woodturning.
I enjoy using it every time I press the button and its quiet running is an added bonus. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to test this machine as you get a lot for your money without having to make any compromises.”
Woodturning, Mark Sanger (Professional Woodturner)
Swivel Head Packed with features, the heavy-duty swivel head features reverse-speed function, 6-speed pulley change, cam lock swivel, safety micro switch and indexing.
Shown with optional MAXI-1/A MAXI-1/A Cast Cast Iron Outrigger RRP £169.99, buy with lathe price £149.99
Heavy-Duty Spindle The M33 spindle is ideal for the heaviest work and features a machined register for secure mounting.
The MAXI-1 is on dispay nationwide at these stockists
England Toolite Co Stiles & Bates Biven Machinery Sales D&M Tools Snainton Woodworking Supplies Yandle & Sons Ltd DJ Evans (Bury) Ltd DB Keighley Machinery Ltd Scotland MacGregor Industrial Supplies Northern Ireland The Woodshed B McNamee & Co Ltd Ireland WH Raitt & Son Ltd
Address Unit 3/2 The Mews, Brook Street, GL17 0SL Upper Farm, Church Hill, Sutton, CT15 5DF Unit 30, Sycamore Trading Estate, FY4 3RL 73-81 Heath Road, TW1 4AW The Poplars, Barker Lane, Snainton, YO13 9BG Hurst Works, TA12 6JU St Botolphs Lane, IP33 2AU Vickers Place, LS28 6LZ
Town Mitchelde an Mitcheldean Dover Blackpool Twickenham Scarborough Scarborou gh Martock Bury St Edmunds Leeds
County Gloucester shire Gloucestershire Kent Lancashire Middlesex North Yorkshire Somerset Suffolk West Yorkshire
Contac t Contact 01594 544 521 01304 366 360 01253 425793 02088 923 813 01723 859 545 01935 822 207 01284 754 132 01132 574 736
15-17 Henderson Road, Longman Ind. Estate, IV1 1SN
Inverness
Inverness-shire Inverness -shire
01463 717 999
11 Lowtown Road, BT39 0HD Park Road, BT82 8EL
Temple Patrick Strabane
County Antrim County Tyrone
028 9443 3833 028 7188 2853
Main Street
Stranorlar
County Donegal
00353 74 913 1028
MAXI-1-M33 Heavy Cast Iron Swivel Head Variable Speed Lathe The MAXI-1 has been specially designed to offer large capacities and support for heavy work in a compact design. Combining Record’s traditional swivel head functionality with modern construction and high quality electronic control, this machine is ideal for the professional woodturner as well as the dedicated enthusiast.
No w on ly
. 9 9
£1 7 9 9
Sa ve £200 O f f RRP
Ne w
Spring 2017 Ca talogue No w A vailable Call us or go online to reques t a free cop y
Prices valid until 31.08.2017. E&OE.
www.recordpower.co.uk Tel: 01246 571 020
Incorporating some of the most famous brands in woodworking, Record Power’s roots stretch back over 100 years.
FROM THE EDITOR
P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y O F G M C P U B L I C A T I O N S / M A R K B A K E R
My fishing trips are not just about fishing. I am eyeing up potential resources as well. Four years in and this dying tree is still standing, but maybe next year it will be mine
Practice makes perfect Irrespective of whether it is theoretical or practical skills, no one becomes competent without practice. Even if you are one of the fortunate ones who has an innate aptitude for a given subject – be that a mental or practical skill – it still requires time to practice to become competent or possibly exceptional in something. I know, I mentioned the two nast y words that most people don’t want to hear – time and practice. The first is something we all say we do not have any of. The second means that there needs to be enough time – and will – to practice. Theoretical and practical abilities – which vary in ascendance of priority as to what is being done – are required in whatever task one is undert aking. I know I will never be a theoretical particle physicist. I realised very early on that my leanings were towards chemistr y, geology, natural sciences – okay, I struggled with some aspects of biology – and last, but no means least, working with my hands. I will say that I wholly
believe we can all expand our abilities in all subjects to var ying degrees. The caveat to that is ‘if we want to’. I know I have limits in areas, be they mental or physical barriers. But I have always believed in pushing anything I try to the maximum of my ability with the understanding that I will reach my limit either later or earlier on in a subject being learned. But remember, we don’t have to be experts to have fun and enjoy ourselves. Many of the things we do in our spare time we do because we enjoy them. If someone has to earn a living from something, then it is a case of really learning to do that to the best of our ability. But if it is a hobby, it’s a bit different. Mine is fishing. I concentrate mainly on fly fishing now. I know my casting is not the most elegant or graceful one will ever see. I am not waving my arm to and fro resembling a one-winged bird trying to take flight, but I have wrapped the line around my head a few times when battling the elements,
and caught the line in trees, g rass and under my feet. I know I need to do better to minimise the risk of this happening and I know time spent will result in less effort, more finesse and distance and, of course, less frustration. I will continue to try to get better, but I do catch fish and have a lot of fun learning more about what to do and when. As with any hobby undert aken, the goal is to do the best we can and have some fun. That is no dif ferent to my turning or other woodworking. I get better as a result of doing more, but no matter how much I learn there is always something else to know. Have fun turning and let me know of your learning experiences, both good and bad. Mark
[email protected] Woodturning 309 3
ISSUE 309 SEPTEMBER 2017
Community
Techniques
3
17 Turning burrs
Leader Mark Baker comments on how practice makes perfect
In the first of a three-part series, Andy Coates looks at the fundamentals of working with burrs
14 Community news We bring you the latest news from the world of woodturning as well as important dates for your diary
29 Turning for furniture In part one of his new series, Richard Findley looks at what is needed to turn for furniture
71 Next issue Find out what’s in store for next month
68 Community Links We feature the latest letters and have searched the internet for the best, most interesting and fun websites, blogs, pins and pictures, so you don’t have to Cover image by Andrea Zanini See page 23 to learn how to make a traditional Italian drinking vessel
90 Our contributors
Geoffrey Laycock explores the issue of fire risk in workshops
74 Carving bowls Ernie Conover shares how a couple of gouges and a carver’s mallet turned from firewood can transform a common bowl into art
Meet our authors
85 Finishing off finishes 99 Advertising index See who is advertising this issue
17
43 Wood dust is explosive
This month Kurt Hertzog looks at refining and manipulating the finishes that have been applied to your work
59
NEWS, LATEST PRODUCTS, MAGAZINE UPLOADS & EVENTS can all be found on www.woodworkersinstitute.com. These all appear on the magazine homepage and you can see a bigger selection by scrolling down the page and clicking on the individual stories. We also have an extensive online archive for you to browse, or see us on Facebook & Twitter.
4
Subscribers! Turn to page 83 for subscription special offers and you could save 30%!
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
CONTENTS
Projects
Features
Kit & Tools
7
36 AAW seminar
80 The Axe tool test
Hallway table Andrew Potocnik shows how to make a beautiful table for a hallway
Mark Baker gives a snapshot of the American Association of Woodturners’ 31st annual seminar
23 Friendship cup Andrea Zannini shows how to make a traditional Italian drinking vessel
Mark Baker looks at The Axe tools from Carter Products
95 Kit & Tools 67 Will it last? John Plater takes a look at whether woodturning as a craft has a future
A mixture of press releases and tests, showing the latest tools and products on the market
45 Project kits Walter Hall looks at some of the things that can be made from project kits
51 Hawaiian puahala calabash Emiliano Achaval shows how to make a classic Hawaiian end grain vessel
59 Table centrepiece Colwin Way shows how to make a lazy Susan with serving bowls
92 Club profile Brendan Collins shares with us some insight into the Limerick District chapter of the Irish Woodturners Guild
96 Hollowing tool test Andy Coates tests Rolly Munro’s new Wundercutt10 hollowing tool
104 Art of turning Cynthia Cardon Gibson explains how her new series, The Amazing Doll, came into being
73 Salt & pepper shakers Chris West provides plans for you to make your own condiment shakers
85 7
HEALTH AND SAFETY Woodturning is an inherently dangerous pursuit. Readers should not attempt the procedures described herein without seeking training and information on the safe use of tools and machines. All readers should observe current safety legislation.
Woodturning 309 5
Woodturning Cruise Norway 2018 From Stavanger to the North Cape and return. August 20 - September 1 2018
B O O K N O W ! O n l y 2 0 c a b i ns l e f t a s a t J u n e 2 01 7 .
Arranged by:
Join the world famous Woodturning Cruise™ and enjoy Norway´s magnificant fjords and nature, and watch professional woodturners, carvers and artisans demonstrate on the high seas! An unforgettable holiday for you and your spouse, or a friend!
Visit: www.woodturningcruise.com for more information
Jimmy Clewes
Glenn Lucas
North Cape
Nick Agar
Binh Pho
Benoit Averly - Richard Raffan - Michael Hosaluk - Cynthia Gibson - Åsmund Vignes and more..
www.woodturningcruise.com Contact us for your FREE printed brochure:
[email protected] Ph: +4751886800
Hallway table Andrew Potocnik shows the stages involved in making a modern hallway table
When asked by my in-laws to make a hall table that would suit the entry of their recently downsized home, I was a little apprehensive. There were several qualms: it’s a modern build, my in-laws are in their 80s, and I don’t make mainstream furniture. So I had to tread a fine line to K I N keep all of us happy, especially as I’d only C O T O recently become an ‘in-law’, hoping not to P W E become an ‘out-law’ too soon… R D N A Assessing the space and requirements of Y B S the table it quickly became apparent that H P A R G a receptacle for keys and other bits that T O H P need to be deposited as one enters the
home could be fulfilled with a dish form at the centre of the table-top. There needed to be a flat area for a light to stand on, so my mind went to work. It seemed that the simplest solution, from my turning background, was to turn a dish-like form into the centre of a rectangular table-top. Easy enough for me to propose this initial solution, but would it suit the inlaws, and could I actually turn a piece of wood this size? Fortunately for me, both answers were yes. The top was accepted, and I could fit a disc of 750mm diameter to my Stubby lathe. Phew!
But with something this big it is not just about lathe capacity. It is also about working safely and, because the top is long and thin, holding the wood effectively, turning it at low speeds and never standing directly in with the edge of the work. Many people do not have this size of lathe to work with, so if you like the idea of turning the table-top smaller than shown here, the techniques for tur ning the top still work and it makes a great bowl in its own right without the leg and sub-frame. Woodturning 309 7
750mm (291/2in) TOOLS AND MATERIALS
• PPE & RPE • 13mm bowl gouge • 20mm spindle roughing gouge • 20-25mm skew • Round-nose scraper • Faceplate and screws • Revolving ring centre • Woodworking tools for the table legs and frame • Belt and random orbital sanders • Metal table supports • Drill with drill bit to suit the metal support spacers • Dowel drilling guide • Clamps • Abrasives • Bandsaw • Adhesive • Finish of your choice • Timber to suit the drawings • Sacrificial timber/boards for the top and back support
40mm (15/8in) 50mm (2in) 85mm (31/4in)
50mm (2in)
330mm (13in)
740mm (291/8in)
800mm (311/2in)
18mm Ø (23/32in)
250mm (93/4in)
270mm (107/8in) 40mm (15/8in)
105mm (41/8in)
235mm Ø (91/4in) 800mm (311/2in)
18mm Ø (23/32in)
8
750mm (291/2in)
270mm (107/8in)
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
HALLWAY TABLE
1 Start by laminating three pieces of wood,
1
2
machined flat and edged – I used Australian blackwood ( Acacia Acacia melanoxylon ) – and glue the boards together edge to edge with gap-filling PVA on the planed edges. Then use s ash clamps to ensure all surfaces are bonded thoroughly before adding extra material that would enable a full circle of wood to be turned on the lathe. The alternative would be having a propeller of wood spinning around, which is dangerous with large work using this method, so it ’s better to spend time and add sacrificial material to complete a full disc of 750mm diameter making the process safer. I hate to waste wood, so I used feature-grade Australian mountain ash ( Eucalyptus Eucalyptus regnans ) for this part, knowing I’d already worked out a way of creating another tabletop out of the waste, but that is another project. Once all is glued together and allowed to dry, mark a circle and cut on a bandsaw. 2 Attach a wide strip of 18mm plywood to a
large faceplate.. f aceplate.... ...then, hen, mount the faceplate and ply on the 3 ...t
3
4
lathe. Mark the centre of the table-top and centre the table blank to the faceplate/ply carrier using a revolving tailstock ring centre. This ensures the blank will be perfectly centred. Screws can now be driven through the carrier into the blank , into the outermost ends of the table-top. Any screw holes will be turned away later. 4 Using the lowest speed you have on the lathe –
for something this size about 125-150rpm will work, but do check speed charts and go slower if needed – turn the bowl sec tion but avoid any work to the flat sections, as they had been machined flat and clean prior to attaching sacrificial material. Now cut a V-groove around the perimeter of the bowl area for a nice visual effect and also to enable accurate location when reversing the blank. 5 With heavy cutting and shaping completed,
remove the tailstock and trim away the supporting stub. If needed, refine the bowl wi th a scraper, then sand the surface through to 320 grit.
5
6
6 To reverse the item make a carri er/friction drive
with a protruding V-shaped ring that matches the groove on the table-top so the t wo surfaces can meet snugly to prevent any possible lateral movement when the top is reversed and pressed against this carrier. Some electrical tape or paper towel needs to be applied to the carrier to prevent marking the sanded surfaces of the top. 7 Now, locate the hollow bowl section up against
the carrier and bring the tailstock into place. Insert a small wide spacer block into the live centre and between the table to act a s a pressure drive to avoid an unwanted hole. 8 Turn the underside of the t able to a gentle
7
8
upsweeping curve using very light cuts with the lathe running at a very low speed – 125rpm or lower. Then sand it to 320 gr it. Woodturning 309 9
9 Remove the disc from the lathe and lay it flat on either a trolley which has a blanket as a shield to prevent the marking of the table-top or on padding on the floor. Finish sanding all over with a random orbital sander. 10 The next stage is to remove the sacrificial timber. To protect the top of the table, place highdensity foam on to the flat surfaces. 11 With padded surfaces resting on the table, cut the waste material as close to the joint as possible without actually cutting the table-top section. For the next bit I chose to machine the edges flat – although you can use a long hand plane – so angled cuts could be executed on a tablesaw. Again, you can create the angled sections with a hand plane if you choose. I wanted the top to look as ‘light’ as possible and angling the sides would reduce visual bulk. It is up to you to decide the shape you want and, of course, you can use hand tools or machines to help you to do this.
9
10
12 To further lighten the appearance you can curve the edges slightly on a belt sander/finisher. About 15mm was removed at each end for this top so the rectangular shape was ‘softened’. Again, your table, your choice as to how you wish it to look. 13 The timber for the legs needs to be machined to about 40mm square and turned leaving a pommel at the top while the leg is tapered to about 18mm at its end. Mount the wood between centres and use a combination of a spindle roughing gouge and skew to make the elegant, simple, tapered shape. I chose to hold the headstock end of the spindle in a chuck and the tailstock end with the revolving ring centre. 14 Now is the time to get the proportions right and check a few things out. Create some temporary skirts and clamp them to the legs. To support the top – the design of this has the top sitting clear of the subframe – use a stool with a block of wood on it. This is the ‘trial and terror’ part where what worked in the mind’s eye as two-dimensional drawings is put to the test as a three-dimensional object. Adjust what you need to so that you are happy with how the frame looks and also how the top sits in relation to the subframe. I ended up tweaking the lengths of skirts and distance between top and subframe.
11
12
13
14
15
16
15 Now you have to make a decision as to how to join the legs to the skir ts. Traditionally it would be via a mortise and tenon and I chose this method but opted for floating tenons. For speed, I used a mortising machine to cut the mortises. 16 Dry-assemble all the pieces and check everything is okay. Make any adjustments now. Prior to gluing and clamping up, pre-finish the subframe. This can be with a shellac, sanding sealer, oil or similar. Once dry lightly denib/knock back then glue and clamp everything together ensuring any squeeze-out was wiped off with a damp rag. 10
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
HALLWAY TABLE
17 While that subframe is drying apply a finish to your table-top. I chose polyurethane using my favourite wipe-on, wipe-off method which does not leave a thick layer of finish on the surface. There is, however, a fair bit of elbow grease needed to wipe back a surface as large as this, but I opt to do it in stages, making sure the finish doesn’t become too tacky prior to being wiped off. If it does, simply apply more finish, which will dissolve the sticky surface and allow you to wipe it back. The finish you select needs to be durable and the right lustre for you. 18 Now you need to drill holes for the aluminium spacers, which required another bout of lateral thinking on my part. The reach of my pedestal drill was insufficient to handle this frame, so I reverted to a dowelling jig clamped to the rails. But as it’s designed to drill holes parallel to its sides, I needed to cut some 2° angled spacers to tilt the jig back to perpendicular. A piece of aluminium tube inserted into the guide sleeve lined up with a tri-square ensured holes would be at 90° to the floor, not the rails.
17
19 Now drill holes with a cordless drill using a bradpoint bit and some masking tape to determine consistent depth of holes. Once drilled, apply your final finish on the subframe and let it dry before moving on to the next stage.
18
19
20 To mark where holes are required on the table’s underside, insert bradpoint drill bits into holes already drilled in the frame. Prior to locating the top, measure and mark as closely you can the position of the rods on the underside of the top to avoid marking the underside with the sharp bradpoint bits as much as you can. When you have done so place the top in its final position and press down so centre points create marks ready for the next stage of drilling. 21 Once marked with the little indent, bore holes to a consistent depth using a pillar drill, or very accurately with a hand drill, ready for final assembly. Fingers crossed, all will fit together correctly. Add a few drops of adhesive to bond the wood and spacers. Thankfully, much to my relief, mine did, just in time to keep the in-laws happy. Conclusion: Making one-off pieces is a timeconsuming process where there are many problems that need to be solved along the way. Experience gives you a ‘vocabulary’ of techniques and solutions to fall back on, but pricing? In this case it was a love job, completed late… but the in-laws were happy, so I’m not an ‘out-law’ at this point.
20
22 The finished table. •
21
22 Woodturning 309 11
The European a ke r ok e M Be s p s a w s . t s e n i o f t h e F
An English saw made in the English countryside
Precision
Detail
W i nn e r s o th e H C A’ S ‘ M a de i f A w a rd n B r it a i n’ 2 01 6
Craftsmanship
Dedication
Design
Bespoke
Tomas Flinn & Co.
Unique
Tradition
We look forward to seeing you at EWS 2017, please stop by and try some of our world class handmade saws of precision. Telephone number: 01723 448202 Website: www.skeltonsaws.co.uk
Email:
[email protected] The Saw Maker’s Wife @skelton saws
www.�inn-garlick-saws.co.uk Showcasing �ne British made tools at the European Woodworking Show
T We’ll be at the show but we’re not quite sure where, so come along and see if you can �nd us! 01473 890118 www.chestnutproducts.co.uk
BOB NEILL International Pyrographer Learn a new craft Demonstration & workshop for Wood Turning Clubs www.bobneillpyrography.co.uk
[email protected] 01332 792036
he European Woodworking Show is back in September this year – 16 & 17 September. The show is at the historic Cressing Temple Barns near Braintree in Essex. Demonstrators and exhibitors really enjoy EWS and most take little persuading to return to the show to either demonstrate their skills or showcase their wares. Our overseas contingent includes Chris Schwarz of Lost Art Press, Dave Jeske of Blue Spruce Toolworks, Ron Hock of Hock Tools, Thomas Lie-Nielsen of Lie Nielsen Toolworks, Chris Vesper, Sadatsugu Watanabe & Chris Vesper of Veritas tools. Firm favourites will be returning including turners Joey Richardson, Mark Hancock, pyrographer extraordinaire Bob Neill, timber hewer Steve Woodley, woodcarvers Peter Berry, Tim Atkins and Dave Johnson, marionette maker Lenka Pavlickova, scroll saw expert Fiona Kingdon, Japanese joint maker Brian Walsh, plus furniture makers David Charlesworth, Dylan Pym, David Barron & Treeincarnated. Willy Rackham, The International Boat Building College, Willow Sculpture by Louise, blacksmith Nic Westerman, knife maker Ord Knives,
Bandsaw Blades Welded To Any Length “The 2017 European Woodworking Show will be a unique opportunity to see me demonstrate the entire process of making an axe: from forging the head, to sharpening the edge and putting a handle on the tool.”
We are pleased to be back demonstrating at the European Woodworking Show
Hand forged wood carving tools and courses.
www.nicwestermann.co.uk t: 01650 511715 e:
[email protected]
Hamilton Beverstock Ltd, Grange ind Estate, Llanfrechfa Way, Cwmbran NP44 8HQ Tel :- 01633 838900 Fax:- 01633 873803
[email protected] | www.hamiltonbeverstock.com
Woodworking Show 2017 Ray (The Bloomin’ Clever Box Man) Sylvester The world’s premier woodturning tool maker will be on hand with the largest range of turning tools at this year’s show.
For all the very best woodworking and wood turning accessories. A great range and fantastic show prices.
Great one-off show specials.
From this...
...to this...
Plus show prices on all tools. with this!
www.robert-sorby.co.uk www.turners-retreat.co.uk
Ray Sylvester. www.temimacrafts.co.uk
I RE W O O S H D C
N L
O C
N I
SUPPLIES
R
ENGLISH and I MPORTED HARDWOODS
L
A
FOR THE WOODWORKER
F
T
For all your hardwood requirements. For furniture making, turning & carving.
catalo gue New mail order available The Old Sawmill Burghley Park, London Road Stamford PE9 3JS 01780 757825 / 07808 319280 www.lincolnshirewoodcraft.co.uk
Dave Wilkins stick maker add variety to the show and every effort will be made to make EWS2017 as diverse and as interesting as possible. The British Woodcarvers Association (BWA) will be hosting their extremely popular public vote competition. There will be many familiar tool suppliers including Turners Retreat, Trend Tools & Machinery, Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, Gransfors Bruks
The Rocking Horse Shop publishes a range of plans with illustrated instructions, for home woodworkers. Plans are supported by how-to-do-it DVDs and accessories and pre-machined timber packs. We also run regular courses in our workshop in which we teach small groups of students the traditional craft of carving rocking horses.
axes, Pfeil, Auriou and Flexcut carving tools, Classic Hand Tools,Lincolnshire Woodcraft, Chestnut Products, David Barron Furniture, and a host of other retailers. For full details and advance tickets visit www.ews2017.com If you would like any further information please contact Mike Hancock or Joy Allen,
[email protected]
JOHN LLOYD FINE FURNITURE
Bankside Farm, Ditching Common East Sussex RH15 0SJ +44 (0)1444 480388 John Lloyd has been teaching the 20 years. Learn the right way to
Only a bad workman an blames his tools Come and learn to be a skilled craftsmen at Britain’s n’s original original boatbuilding college. For more than 40 years we’ve been offering students world-class teaching whether you join us for just a day or a whole year. Don’t take our word for it, our students say it’s life changing.
The Rocking Horse Shop, Fangfoss, York YO41 5JH 01759 368737
[email protected] www.rockinghorse.co.uk
www.ibtc.co.uk 01502 569 663
[email protected]
Learn From The Best TM
Come and see all of these advertisers plus much more at this years show
Community news We bring you the latest news from the world of woodturning and important dates for your diary We try to give accurate details on forthcoming events. Please check with organisers for up-to-date information if you are planning to attend any of the events mentioned.
P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y O F F O R E S T O F D E A N W O O D T U R N E R S
Forest of Dean Woodturners Having been granted an AWGB Birthday Bash grant, the club formed a small subcommittee to organise a special event, asking Les Thorne to be the demonstrator. For the location for the event we liaised with the directors of Hillside Brewery in the Forest of Dean, who previously had been good enough to sponsor a club competition to turn pump handles to promote their range of craft beers. They agreed to allow us to use their f acilities for the day. The brewery had offered to sponsor another competition to judge further pump handles. Paul Williamson, brewery director, led the judging panel who, after much debate and discussion, selected the winners. Our event was attended by numerous club members and visitors during the day and Les demonstrated various projects. For lunch there was a barbecue.
The event finished with thanks to Les for his mammoth day, the brewery and staff for their generous hospitality and the sub-committee and members who did so much to make the day a success. Final thanks went to the AWGB
for presenting us with the birthday grant that initially kicked off the idea for the whole day. For further information contact: www.forestwoodturners.co.uk
West Sussex Woodturners in the middle of local communities West Sussex Woodturners club has been in existence for 28 years with some of the original founders still involved in the group. This group of more than 100 members shares a passion for woodturning and providing support and assistance to a large variety of community projects. The help provided to the local area by various members is significant. Village days, church restoration funds, local schools, Cancer Research located at Worthing Hospital, St Barnabas Hospice, working with the Men’s Sheds Association, helping Worthing Museum, a volunteer team that regularly runs ‘kids can do’ and Scouts woodturning events at Amberley Museum & Herit age Centre, plus free woodturning demonstrations and ‘have a go’ events for the local Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Brownie groups in the area are just a few of the things that occur during the year. The club comments: ‘The great thing about the group is that it includes everyone with a mix of abilities. Men
14
P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y O F W E S T S U S S E X W O O D T U R N E R S
and women, children and grandparents are all turning and are actively and creatively involved in supporting the club and its community involvements.’ involvements.’ Allan Wallington summed it up best when he said: ‘I love giving something back for our future.’ For further information contact: www. westsussexwoodturners.co.uk
Christmas items made with the Beavers, Cubs & Scouts
Making the wardrobes for Worthing Museum
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
COMMUNITY COMMUN ITY NEWS P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y O F B O R D E R W O O D T U R N E R S
Border Woodturners’ annual open day Border Woodturners’ annual open day will be held on Sunday 29 October, 2017 at the Brampton Community Centre, Union Lane, Brampton, Cumbria, CA8 1BX. The doors will open from 11am until 4pm. There is free parking in and around the centre and light refreshments and lunches are available in the centre café throughout the day. There will be a display of members’ work, together with members’ work for sale. Various members will be demonstrating on the club lathe during the day. The annual inter-club competition, with entries from eight clubs from the surrounding areas of the nor th of England and southern Scotland, will be judged
in the morning and entries will be on display throughout the day. Martin and Pat Pigden will be there with a large and varied selection of timber for sale. Chris and Dave Biven of Biven Machinery Sales will be displaying a wide range of woodturning and general woodworking tools, machinery and accessories. There will also be the usual raffle and tombola with a large selection of prizes. This is an excellent day to view woodturning and to meet fellow enthusiasts and friends. The popularit y of this event has continued to increase over the years. For further information contact: Email:
[email protected]
Phil Irons in action with Woodcut tools at Axminster A xminster stores stores Good news for woodturning enthusiasts: Phil Irons will be demonstrating tools from Woodcut at all the Axminster stores over the next 12 months. Phil is a well established international demonstrator and is regularly invited to teach and demonstrate his skills at a national and international level. His work has t aken him to France, Belgium, Spain, Ger many, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, South Africa , New Zealand and the US. In addition, Phil is the author of several magazine articles and a project book, Woodturning, Two in One . Phil enjoys teaching and offers a number of courses at his workshop in Welford-on-Avon, Warwickshire. Courses range from beginners’ hobby level classes to the more advanced master classes on the lathe. New Zealand-based company Woodcut Tools and Phil have
a long association spanning more than 25 years. Woodcut manufactures a unique range of woodturning products offering innovation, quality and value. The company is best known for its lathe-mounted Bowlsaver bowl coring system (original Bowlsaver and the M AX3), Tru-Grind sharpening jigs and Pro-Forme hollowing tools. Demonstrations are as follows: 2017 19 August – Warrington 30 September – Axminster 11 November – Basingstoke 2018 13 January – Nuneaton 10 March – North Shields 28 April – Cardiff 2 June – Sittingbourne 21 July – High Wycombe Demos will run fro m 10am-4pm. For further information visit: www.philironswoodturning.co.uk www.axminster.co.uk
SHOWS AND EVENTS Woodbury Woodturners Show The annual show features great woodturning and woodcarving demonstrations as well as a display of annual show entries. Free park ing. When: 19 August Where: Woodbury Village Hall, Flower Street, Woodbury, Exeter, EX5 1LX Web: www.woodb www.woodburywoodturners.or urywoodturners.org.uk g.uk
SWAT Symposiums The annual gathering of the South West Assoc iation of Turners (SWAT) features nationally and internationally recognised turners, as well as outstanding regional turners. When: 25-27 August, 2017 Where: Waco Convention Center, Texas Web: www.swaturners.org
Stock Gaylard Oak Fair When: 26-27 August, 2017 Where: Stock Gaylard Estate, Sturminster Newton, Dorset Web: www.stockgaylard.com
Yandles Woodworking Woodworking Show Always a highlight on the woodworking events c alendar, thousands of visitors come from across the country. When: 8-9 September, 2017 Where: Hurst Works, Hurst, Martock, Somerset, TA12 6JU Web: www.yandles.co.uk
Bentley Woodfair Woodfair is a celebration of woodlands, forestr y, timber, trees, woodcr afts and much more. The whole site holds two fields of stands, exhibit s and displays and an amazing woodland full of demonstrations and activities. When: 15-17 September, 2017 Where: Bentley, Halland, East Sussex, BN8 5AF Web: www.bentley.org.uk
European Woodworking Show 2017 This is the best woodworking show of its kind in the world as judged by many well jour neyed demonstrators and woodworking aficionados from around the globe. When: 16-17 September, 2017 Where: Cressing Temple Barns, Witham Road, Cressing, Braintree, Essex, CM77 8PD Web: www.europeanwoodworkingshow.eu
North of England Woodworking & Power Tool Show The North of Engl and Woodworking & Power Tool Show is the largest and longest-established retail woodworking and power tool show in the countr y. When: 17-19 November, 2017 Where: Hall 1, Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, HG2 8QZ Web: www.skpromotions.co.uk
The ToolPost Open House When: 4-5 November 2017 Where: Unit 7, Hawksworth, Southmead Industrial Park, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 7HR Web: www.toolpost.co.uk Woodturning 309 15
ExoticBlanks.com
We have thousands of blanks, from commercial to that special Artisan creation, and carry pen kits from Berea, PennState, Dayacom and more! ExoticBlanks.com -
The one stop shop for all your pen turning creations!
Working with burrs In the first of a three-part series, Andy Coates looks at the fundamentals of working with burrs Burred wood, or ‘burl’ in the US, is indisputably attractive, and the burr form of any wood species seems to offer an enhanced version of the plain mat erial. As such it is highly desirable for woodturners. There are, however, a number of potential issues with using burr, but before we look at t hem, we need to look at what burr is. The truth is that there is no single definitive answer as to what a burr is. There are a number of possible causes for the anomaly, and a burr may be the result of one or any combination of factors, ranging from f aulty genetic code through to a survival response of the tree to a viral , fungal or other attack such as ins ect infestation. The tre e’s response to any combination of these fac tors is to produce burr. Usually seen as an extending ‘growth’ on t he outside of the tree’s trunk or
S E T A O C Y D N A Y B S H P A R G O T O H P
ABOVE TOP : Oak ( Quercus spp.) tree heavy with burrs ABOVE: Another he avily burre d oak tree
branches – but also of ten found on the root ball below the surface of the soil. This is of ten the highest quality burr – burr is the direct re sult of hundreds if not thousands of potential, or dormant, branches all trying to grow from the same restricted area of the tree. These branches never come to f ruition, although commonly will form tiny branchlet s that may even produce leaves. In extreme and rarer ca ses, the burr may even extend through the whole of the trunk of the tree. When these burrs are cut parallel to the tre e the surface revealed is covered in tiny ‘pips’, wild grain and usually dramatic colours, and this is what turners find so att ractive and desirable – but this figuring comes at a price. For the purposes of illustrating the process I tur ned a small platter from a blank cut from a board of burr elm ( Ulmus procera ). Woodturning 309 17
Basic tools and equipment Working burr does not require any specialist tools and can be achieved with a very basic set comprising those detailed right. Always keep in mind that tools need to be kept sharp to achieve the cleanest cuts. You may need to re-grind more frequently than for non-burred wood of the same species. You may also find, with some species, that the scraper work s better in certain circumstances.
Basic tools required: spindle gouge, slim parting tool, French-curve scraper, teardrop scraper – a multi-tipped tool will usually have one of these – 10mm bowl gouge with long grind
Burr stock Burred wood can be found via all the usual sources: timber mills, local supply through tree surgeons and from u sual turning blank suppliers. Burr may be supplied in plank form, usually cut through and through, in complete whole burr form, which can range in size from small burrs to dining table-size burrs, and as part of a whole trunk, leaving the machining choices to the purchaser. Buying a whole trunk, either burred through or merely containing extending burrs, may not be practicable
for most turners, so buying individual burrs or boards may be the best route to turning burr. Burr in this format is u sually more manageable, especially for novices, and if care is taken at selection you can ensure that no fur ther dimensioning is required in order to mount on the lathe. Before you begin it is worth considering some of the potential pitfalls of working with burr. Exotic species of burr are also available and are highly sought after.
A range of bur rs
Elm burr with bark retained
Elm burr from the same tree as pictured above right, showing how variable it can be
Australian goldfield bur r with bark remo ved
Potential problems • Loose bark • Embedded stones, grit, foreign objects, dirt • Voids • Irregular surf ace leading to holes forming in vessels • Areas of very hard to very soft wood • Highly variable grain direction • May initially be out of balance 18
If the burr is from rootstock there is a high likelihood of embedded stones and grit that not only present an issue for tool edges, but also as a potential airborne hazard if they are ejected during turning. Blanks should be very carefully examined for embedded objects and cleaned carefully prior to working with them. Large burrs obtained f reshly felled
can be jet-washed to remove dirt, grit and stones, but a thorough vi sual inspection afterwards is st ill required. Embedded metal can also be an issue – barbed wire, bullets, nails, horseshoes and other metal are not uncommon. A cheap metal detector is a useful piece of equipment to have available for such situations. Loose bark can present an airborne www.woodworkersinstitute.com
BURRS
hazard, so careful inspection and removal with a pick are vital preparatory steps. Do not worry about ‘ruining the blank’, your safety is more important than the look of the surface of the blank. The irregular surface of burrs which have the bark retained gives rise to what are both a potential hazard and a potential feature: voids and breakthroughs. Many turners work
to include voids in the finished objects, considering them desirable aesthetic features, but for the novice turner t his can present a hazard and a difficulty. A void opening up means that there is an area of weakness in the object being turned, which, under stress, could cause the piece to fail during turning, so if voids appear, extra care should be taken. The nature of burrs means that while on
the tree there may have been water and debris collected in pockets which can lead to disease or insect activity resulting in punky, or rotten, areas in the wood. This can lead to the wood having hard and soft areas, which is always a problem, and some techniques are required to overcome them. We will discuss these later on.
Affordable stock Burrs are often sold by pr ice-per-unit weight, which can be costly if the burrs are on the large side. Board stock provides a more economical route into turning burred wood. Boards can be found in a range of thicknesses, but 25mm, 40mm and 75mm are quite common. Obviously, the thinner boards are cheaper, but how can we mount them? Firstly, scribe and cut a disc from the board. I cut one from a 35mm board at 210mm diameter. The screw chuck might seem a logical solution, but on a
board below 50mm thickness the hold is not ideal and this also presents design limitations. In order to maximise the wood available to turn, a glue chuck offer s the best option. A scrap block of wood is turned with a tenon on one side and a flat surface on the other. The glue chuck is then glued to a disc of burr elm and clamped until cured. With modern g lues this can be as little as 15-30 minutes. The blank is then ready to b e mounted and turned without was ting any of the expensive wood.
Prepared glue block
Clamping while the glue cures
Tenon
Scrap Block Glued on
30mm (11/8in)
V Cuts
5mm (7/32in) 27mm (11/8in) 35mm (13/8in)
5mm-8mm Wall Thickness (7/32in - 5/16in)
10mm (3/8in)
75mm (3in)
10mm (3/8in)
210mm (81/4in)
Safety Turning any wood, especially burrs, can be hazardous. You really do need to use PPE & RPE (personal and respiratory protective equipment) for any turning. There is a genuine risk from flying pieces of bark, detritus, stones and, in extreme cases, pieces of the vessel itself if unidentified flaws become evident later on. Learn to listen to the sound of the tool on the wood – often this will provide the first indication of a potential
problem as the note changes. If you are concerned, stop the lathe and examine the workpiece. Are there voids? Are there cracks or fissures opining up? Is there some debris that the tool is catching? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you need to either deal with the issue so that it is safe to continue turning, or discard the workpiece as unsafe. An unresolved risk is a bad risk. Don’t take it. Woodturning 309 19
Turning burr wood Turning burr is e ssentially no different to turning ordinary wood. Tools need to be as sharp as possible, and bevel control needs to be firm but not aggres sively so. The pips of burr are essentially small patches of end grain surrounded by side grain, so if the bevel is pushed too heavily into the surface of the wood the tool will bounce on the burr leading to a poor finished surface. Take controlled cuts with medium bevel pressure. True up the edge and face of the blank to try to improve balance and then mark and turn a recess appropriate for your scroll chuck. Marking the centre of the recess with the revolving
ring centre provides an accurate reference point for reverse turning later. As an aid to producing the best shape it is helpful to true up the first 20mm or so of the front face of the blank. Along with a mark at the edge of the foot of the object this provides a reference for the shape you turn on the underside of the object. Once the outer shape has been completed the platter can be mounted on the tenon of the glue chuck and the interior turned. Remember that burr wood may not have as much strength a s non-burred wood, and consequently may require a thicker profile for strength. To remove the glue
chuck, reverse turning on a jam chuck or in Cole jaws is required. Apply appropriate pressure from the tailstock for a more than usually fragile workpiece. When abrading burred wood extra care should be taken – abrasives can snag and catch in the fissures, so abrading with an arbor held at a sheer angle is possibly the safest method. Apply light pressure and let the abrasive do the work. This also helps to prevent differential abrading between hard and soft area s. It is not uncommon for a burr piece to require some hand abrading in order to complete the process.
Truing the edge and face off with long ground bowl gouge
Turning a recess for mounting
Marking recess with revolving ring centre
Truing up the face edge as a reference for depth
Problems with turning burr One of the main problems with turning burr is the wild grain, which can almost be like turning wood with no discernible grain direction. Although this is not strictly the case, the grain is almost certain to run in just about any direction as the wood gr ain runs around branchlets. This can result in the softer grain gett ing quite badly torn, even with a freshly sharpened tool. This problem is aggravated because the bevel is prone to bounce on the pips of end grain, but this can be controlled by ensuring bevel pressure is at the minimum. You may find that, despite your bes t 20
efforts, the finished surface is still poorer than you would hope for. Often the best solution (on the exterior shape) is to sheer cut on the wing of a long g round bowl gouge and then sheer scrape using a freshly sharpened scr aper. A teardrop scraper works well for this purpose and is ideal for the interior of the plat ter. Abrasion may need to b egin at 80-120, Area of pulle d softer g rain but a perfect surface is possible with care. If it proves impossible to deal with the When the piece is finished you must softer areas, a liberal coat of cellulose vacuum all the abrading dust from the sealer will stiffen the fibres prior to sheer fissures before s ealing and finishing. Oil is cutting or scraping. Allow the sealer to a better finish than wax for burr, as wax fully dry prior to continuing work. will fill the fissures and look unsig htly.
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
BURRS
Using a freshly sharpened scraper to improve the surface
Improved surface after scraping
Making the most of burr material Burr can be an expensive material, and as ever it is prudent to make the most of it. More advanced turners may consider taking rings fro m areas that would otherwise end up as shavings, or cores from the middle of bowls from about 150mm diameter. (Coring will be disc ussed in depth in a later article in the magazine.) Developing the habit of salvaging whatever you can is both sensible and satisf ying. Having a small stockpile of useful additional material for inlays and features in future objects makes the effort worthwhile, and essentially they are free material. More importantly they are more useful than shavings.
Saved ring from interior of platter
Saved core from a burr bowl
Tips Freshly felled, unseasoned (or green) wood, is far easier to turn in general, and this is equally true for burr stock. However, as burr drie s out it has a tendency to pucker, or wrinkle, around the pips of end grain branchlet s. Personally I find this quite an attract ive feature, but many do not, and it may be frowned upon in a finished piece. If this concerns you then rough turning
and allowing the workpiece to dr y prior to final turning is the best option. Remember to leave the rough turned object at least 10% oversize to allow for warping. However, burr stock tends not to warp in the same predictable way that non-burred wood does, so be prepared by leaving the walls thicker than usual.
Grain direction It is often stated that burr has no gr ain direction, and while turning burr may give this impression it isn’t strictly tr ue. Burr might better be describe d as having potentially very wild grain. However, if the burr is cut parallel or per pendicular to the trunk there can be a distinct g rain-like figure, and where this is apparent the usual rules about cutting with the gr ain should be followed wherever possible.
The appearance of both kinds of feature might also indicate the orientation of the workpiece for turning. For instance, would the burr look better on the top or the side of a box? Because of the nature of burr this is an o ption you do not usually have with conventional blanks. Turning may prove slightly more difficult than usual, but that should not stop you tr ying if you feel it will benefit the outcome. •
Pips, or eyes, of burr
Typical burr feature
Radial burr feature Radial figure
Typical burr feature Block of burr showing perpendicular (radial) and parallel (pippy) features
Bowl showing both features
Woodturning 309 21
Supplying woodturners with the �nest quality tools, accessories, and service since 1982.
O R Y L A Y T N R E H
T O O L S L I M I T E D
M A D E I N
U K D A N G L E N
DIAMIC
Q U
A
L
G UA R AN TE E D
I T
Y
E
C I V
R
E S P R IC E
www.woodturnerscatalog.com • 1-800-551-8876 •
Introducing the new range of Ultra high performance lathe chisels from ‘Crown Tools’ our new ‘Razor Edge’ range of high performance turning tools combine the use of cobalt infused M42 HSS with Crowns sophisticated cryogenic treatment process to bring a range of tools that we believe gives a cutting edge previously unseen in the world of woodturning From their beautifully crafted and distinctive ‘Copper Black’ handles to their ‘Super Sharp Blades’ these chisels are set to be a must have in any woodturners tool collection.
Giving you the edge
Hardened to 66/69 HRC, massively out performing standard HSS tools Cryogenically treated to maximise the high performance carbide structure available with M42 HSS
Beautifully balanced ‘Copper black’ handles
Triple tempered giving Ultra High performance
Razor Sharpness
Tel. 0114 261 2300 Hand crafted in Sheffield, England. Fax. 0114 261 2300 Web. www.crownhandtools.ltd.uk Email.
[email protected] Available from
www.axminster.co.uk www.marksanger.co.uk
Friendship cup Andrea Zanini shows how to make an ancient Italian drinking vessel
I N I N A Z A E R D N A Y B S H P A R G O T O H P
The latest in ancient Italian turning items I’ve been experimenting with is the friendship cup, which comes from the Aosta Valley – the same region as the grolla which was featured in Woodturning 303. In ancient times it was just a plain and simple lidded wood bowl – until richer and more ador ned silver grollas star ted to appear. The silver grollas were initially reserved for high-society meetings, so common people needed a similar symbol to use during gatherings or simple family reunions. That’s why friendship cups s tarted to appear. In order to avoid bad luck, the firs t person had to pick up the c up, take a drink from one spout then pass it on to the next perso n in line, who would drink from the next spout, and so on without putting it back on the table first. This way of drinking in turn
is called ‘a la ronde’ (in c ircle). Even today in the Aosta Valley area the friendship cup is still widely used during big dinners. You can see crowds of people using it to dr ink scalding-hot wine or a very strong and flavoured coffee blend called c affè alla valdostana (Aosta coffee) comprising Italian espresso, grappa and sugar. Friendship cups were traditionally made from a wide variety of woods: mahogany ( Swietenia spp.), maple ( Acer spp.) and walnut ( Junglans spp.) were the traditional ones, but I chose to use a very nice piece of French oak ( Quercus robur ). This item does feature some carving so pick a timber that can be carved easily and if you want ultra-fine detail, use a close-grained timber rather than a more open one like the oak used in this project. Woodturning 309 23
TOOLS AND MATERIALS
254mm (10in)
• PPE & RPE • Good extraction • Bowl gouge • Parting tool • Jacobs chuck with 12mm drill bit • Hollowing tool • Calliper • 10mm woodworking chisel • Carving chisels (optional) • Puncheon • Rasp and file • A drill with a 10mm bit • Abrasives down to 240 grit • Food-safe finishing oil
38mm (11/2in) 12mm (1/2in) 25mm (1in)
200mm (8in)
5 0 m m ( 2 i n )
200mm (8in)
305mm (12in) 560mm (22in)
1 Mark the centre and, using a compass, draw
a circle. Cut off the waste on the bandsaw and drill a hole in the centre that will fit a screw chuck. Be as precise as you can when cutting and drilling in order to have as little waste as possible. Once you have drilled the hole take off the corner of the hole with a cutter or a knife. This will prevent the shaving that will eventually be created while screwing the blank on the screw chuck from getting stuck between the wood and the chuck itself, causing an off-centre effect. 2 Using a bowl gouge, turn the edge of the blank
to a smooth square to the face surface and true up the face of the piece. If the wood is thick enough, cut a tenon to suit your chuck. Alternatively, create a glue chuck tenon. Take a piece of hardwood – oak in this case – and on a flat face place some adhesive. I used hot-melt glue but good quality PVA works well too. Allow it to set and turn the piece to the right size to suit your chuck jaws. Never make any spigot too small width-wise or you may put too much pressure on too small an area.
1
2
3
4
3 This project doesn’t have many measurements
to keep track of but it is good practice to mark the main shapes of the body in order to do things right. 4 Take your time and shape the body of the cup.
The angle that connects the ring where the spouts will be carved from and the main curve of the body is critical. Don’t make it too steep even though it is better to have it a little bit steep rather than too flat. 24
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
FRIENDSHIP CUP
5 The outside is to be quite simple, with the outer line shaped like the number 3. Try not to make the ‘belly’ too pointy because it would then be difficult to obtain an even wall thickness during the hollowing process. 6 Flatten the top side and make a shallow U-shaped ring. This will help when carving the spouts later. Start turning the opening with a smaller bowl gouge in order to establish the rim. Avoid sharp edges and make a rounded lip.
5
6
7 Drill a 12mm pilot hole using the tailstock and a Jacobs chuck then, with a hollowing tool of your choice, start hollowing out the cup. Initially hollow a cylindrical portion establishing the bottom and making space for the undercut rim. 8 Switch to a swan-neck or articulated-head hollowing tool. I use the tool shown here. Carefully hollow the inside with the tip laid horizontal or trailing down when cutting. Check the wall thickness constantly – you don’t want to turn the wall too thin, especially if you intend to actually pour liquid in it. Make the wall too thin and any liquid may seep through the end grain.
7
8
9 When the hollowing process is finished, use an indexing jig to trace four, six or eight pencil marks on the raised outer band. Then, using a 10mm drill bit, drill one hole in the centre of each of the lines marked on the outer flat section of the raised band. These holes will be the spouts. 10 Use a permanent marker to clearly mark the location of each spout. I make the waste section all black and leave the areas to be carved into spouts natural wood. This helps minimise the risk of making a huge mistake by cutting off the wrong area – an error so very easy to make. To help speed up the carving process, use a handsaw to cut the outlines of the spout sections.
9
11
10
12
11 At this point you have a couple of options as to how to carve or shape the spouts. You could go on with hand tools only, or use some power tools to speed up the process. I used an angle grinder with a power carving disc to quickly get rid of most of the material between each spout. I used the spindle lock on the lathe to keep the work stationary so I could use the angle grinder with two hands. You can use smaller rotary carving units or even the 50mm angle grinders with smaller cutting discs if you wish to work with one hand. The rotary power carving route means there is a lot of dust and debris so extraction and face protection are musts. 12 Shaping of the spouts can be done with a flat rasp and a flat file, rotary carving units or hand tools. Whatever method you use, be careful to cut with the grain accurately in order to avoid major chips or shards of wood breaking off. It might seem a bit tedious but you won’t have to remove too much material and you can help yourself along by using a sharp chisel to ease away bigger portions of wood prior to using a rasp or similar.
Woodturning 309 25
13 When you’re done with shaping the spouts,
it’s time for some sanding. The best way is to take a strip of cloth-backed sandpaper and sand each spout as shown in the picture. 14 Friendship cups are traditionally carved
with a groove pattern. You can find some very richly adorned ones, full of mountain animals or flowers, but grooves are definitely the most ancient decoration and probably the best to get started with. Again you can choose between hand and power carving tools. In either case take your time and evenly space each groove. 15 Now it is time to turn the lid. Since the top of
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
the lid will be carved, you need to allow enough wood for that. It will look like a sort of flying saucer shape, with a thinner wide disc in the middle and a tenon on the top and bottom. The top of the lid will have a large tenon and the underneath will have a smaller section to fit into the opening on the bottom section of the vessel. Mount the disc between centres, true up the outer edge and shape a tenon on the tailstock end that will be the top of the lid. This will be the carved part. 16 Put it in the chuck and turn another tenon,
stopping frequently to check the fit with the cup. When you obtain the right fit – which is not too tight, remember the cup will contain a liquid – cut a shallow depression to make it look more refined. In order to make it easier to fit the cup, round the outer corner. 17 Place the lid back in the chuck and draw a
flower with four main petals and four smaller ones. Then, using a 10mm flat chisel, start carving it by removing the excess material. It’s very easy, you only need to chop along the lines and remove the material with a light stroke in the end (or side) grain by carefully levering against the forming shoulder. It’s an easy task with sharp chisels. 18 Once you have cut the outside start giving
it depth by removing material from the smaller petals. The process is exactly the same – chop following the line and, with a gentle end grain blow, remove the excess. No need to be super-skilled, it only requires patience. 19 After a little bit of chopping you should obtain
something similar. If you want to carve steep concave curves you might need a gouge, but if you stick to convex or slightly concave curves the only tool you need is the 10mm carpenter’s chisel. To finish the leaves cut a V-groove that starts from the centre and stops halfway. At this point you should ‘clean’ the curves and shapes with a freshly sharpened chisel in order to avoid sanding it. 20 Friendship cups and grollas were adorned with similar patterns. A widely used tool is the frosting/ background punch. They come in various sizes, shapes and patterns and can really change the look of a piece by adding a subtle accent. 26
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
FRIENDSHIP CUP
21 You can also use bac kground punches to add lifelike details such as the centre of the flower or to highlight a carving by texturing the contour of it.
22
Using a jam chuck to fit on the opening of the cup, place a couple of layers of paper towels on the jam chuck, put the cup back on the lathe between centres and turn off most of the tenon. Be wary of the spouts spinning round.
23
As you cut remember that the spigot is glued in place so don’t go too thin. Once most of the tenon is removed stop the lathe and cut the rest off by hand with a sharp chisel.
21
24
The finished friendship cup. I only used a little bit of food-safe finish because I definitely will use it at meetings with friends. But before using it you must prepare the wood. Buy a cheap wine and heat it up without boiling it. Then pour it in the cup, let it soak for a couple of minutes and throw it away. Repeat the process a couple of times for two or three days and the wood will be ready to contain some delicious caffè alla valdostana. If all goes well, you now have a friendship cup.
22
23
Caffè alla valdostana (Aosta coffee) To make Aosta coffee you need to brew a strong coffee. Traditionally this is done in a moka, which is a two-chambered coffee pot that sits on a stove. While the coffee is brewing, heat a mixture of grappa and herb liquor, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, lemon and orange zest in a bain-marie. When the coffee is ready, pour everything in the cup, let it soak for a couple of minutes then, with a lighter, flame the sugar. As soon as the superficial layer is caramelised cover it with the lid to extinguish the flame. The coffee is ready to be served. •
24 Woodturning 309 27
To celebrate 20 years in business and on line, every customer who places an order of £50* minimum order value will be entered into a prize draw to win a host of goodies from us and our dedicated suppliers, who have supported us along this 20 year journey of discovery... With more than 60 prizes and a value totalling over £5000 there’s everything to play for. The prize draw will take place during our Open House on 4th & 5th November
The ToolPost Unit 7 Hawksworth, Southmead Industrial Park, Didcot, Oxon. OX11 7HR 01235 511101 www.toolpost.co.uk *Net order value, excluding VAT and shipping. Offer valid for orders received between 01.07.17 and 31.10.17 via web, phone or counter. Full terms & conditions on our website or by phone
sharing expertise
Turning for furniture
A set of table legs
In the first part of his new series, Richard Findley looks at what is needed to turn for furniture
Y E L D N I F D R A H C I R Y B S H P A R G O T O H P
I trained as a joiner when I joined our family business in 1996 at the age of 16, although I’d worked there during school holidays for several years before. Woodworking is in my blood, going back at least five generations of Findleys, all of whom were cabinetmakers, chair-makers or joiners of one sort or another. I enjoyed all aspects of the work, but always had a fascination for furniture. My joinery tr aining gave me a solid foundation in cutting the various diff erent types of joint and an understanding of how they are each used. The main difference between joinery and furniture joints is the scale and proportions of them. In joinery the joints tend to be large and bold, in furniture they are usually much finer and more precise but, by and large, they are the same joints. My move into turning came after playing around with smallscale furniture and car ving for some time and becoming frust rated with how long ever ything took to make. Turning gave me the opportunity to produce items in a far shorter time
frame, but my fascination with f urniture never waned. While many turners begin turning for rela xation or as a way to ex press themselves through their work, I always had one eye on how I could combine furniture and tur ning, which is probably the key reason I am where I am now – a production turner, rather than an artistic gallery tur ner. This series will focus on turning for furniture, meaning any item used either in the production of fur niture, such as legs and drawer pulls, or as detail added to f urniture, such as finials and applied decoration. I find most of this is spindle work, although not all of it, and varies in size f rom large table legs, 800mm long and 200mm in diameter, to tiny pulls just 20mm or less in each dimension. There are many challenges involved in this type of work which I will look at during this series, from how to turn matching sets of legs, to adding flutes and carved details; how to join sections to produce spindles far longer than your lathe and how to colour match and finish parts for furniture restoration. Woodturning 309 29
Getting the basics right Much of what I make is quite simple. What I mean by that is that I use simple techniques and a basic set of tools to produce my work, although a co mbination of these techniques can add up to s ome quite complex end results. The key to it, in my opinion, is to get the basics right and build upon this. Once you can turn cle an and wellshaped beads and coves, the next step is to turn them repe atedly in set
Knowledge is power positions and to set sizes. With this as a base, further skills and techniques can be added to produce more complex items, but it all stems from getting the basics r ight and doing them well. To use a metaphor, I have often heard sports commentators announce that a team has performed badly because they failed to do the basics well. Turning is no different – master the basics and there’s nothing you can’t do.
Although it isn’t essential to be a furnituremaker or joiner to turn for furniture, I find that having a knowledge and understanding of how different items of furniture are made a great help in my work, enabling me to offer suggestions in design and application of turnings. The ability to discuss a customer’s ideas and requirements and put them to work in a final job is very rewarding, and showing that I have an understanding gives potential customers confidence in my abilities and that they will get what they are asking for.
My workshop set-up At the time of writing, I have had my ow n workshop for nine years (since 2008) and, while it is relatively small for an industrial unit, I am aware that compared to many enthusiasts’ garden sheds or garage s, it would be considered large. It is around 10m long and 3.6m wide with a ground floor being set up as a workshop and the upstairs a s a packing area, a small spray booth for finishing and an office. From the beginning, the workshop was always set up primarily for turning but with the ability to work boards of timber from their raw state to finished product, whether that is for turning, small-scale furniture or joiner y. My plan was to be able to produce almost any kind of woodwork, just in case the tur ning side of the business either didn’t take off as planned, or it were to go quiet for any reaso n. It makes sense to be able to keep my options open. With this in mind I have a planer-thicknesser,
bandsaw, lathe, saw bench (tables aw), pillar drill and disc sander as well as as sorted other hand and power tools. Much of this started out as new ‘t rade’ or ‘light industrial’-rated machinery, but all has now been r eplaced with older, truly industrial machinery after continuous use over the years took its toll. I expect the se machines to last for many, many years. All of this machinery means I have complete control over the material at every stage and the abilit y to work it as I need to without having to rely on a third party to do any single part of the machining process. Call me a control freak, but that ’s how I like it. That said, I know of at least one very highly respec ted production turner who only has an industrial bandsaw and a lathe, nothing else. Mo st of his timber is brought to him ready to turn by customers. For me, while I offer this to my customer s, most are happier for me to supply the t imber.
Using my Startrite bandsaw. My hands are actually 250mm away from the blade
Planing on my Sedgewick planer-thicknesser
30
Ripping on my Evenwood saw bench
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
TURNING FOR FURNITURE
Timber This naturally leads me on to the timber needed for furniture work. I have a stock of furniture-g rade seasoned timber which has built up over the years as the need or opportunit y has arisen. I have several local timber merchants who c an supply me with timber, ranging from run-of-the-mill commercial timbers to more specialist hardwood that I can selec t myself for particular special jobs. Most jobs use a reas onably standard range of commercial hardwoods from Europe and the US, including beech, American white oak, European oak, American ash, American black walnut and sapele from Afr ica. But sometimes a cus tomer might want to use timber from the same batch for the turned par ts as for the rest of the furniture, or want a specific timber to be used and I am, of course, happy to use their own timber or buy something more specialist if that’s what the spe cification calls for. I find exotics are rarely specified. Selecting a board from my timber pile
Lathe My lathe was the first of my machines to be upgraded from a modern ‘light industrial’-rated machine to an old industrial lathe. I use a Wadkin RS8, made in 1950 in my home city of Leicester. When I realised my previous lathe was not going to last the course I s tarted looking around for an upgrade, but found a modern lathe with the sort of capacity I was looking for was going to set me back at least £6000 – money I just didn’t have. After speak ing to a number of professional turner friends, it became apparent that a Wadkin might be the best option, being solidly made and having great capacit y with a much more reasonable price tag. I believe it was 2011 when I took delivery of the Wadkin, having paid £1450. It can turn 1700mm between centres, swing 400mm over the bed and 710mm with the gap-bed removed. If it weren’t positioned
against a wall I could also turn up to 2400mm in diameter outboard. The best feature though is that it is made entirely of cast iron and, weighing in at around ¾ of a ton, it is as solid as a rock. Having said that, this lathe suits me and the type of furniture and production work that I make on a daily basis, but most lathes would be suitable for furniture work. A minimum of 1m between centres deals with most table legs, if you go to 1200mm then most stair spindles would be covered too. Swing over the bed is usually less critical, although as bowl tur ning is so popular, even small, My Wadkin RS8 modern lathes usually
have a good capacity in this department. Variable speed is a ‘nice to have’ rather than a ‘must have’. The Wadkin has eight speeds which cover everything I need, so I’ve never yet felt the need to have it upgraded to electronic variable speed.
Turning tools Like most turners, over the years I’ve collected various tools that look useful , or perhaps even ‘essential’, but my core kit for spindle turning consists of ju st three tools: a 32mm spindle roughing gouge, a 10mm spindle gouge and a 10mm beading and parting tool, which does the job of both a skew and a parting tool. I have various sizes of these tools , depending mostly on the size of the work on the lathe at the time, but these sizes are the ones I use most. Of this shortlist of three, the only one that might cause s ome discussion would be the beading and parting tool. This is a
My core tool kit: a spindle roughing gouge, spindle gouge and beading and parting tool
traditional British tool which act s as a hybrid of the skew and parting tool, minimising the tools I need to hand while being incredibly versatile at the same time. The French use a bedan in the same way. This tool combination work s for me but may not for others, so tr y out different tools and see what suits you best. This is particularly relevant to skew chisels, the choice of which is, I believe, a very pers onal one. It is quite telling that all of the top production turners (certainly in the UK) use a skew, but most of them u se a diff erent shaped tool to suit their own preference and style of turning.
Just two examples o f the many skew chisels available
Woodturning 309 31
Drive centres It is worth taking a look at the drive centres I use. They are looking rather worn now, due to my lathe having a s olid headstock, so I have to remove them with grips rather than a knock-out bar as is usual on a modern lathe, but they still work well. I mostly use the Evolution drive centre from Axminster, which has an adjustable spring-loaded point and sharp teeth which bite into the wood to give a positive drive. For smaller work, below the 20mm diameter of the Evolution, I use a small, cone-shaped ring centre, also from Axminster. This works on the friction between centres rather than by teeth biting
into the work and driving it, but works well for smaller jobs. Larger turnings that need a very positive drive get a four-prong drive driven into the end grain, which gives more grip than the Evolution but is more labour intensive to fit into a batch of work as it needs to be hammered into each blank with a mallet, rather than simply being fed into the lathe with only a centre punch mark like the other two drives. In the tailstock end I use a ring centre which has the option to have a 60° cone fitted, or to tap and sc rew on your own custom wooden drives, cones and cups for odd-shaped jobs such as spheres. While
this isn’t a common occurrence, it is a useful feature that I have utilised from time to time.
My selection of drive centres
My Oneway live ring centre
The 2MT-2MT extension in use
Morse taper extension A relatively new discovery for me, although one that many production turners have used for years, is a 2MT-2MT Morse taper extension. The purpose of this is to give you space to work close to the headstock. Many lathes, the Wadkin included, have quite bulky headstocks which can make access to work at the drive end difficult. By adding this £15 extension it makes turning small work or details at the drive end so simple. I wish I’d known about them years ago!
Measuring tools
32
When turning for furniture, I rarely make a single item, it’s nearly always a pair, or a set (very often several se ts) of an item, so it goes almost without saying that accur ate measuring and marking is an essential skill for this kind of work. I will go into this important part of the job in more detail next month, but while I’m discussing tools I thought it worth a mention. My most-used measuring tool is a set of Vernier callipers. These are eas y to use, having a metric scale on them, and are very accurate – both import ant features of any tool. When diameters are above around 60mm, however, they become inaccurate because the mea suring bar ‘bottoms out’, giving a false reading, in which case I use spring callipers. These are more fiddly to set as a ruler is needed and they do have a habit of opening in use, which means occasional size checks
are usually necessar y. It is quite possible to work just with several set s of callipers, but I also us e a system which many readers may not be familiar with, known as duplicating fingers. My friend and mentor Gary Rance introduced me to these some years ago and I’ve been using them since. The set comprises a pair of wooden brackets that fit to the lathe bed and support a steel bar. From the bar are metal fit tings that are locked wit h a set screw, from which a hinged ‘finger’ hangs. This finger is set to res t on the spinning wood at a required diameter and as the wood is turned away to the size, t he finger simply drops, showing that the size has been reached. This means that the first of a set needs turning with callipers but after that the fingers can be set and no more measuring is required throughout the job.
My callipers
Duplicating fingers in use
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
TURNING FOR FURNITURE
Sizing while tuning I use callipers by lightly rubbing them on the spinning timber at the rear of the work. When the diameter is reached they simply drop through. Some people are not comfortable with this and that is fine. If you don’t feel happy, stop the lathe before checking diameters, but it is quite safe as long as two main rules are followed. First, the tips of the callipers need rounding over with a file so there are no sharp points to dig into the wood. The second is to have a light touch. There is no need to push or force the callipers against the work – this is asking for trouble. They just need to sit very lightly against the wood. Callipers in use on the lathe
Currently there isn’t a manufac turer of the fingers and mine were made by a local engineer to Gary’s specification, but I know of a skilled engineer who is looking to produce these on a larger scale in the future.
Alongside my callipers, templates or story boards are a key tool in achieving good copies. These have all the necess ary dimensions, detail positions and useful infor mation marked on them and allow fast and simple marking out of the work prior to turning.
A close- up of my Vernie r callipers , showing th e rounded tips
Story board in use
Health & safety Having written about all of the mac hinery, tools and equipment needed in a workshop, it would be remiss of me to not talk about safet y gear, or PPE and RPE (personal and respiratory protective equipment) as they are correctly known. While turning is a relatively safe process, it is a very dust y one and the way the turner stands at the lathe and uses the tools naturally means c hips (and occasionally larger chunks of wood) can be thrown up towards your face. In the workshop while operat ing any of my machinery I wear an air-fed, full face shield, which protects me from the t wo main hazards: dust and flying chips. Where possible I have extraction fitted to my machines and I also have an air filter constantly running in the workshop,
which helps to clear the air of dus t. I would recommend a face shield and
highly rated dust mask as minimum protection for turners. •
My Jetstream respirator and face shield
NEXT MONTH Richard will be turning a set of country kitchen-style t able legs and explaining the techniques associated with making a set of legs . Woodturning 309 33
Stiles & Bates The Woodturning People Shop
FREE Mail Order Catalogue
Website
The American Association of Woodturners 31st annual symposium
The Editor shares his experiences of the 2017 AAW symposium in Kansas City, Missouri Janice Levi demonstrating
S N O I T A C I L B U P C M G / R E K A B K R A M Y B S H P A R G O T O H P
36
The international extravaganza that is the AAW symposium has the deserved reputation for being the largest show of its kind in the world. It is held each year in June in dif ferent locations. That way each symposium has a different flavour and the location has a bearing on the subject of the juried member exhibition. The sheer numbers of people and exhibits makes this a real visual treat for anyone who can get there. There is so much to see that people were
complaining they would not be able to get round to covering all they wanted to. I fully understand the problem. There are so many people to catch up with, so much to see work and demonstration-wise, let alone trying to spend a bit of time having a look around the surrounding location, that it is a tr icky balance. That last bit about looking at the surrounding location is a great thing to do if you have some time either side of the symposium. Sadly, flying visits which involve arriving on the day of the set-up
and leaving on the last day means one is only catching an all-too-brief glimpse of the surrounding area when searching for somewhere to eat. If you have time, don’t do this. I have been to many events and missed out on the opportunity to explore due to the lack of time.
Attending symposia When attending any such symposium, whether a very large one or a smaller, more intimate event, one has to be very savvy in what one chooses to do and www.woodworkersinstitute.com
AAW SYMPOSIUM
Al Stirt r Wheat ea Fi eeld Black ac Cher erry ry and an mil m k pa paint n
Chris Pytik maple platter with resin
what one wishes to see. Doing a bit of homework and reading up beforehand on who is going to be there demonstrating and exhibiting certainly helps. The simple fact is that one cannot see it all. That said, many attendees see it as a challenge and give it their best shot. This year’s AAW event included more than 50 demonstrators and panellists f rom around the world. The demonstrators not only wowed the attendees, the discussion groups covered a wide variety of subjects Flutes of inspiration by Jim Piper to try, as f ar as possible, to ensure that Woodturning 309 37
there was something for everyone. Everything about this symposium is designed to stimulate the mind, help answer questions, help people develop, enable them to share thoughts and idea s as well as giving ever yone the chance to experience and see new things and, of course, catch up with other turners and friends.
Visual feast The instant gallery is certainly a place where people can pore over what others have made. There were more than 600 pieces in the ins tant gallery as well as a large trade show area with loads of new items to tempt people. Yes, I was tempted and spent money, so I didn’t escape the lure of the shiny things. This symposium is without doubt a visual and aural overload, and it is certainly something one cannot forget. You can make such events as bus y as you like, but to make the most of this t ype of event, one is going to very busy or miss out on so much. This symposium, as with others, is so much fun that it’s easy to forget about the busy aspect until it comes time to go to bed – at which point it is lights out very quickly till the next day. I always learn and see new things at such events and just obser ving how people are evolving their work, who is making what and seeing new people share their work is a wonderful thing. I cannot state how much the world of turning ha s developed over the years. We are all part of a very diverse group of people tr ying to create, develop and share new things and ideas.
Black and white painted box with lid by Sharon Ayres
Denizess by Derek Weidman
Sharing I have yet to meet a tur ner who is not willing to share ideas and help out when asked. If you want ideas and information, this has to be an event I would recommend you add to your wish list. I would also recommend reg ional and other national events like this. All will be of benefit for those wishing to lear n and develop their work. I learn something new and see something new every time I attend an event. I cannot see how people cannot come away enthused and fired up – tire d, yes, but with so much information to hand that some of it will bear f ruit. I can only imagine the logistical nightmare of organising such an event and the AAW staff and helpers f rom the local group(s) and elsewhere certainly put on a great show. Which is all c redit to everyone involved.
38
Frangipan by Graeme Priddle
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
AAW SYMPOSIUM
The discussion panel topics were: • Collaboration – Demo and Discussion: • Digital Photography • The Ego and the Soul: Why Makers Make • All About Craft Shows • Plagiarism: Where is the Fine Line? Finding Your Own Voice • How to Become a Demonstrator – From Application Process Through Presenting an Effective Demonstration • Gallery/Museum Curator’s Perspective • Direct or Internet Sales: Tips, Tricks, and Traps • Cultural Appropriation/Misappropriation? • Where to Buy and Sell Wood Art in the Current Market • Understanding Tool Steels and Grinders – A Technology Update • Woodturning with Disabilities
Disrupted by Bob Rotche. Cherry, steel and acrylic paint
Deliverance by Gerard Hennessy
A piece of work by Doug Schneiter
Necklace by Janice Janice Levi
A selec tion of basket- weave effect work by Harvey Meyer
Woodturning 309 39
Special exhibitions • Waves of Grain. This year’s title theme honoured Missouri’s rich agricultural history. The Waves of Grain title was also chosen to provide a catalyst for other interpretations – from ancient grain goddesses to the amber waves of wood grain, it is a theme rich in possibilities. • The Sphere – Second Round. Now in its 11th year, the Professional Outreach Program (POP) exhibition series presents small-scale works by an international roster of emerging and established artists. The exhibit featured works by 48 artists from 12 countries and 17 states. The creative thinking is big, yet the work is small, with a maximum size of 150mm × 150mm × 150mm). • This year saw Oklahoma artist Ron Fleming, who was a founding member of the AAW and is a gifted sculptor, turner and graphic artist, being the recipient of the 2017 POP Merit Award. • Artist Showcase: Professional Outreach Program (POP). The 2017 POP Artist Showcase featured sculptor Keith Holt of Maryland and Minnesota artist Jim Sannerud. • Sky Island by Pat & Karen Miller
Venus by Ron F leming Work By John Wessels
Contact information
Next year’s event is to be held in Portland, Oregon. Thursday, 14 June until Sunday, 17 June, 2018. Symposium Facility: Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, Portland, OR 97232
The trade show had lots of tempting timber, tools and machinery to buy 40
For further information about this year’s and next year’s symposium and the AAW, visit: Web: www.woodturner.org www.woodworkersinstitute.com
Bowlsaver MAX3 the ultimate in bowl coring… Developed for woodturners to core bowls up to 550mm diameter We recommend a minimum lathe • Cut size 75mm to 450mm power of 1.5kW (2hp) and swing over bed of 500mm to get full • 3 cast stainless steel blades advantage of the MAX3 • Super strong construction • Safe and easy to use Bowlsaver MAX3
£403.64 Inc.vat
103079
Bowlsaver MAX3 Toolposts are available in sizes 1'' (103080), 25mm (103081) and 30mm (103082) Prices from £36.47 Inc.vat The original 2 blade Bowlsaver is still available – £332.56 Inc.vat (951128)
Put a date in your diary! Phil Irons will be demonstrating Woodcut Tools in all the Axminster stores... 2017 Warrington – 19 August Axminster – 30 September Basingstoke – 11 November 2018 Nuneaton – 13 January
For more information, call 0800 371822 , search axminster.co.uk or visit one of our stores.
North Shields – 10 March Cardiff – 28 April Sittingbourne – 2 June
Axminster • Basingstoke • Cardiff • High Wycombe • North Shields • Nuneaton • Sittingbourne • Warrington
High Wycombe – 21 July
Prices include VAT and may be subject to change without notice.
Steinert Lathes and the VB36 Master Bowlturner Lathe by steinert ® available in the UK and Ireland from The ToolPost · www.toolpost.co.uk · phone (UK) 01235 511101
I’ve been told wood dust is explosive – that can’t be right… Geoffrey Laycock looks at the issue of fire risk within workshops
K C O T S R E T T U H S F O Y S E T R U O C H P A R G O T O H P
Well, actually it is. Many organic materials – flour, sugar, starch, milk powder, to give a few examples – are potentially explosive when they exist as a fine powder and become suspended in air. The mixture must be just right, too litt le or too much and the ratio of fuel – the powder – to oxygen does not work. For wood dust the minimum amount is 60g/m3 and particle size usually must be less than 200 microns. Sanding, sawing and machining hardwoods or MDF, chipboard or similar will produce this. For further information refer to HSE leaflet WIS32 – Safe collection of wood waste: prevention of fire and e xplosion. Wood dust explosions are interesting as they usually happen twice. Imagine a small explosion taking place in a dus t collector – an uncleaned motor finally overheats and eventually becomes a source of ignition to the dust cloud it is next to. A small bang with lit tle damage but it will send a shockw ave through the workshop and all the dust that has settled on top of cupboards, shelves, pipework,s etc. is disturbed and mixes with the air around. We now have the secondary explosion ignited by the first small one and that is when the workshop is destroyed. Of ten this involves one or more walls being blown out and the roof structure collapsing. Brick walls take a surprisingly small force to push them out, timber frame structures may survive. You don’t need an explosion for serious destruction. Fire in systems can be devastat ing and sometimes for unexpected rea sons. I once went to a bakery to investigate a fire and found little evidence of fire damage, yet the MD told me it would be out of action for several financially disastrous weeks. It turned out it had an overheating electric motor that caught fire. The Fire Brigade
Dust cloud formed
Heat from primary explosion ignites dust cloud
Blast wave
Primary Explosion
arrived promptly and, understanding the potential for a substantial dust explosion, proceeded to spray water into all the flour-conveying ductwork , hoppers and every where else. We will never know if that prevented a likely e xplosion happening but what it did manage was to turn the cos t of one motor plus downtime into two-plus weeks of closed bakery. Did the Fire Brigade over-react? Maybe, but explosions in flour mills have been frequent and planned precautions assume they will happen. Imagine the potential
Secondary Explosion
for water damage in your workshop if you had a fire. Are you likely to have an explosion? A fire is more likely and I can s ee a workshop at risk f rom a mile away. Offcuts and shavings everywhere, dodgy electrical repairs, dust on every surface visible, open containers of flammable liquids, contaminated cloths sitting around, open electric or gas fires and please – never, ever use a propane-fired torpedo heater. The simple precautions to take should be obvious. • Woodturning 309 43
Project kits Walter Hall looks at some of the things that can be made from project kits
Many novice woodturners develop their basic spindle tool skills by making pens using the many and varied kits available. Some then go on to concentrate on pen-making, a fascinating craft in its own r ight, with many options from ca sting to bespoke pen-making, while others find that other aspect s of woodturning hold more appeal and go on to develop further skills and L L A produce both practical and artistic work s. Whatever your H R E T interest or level of skill, it is worth noting the ever-increasing L A W Y variety and improving quality of other project kit s on the B S H P market. These range from keyrings to seam rippers and present A R G O the maker with the opportunity to produce quality giftware that T O H P would be difficult or, in some cases, impossible to create using
wood alone. A working razor for example would present an extreme challenge even to those with metalworking as well as woodworking skills. In this article, I illustr ate some of the kits available and offer advice on how to make the best of them to produce top quality products that will not only be well received by their final owners – whether as a gif t or purchased from a craf t fair – but also robust and long lasting. In this art icle I will focus on the key elements of the making of a seam ripper in burr elm and an acrylic r azor. All of the techniques shown in making these can be transferred to the other projects shown in the main image above. Woodturning 309 45
Razor Head Seam Ripper Blade Brass Tube 7mm Ø (9/32in)
Brass Tube 8mm Ø (5/16in)
Threaded rod
TOOLS AND MATERIALS
• 20 or 25mm spindle roughing gouge • 13 or 20mm skew chisel • Seam ripper kit • Safety razor kit • Figured wooden pen blank of choice • Acrylic blank of choice • Abranet 240-400 grit • Medium cyanoacrylate adhesive • Melamine lacquer • Cutting/polishing compounds • Tack cloth • Safety cloth • Paper towel or tissue
75mm (3in)
Acrylic Blank drilled to 7mm Ø (9/32in)
Wood Blank drilled to 8mm Ø (5/16in)
78mm (31/8in)
Ends turned to fit measured Ø of fittings
Ends turned to fit measured Ø of blade ferrules Stiletto Blade
Some razor kits may have press-fit components instead of threaded rod.
Retaining Spring (x2)
1 Here is a selection of the many project kits
available. All can be made using the skills and tools used to make a simple pen. From left to right are a letter opener, key ring, magnifying glass, two types of razor (mach 3 and safety) and a seam ripper. 2 An important part of ensuring a quality
product is the choice of blank. For the seam ripper, I have chosen a piece of burr elm with a lot of figure. Mark off to length the most figured part of the blank just slightly longer than the brass tube to allow for squaring off.
1 46
2 www.woodworkersinstitute.com
PROJECT KITS
3 The barrel is longer than most pen blanks so will have to be drilled on the lathe since most pillar drills will have insufficient travel. Using a chuck fitted with pen blank or pin jaws and a long drill bit in the tailstock chuck carefully drill out for the brass tube. 4 Glue the brass tube into the blank with epoxy or polyurethane glue. Once set ensure a good fit to the components by squaring off the ends of the blank with a barrel trimmer or, as shown here, using a disc sander and jig. Well-fitting components are key to a quality product.
3
4
5 Bushes are available for this kit so you could turn it on a pen mandrel. An alternative is to simply turn between centres as I have done here. When not using bushes between centres take great care not to overtighten the tailstock quill or you will flare the ends of the tubes. Remember to wear appropriate PPE before you start turning. 6 Carefully turn the blank down to size with a spindle roughing gouge. Ensure a good fit by using callipers set to the diameter of the components. I use an old Vernier calliper with the inside edges of the jaws slightly rounded off to prevent catching.
5
6
7 When using highly figured burrs you may find that voids and other defects show up in the blank. While at first these may look disastrous there are many ways of recovering from this problem. I chose to fill the voids with CA glue, but you could use epoxy mixed with brass powder or other materials to achieve an equally attractive result. 8 Once the voids are filled, sand the blank back through the grits to about 400 and apply the finish of your choice. I used melamine lacquer which gives a hard-wearing and naturallooking satin finish but you could use acrylic lacquer or CA if you prefer a high gloss.
7
8
9 The working parts of the seam ripper are retained by small springs which must be carefully curved and inserted into the ends of the brass tubes, taking care not to crease them. If necessary they can be retained with a drop of CA adhesive applied with a cotton wool bud. 10 For the razor project, I chose to use an acrylic blank. I prefer acrylics for projects such as this where the finished product will frequently be immersed in water. Begin by cutting the blank to length then drill for the brass tube. Mark the drill with tape so that it stops just short of breaking through.
9
10 Woodturning 309 47
Hints for drilling acrylic One of the questions I am most often asked is how to avoid blowout of acrylic blanks when drilling. The main reasons blowouts occur are drilling at too high a speed and failing to withdraw the drill bit regularly enough to clear the swarf. Both of these things cause overheating and make blowouts more likely. Slow speeds, regular clearing of the swarf and stopping short of drilling all the way through the blank will ensure successful drilling.
11 Once the blank has been drilled to the marked
11
12
13
14
15
16
depth remove it from the chuck and cut a thin slice from the closed end on the bandsaw. This will leave a nice clean hole with no breakout. Glue in the tube using epoxy. With light coloured blanks paint the inside first to prevent the tube showing through.
12 Mount the blank on a mandrel with the appropriate bushes. A compression type mandrel such as the one I used will help prevent bending of the mandrel or ‘whip’ when turning. You could of course turn between centres as we did for the seam ripper project.
13 Use sharp tools and light cuts to avoid chipping and breakout of the acrylic blank. Lots of fine swarf will be produced so position the inlet to a dust extractor close to the work. Appropriate PPE such as a face mask or respirator should also be used.
14 No matter how much care you take and irrespective of the dust extraction provided you will end up with strands of swarf wrapped around the work and the mandrel. You can easily clear this with an old paintbrush while the lathe is running rather than keep stopping to remove it by hand.
15 Once you have turned the ends of the blank down to the bushes and achieved the shape you want for the razor handle begin the process of finishing the work by sanding through the grits of abrasive down to about 400. I used Abranet but any good quality abrasive will do.
16 There are many ways of polishing the acrylic. These range from wet sanding through the grits of micromesh to using a burnishing cream. All of these methods are effective but I find the quickest is to use two grades of water-based cutting compound such as Farecla 300 and 500.
17 Unlike many kits which use press fit components, this razor uses a threaded rod to connect the components to the blank. Final assembly is therefore a simple matter of screwing the components together.
18 The result is an attractive and practical product that will stand up to years of daily use and look attractive in any bathroom. A matching stand is all that is required to show off your work to its best advantage. •
48
17
18 www.woodworkersinstitute.com
N i t ’ s 7 o w t h i n Y e a r !
WOODWORKING IN ACTION 16th & 17th September 2017 Cressing Temple Barns, near Braintree, Essex CM77 8PD Te European Woodworking Show is an amazing showcase o crafsmen and women rom around the world. Set in the beautiul grounds o Cressing emple Barns in Essex. Te European Woodworking Show, now in its seventh year, will have over 100 exhibitors representing a diverse range of woodworking disciplines. A demonstrator led show supported by quality tool makers.
tel: 01473
785946
email:
[email protected]
www.ews2017.com
INNOVATIONS MADE IN THE US A FOR OVER 85 YEARS
Setting the new standard for carbide woodturning tools.
Three full size tools available now. More coming soon!
® CENTER MASTER
®
®
STRONGBORE
Austria/Europe
International Dealers
www.neureiter-shop.at/
Germany/Europe
www.drechslershop.de/
Australia
www.gregmach.com
Norway/Sweeden
Russia
www.gustavsenas.no/
www.jettools.ru/
Japan
www.off.co.jp
Band Saw Accessories ®
Band Saw Guides Band Saw Blades Band Saw Tires and More!
Innovative Solutions for all your Woodworking Needs
Hawaiian puahala calabash Emiliano Achaval shows how to make a classic Hawaiian end grain vessel
L A V A H C A O N A I L I M E Y B S H P A R G T O H P
Most people have heard of the place I call home: Hawaii. It’s a privilege to be able to live on this paradise island of Maui, surrounded by history and traditions. In the following article I will show you how I make a puahala calabash. For inspiration I’m using the ancient kou puahala that I was loaned for the article featured in last month’s Woodturning
magazine issue 308, when I explored the different types of calabash. For this project I decided to use a piece of kou ( Cordia subcordata ), given to me by my good friend, woodturner John Mydock. Kou is a native tree to Hawaii and is a close-grained hardwood that has a rich, beautiful colour and was the preferred timber of the ancient Hawaiians.
That said, any close-gr ained hardwood will work for this project, which not only gives you the option of using a timber close to you, but also timber colour options. I will try to stay true to the form but, just as no two woodturners are alike, the ancient craft smen each had their own style, so I’m not tr ying to make a perfect copy. Woodturning 309 51
TOOLS AND MATERIALS
• RPE & PPE • Close-grained hardwood of your choice • Faceplate • No10 sheet-metal screws • 20 or 25mm spindle roughing gouge • 10 or 13mm bowl gouge • 10mm spindle gouge • French-curve negative rake scraper • Hollowing tool with small 6 or 8mm tip • 1¼in sawtooth bit • Laminate trimmer/ palm router • Danish oil or similar finishing oil • ‘Pewa’ bowl repair templates • 22mm pewas – wooden butterfly repair patches • Adhesive • Abrasives down to 400
150mm (6in) 125mm (5in) 8mm (5/16in) Thick
185mm (71/4in)
10mm (3/8in) Thick
1 Whether using a chainsaw, hand saw or
bandsaw, follow all safety procedures and cut a log to length. You can use pre-dimensioned timber if you choose. I will eventually use a faceplate to secure the wood to the lathe, even though this is an end grain project. You can of course opt to use a chuck if you so wish. If you use the faceplate method, do not forget to leave enough extra wood for the screws in the faceplate so they do not mark or run through the required timber for the calabash. Some softwoods won’t hold screws on the end grain well. Make the blank at least 38mm longer than its width. Mark the centre, making sure the piece will be offset to show some of the sapwood. Draw a few circles to see your best options. All ancient puahala have the distinct heartwood/ sapwood contrast, and this visual contrast makes the vessel look a lot nicer than if you only had heartwood alone. 2 Start by mounting the log between centres, balancing the piece as best you can. You either need to offset the blank a bit now to give you some heartwood and sapwood in the final bowl shape, or do this after you have a cylinder of wood to work with. Now, with a low lathe speed – the log is likely to be over 175mm in diameter so you need to have 500rpm or lower as a speed – turn the log to a cylinder using either a spindle roughing gouge or bowl gouge. until you get a rough cylindrical shape. 52
1
2 www.woodworkersinstitute.com
HAWAIIAN PUAHALA CALABASH
3 If you did not start with an offset in the log, when you have the blank close to round, stop, take it off the lathe and double check that you will end up with some sapwood. It’s a very fine line between a great-looking contrast and having only heartwood on the piece. Note the cracks on the wood. Most of these will turn away. Any that are left will be dealt with later on, but use slow turning speeds and stop to see if any fault becomes more severe as you turn. If in doubt, use another piece of wood rather than compromise safety.
3
4
4 Use a spindle roughing gouge to turn the wood until you have a nice, even cylinder and then st art working on the curved bottom but not on the curve of the wall. Stop when you start seeing heartwood. 5 Measure your faceplate and, using a bowl gouge, create a tenon that is slightly wider than the faceplate diameter and slightly undercut the end of the tenon on the tails tock end. Or create a spigot for your chuck if this is your preferred method of holding work. Now remove the blank from the lathe and attach the faceplate. If the screws do not hold due to the wood b eing soft, re-mount the wood on the lathe and create a spigot for your chuck. These two options give you stability for the hollowing process.
5
6
6 We do not have the final width yet, but measure it and then add 25mm and mark this measurement as the length. Take the extra off if there is any to remove. 7 With a bowl gouge, start shaping the curve. There are no straight lines in a true umeke. Check the curve off the lathe. The top curve should start a little above the half way line. Now m easure again. You want to be close to even in width and height or about 20mm taller. Here, after offsetting it is still a little too long. 8 Clean up any tool marks with a sheer scrape. Note the position of the tool’s locking handle so it won’t interfere with the smooth flow of the cut.
7
9
8
10
9 To speed up the hollowing and to avoid the most difficult area to cut, the centre, use a sawtooth bit and drill to depth. A little bit of wax helps with the screeching. 10 Now it’s time to hollow out the inside. Thoroughly inspect the blank for any cracks and so on. If any are evident, work out if you should turn the wood. If they are minor, wrap strong duct tape around the piece for support. There was one selfcontained fissure visible that did not extend for any major length so I decided to work with it. Hollow out the inside to mimic the external cur ve cut while bearing in mind that the wall thickness gradually increases by a little until the thickest section is at the bottom. I use a captive hollowing rig for this but a hollowing tool with a small bullet-shaped or round cutting tip used freehand wall also work. Make gentle light cuts from the centre out to the widest part to ensure you are cutting with the grain.
Woodturning 309 53
11 Stop often to check wall thickness, and the bottom thickness and also to see if any cracks appear. I had to keep an eye on the fissure that was there at the start. It did not move any further. Callipers work well for this job. 12 Once you have done the hollowing out, clean up any tool marks. Any thick section scraper or tipped tool with the right size and shape of cutter will work for this. I chose to use a negative rake scraper for a fine finish and good tool control. Remember to use slow speeds and be careful when you get closer to the rim as it might flex a little, which is not something you want to happen.
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
13 Now it’s time to do any repairs if needed. A traditional repair method is to use pewas. Pewa means ‘fish tail’ in Hawaiian. It was a common repair used by the ancient craftsman. Use this method if you want a real Hawaiian look on any cracks and so on. Fishtail or dovetail stitching locks things together. I use a ready-made template and pewas. I will look at how to do the pewa stitching detail in a later issue. You can of course use a biscuit jointer to ‘stitch’ a joint as well as epoxy or any other type of repairs to bridge and bond cracks, etc. Once stitched, refine the external curve and the base profile a bit more – be wary of hitting any screws at the base area. 14 Once the shape is refined as far as you can, sand the piece inside and out going down to 400 grit. Once sanded, remove the piece from the lathe and remove the faceplate. Create a friction drive to support the inside of the work at the bottom of the inside hollow, place a bit of non-slip router mat on the friction drive and then mount the work between centres. You already have the centre mark at the bottom from the initial turning so you can centre it properly against the friction drive. 15 Remove the faceplate or chuck tenon and continue to create the base curvature. The bottom will almost be like a sphere. It will sit right, trust me. 16 No straight lines are ever found on true ancient calabashes. Visualise the curve below the nub. Note the cracks in the lower section. These will be stitched later. Sand the lower section as far as you can and remove from the lathe. 17 Carve off the nub and sand and blend the lower curve. Because it’s an end grain you might have to add some pewas or your repair of choice on any cracks. There were a few on this piece so a few pewas were added. This helps with the strength of the bottom. If you don’t have any cracks, add a pewa or two to the pith. 18 Finish sanding the bottom. Also sand the inside if the pewas go right through the wood, mine did not. Note the two round dowels used at each end of a crack. This is a traditional method to stop cracks running further. For a true pre-contact ancient look apply an oil finish. For a more modern feel try something like a gloss lacquer. • 54
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
Call us
Learn more
01296 481220
osmouk.com
Large selection of stainless steel bottle stoppers. New Model !
THE SPRAYABLE HARDWAX-OIL
Patented Quality Stainless Stoppers since 2006 Over 290,000 SOLD
stainlessbottlestoppers.com email:
[email protected]
Phone: (570) 253-0112 SPRAY-WAX:
|
Highest quality sprayable wood protection
MICROPOROUS NATURAL
|
|
|
All stoppers manufactured from 18-8 FDA food contact compliant 304 stainless steel.
OIL-WAX BASED DURABLE HIGH COVERAGE
Paul Howard Woodturning Tel 01621 815654
www.paulhowardwoodturner.co.uk
Mob 07966 188559
Flung Jig Routers from 42mm to 65mm can be ed as standard or other tools with a parallel collar from 65mm down can be ed with a simple ring adaptor £159.00 plus P & P
Index System Index plate 60 48 36 14 hole paern spindle sizes to suit most lathes. Unique posion clamping system. £50.00 plus P & P
Spheres up to 300mm Diameter
Sphere Jig
depending on capacity of lathe.
Standard Jig
Suitable for at bed and dual
£187.00 Plus P & P (UK £15.00) With Dual Round
round bed bar Lathes. Riser Blocks for Lathes from 125mm to 250mm spindle height included. Addional risers can be
Bed Bar Adaptor
ed
£197.00 Plus P & P
Carbide Cuer for consistent results. Self centring with disc or centring plate ed Unique Back Stop so that Sphere sizes can be repeated
Superior Design, Legendary Quality
Premium CA Adhesives (Superglue)
Forget the rest; buy the best! Choice of viscosities and colours Economically priced; long shelf life Available in the UK & Ireland only from: The ToolPost Unit 7 Hawksworth, Southmead Industrial Park Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 7HR Tel: 01235 511101 http://tinyurl.com/StarbondUK
2436 LATHE Powerful, Precise, Smooth. mooth.
www.onewayeuropa.com tel +49 2566 905 106 Superior Design, Legendary Quality
[email protected]
Drill Press Hold Down Designed to use on a drill press table to secure the work whilst drilling takes place. Simply adjust the toggle lever clamp onto the work and secure in place. Can be adapted for use on a work bench.
www.planetplusltd.com
Code DPHD1
Tel: 023 8026 6444 Fax: 023 8026 6446
[email protected] Planet Plus Limited, Unit 3 Speedwell Close, Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire, SO53 4BT
RRP +V +Vat
Party table centrepiece Colwin Way shows how to make a lazy Susan with serving bowls
For this month’s project we’re going to have a look at a lazy Susan, or dumb waiter. I’ve been asked numerous times how to fit these bearings so wanted to create a project around K I N them. Our lazy Susan will consist of a base connected to a tray C O T O with a bearing and four serving dishes. It’s important that the P W E timber used for the tray is stable as it ’s going to be fairly large R D N A and could affect the smooth running of the bearing if it starts Y B S H to warp. If you don’t have a dr y piece of timber big enough you P A R G could laminate a few pieces together to achieve the de sired size. T O H P I’ve found a nice piece of London plane for the tray and beech
for the serving bowls and they actually turn out to be very close in colour. My bowls have a decora ted band running around the top to break the shape a little but I have lef t the tray plain. Of course this project is a perfe ct opportunity for your creativit y to flourish to suit the environment it is to be placed in. As well as instructions on fitting the bearing we can also look at a selection of work-holding solutions and tool techniques. I would class this project as suitable for those with intermediate turning ability due to it being beneficial to have some faceplate/bowl turning experience prior to taking this piece on. So here goes. Woodturning 309 59
TOOLS AND MATERIALS
• Chuck • Screw chuck • 10mm bowl gouge • 30mm skew chisel • 3mm parting tool • 6mm drill bit • 15mm drill bit • Drill • Abrasives down to 400 grit • Rule • Dividers • Callipers • Depth gauge • Screwdriver • 230mm lazy Susan bearing plate • Timber of your choice to match the dimensions of the drawings for the bowls, tray and base
120mm (43/4in)
Bowl
70mm (23/4in)
250mm (93/4in) 17mm (1/16in) 75mm (3in) Base
230mm 115mm 15mm (9in) (41/2in) (19/32in)
Tray
390mm (153/8in) 15mm (19/32in) 40mm (15/8in)
70mm (23/4in) 210mm (81/4in)
60
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
LAZY SUSAN
Serving bowls 1 Start by making the serving bowls from four pieces of beech ( Fagus sylvatica ) and, because
these bowls are quite small, you can easily use a screw chuck to initially hold them. Start by drilling a hole to suit your screw chuck. 2 Once the blank is held securely on the screw
1
2
chuck, clean up the outside edge of the first, using a bowl gouge. Hold the gouge handle low and present the flute toward the 3 o’clock position if viewing it as a clock face, and cut to the right. Then clean up the front face of the blank using a pull cut, working from centre to outside with the flute facing around the 10 o’clock position. 3 Now the blanks are tidy, create a tenon to use
as a holding point for the chuck while hollowing out the inside. Start by measuring your chuck inner jaw diameter with a set of dividers and tr ansfer this measurement on to your bowl blank. Now cut a 4mm recess with a parting tool. This creates a tenon that will be the sacrificial foot which we will later take off. 4 Now start to shape the outside profile. I opted
3
4
for a steep curve on the side of the bowl with a fairly flat bottom which has a very small upturn on the foot to elevate the shape from the tray. Most of the shaping can be done with a pull cut until you are happy with the shape, then use the push cut method with the bevel rubbing to give a good, clean finish. Of course you can use a push cut throughout. 5 If you want to give the bowls a little bit of detail
create a raised, textured rim. To raise the area to be textured stop early on one of the passes with the push cut. Where you stop is up to you and choosing either a large or narrow band gives a completely different look to the piece. Create the detail for your band by incising a V cut with the toe of the skew, keeping it flat on the rest in scraping mode. Keep the cuts light and gentle. Now sand and apply a finish of your choice. 6 We now turn our attention to the inside of the
5
6
bowls and start hollowing them out. Make light cuts down towards the centre, working ever closer to the outer edge until you have a wall thickness of about 5mm. Use a scraper to clean up any ridges and then sand it. Apply a finish of your choice. 7 When all your bowls are finished you can turn
them over and take off the sacrificial foot. A set of button jaws to hold the rim work well, but a set of wood plate jaws or the between centre friction drive method work just as well. Keep the speed down when using any of these foot removal techniques and gently cut using a push cut toward the centre. Remove any nub of wood left when using a between centre method when the bowl is off the lathe. Sand and finish as you did for the rest of the bowls. 8 I’m adding a bit of detail to the bottom of
7
8
the bowls in the way of several V grooves cut in with the toe of the skew. When the bottom is clean you can sand and finish. Woodturning 309 61
Serving tray 1 With the bowls complete you can start making the first part of the serving tray. I’m using a piece of London plane ( Platanus hybrida ) which has been very well seasoned. You can, of course, choose another nice hardwood for this project too. If you’re unsure of the stability of the blank – how much it is likely to move when turned – then it may be best to laminate several pieces together, alternating the grain with each piece. 2 True up the face and edge of the blank and
check to see that it is flat. If it is not, keep truing up with the bowl gouge and skew used in scraping mode until it is. This step is important otherwise the bearing plate could foul the base as it spins.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
3 Now the blanks are prepped start by measuring
the bearing. Some are round and some are square on the outer edge. Once measured with a rule use a set of dividers to mark this diameter of the blank. 4 Use a parting tool to cut a groove to the inside
edge of your scored line to a depth of 3mm, which is just enough to secure the bearing centrally. 5 Here you can see the base finished and you
will notice that as well as creating the recess I’ve cut a hold point – the central recess – for the chuck and given the edge a concave profile. The edge profile is up to you, but this looks smart and, when everything is assembled later, makes the whole piece look as though it sits lightly on a table. It also gives a good hand-hold to pick the item up when not in use. Sand and finish this prior to removing it from the lathe. 6 We can now turn the tray over and start
removing the waste from the inside. Just as you would a normal bowl or platter, start with the rim and take out the bulk, leaving the bottom of the tray thick enough to screw the bearing on to when the project is finished. 7 Now reverse the platter on to your chuck
using the recess previously mentioned and remove the bulk of the waste wood using either push or pull cuts. Start flattening the bottom of the tray with your skew chisel lying down flat on its side, or a wide, flat, square-end scraper. The wider the tool the better for this and adding a small burr on the cutting edge with a diamond file will really help to cut nicely. 8 As with the bowls, a simple oil finish will work
well. Apply the first coat and sand while wet at 150rpm before burnishing hard with shavings then buffing with a tissue. Leave this for 24 hours before applying another light coat and keep applying every 24 hours until you have the finish you want – but you MUST wait between coats and only apply very light coats otherwise the surface will remain sticky. Now mark out the fixing points for the bearing while you can get to them. To prepare for screwing the bearing on I’m going to also make a small hole with a bradawl for each screw location.
62
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
LAZY SUSAN
Base 1 For the base you can use a good-quality plywood. Of course you can use another piece of timber to match that already used or select a contrasting coloured timber. But ply is good as a base because it will remain stable. Screw the ply to a faceplate and clean both the outside edge and face before creating a hold point for your chuck. A recess is ideal to hold the ply on a chuck. If your jaws are dovetail in shape lay a skew on its side to create the required profile.
1
2
2 Now turn the base over and fit it on to your chuck. Leave a very small gap between the tray and the base so the base and tray do not rub together when under load. The two parts need to rotate freely on the bearing. Measure the amount of overall thickness you have to play with using a depth gauge. 3 Transfer this depth on to the base. Cut a recess to take the bearing allowing 1mm clearance and turn away some of the waste ply leaving a central boss in the middle to locate the bearing against. Ply can be very abrasive so remember to sharpen your tools often.
3
4
4 Once the bearing fits in neatly, mark and countersink with a bradawl or 1mm drill the positions of the screw holes that will attach the bearing to the tray. 5 Now drill through the base in one of the screw positions with a 15mm drill bit. This will be an access point for our screwdriver later and enable us to attach everything together. 6 As you can see here, the hole lines up perfectly with the top screw holes and unlocks the secret of how to join the base and tray together. 7 Start the assembly by screwing the bearing to the base with 12mm screws. Be careful not to overtighten these small screws.
5
6
8 Using your access hole, in turn screw each of the screws in place, rotating the bearing around to the next hole in turn.
So there we are. I hope you enjoy having a go at this project and, as usual, change it to suit your timber supply and taste.
7
8
Top tip Get to know your tools. The skew and bowl gouge when practised can be manipulated to do so many jobs. This project was almost entirely made by these two tools with only a couple of cuts from a parting tool creeping in. The skew used to make our dovetails and as a flat scraper is really successful and when mastering the pull and push cuts with the bowl gouge these two tools help you get the most from the tools you have. •
Woodturning 309 63
FINISHING
SCHOOL
Wet Sanding with Food Safe Finish and Net Abrasive. 1
2
Wet sanding with an oil is a great way of reducing the amount of dust generated in the workshop. You can wet sand with Finishing Oil, Lemon Oil, Hard Wax Oil and Food Safe Finish. The extra lubrication will give an exceptionally fine, smooth surface and apply a coat of the oil at the same time. 1 When using an oil as a
lubricant/dust collector it's sometimes easier to coat the timber with the oil. 2 Sand in the usual way. Net
3
Abrasive is ideal for collecting dust without getting clogged too quickly. 3 The dust mixes with the oil
N E W
and is trapped in the Net Abrasive.
SOLID STAINLESS STEEL
4 Net Abrasive is easy to
BOTTLE CAP OPENER
4
clean, either by beating it against a suitable surface or using a soft wire brush. 5 The Net Abrasive is ready
to use again. Net Abrasive is more flexible than other similar abrasives, sharper and longer lasting.
5
Creates a duluxe gi set!
If you aren't using oil as your final finish, use the final abrasive grit dry and sand thoroughly to remove any residual oil so the surface is clean and dry, ready for the coating of your choice.
with the best stopper on the market.
More information available from your local stockists or contact us at:
*opener made of 304 FDA food grade stainless
PO Box 260, Stowmarket, IP14 9BX
The only stainless steel bo le opener that stands proud
nilesbottlestoppers.com
Tel: 01473 890118
[email protected] www.chestnutproducts.co.uk
Exclusive US
importer of VICMARC lathes, proud to present a complete line of professional machines.
VL240, 220v, 2hp, Swivel Head 20’ Swing VL300, 220v, 2hp, Variable Speed 24” swing
VL300, 220v 3hp, Variable Speed 24” swing. Adjustable height
Cast iron lathes with tapered roller bearings made in Australia since 1984. Preferred lathes of many professional and passionate woodturners. Solid, reliable and well designed. Choose from 12” swing to 24” swing and from 1hp to 3hp.
WOODWORKER’S EMPORIUM
VM150, 220v 1hp, Variable Speed 12” swing
5461 ARVILLE, LAS VEGAS, NV, 89118, USA 800-779-7458 WWW.WOODWORKERSEMPORIUM.COM
c a r n y m V i c d m a e l a b s a n i e s . l i v a j a w s o r a o s , e s A l s u c k a c c c h
Will it last? John Plater takes a look at whether woodturning as a craft has a future
R E T A L P N H O J Y B H P A R G O T O H P
In a recent publication, The Radcliffe Red List of Endangered Crafts , from The Heritage Crafts Association, 2017, woodturning (as most of us know of it using a mechanical lathe) was classified as ‘currently viable’, although pole lathe bowl turning is currently ‘endangered’. Details can be found at http:// heritagecrafts.org.uk/redlist/. There are a number of deciding factors but the fundamental question we should ask is whether woodturning will remain ‘currently viable’ in the future. I think that, as a hobby, woodturning has healthy numbers. As a professional practice, on which our hobby draws heavily, there may develop a shortage of practitioners able to offer that lead. I have heard that some professional woodturners have to do paid demonstrations, teach and take part-time jobs to support their income. Arguably, these represent time away from their craf t. What comes first, the chicken or the egg? What do the practitioners of the craft do to ensure its future existence? People who are
in the know realise where help and advice might be found. What should we do to help and advise people not in the know? An overriding or underpinning factor, I perceive, is the sharing nature I find within the woodworking community in general and the woodturning community in particular. I do not see much evidence of closely guarded secrets but more of a willingness to share practice. In order for the sharing of practice to happen one needs to meet fellow woodworkers so, join a club. Having joined a club, get involved by attending and joining in with activities. What can you do to attract other people to join? I do not derive the majority of my income from my craft. In the past this has been a deciding factor when judging professional status. However, I do operate with a professional attitude in a field from which so few people nationally are able to derive the majority of their income. I do not teach woodturning but demonstrate to clubs and at craft shows. I am also happy
to do illustrated talks. So one is reaching out to people with some experience of woodturning or none. I find it very rewarding to meet people who have tried out the ideas I have demonstrated. I have met people who saw me working at a craft show and felt inspired to try woodturning for themselves. Similarly I have spoken to people whose partner bought them a present of tuition after they had expressed some interest during a slide show. Mind you, if I demonstrate at a craft show my sales are usually lower and the time spent in preparing for a club demonstration is inordinate. I reckon that a one-hour slide show can take about eight hours to prepare. One chap stood and watched me demonstrate for 30 minutes at a craft show, then shook me by the hand, thanked me and said that it had been a privilege to watch. It didn’t swell the coffers but it left me hoping that I was playing my small part in promoting our craft. • Woodturning 309 67
Community links We have searched the internet for the best, most interesting and fun websites, blogs, pins and pictures, so you don’t have to YouTube
Vimeo
ANDY COLE
THE WOODTURNER ON VIMEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeGbDYU6Cgs
https://vimeo.com/60406797
In this online clip Andy Cole shows how he typically core s out his bowls to create a nes ting set from a blank of timber. There is no voice-over or speech f rom Andy, but it gives an interesting insight into how he works and how these nes ting bowls are created using a coring system. He isn’t wearing a face shield though and commonly accepted best practice is to wear one at all times when turning.
This is a beautifully shot clip of pole lathe turner Leo Singleton working in his woodland setting. The film was shot and edited by Elliott Forge. It has no sound apar t from a nice piece of music playing as one is drawn into the beaut y of how a true master of his craft is working. I love the cameo of the chicken having a look at what is being made.
Website of the month
Flickr
BRETT FOXWELL
SEGMENTED WOODTURNERS
http://www.bfophoto.com
www.flickr.com/photos/segmentedwoodturners/15622231536/in/ photostream
Here is a clip comprising se quenced stop photography of branches of wood as they are b eing cut. That might sound boring, but I found it anything but. Just look at the changes in colour and patterns in the wood as it is cut. It shows the impact that micro-changes in shape and where the wood is cut has on the appearance of something. No wonder we love working with wood.
This post from Segmented Woodturners shows a great selec tion of very interesting and well-executed s egmented turning. For those pondering what wonders can be created using segmented turning, this is definitely worth looking at.
Video clips lis ted have been selected for their interest to other turner s. We do not endorse any of the videos or websites selected. We take no responsibi lity for any informat ion contained or acted upon in any sites listed. You need to be aware of your own skills and your own respons ibility as f ar as wearing appropriate protective equipmen t and turning as safely as prac ticable.
68
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
COMMUNITY LINKS
Twitter
Instagram
#woodturning
JACK BAUMGARTNER www.instagram.com/baumwerkj
This hashtag shows all the many contributions from woodturners who have tagged their post s using this tag, including the ‘nebula platter’ shown above. Maybe add your own work to this inspirational flow, including links out to other social media platforms such as Instagram shown below.
Jack Baumgartner ’s Instagram site says Explorer of Creation and Beauty – it’s very much a lifest yle thing with artistic inspiration from every thing he does. There are wondrous works on this site and he obviously takes a great amount of care and loves making things. The site also shows beautifully composed shots of farmyard animals and life, art woods and other treats.
FROM THE FORUM Here we share with you the pieces that readers have posted on our Woodturning forum. If you are interested in your piece appearing here, or would simply like feedback and advice on your work, visit www.woodworkersinstitute.com and click on the forum button. BOWL FROM UNKNOWN WOOD www.woodworkersinstitute.com/forum/ unknown-wood_topic21439.html Dalboysays: ‘I turned this yes terday but had to wait until today to complete the finish and remove the foot. Measures 8½in X 2¼in. I left the rim wide otherwise I would have lost a lot of the character of the wood even if I turned the blank the other way round.’ Nick Simpson commented: ‘Nice piece Derek. I’d go for crotch sycamore. I’ve done a similar piece about a couple of months ago as a commission for a couple who had to cut down their sycamore because of rot.’ Woodturning 309 69
...more than just quality - it’s Killinger quality KM1400SE Electronic variable speed 60-3125 rev/min with 1HP motor; swivelling headstock; 360 mm swing over bed; 760 mm centres; spindle speed display; 36-position indexing; magnetic control console; M33 x 3.5mm spindle/2MT; optional outboard bowl turning attachment, capacity up to 650mm dia. Prices*: Bench model: £1676.19 Floor standing model (shown, lef): £2057.14
... built in Germany KM1450SE Electronic variable speed 40-3035 rev/min with 2HP motor; swivelling and sliding headstock; 400 mm swing over bed; 715 mm centres; spindle speed display; 36-position indexing; magnetic control console; M33 x 3.5mm spindle/2MT; optional outboard bowl turning attachment, capacity up to 600mm dia. Prices*: Bench model: £2133.33 Floor standing model (shown, right): £2514.28
from The ToolPost KM1500SE Electronic variable speed 40-3035 rev/min with 2HP motor; swivelling and sliding headstock; 400 mm swing over bed; 1100 mm centres, extendable to 2330 mm with optional extension; spindle speed display; 36-position indexing; magnetic control console; M33 x 3.5mm spindle/2MT; optional outboard bowl turning attachment, capacity up to 660mm dia. Price*: complete with stand (shown, lef): £2819.05
KM3000SE Electronic variable speed 40-3025 rev/min with 3HP motor; integral �oor stand, swivelling and sliding headstock; 560 mm swing over bed; 850 mm centres, extendable to 2330 mm with optional extension; spindle speed display; 36-position indexing; magnetic control console; M33 x 3.5mm spindle/2MT; optional outboard bowl turning attachment, capacity up to 900mm dia. Price*: £5363.81 (shown, right)
The ToolPost Unit 7 Hawksworth, Southmead Industrial Park, Didcot, Oxon. OX11 7HR 01235 511101 www.toolpost.co.uk
sharing expertise *VAT inclusive prices, correct at time of going to press
NEXT MONTH
Issue 310 on sale 7 September
Pat Carroll shows how to make a diamond box Chris Hart starts a new series exploring lidded forms
Turning a traditional two-call whistle by Stuart King
12 top tips for pen turners by Kurt Hertzog
Andy Coates looks at turning natural edge burrs
L L O R R A C T A P Y B H P A R G O T O H P
Woodturning 309 71
Built to turn wood.
Enjoyed for a lifetime.
Salt & pepper shakers Chris West provides plans for you to make your own condiment shakers
It is imperative that close-grained woods are used for this project. If not, the beads may chip as they are being formed. Recesses should be formed by opening up a 25mm (1in) hole using a ½ in skew chisel on its side . When using the fluted parting tool to form the beads the lathe speed should be around 1500rpm. The fluted parting tool actually turns a 4mm ( � ⁄ � � in) wide bead. Ensure that the tool is above the centre of the blank. Do not force the tool too hard against the bead. Stop forming the bead when there is still 1-2mm of fla t left on top of the bead. Sanding will finish the rounding off of the bead. T Shape, drill, sand, apply a waterproof S E W S finish and buff each piece before gluing I R H C them together. Five holes for the pepper Y B H P and a single hole for the salt. A R G Remove any excess glue when the pieces O T O H P are clamped together on the lathe. •
TOOLS AND MATERIALS
8mm (�⁄��in) radius dovetail
33mm (1�⁄��in� Ø C
52mm (2�⁄��in� Ø
25mm (1in) Ø x 14mm(�⁄��in) deep
19mm (¾in� 24mm (��⁄��in�
All woods should be close grained and dry. A = Dark coloured hardwood B = Light coloured wood C = Medium coloured wood
dovetail
49mm (1��⁄��in� Ø
35mm (1�⁄�in) Ø x5mm (1�⁄��in)
25mm (1in) Ø 25mm (1in) Ø 59mm (2�⁄��in� Ø
B
• Spindle roughing gouge • Spindle gouge • Parting tool • 5mm fluted parting tool • 25mm (1in) sawtooth bit • 2mm twist drill • 2 x 25mm bungs • Sources for the bungs: UK: turners-retreat.co.uk US: chefwarekits.com
51mm (2in�
35mm (1�⁄�in) Ø x5mm (1�⁄��in) dovetail
25mm (1in) Ø 62mm (2�⁄��in� Ø
A
38mm (1½in)
Woodturning 309 73
Carving bowls Ernie Conover explores how a couple of gouges and a carver’s mallet turned from firewood can transform a common bowl into art
I have turned enough bowls that my family members have concocted a plethora of excuses to ward off proffers of further treenware. However, they will jump at carved examples of my handiwork. I first learned to carve and texture bowls from Accurately laying ou t on your work is a vital key Al Stirt, a professional woodturner who to success lives in Vermont. I encourage students in all of my bowl classes to give it a try. Many protest that they have no artistic At least for your first few bowls layout carving skill. My demonstration of the is very important. Once you get the hang techniques allays these fears and all of the process, layout can be minimised leave with acceptable results. This type of or dispensed with altogether. I star t by carving is ver y simple – flutes, reeds or Vs drawing vertical pencil lines that are a You don’t need many tools to car ve – and not sculptur al – anyone can do it. little less than the width of my chisel. I Either the inside or outside of a bowl can do this by wrapping a piece of masking be carved but car ving the inside relegates You also do not need very many tools, tape around the bowl and marking the it more to art than utility. While outside diameter. I then stick this down on the two to three gouges and some veining carving retains most of a bowl’s utility, tools will cover the waterfront. I find a bench and divide it into equal segments it requires a deep form or a torus shape 25mm wide deep-fluted gouge and a 3mm that are about 2mm narrower than my to the rim to expose your handwork. I carving gouge cuts at full depth. The V-tool chisel to be most useful. You want particularly like a torus form for car ving them sharp with polished bevels. It is tape is now reapplied and the marks and it kills t wo birds with one stone in much easier to carve wet wood than dr y transferred. This can be done in the lathe my bowl classes. As students move from and the toolrest used to draw vert ical as it is easier to push to gouge and more open to closed forms they can also learn forgiving of mistakes in carving direction. lines from these marks. I then lay out my carving. Spiral flutes on a torus for m are, That is because it is less prone to splitting design in pencil, often str addling two or in my opinion, stunning. three vertical bands with each flute. ahead of the cutting edge.
R E V O N O C E I N R E Y B S H P A R G O T O H P
74
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
CARVING BOWLS
The more complex the pattern required the more careful you have to be
Vice I have spent a good deal of time making vices to hold bowls during carving and have even experimented with vacuum vices. I have an Emerick pattern maker’s vice that, with the aid of a square of wood against one jaw, holds better. I have my students hold bowls with the tail vice of one of our Euro benches and a bench hook against one jaw. While you can start flutes or reeds just below the rim, I think carving them to the rim emphasises t he shape. The rim becomes irregular with a repeating patter n and the eye is drawn to the carving. A typical beginner’s mistake is to try to car ve to full depth with one pass. While this c an be done with wet wood
it is almost impossible with dry. You are far better to carve in multiple passes, deepening and widening as you go. I try to leave a small flat spot between flutes but it is easy to inadvertently bring them to a sharp edge. Not to worry – sanding this sharp edge to a matching flat will make things look right. Speaking of sanding, I sand the bowl to final smoothness in the lathe before carving. I leave the faceplate or chuck on during carving if possible. This allows the work to be put back in the lathe to adjust the r im if a bad car ving breakout occurs. I do not sand the carved areas for doing so makes the bowl look machine made and not hand carved.
While you can build a fancy vice you can usually make an available woodworking vice work in conjunction with a homemade bowl-holding clamp
Woodturning 309 75
Flutes It is most important to carve about three flutes in one direction then go back to the starting flute and carve three in the opposite direction. Then you continue the first three for three more and back to the other side for three. By alternating side to side your flutes will match well at the junction. If you carve in one direct ion your carving will improve sufficiently that the flutes will not match at the junction. It is almost always better to car ve from the rim with careful at tention to grain direction. It is important to know the exceptions and this comes f rom some experience. This is why I maintain chucking. I have had several good f riends who carved with power carvers – one with an air-driven chisel and the other with an electr ic Japanese Automach. This led me to fitting two pneumatic chipping hammers with carving chisels. It is much easier to control the cuts and to take bigger cuts with power. This is because either electric or pneumatic machines take a very short stroke – much shorter than most do with mallet blows. I really do not like power carving for it seems like cheating somehow. I find hand carving
It is best to carve in multiple passes rather than cutting to complete depth in one cut. It is also necessary to pay careful attention to grain direction, which often requires carving from t wo directions
much more satisfying and make very short, rapid mallet blows with a fairly heavy mallet. I make two to three pa sses to carve each flute and try to hand push the last pass, paying very close attention to grain direction to get the smoothness I want. It is easy to do this with wet wood but more difficult with dr y.
Once you have carved a dozen bowls or so you can minimise the layout or just start car ving. I usually draw my start and stop bands in the lathe then pencil in one or two flutes by eye. Now I just start carving but keep a compass handy to draw a few parallel marks at key places to guide me in carving t he next flute.
V cuts If fluting seems too daunting try using a veining tool to just carve parallel straight lines down from the rim or across the rim. The lines may be angled slightly to good effect. A nyone can do this and the results can be quite spectacular.
Carving straight grooves with a veining tool lends an interesting look and is super-easy to do. It is also a great confidence builder for the art-phobic
A technique that is akin to carving is texturing, which was also taught to me by Al Stirt. This involves touching a V-shaped scraper down repeatedly at regular intervals. The scraped grooves should about touch each other. The scraper has to be kept very sharp, touched lightly and indexed to the next cut carefully. It is painstakingly slow but the results can be very pleasing. I finish my carved bowls with an oil finish, usually Waterlox which is made in nearby Cleveland, Ohio. I wipe on three to five coats, sanding each coat while wet with 320 grit and finer sandpaper. • 76
Some finished fluted bowls
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
READ ANYWHERE
© S h u t t e r s t o c k / k o z i r s k y
DOWNLOAD FROM
ONLY £2.69 PER ISSUE
HOPE Easy set threading jig.
k WATCH THE u VIDEO ONLINE! . o c . g n i n r u t d o o Threading jig nose spindles w now e available in: p o 3/4 x 16 tpi h . 1” x 8” tpi w M30 x 3.5 w M33 x 3.5 w 1 1/4 x 8 tpi 1 1/2 x 6 tpi
The very best in teaching, tools and demonstrations!
k u . o c . g n i n r u t d o o w e p o h . w w w
The Axe tools on test The Editor puts The Axe tools from Carter Products through their paces The Axe tools from C arter Products brought a smile to my face on first sighting. The first thing that caught my eye was the coloured ferrules. Then I looked at the handles, which have been designed with flat sides at the rear and an angled end section. They are eye-catching and beautifully finished. They complement well the stainless steel tool shafts, which are very well machined and have cutters attached on the end via a small hex-head machine screw. The shafts are machined from round bar and on the underside have a machined flat section with radiused edges. This is a departure from the typical square, round or hexagonal bar-type tools available. Carter Products’ website says that each of The Axe range tools have a ferrule colour according to the type of tip fitted. Blue is for the square tips, red for round tips and gold for the diamond tips.
Technical specs
• Prices: $99.95 each • Replacement tips inclusive of a new screw and hexwrench from $14.95-17.95 For further information contact: Carter Products www.carterproducts.com
TOOL SHAFTS
The tool shafts are 16mm in diameter and the shaft tapers t he last 32mm of the bar length towards the tip. The exposed length of the shaft with tip is 200mm and the handle 420mm long, making each of the three tools 620mm long. Carter Products has 125mm of the blade shaft inserted into the handle for extra strength and security. It drills a hole though the shaft and handle –covered later by the ferrule – and inserts a pin in Using the curved edge square cutter to shape the outside of a bowl the hole all the way through to lock the shaft in place in the handle as well as using epoxy. The flat machined section underneath each tool is there to provide a positive, stable horizontal cutting position, which helps present the cutter tip square on or in handle high, cutter low, trailing cut mode, to the work. The diamond tip cutter The diamond point tool has a wider flat machined section than the round or square tip tools and is not meant to be rotated into a shear cut position. The flats offer a The round cutter great registration point without being able to see the cutter. The round and square tip tools can be rotated to create a shear cut angle for cleaning up the surface after the shaping is done. The true square cutter The Axe r ange comprises three tools 80
P H O T O G R A P H S B Y M A R K B A K E R / G M C P U B L I C A T I O N S
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
THE AXE TOOLS TEST
CUTTING TIPS
All the tips are TCT with a flat top and come in three shapes. The round cutting tip is 16mm in diameter, the square edge tip is 15mm wide and the diamond tip is double ended and has a very small radius on the tip. The tips are held on to a machined flat and the shaft is machined to hold the tips in the right position. The tips are held in place with a hex-head screw. It is worth noting there are two ‘square’ cutters. One square cutter has flat cutting sides, the other has corners as the flat one does, but in between the corner s the cutting edge is ver y slightly domed. Both types of s quare tip are supplied when one buys a square-tipped tool.
Using the square end cutter to bore out and rough shape the inside of an end grain box
The diamond cutter can be used to cut detail and also clean up surfaces after they are rough shaped
than perfect surface. The round cutter was used to quickly shape the internal curves of boxes and bowls and also u sed as a cove-forming tool. The results o n the materials used were the same as those experienced using the square cutters. The round and square cutters can be used aggressively or as gently as required and are very effective.
outside of work, or on or just above centre on the inside of work. You refine the cut no end and this is a wonder ful presentation angle if working on denser wood and materials such as acrylics and resins, etc.
IN USE
I was able to try the tools using a variety of woods over a month or so. Since you can use the square or round-tipped tools in horizontal, square-on cut mode or rotate the blade on to the round shaf t section to shear cut, the rear flat tened sides of the handle tell you roughly what angle the tip is cutting at. If the flat handle sides are vertical the shaf t is flat on the rest. If it is off ver tical you are shear cutting on the round bar section and if you are cutting deep and c annot see the tip this is incredibly helpful. ROUGH SHAPING
The square end tool was used to roughshape bowls and boxes. The true square end cutter did this with ease on all timbers. It created beautiful ribbons, some coarse and some fine, depending on how the cutter was pres ented to the wood. That said, the dry oak I had produced ribbons on the end gr ain but on the side grain it came off in shorter, dustier bits. It did the same when using a g ouge. When rough shaping outside of the bowls I was able to move the cutter laterally around the blank rather than just making push cuts into the wood and was able to cut on the f ront and side edge at the same time. I made cuts to the full 15mm in depth with the cutter hor izontal and trailing with the cutter flat on the rest. I later tried the slightly domed square cutter and found this to be better at this shaping cut than the true square c utter. The burr timber suffered only slight tear out with a horizontal cut, less so when trailing but any damage was easily removed in shear scraping mode. Spalted beech ( Fagus spp.) responded well to shear cuts but not s o well to the square-on horizontal cut. That too was the case with conventional tools when cut ting such timbers when anything but the most refined of shearing cuts resulted in a less
REFINING CUTS
The ability to us e the round and square tips at an infinitely variable shear scr ape angle is a real boon. You simply rotate the blade round to create the best cut you can. While there is no b evel rub during the cut, using a trailing angle cut when shear cutting results in the most delicate of cuts and refines the surf ace well. When using the tools with the flat-shaft section on the toolrest and rough shaping you can have the handle horizontal or slightly higher to rough shape. This is very ef fective. But if you want an even cleaner cut, have the handle higher still and the tip low to cause a more radic al trailing cut – but still cutting on or below centre on the
The round tip to rough shape a piece and using a shear cut to refine a surface
POINT TOOL
The point tool was a delight to use for detail cutting such as small beads, but you do end up with a tiny radius at t he lower sides of beads, unlike when using a conventional gouge or skew. It cut cleanly and you can make the most delic ate of refining cuts. It cleaned up the end grain of the timbers used very well too, just by sliding it across the face gently with the handle high and cutter trailing as it cut the wood. Also, it is possible to run the cutting edge right down the side of parallel-walled boxes and around the outside of bowls. CONCLUSION
The cutters hold an edge for an incredibly long time – 13 projects later and I have only rotated the square tip once. The tool s dampen vibration well during the cuts, even extended-reach ones, and the handle shape is a delight to hold. The abilit y to know the cutter presentation angle by feel is a real plus. These tools won’t create the ultra-fine detail a gouge or skew c an and are not as nuanced in use but t hey do have an incredibly quick learning curve to use them well and are not the ‘push and poke’ tools that people unkindly call many tipped tools. These are devilishly effective and capable of so much more than many might think. On many projects I could create cuts that lef t a great finish off the tool requiring only a light sanding. These are great-looking tools, easy to use and they work beautif ully. I would definitely recommend you take a look and tr y them for yourself. • Woodturning 309 81
Now stocking in Canada
SUBSCRIBE TO
N E VE R MI SS AN I SS U E
Subscriptions start from just £17.85 Y E L I A B Y N O H T N A / C M G Y B H P A R G
(pay less than £3 an issue!) by direct debit
O T O H P
Free early delivery direct to your door
+44 (0) 1273 488005 www.thegmcgroup.com/offer/turning
Finishing off finishes This month Kurt Hertzog looks at refining and manipulating the finishes that have been applied to your work In the world of woodturning and woodworking there are a few topics t hat have no end. The one that springs to mind is finishing. Even the world-famous ex perts on the science and art of wood finishing will admit that they are always learning and don’t have all of the answers. Where does that leave us? I’d like to suggest that having a basic understanding of the f amilies of finishes is a good building block. In this series we’ve covered prep for finish, selection criteria for various finish types, the three major finish types and some top D E T A tips for successful usage. The last aspect T S E S to look at is effective ways of controlling or I W R E H manipulating the final look of the finish you T O S S have applied. Let’s take a look at the core E L N U ways to do this. G O Z T R E H T R U K Y B S H P A R G O T O H P
Safety As in all of my columns, I include the safety paragraph immediately after the opening paragraph. The number of woodturning and woodworking
acquaintances who have injured themselves in the shop is sad. They didn’t heed the manufacturers’ warnings about ventilation, eye protection, correct active filter elements on respirators, other PPE and safe storage/disposal instructions. It is far too eas y to take the macho approach and launch into using the product without understanding and following the safe use instructions. DON’T DO IT. You may find out years later that you have detrimental health impact because you took that cocky approach. More than one workshop and perhaps adjacent buildings are missing because of spontaneous combustion. Read the instructions, underst and them and follow them. Following the instructions and using the proper PPE isn’t being wimpy, it is being smart.
Finish compatibility Per the expert s, you can put any finish over any finish. You can apply a finish
type, let it cure and then apply a different finish type over the top. There are a couple of key points that need to be observed. Foremost, the applied finish needs to be completely cured prior to adding anything else. The base needs to be completely cured, clean and dull. Depending on the thinner type, you may need to apply a barrier c oat to protect the lower finish. We’ve already covered shellac in a previous issue. One of the s tellar properties of shellac is its compatibility with every thing. Not only will it bond to just about anything but it provides a great barrier coat between finishes that don’t particularly like each other. You may need to take advantage of this gr eat characteristic of shellac. Please note this about any finish using lacquer thinner. You need to apply any overcoats containing lacquer thinner in thin, quick-drying coats. This will prevent the lacquer thinner from dissolving through. Want to put lacquer over oil? Easily done. Want to put a poly Woodturning 309 85
over a prior finish? Go ahead. Be aware that any differences in shrinkage rates may cause you issues. Whenever you are in doubt, it is best to use a test piece. Don’t be afraid to test out the process with an intermediary such as shellac. You can easily perform that at the same time on your test piece. The value of test pieces is far overlooked. You can try out dyes or stains, check end grain absorption differences, evaluate finishes and gloss levels and more. Those cutoffs have some Just plain oil was used o n these ite ms. Nothing s pecial added aft er rubbing the oi l into the wo od value other than in the burn bin.
Wipe-on poly used per manufacturer’s instructions. After curing, wax is applied using a buffing wheel to manipulate the finish
Shellac with colouring. Airbrushing of patterns followed by epoxy overcoat inside and out after sanding, buffing and waxing
Gloss facts and control I’m going to avoid using the term sheen in our discussion because it will cr eate more confusion than it is worth. We’ll stick with gloss as the term to denote shininess. Gloss is actually a technical measurement of light reflectance at a 60° angle using a 60° angle of incidence. Many finishes are available in various gloss choices. You’ll often have choices ranging from matt, satin, semi-gloss, gloss and high gloss. If you buy the matt, semi-gloss or gloss, you’ll usually get what you expect right out of the container. Manufacturers use a flattening agent in their products to create lower-
A valuable addition to any finishe r’s kit. An assor tment of ste el wool f rom medium through superfine and pumice
For the true aficianado, pumice, rottenstone, felt pads and cork cushioning blocks
gloss versions from their higher-gloss formulations. The beauty of high-gloss
finishes is that you can reduce the gloss through a variety of methods.
Matting back a gloss finish If you have a gloss finish and wish to reduce it, you can effectively mat t it somewhat through abrasion. There are many different products that will work well from automotive grade sanding abrasives to steel wool. Obviously all of these products need to be very fine. The finish needs to be fully cured. Depending on the finish product itself, this can take from overnight to weeks. The high-end finishers – picture baby grand pianos – wait well over a month before they begin to work on a finish. In their case, it is usually to rub out and polish the finish. Point being that if the finish hasn’t completely cured, you’re liable to gum up your abrasive and just ruin things. The old saying among the craft fair folks – round, brown and shiny sells – might hold true. Matting back is a one-way trip. Once you’ve started, you are committed. The only solution to the problem of having 86
gone too far is to refinish. When I’m working with automotive abrasives, I use them wet with a small amount of water and liquid dish soap. Be cautious of getting things too wet. Small circular motions seem to work best and clean bet ween grits. I usually start at 1000 in a hidden area. Coarse scratches scat ter the reflectance and lower the gloss and sheen. Fine scratches will increase the g loss and sheen. Always be cautious of sanding near an edge. It is very easy to sand right through a corner or sharp edge. When using steel wool for this purpose, I only use 0000 steel wool and I use it dry. Use the same small circular motions. If you get very fine, white, dry powder in the wool, you are doing things right. ScotchBrite, Abralon, Micromesh and similar abrasives work well. Start midrange as needed. If you use pumice or rottenstone, pumice grade F will usually get you there. www.woodworkersinstitute.com
FINISHING OFF FINISHES
Using 0000 steel wool dry with soft, circular motions takes little effort take any high gloss back to any desired level down to matt
Taking the gloss to extremes Once you have a gloss finish, what else is there to do? A simple gloss may not be enough for you. You can take the gloss to extremes. Once you’ve gotten there, you can move into the waxes. There are several ways to take your gloss finish to the next level.
Waxing
There are many waxes, polishes and buffing materials that contain abrasives. Nearly all of these products will tell you they contain them, although telling you ‘contains fine abrasives’ or ‘super-fine abrasives’ really doesn’t tell you much. Although giving you a number may not mean much either. The purpose of the abrasives isn’t to level the finish you’ve put on. You should have done that with your s anding process. The micro-abrasives added to the waxes, rubbing compounds, polishes and buffing materials are there to help create the shine. A high gloss is defined as a finer and finer scratch pattern until it becomes optically imperceptible. That’s what the abrasives are there for. Just be aware that getting heavy handed can hurt you.
The addition of wax can further enhance the looks of your finish. Wax alone can be a finish but more often it is a top coat over something else. Richard Raffan uses a beeswa x as a finish for his salad bowls. This lets an ageing and use patina to develop yet allows the owner to rejuvenate the finish as needed. My use of wax is mainly for fingerprint control. A ny high-gloss finish will show fingerprints from handling in a bright light condition. I’m not certain how it works but the addition of the Renaissance wax, a microcr ystalline wax of which there are many brand alternative options available, helps minimise the visibility of the prints. The application couldn’t be simpler. Simply wipe on, rubbing in slightly and then removing any excess. Done. There are a host of waxes available from all of the major woodturning finish suppliers. Pick your choice based on their claims or your experience. Another source of extremely high quality wa xes is the automotive industry. These range from liquid though hard paste. Most of these will provide great protection f rom extremes in temperature, moisture and to some degree UV. If they are good enough to protect a car finish from the environment, they will do well to protect your turning in the sheltered environment it inhabits. Wax can be applied over the finish coat once it is fully cured, after rubbing out or after buffing. The wax will work well over any of those conditions. Don’t forget that the wax application can be buffed out a s well.
A wax with fine abrasive compound mix being used to refine a finished surface
Wiping on a thin layer of microcrystalline wax and then the result once buffed off
Just some o f the available buffing comp ounds and waxes with abrasives from the woodworking and automotive trade
Products with abrasives
Rubbing out Rubbing out a finish hails back to the days of everything being hand done. Once the finish had cured, it was rubbed out with a very fine abrasive and then progressively finer abrasives until the desired gloss and
sheen was obtained. It served to remove any optical blemishes or flaws that might be evident in the finish. It was and is a very labour-intensive process, usually done on flat surfaces where any flaws in
the finish would be noticeable. On higherend pieces, it can be done on turnings as well. Rubbing out usually uses a lubricant on the abrasive with the choice ranging from water to wax. Woodturning 309 87
Buffing Technically there is a difference between rubbing out and using a buffing but in today’s turning world, they seem to blend together. Buffing wheels can be charged with abrasives that are in the rubbing out ranges. This allows for far more rapid completion of the task. There still can be r ubbing out followed by buffing where buffing is putting the final high gloss on the piece. More often, the finish is applied and then buffed to completion. The use of tripoli, white diamond and then often a hard carnauba wax is often the course of buffing. One of the
There are many sizes, shapes and grades of buffing wheel available alongside myriad forms of abrasive and finishing compounds to apply to the wheels. For manipulating or applying finishes, loose-fold wheels are most commonly used
more popular buffing systems is available from the Beall Tool Company. It offers an assortment of buffing wheels, buffs and charging compounds. Care is always in order with any buffing wheel. The compound is an abrasive and the speed, density, stitching and presentation of the piece can easily go from enhancement to damage. Beyond that can be a very soft flannel wheel with nothing applied or perhaps the finest of jeweller’s rouge. Far more information on buffing is available in Woodturning 276 .
It is best to dress, also known as conditioning, the wheels with a wire brush or special toothed comb prior to loading or charging the wheel with a finish or abrasive compound. Charging the wheel is best done lightly and as needed. Always err on applying too little rather than too much abrasive or finishing compound on a wheel
Once the wheels are prepared, load with either a wax finish or an abrasive compound. Each wheel should have a designated use for a certain task, you should not mix finishes and abrasives on any given wheel. It might be prudent to label what each buffing wheel is loaded with and used for
If you want, manipulate an applied finish on the work with a fine abrasive compound and, if desired, follow this by using a wheel or buffing pad loaded with a wax compound or finish to achieve a glossy effect 88
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
FINISHING OFF FINISHES
Additional learning and reading In this day and age of online knowledge, there is little that c an’t be researched via the internet. Please accept one word of caution when using online resources. Be certain the source is as expert as they profess to be. Just because they have a YouTube channel and followers doesn’t make them an expert. While there are many resources that you can use, I tend
to keep going back to the folks I know are expert. I’ve met them and been fortunate enough to have had class time with each one of them. I have faith in their advice. Even more impressive than their sharing of knowledge is their willingness to tell you when they don’t know. The resources that I use most are writings and videos by Michael Dresdner, Bob Flexner, Jeff
Jewit t and Teri Masasc hi, all recognised experts in the field of finishing wood. Their columns from various magazines are online, they have websites with materials and the local library should have many of their hard copy publications and videos. There are cer tainly many others that you can learn from. I name these folk s because of my personal experience with them.
Conclusions
It never hurts to have a test sample. Use it to evaluate the various finishes before betting the ranch. Notice the legend tag
Throughout this series, I’ve tried to make the point that there really isn’t the perfect finish. Each has strengths and weaknesses that need to be balanced by the end user as you make your selection. There are finishes that last hundreds of years and there are some that literally wear off with a few handlings. You can have high gloss, low gloss, tough and protective, beautiful but perhaps fragile, or many other options. Make an informed choice based on your end goal. If I could leave the most important thought I have on finishing, it would be practise
The latest work buffed to give that ex tra visual appeal
finishing. Most of us didn’t master any skill without practice. Finishing is both a science and an art. You can go through the mechanics of finishing and not achieve all that is possible. Take some time to apply finish on practise pieces. Try some experimentation and perfect t he rote skills to arrive at the best outcome. Practice controlling the sheen to the level you wish. The time spent improving your skills on practice pieces will save a lot of heartache if you do your practising on your prize turning.
Interesting things to remember • The first coat of water stains tend to dry, lighter subsequent coats darken. • Water stains tend to raise the grain. Wet, dry and sand before staining. • Let water stains dry for 12 hours before applying additional coats. • Seal end grain with shellac or sanding sealer prior to staining.to prevent differential absorption. • Oil dyes penetrate and dry very quickly. Mix with shellac to moderate. • Mix pigments on paper for a quick colour check. • An undercoat of shellac helps make beeswax spread evenly. • Varnish will work on any wood. Be certain to wait for full hardening before additional coats. • No finish will completely halt the moisture movement to and from wood. • Automotive polishes are superb over wood finishes as long as the item is decorative and not intended for food use. • Gloss and sheen are technical terms and measurements that often get confused or used incorrectly as interchangeable. • When sanding with any grit to level the finish, prep for polishing, or matte the gloss back, be careful not to wear the edges of work. • Flattening agents added to finish dull the gloss (and the sheen) by scattering light randomly. • Lubricants for wet sanding can be water, soapy water, mineral spirits, oils or wax. • Remember the keys to selection of a finish are: appearance; protection; durability; ease of application; reversibility; safety; and cost. • The most brittle finishes rub out the best. Lacquer at the brittle end and spar varnish at the flexible end. • Woodturning 309 89
OUR CONTRIBUTORS
ANDREA ZANINI Andrea is a professional woodworker who learned the trade from his grandfather. Parallel to his furniture-making business he turns all kind of objects, pens, bowls and sculptures. andrea.zanini464 @gmail.com andreazanini woodcarving.com Instagram: Andreazanini464
ANDY COATES Andy is a professional woodturner and has a workshop and gallery in Suffolk. He mostly makes one-off pieces, but is just as likely to be doing smallbatch runs, antique restorations or any number of strange commissions. He also demonstrates and teaches turning. cobwebcrafts@ btinternet.com cobwebcrafts.co.uk
ERNIE CONOVER Ernie is best known for teaching and writing about woodturning, as well as designing and marketing the Conover lathe. erconover@conover workshops.com
GEOFFREY LAYCOCK JOHN PLATER Geoffrey is a Chartered John has woodturned Safety Practitioner, in the UK since his Chartered Ergonomics schooldays but in a Practitioner and Fellow more meaningful way of the Royal Society since taking early for the Protection retirement 10 years of Health and has ago. He likes making written extensively decorative hollowed for our sister pieces from interesting magazine, Furniture woods with holes, sap and bark. He thinks & Cabinetmaking . that he’s okay with geoffrey@ a bowl gouge but otterconsultancy. useless with a skew. co.uk www.johnplater. co.uk
ANDREW POTOCNIK Andrew sees inspiration around him every day. He ‘arrived’ on the Australian woodworking scene in 1983, and since then his work has developed into areas of sculpture, furnituremaking and the odd bit of cabinet work. andrewpotocnik@ telstra.com
COLWIN WAY Colwin started turning aged 13 and has since gone on to teach the craft. He wishes to continue to give people confidence to try the wonderful hobby for themselves. colwinway@ btinternet.com
CHRIS WEST Chris has spent a good deal of his time designing, turning and writing on the subject of salt & pepper mills. His book, Turning Salt & Pepper Shakers and Mills was published in 2012 by Taunton Press in North America and GMC Publications in the UK. www. westwoodturnery. co.uk
EMILIANO ACHAVAL Emiliano is an ‘almost’ full-time woodturner, demonstrating, selling his turnings, teaching and living on the island of Maui in Hawaii. He is the president of the Maui Woodturners’ Association and one of the pioneers of the Live Remote & Interactive demos. www. hawaiiankoaturner. com
KURT HERTZOG A professional woodturner, demonstrator and teacher, Kurt writes for various woodturning and woodworking publications in the US. He is on the Pen Makers’ Guild Council and is past president of the American Association of Woodturners. kurt@kurthertzog. com kurthertzog.com
RICHARD FINDLEY Richard discovered woodturning while working for his father as a joiner. He makes all kinds of work to commission, and offers demonstrations and a range of woodturning supplies. richard@turners workshop.co.uk turnersworkshop. co.uk
WALTER HALL Walter is a woodturner who has specialised in making pens and pencils for more than 20 years. Based on the beautiful Northumberland coast in the UK, Walter sells his bespoke pens and pencils through local craft centres and via his website. walter@ walterhall.co.uk www.walterhall.co.uk
TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 01273 488 005 OR VISIT WWW.THEGMCGROUP.COM Editor Mark Baker E:
[email protected] Editorial Assistant Karen Scott T: 01273 477374 E:
[email protected] Designer Oliver Prentice Illustrator Mark Carr Chief Photographer Anthony Bailey Advertising Sales Executive Russell Higgins Tel: 01273 402899
E: russel
[email protected] Advertisement Production Production Controller Amanda Hoag Tel: 01273 402807 E:
[email protected] Publisher Jonathan Grogan Production Manager Jim Bulley Subscriptions Manager Helen Johnston T: 01273 402 873 E: hel
[email protected]
Marketing Anne Guillot T: 01273 402871 Origination: GMC Reprographics Printer: Precision Colour Printing T: 01952 585585 Distribution: Seymour Distribution Ltd T: +44 (0) 20 7429 4000 Woodturning (ISSN 0958-9457)
is published 13 times a year by the Guild of Master Craftsmen Publications Ltd. Subscription rates (including postage & packing) 12 issues: UK £47.40 Europe £59.25 Rest of World £66.36 24 issues: UK £94.80 Europe £118.50 Rest of World £132.72 US subscribers should visit www. lightningpublications.com for subscription rates in USD $.
Post your order to: The Subscription Department, GMC Publications, 166 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1XU, England. Telephone: 01273 488005 Fax: 01273 478606 Cheques should be made payable to GMC Publications Ltd. Current subscribers will automatically receive a renewal notice (excludes direct debit) subscribers
Woodturning will consider articles for publication, which should be sent to the Editor together with a stamped-addressed envelope for return. GMC Publications cannot accept liability for the loss or damage of unsolicited material. Views and comments expressed by individuals do not necessarily represent those of the publishers and no legal responsibility can be accepted for the result of the use by readers of information or advice of whatever kind given in this publication, either in editorial or advertisements. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the Guild of Master Craftsmen Publications Ltd.
90
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
DISTRIBUTORS OF QUALITY PRODUCTS
Chisel and plane iron sharpener - take anywhere and sharpen in seconds.
Quality range of woodworking hand tools made in Europe.
TOMAHAWK TOOLS
A quality range of professional Drill bits and accessories from Germany.
Range of the toughest tool bags with a 5 year downtime warranty.
A quality range of professional tools and accessories.
Quality cutting tool range which includes Router cutters, Spindle Moulding, saw blades, holesaws and many more from Italy.
FOR YOUR NEAREST STOCKIST VISIT
www.tomaco.co.uk
Limerick & District Chapter of the Irish Woodturners Guild Tom O’Halloran shares with us some insight into his local woodturning club
The Irish Woodturners Guild (IWG) was founded in 1983 and developed into the very successful organisation it is today by having a network of chapters (clubs) around the country, which provide an opportunity for woodturners to meet likeminded people and develop their skills.
S N I L L O C N A D N E R
B N A M R I A H C B U L C D N A N A R O L L A H ’ O M O T Y B S H P A R G O T O H P
92
Membership of the guild is open to all who are part-time or full-time professional woodturners, and hobby woodturners. The Limerick & District Chapter was founded in March 1991 and has always been a very acti ve and vibrant club. The chapter covers a large geographical area in the Mid-West region of Ireland, with woodturners from counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary making up our membership. We have a membership of 30 woodturners, ranging in experience from the professional to the hobby
turners. The Limerick & District chapter has boasted some notable woodturners in its ranks over the years, including the internationally renowned Brother Ciaran Forbes and the late Liam Flynn who were both founding members. Liam was recognised worldwide as being an extremely talented artist and woodturner with his pieces featuring in some of the world’s most prestigious galleries. He was a great supporter of the chapter, demonstrating at our workshops and seminars down through the years, particularly our 25th anniversary seminar which we held in May 2016. Sadly Liam Flynn passed away suddenly earlier this year. Donal Ryan is another of our chapter members who has won various competitions for his work at the IWG
national seminars, including achieving first place in the professional section. Donal was also one of the main demonstrators at the IWG National Seminar in 2015 when he shared the stage with some eminent international woodturners. Some of the founding members are still active in the chapter, including our chairman, Brendan Collins, vice-chairman John Ryan and Pat Collin s, while many others have been members for in excess of 20 years. MEETINGS
The chapter meets on the last Thursday of each month for our workshop. The chapter workshops are well attended and provide an opportunity for members to share their experience and display their recent pieces in the monthly www.woodworkersinstitute.com
CLUB PROFILE
competitions. The demonstrators for the workshops are drawn from some of the chapter’s experienced members, and also from other chapters in the Irish Woodturners Guild. There is a great spirit of camaraderie in the chapter, and this becomes evident in the manner in which it comes together to complete the project for the Chapter Challenge. CHAPTER CHALLENGE
The Chapter Challenge is a competition in which all the chapters are given a project to make and compete with each other at the IWG National Seminar. The chapter has competed in all but one of the IWG challenges with our crowning glory coming at the 2016 National Seminar when we achieved first place with our chess set, table and box. The Chapter Challenge winning team was Brendan Collins, John Ryan, Liam C ashin, Eoin Barry, Dick Ross, Pat Collins, Donal Ryan and Tom O’Halloran. PROMOTING WOODTURNING
The chapter takes every opportunity to promote woodturning by attending craft events and having members demonstrate their skills and display t heir work. We also do school visits where we give presentations on the history of woodturning and in particular the IWG and our own chapter. The younger children are amazed as they see the various project s emerge from the blocks of wood, and there is great competition to see who gets to take home the spinning tops, etc. An old treadle lathe was donated to the chapter by the family of the late John O’Connor, who was a stalwart of the club. The lathe was restored by the chapter and donated to the local Old Irish Ways Museum and is on permanent display.
Display of members’ work
IWG 35TH ANNIVERSARY
Next year will be the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Irish Woodturners Guild and the honour of hosting the 2018 National Seminar is falling to the Limerick & Distr ict Chapter. The venue for the seminar is the Radisson Blu Hotel, which is located on the outskirts of Limerick city. Limerick city is in the heart of the Mid-West region on the banks of the majestic river Shannon. The seminar hotel is two miles from Limerick city on the Limerick, Clare county border, only 15 minutes from Shannon International Airport, and just off the motorway network. • Contact information
www.iwg.ie www.limerickwoodturners.com
Chapter Challenge winning chess set, table and box
Woodturning 309 93
When you need a reliable tradesman for work on your home… …choose a member of The Guild of Master Craftsmen . For a tradesman you can trust – and a job done well.
The only place to list members of The Guild of Master Craftsmen exclusively
www.norfolksawservices.co.uk Visit us on-line or in-store for Woodwork Machinery, Power Tools & Accessories from the UK’s top brands
Norfolk Saw Services, Dog Lane, Horsford, Norwich NR10 3DH Tel: 01603 898695 E-mail:
[email protected]
KIT & TOOLS
Kit & Tools A collection of press releases showing the latest tools and products on the market All prices are correct at time of going to press but are subject to change without notice. Products from US & overseas to UK are subject to shipping & taxes
PROKRAFT EXPANDS CLOCK RANGE Prokraft has expanded the range of insert clock kits aimed at the craft woodturner. Adding to its skeleton clock range, there are now al so 49mm, 61mm, 82mm and 110mm insert clocks with a variety of finishes available. These easy-to-fit kits are fun, simple projects and always popular at craft fairs and as gifts and are great for utilising small offcut s of wood. The kits have either a rubber ring fitting or spring clip fitting, making them easy to install. As always Prokraft provides all the dimension details on its website.
Price From £4.99 plus P&P Contact: ProKraft Web: www.prokraft.co.uk
AXMINSTER ENGINEER’S VICES The new Axminster trade vices for engineers have been made using spheroidal graphite cast iron, chosen for its wear resistance and high compressive strength. They feature a swivelling mount allowing 35° movement left and right so virtually any workpiece can be clamped in a good working position. The main screw has a trapezoidal thread, fully protected from dirt and debris inside a precise cylindrical guide. Adjustment is smooth over the full working range. Two zinc-chrome-plated locking nuts with tommy bars
secure the vice in your chosen position. The hardened steel jaws (45HRC ± 5HRC) are replaceable. At the rear, the vice features an anvil, providing a surface for a variety of tasks. The vices come in four sizes: 80mm, 100mm, 125mm and 150mm.
Price From £54.36 to £188.32 Contact: Axminster Tools & Machinery Website: www.axminster.co.uk
Conversion chart
2mm ( 5 / 64in) 3mm ( 1 / 8in) 4mm ( 5 / 32in) 6mm ( 1 / 4in) 7mm ( 9 / 32in) 8mm ( 5 / 16in) 9mm ( 11 / 32in) 10mm ( 3 / 8in) 11mm ( 7 / 16in) 12mm ( 1 / 2in) 13mm ( 1 / 2in) 14mm ( 9 / 16in) 15mm ( 9 / 16in) 16mm ( 5 / 8in) 17mm ( 11 / 16in) 18mm ( 23 / 32in) 19mm ( 3 / 4in) 20mm ( 3 / 4 in) 21mm ( 13 / 16in) 22mm ( 7 / 8in) 23mm ( 29 / 32in) 24mm ( 15 / 16in) 25mm (1in) 30mm (11 / 8in) 32mm (11 / 4 in) 35mm (13 / 8in) 38mm (11 / 2in) 40mm (15 / 8in) 45mm (13 / 4in) 50mm (2in) 55mm (21 / 8 -21 / 4in) 60mm (23 / 8in) 63mm (2½in) 65mm (25 / 8in) 70mm (23 / 4in) 75mm (3in) 80mm (31 / 8in) 85mm (31 / 4in) 90mm (31 / 2in) 93mm (32 / 3in) 95mm (33 / 4in) 100mm (4in) 105mm (41 / 8in) 110mm (41 / 4 -43 / 8in) 115mm (4½in) 120mm (43 / 4in) 125mm (5in) 130mm (51 / 8in) 135mm (51 / 4in) 140mm (51 / 2in) 145mm (53 / 4in) 150mm (6in) 155mm (61 / 8in) 160mm (61 / 4in) 165mm (61 / 2in) 170mm (63 / 4in) 178mm (67 / 8in) 180mm (7in) 185mm (71 / 4in) 190mm (7½in) 195mm (73 / 4in) 200mm (8in) 305mm (12in) 405mm (16in) 510mm (20in) 610mm (24in) 710mm (28in) 815mm (32in) 915mm (36in) 1015mm (40in) 1120mm (44in) 1220mm (48in) 1320mm (52in) 1420mm (56in) 1525mm (60in)
Woodturning 309 95
Rolly Munro Wundercutt10 Andy Coates tests the new hollowing tool from Rolly Munro P H O T O G R A P H S B Y A N D Y C O A T E S U N L E S S O T H E R W I S E S T A R T E D
I was delighted to receive the Wundercutt10 for a trial as I have used the old version extensively and had found it to be a very versatile tool . The Wundercutt10 hollowing tool comprises a metal shaft which is 16mm thick, at the end of which is an articulated cutting head consisting of two linked pieces. At the end of that is the cutting head, which has a 10mm TCT circular cutter over which is a fully adjustable shield which acts as a chip/cut limiter and shaving ejector. It also came with a foam-covered metal handle which has a lobed knob at the top end to lock the blade shaf t into the handle, and also a raised bump on the opposite side of the handle to the knob. This bump is there as another control point when adjusting the presentation angle of the tool when cutting. The tool and handle also came with a set of wrenches/keys for adjusting the cutter and articulations, etc. On checking the ToolPost website, you can buy the hollowing blade only as an option rather than the three-piece set which I was sent.
96
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
P H O T O G R A P H B Y A N T H O N Y B A I L E Y / G M C P U B L I C A T I O N S
The handle, blade and set of w renches
Setting up Setting it up for work is simplicity itself, and I quickly figured out the newly designed chip limiter and cut depth setting. The cutter itself requires no preparatory work and is ready out of the packaging. www.woodworkersinstitute.com
ON TEST
As I use these types of tool predominantly for deep hollowing, that is what I tried to do with it first. Acer spp.) I used freshly felled sycamore ( and beech ( Fagus spp.), some very old, bone-dry oak ( Quercus spp.) and a dense Australian burr that had been on a shelf for about 10 years for t he purposes of evaluating the tool.
Cutting wet wood As I might have expected, when used on the green wood the tool was a delight. Once I had found and set the appropriate clearance on the limiter the tool cut through the wood like a dream. Set ting the articulated tip is simply a matter of slackening off the machine scre w and adjusting. An impressive feature related to this, which I haven’t seen on other tools, is the machined striations – effec tively a rack on the underside of the mating faces of the articulations with the Torx key acting as a pinion. These surf aces mate on tightening and produce a rock-solid position. This is an important function when deep hollowing. Some other tools I have use d have been prone to the articulation moving during work due to the stresses on the end of the tool. Cutting dry wood Using the tool on the dry o ak and burr was no less successful, and it continued to cut well, although the results with these timbers were not lovely long streamers of shavings – but then I wouldn’t have expected them. Adjusting the chip deflector is as simple as adjusting the articula tion, and is just a machine scre w. The limiter slides backwards or forwards and locates securely in the chosen position. On the green wood this allowed f or an aggressive cut , and on the harder, drier woods it allowed the depth of cut to be reduced to something more appropriate. The finest setting also proved excellent for a finishing cut. I don’t use this type of tool for anything other than hollowing, but having seen Rolly use them on other vessels I thought I’d give it a tr y on a bowl and spindle blank. I’ll admit to be ing somewhat surprised at the result s. I had reservations about using it on a crossgrain blank, but hollowing a bowl was a quick and unproblematic process. The tool dealt with it admirably and, as I say, surprisingly well. The results on a spindle blank were a little less succes sful but I blame myself, not the tool... I think I am too set in my ways and would need a little practice to be comfortable using it in this manner.
A close- up of the ar ticulated head, cutter, shield and rack and pinion
Hollowing out a sycamore vessel
Conclusion So the turning trials were largely a great success and I’d be more than happy to use it as a primary tool. I can’t attest to the durability of the actual cutter because I haven’t used it for long enough, but it was still cutting well after using it on some vicious burr, so I expec t it will prove to have a durable edge and it can be rotated to provide a fresh edge when required. The build quality of the unit is super b. It is clear that a c onsiderable amount of thought has gone into designing the tool, and production values obviously followed the same course. If I can be picky, I preferred the ball-type side handle of the old tool to the new lobed version, but that’s just me. After a long period of hollowing I found the lobed handle uncomfortable. One further slight gripe is the foam covering on the handle. During a couple of days of use i t seemed to become a little slack , but this could be an aberration and, if I’m honest, I’d probably just wrap the end in duct tape. Would I recommend the tool to a student on a hollowing course? Without a moment’s hesitation. Will I be adding one to the rack beside its older sibling? Without question. It really is a superb tool.
Articul ated head adjuste d to reach under t he shoulder
Prices Rolly Munro Wundercutt10 with one TCT insert, sharpening dowel, wrenches, handle: £218.88 Rolly Munro Wundercutt 10 with one TCT insert, sharpening dowel, wrenches, unhandled: £181.83 Rolly Munro 10mm TCT cutter for Wundercutt10: £14.87 For further information contact: The ToolPost www.toolpost.co.uk Woodturning 309 97
FULL CARVING RANGE AVAILABLE IN THE UK!
New Products
Professional ‘Profi’ Range
This new carving drawknife is just one of the many new products from Narex.
Profi are handmade tools of the highest quality, designed especially for professional carvers. Blades are made of Chrome-Vanadium tool steel and heat treated to the hardness of 61-62 HRc.
The Narex range is regularly increasing to make it one of the worldwide market leaders in carving and woodworking tools.
Sold in kits or individually with a wide selection to choose from.
Whether you’re just starting or an experienced carver, Narex have something in the range for you.
Starting Range
Thinking of getting into carving? Narex offer a range of styles to help you, such as the pictured set which contains 5 tools, a block of Lime and instructions to get you on your way. A great gift for you or someone else.
FIND YOUR NEAREST NAREX CARVING CENTRE AT
Manufactured in Europe with almost 100 years experience, Narex really know what is needed when making the finest quality hand tools. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH NEW PRODUCTS AND EVENTS.
www.tomaco.co.uk
TIMBER, TOOLS & ACCESSORIES COURSES
Advertisers Index Axminster 41 & IBC Beaufort Ink 16 Carter Products Company 50 Chestnut Finishing Products 64 Classic Hand Tools - The European Woodworking Show 49 Cook Woods 64 Craft Supplies USA 22 Creative Welsh Woodturning 35 Crown Hand Tools 22 Exotic Blanks 16 GPS Agencies 82 Hamlet Craft Tools 35 & 66 Hampshire Sheen 34 Killinger Lathes 44 Laguna Tools 2 Niles Bottle Stoppers 64 Norfolk Saw Services 94 Olivers Woodturning 65 Oneway Manufacturing 58 Osmo 55 Paul Howard Woodturning 55 Planet Plus 58
Record Power IFC & 1 Robert Sorby BC Robust Tools 72 Ron Brown’s Best 42 Simon Hope Woodturning 79 Stainless Bottle Stoppers 55 & 94 Starbond 58 Stiles & Bates 34 The Beall Tool Company 55 The European Woodworking Show 2017 Feature 12 & 13 The Toolpost 28, 41 & 70 Tomaco 91 Tomaco - Narex 98 Toolnut 84 Trent Bosch 82 Turners Retreat 56 & 57 Verktøy As 6 Wivamac 77 Woodchuckers Supplies 82 Woodworkers Emporium 66 Yandles 44
Learn to turn in Somerset with George Foweraker RPT
One to one tuition with a Registered Professional Turner
Maximum of two students
Telephone 01278 782074 www.artistry-in-wood.co.uk
Woodturning courses in the Dordogne, South West France
Steve Giles
• ½ days beginners and beyond
one to one tuition - beginners to advanced
• Specialist in wall sculptures
2 students by arrangement
• One to one
Gift vouchers available
• Special package of up to 5 half days turning with self
Woodturning Courses in West Berkshire
• Gift vouchers
For more information
01635 45930
[email protected] www.stevegileswoodturning.co.uk
John Mitchell | Web: le-artisan.com Tel: +44 (0)5 53 60 74 38 | Email:
[email protected] Atelier l’âme du bois, Chez Parot, 24340, Leguillac de Cercles
TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL RUSSELL: 01273 402841
Woodturning 309
99
CLASSIFIED TIMBER, TOOLS & ACCESSORIES
NAREX - FLEXCUT - CHESTNUT PRODUCTS - LIBERON
E-MAIL:
[email protected]
100
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
WWW.JUSTWOODONLINE.CO.UK
TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL RUSSELL: 01273 402841
TIMBER, TOOLS & ACCESSORIES CLASSIFIED
Woodworking Materials Large selection of products
Allan Calder’s Ltd Sandpaper
Supplies
Unit 2B Churnet Works, James Brindley Road, Leek, Staffordshire ST13 8YH
Clocks & Accessories (Quartz & Mechanical), Barometers, Thermometers, Cabinet fur niture, Screws, Plans, Kits, Polishes, Adhesives, Abrasives etc. For free catalogue please contact,
We are supplying top quality brands of sanding abrasives for all types of wood turners.
Chris Milner, Woodworking Supplies (Dept WT), Beresford Lane, Woolley Moor, Nr Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55 6FH
Web: www.sandpapersupplies.co.uk
Tel/Fax: 01246 590 062 Email:
[email protected]
Email:
[email protected] Tel: 01538 387738
LINCOLNSHIRE WOODCRAFT SUPPLIES
Easy to find - Only 2 mins from A1 - Easy to Park Specialist in High Quality Turning Blanks in Both Homegrown and Exotic Timbers. Over 60 timbers in stock. OPEN 9.00AM - 4.30PM MON - FRI 9.00AM - 1.00PM SAT Send six First Class stamps for our MAIL ORDER CATALOGUE FOR EXPERT ADVICE CONTACT:
ROBIN STOREY
THE OLD SAW MILL , BURGHLEY PARK , LONDON ROAD , STAMFORD , LINCS PE9 3JS TEL: 01780 757825 NEW WEBSITE: WWW.LINCOLNSHIREWOODCRAFT .CO. UK
3 d 3 t J P 6 L 0 1 6 s 8 2 8 n U 8 9 o G 7 , 1 0 S h : t r f & o 1 t t 1 s w e 6 1 e P , 6 8 W 8 . m a 9 7 L h . l e 1 S 0 : W t
Hardwoods
Wood finishes
Australian Burrs
“Variable Speed Kits for Woodturning”
Exotic Timbers
Speed Genie
Woodturning Blanks Woodturning Courses (see website for dates)
Woodworking Tools
Fencing, Gate & Decking Products
Features: • Mains illuminated On/Off switch • Start/Stop switch • Speed control dial • Kit suitable for the Record CL2 and CL3 lathes • 1 HP kit £449 delivered
Bespoke Garden Furniture
(Inclusive delivery applies to main routes except Highlands and Islands)
• Other kits available
Off A272 Midhurst to Petworth road opp The Halfway Bridge Inn
0 0 £ 4 4 9.
r e d ! D e l i v e
www.trucutbandsaws.co.uk
S. Haydock Tel/Fax: (01254) 851918 www.haydockconverters.co.uk Email:
[email protected]
TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL RUSSELL: 01273 402841
Woodturning 309
101
CLASSIFIED TIMBER, TOOLS & ACCESSORIES
Mastering Woodturning DVD series Two new DVDs by Glenn Lucas demonstrate how to make a Traditional Irish Platter (DVD 4) and a Dublin Viking Bowl (DVD 5). Purchase DVD or download from www.glennlucaswoodturning.com Buy all 5 and get free shipping.
BINDERS Now you can keep your magazines in order and build up a complete practical reference library. UK £
Europe £
Rest of World £
Binder (each)
£8.99
£8.99
£7.49 (excl. VAT)
P&P for first binder
£2.95
£3.95
£4.95
P&P for any additional binders
£1.95
£1.95
£4.95
I would like to order
binder(s) for Woodturning
....................
Mr/Mrs/Miss/Other ..............................................................................Name .................................................................................................... Surname .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Address................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. .......................................................................................................................................Postcode ..................................................................................................... Country..................................................................................................................................Tel ..................................................................................................... Email..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
ORDER ONLINE: www.thegmcgroup.com
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
I enclose a cheque (made payable to GMC Publications Ltd.) Please debit my credit/debit card (please indicate) £
TO THE VALUE OF Card Number Expiry Date
Security Code
The last 3 or 4 digits on the signature strip
Card Type
Signature
Date
Guild o Master Crafsman Publications Ltd. will ensure that you are kept up to date on other products which will be o interest to you. I you would preer not to be inormed o uture offers, please tick this box Offer ends 31/11/2017
SEND FORM TO: FREEPOST
CALL: +44 (0) 1273 488005
102
These stylish and durable binders each hold up to 13 issues and are an ideal way to protect your magazine collection.
RTHA -TGLU -CTSK, GMC Publications Ltd, 166 High Street, Lewes, BN7 1XU (Please affix a stamp if posting from overseas) Please allow 28 days for delivery
TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL RUSSELL: 01273 402841
TIMBER, TOOLS & ACCESSORIES CLASSIFIED
Barkers Lane, Snainton, Nr. Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO13 9BG
WOODWORKING SUPPLIES
Write for Us
www.snaintonwoodworking.com
Visit our woodstore to see our large stock of British/Exotic timbers. Join our wood discount club for only £15 per year and receive 25% off all British Turning/Carving blanks when spending £20
Writing books about Woodworking Have you ever thought of writing, or have you written, a book about your passion for woodworking? Do you long to fill the gaps of your existing library? Then why not contact us with your original idea or fresh approach to your specialist subject? New and inexperienced writers will be given expert advice and guidance by our friendly and professional team. WEEKEND WOODWORKI NG PLANS & PROJECTS 12 IINGENIOUS PROJECTS J T
Woodturning
TRICKERY
PETER BENSON
NOVA LATHES
CHARNWOOD
W711 8" Bandsaw W715 10" Bandsaw B350 14" Premium Bandsaw W815 Mini Lathe W813 Vari Speed Lathe W408 6" x 4" Belt/Disc Sander DS50 Dust Extractor
£159 £219 £589 £189 From £390 £179 £115
CHUCKS AND ACCESSORIES
Charnwood Viper 2 Chuck £89 Charnwood Viper 3 Chuck £99 Charnwood Nexus 3 Chuck £99 Record RP2000 Scroll Chuck From £59.99 Record SC3 Geared Scroll Chuck Package £89.99 Record SC4 Geared Scroll Chuck Package £119.99 Record SC4 Companion Chuck £79.99 Nova G3 Scroll Chuck From £96 Supernova 2 Chuck From £114 NEW Longworth Style Chuck 3 sizes From £99.95 DRAPER
MARK BAKER
DAVID SPRINGETT
BBS450 Bobbin Sander
£120
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Write to:
Face Shield and Visor £9.60 Elipse Half Mask £18.95 Elipse Integra Mask £36.75 Elipse Protective Case £11.40 Trend Airace £43.60 Trend Airshield Free Delivery UK Mainland £209 Microclene MC280 Air Cleaner Ex Display £210
Emma Foster, Publishing Coordinator, The Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd, 86 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, UK, BN7 1XN Telephone: +44 (0) 1273 477374 Email:
[email protected] Website: www.thegmcgroup.com
TEL: 01723 859545 Open Mon-Fri 9.00am - 5.00pm Saturday 9.00am - 4.00pm Sun + Bank hols CLOSED
Nova Comet II Midi Lathe Nova Comet II Midi Lathe & G3 Chuck
£515 £569
RECORD
DML250 Cast Iron 10" Mini Lathe £199 DML305-M33 Midi Lathe £299 DML320 Cast Midi Lathe 3/4HP From £499 CL3 Lathe M33 2MT From £499 CL4 Lathe M33 2MT From £899 Coronet Herald Heavy Duty Cast Iron VS Lathe £899 Maxi 1 Lathe £1799 SS16V 16" Scroll Saw £105 BS9 9" Bandsaw Inc. 2 Blades £179 BS250 10" Bandsaw From £259 BS300 12" Bandsaw Inc. 3 Blades £499 BS350S Premium 14" Bandsaw £699 BS400S Premium 16" Bandsaw £999 DX1000 45 Ltr Dust Extractor £119.99 BDS150 6" x 4" Belt/Disc Sander £139.99 RSBG6 6" Bench Grinder £59.99 RSBG8 8" Bench Grinder £79.99 WG200 PK/A Wet Stone Sharpening System £149.99 WG250 PK/A Wet Stone Sharpening System £239 DP58B H/D Bench Drill £299 DP58P H/D Pedestal Drill £369 ROBERT SORBY
6 Pc Chisel Set 67HS Free Delivery UK Mainland £135 ProEdge Free Delivery UK Mainland £278 ProEdge Deluxe Free Delivery UK Mainland £330
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR EMAIL/NEWSLETTER It's free to join @ www.snaintonwoodworking.com Keep up to date with offers, new products & demonstration days
@GMCbooks
Woodturning
THE WOOD SHED 11 Lowtown Road Temple Patrick Co. Antrim BT39 0HD 02894 433833 www.wood-shed.com
magazine is the best platform for reaching your target market native and exotic woods woodturning tools accessories • finishes woodturning courses for all abilities Jet Sheppach
To advertise contact Russell on
01273 402841 or
[email protected]
SIP
Suppliers of quality blanks, spindles and boards in native hardwoods and exotics. Also abrasives and finishes. We will c ut to customers requirements. Visits to clubs welcome. Mail order available. Tredegar House Newport NP10 8TW Tel: 01633 810148 Mob: 07854 349045 www.iscawoodcrafts.co.uk
[email protected]
BWS
BWS
Barmossie Woodturning Supplies
Barmossie Woodturning Supplies
Moss of Barmuckity, Elgin, IV30 8QW
Unit 25, Twitch Hill, Horbury,
Fox
Microclene Triton Charnwood
Startrite Record
07966 298026
TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL RUSSELL: 01273 402841
01924 271868 07966 298026
Open every Saturday
Open every Saturday
8am - 5pm
8am - 5pm
Woodturning 309
103
The Amazing Doll Cynthia Carden Gibson shares with us how her new series, The Amazing Doll, came into being The sweet voice of The Amazing Doll was first heard in 2016 as I attended two artistic collaborative events. These events offer artists the opportunity to expand outside their usual body of work. Creating a Kokeshi-style doll had been in my thoughts for years and these events seemed the perfect time to act on those ideas. After seeing exciting reactions, I decided to take a serious journey into doll-making. Woodturning friends Dale Larson and Cindy Drozda tur ned
the first beautiful doll forms for my embellishment. Visionary ar tist Binh Pho and I are also collaborating on a bespoke range of The Amazing Doll that includes dolls with multiple pieces, as well as a beautiful teapot. Dolls keep us in touch with the child within, keep us young at heart and seem to speak to all ages and genders. Often, as makers, we are given subtle clues on creative direction and – if we listen – our direction becomes cryst al clear. This
journey has truly been a labour of love among friends and a joy in my life. About the artist
Cynthia Carden Gibson, who lives and works in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is a pyrographic designer working with woodturners and sculptors. She is influenced by a love of fashion and Asian art. To see more or for inquiries: www.cynthiagibsonpyrography.com www.theamazingdoll.com
S N O I T A C I L B U P C M G / R E K A B K R A M Y B S H P A R G O T O H P
Collaboration between Dale Larson and Cynthia Carden Gibson 104
The Amazing Doll teapot – a collaboration between Binh Pho & Cynthia Carden Gibson
www.woodworkersinstitute.com ww.woodworkersinstitute.com
Take your turning to the next level with Axminster Evolution
An unequalled range of super precision chucks and accessories, all uniquely designed and manufactured by those who truly understand woodturning. Design innovation, combined with excellent materials and superb manufacturing techniques, produce a range of matchless British made woodturning tools and accessories. S TE R • E E
N I
M
X
A
N A
•
F
V
F I
V
E U Y E A R G
Evolution SK114 Chuck From £189.95
Woodturning Handle £49.94
A
N A
•
F
R A
I
V
Pro Drive £32.95
T
N A
R
A E U Y E A R G
E U Y E A R G
Clubman SK100 Chuck £134.95
S TE R • E E
N I
M
X
T
•
R A
I
S TE R • E E
N I
M
X
T
A
Clubman SK80 Chuck £114.95
Hollow Live Chip Ejection Centre £35.95
Powered Respirator £219.75
Long Hole Boring Kit £74.90
Probe with Carbide Cutter £35.36 Offset Probe with Carbide Cutter £39.36
NEW Available soon!
Compression Pen Mandrel £44.94
Revolving Centre £69.95
Counterbore Kit £35.95
Tool Rest System From £7.96
Woodturning Smock £29.96
For more information, call 0800 371822 , search axminster.co.uk or visit one of our stores.
Axminster • Basingstoke • Cardiff • High Wycombe • North Shields • Nuneaton • Sittingbourne • Warrington Prices include VAT and may be subject to change without notice.
