AAW frequently sends me links to articles and videos that may be of interest to members. I am including links on this page for articles from 2nd quarter, 2020
06/30/2020
Article:“Food-Safe Finishes”-Bob Flexner
Article: “Food Safe Finishes”-Rob Wallace
Video: “ Turning a Dyed Salad Bowl”-Rob Summerlin
Video: “ Sanding Sealer Information”-Gord Rock
Tip of the week: “Ask the Expert: Sealing Vessels”– Rob Wallace offers options for sealing a drinking vessel based on wood type, use, durability, and more.
06/26/2020
Article:“An Eye for Platters”
Article: “Textured Rim Platters”-John Lucas
Video: “ Platters and Grain Direction-part 1″ – Stuart Batty
Video: “ Platters and Grain Direction-part 2″ -Stuart Batty
Video: “Turning a Wood Platter”- Glenn Lucas
Tip of the week: “A Worthy Stand”- John Wessels
06/19/2020
Article:“The Ins and Outs of Piercing”-Malcolm Zander
Article: “Nightlights”-Paul Stafford
Article: “ Pierced and Colored Eggs”-Patricia Spero and Gabor Lacko
Video: “Woodturning Lidded Boxes”-Carl Jacobson
Tip of the week: “Making Your Work Different Using Piercing”-Joey Richardson
06/10/2020
Article: “Hollowing a Simple Form”-Walt Wager
Article: “Turning Hollow Forms: We’ll Start with Miniatures,”-Molly Winton
Article: “ “Hollow and Thin Two-Piece Form”-Brian McEvoy
Video: “Woodturning – Beginners Guide #2 – A Lidded Box”-Mike Waldt
Video: “Cherry Hollow Form”-Rob Summerlin
Tip of the week: “Centerline for hollowing”-Dennis Weiner “
05/29/2020
Article: “Top o’ the Mornin” Three articles all dedicated to top making.
Article: “Play with Clay”-Walt Wager. Steps for turning a polymer clay top.
Article: “Japanese Top Turnery”- Alan Lacer
Video: “Polymer Clay Spinning Tops}”-Walt Wager
Video: “Spin Tops”-Jeff Hornung
Tip of the week:
TOPS: Troubleshooting Structural Problems with Spin
If practice does not overcome spinning difficulties, the top itself may need tuning. First, make sure the tip is smooth. If you feel a burr, use very fine sandpaper to sand the tip perpendicular to the top’s axis, but do so very lightly. If the point is off center, you may have to carefully remount the top in a jam or vacuum chuck to true the tip. You can also try to balance a wobbly top, but it takes a bit of an effort. It is obviously better to use uniform wood initially. My brother, a mechanical engineer, floats his tops in water. The heavy side will roll to the bottom. You can remove or add weight as you please to stop or retard the rolling. (A drop of dish soap will break down the water’s surface tension.) With some persistence you can balance the top to very tight tolerances and make it spin a very long time, as well as go into a deep “sleep.”
05/15/2020
Article: “A Kit is a Kit is a Kit Right?”-Jon Magill
Article: “New Directions in Wood: The Creative Style of Jeanne Douphrate”-J Paul Fennell
Video: “Bottle Stopper Demonstration”-Michael Roper
Video: “How to Make an Awl”-Mike Peace
Tip of the week:
Grain Support. To avoid breaks, always orient grain to support points of the piece that will be under the most stress or tension. Rebecca DeGroot, Spring, TX
(About influences) “I knew at a very young age that I wanted to be an artist. Without even realizing it, my mom taught me a great deal.’ Jeanne remembers her mother casually talking to her about the qualities of light and shadows when they were outdoors and at other times, such as while shopping for clothes, about the depth, quality, and composition of colors.”-Jeanne Douphrate
05/08/2020
Article: “Influence and Inspiration: The Evolving Art of Woodturning”-Kevin Wallace
Article: “Turning, Inspiration, and Friendship”-Keith Burns
Article: “No Two Stems Alike: An Organic Collaboration”-Jeff Chelf
Article: “Segments with Sketchup”-David Heim
Video: “Sketchup for Segmenters”-David Heim
Tip of the week: “Lighting Tips”-Reid Gray aka “Robo Hippy”
“If you only look to other woodturners for inspiration, your possible outcomes are limited. If you look around your world at all objects, there are unending possibilities for inspiration.” – Beth Ireland
04/30/2020
Article: “Lathe Tune-up”-Jim Rodgers
Article: “Removing Vibration from Your Lathe”-Sal Marino
Video: “Elements of a Successful Demonstration”-Sam Angelo
Tip of the week: “Ask the Expert: Reeves Drives”-John Lucas
Jean LeGwin on building her dream workshop. “I remembered the cold in my shop in Boston, so air conditioning and heating were very important. I also wanted space, so my shop has a thirty-foot-square footprint. Because of all my years as a production manager, I am very conscious of workflow, so I have a big roll-up door for bringing wood right to my bandsaw, and I have a flexible layout with lots of natural light.”
04/24/2020
Article: “Carved Feet Made Simple”-Richard Morris
Article: “Levitating Vessels: A Perfect Balance of Materials and Proportions”-Gary Sanders
Video: “Introduction to Multi-Axis Spindle Turning: The Essence of Multi-Axis Spindle Turning”-Barbara Dill
Video: “Demonstration of a Simple Multi-Axis Spindle”-Barbara Dill
Tip of the week: “What is causing the marks on my bowl when I use a vacuum chuck?”-John Lucas
“Much of my design is pretty subjective and difficult to put into words. I like to create the illusion that each piece is floating, almost magically, but I don’t have any definite rules as to what works. My eye seems to know if the arrangement is working.” – Gary Sanders
04/17/2020
Article: “Project: Keeping the Lid on with Hidden Magnets”-John Kelsey
Article: “Curt Theobald: Elements of a Balanced Life”-Terry Martin
Video: “Using Magnets in the Woodturning Workshop”-Alan Zenreich
Tip of the week: “Magnets”-Dan Burleson
Benefits of a Repeat Project
“When I started making these boxes, I lost about half the blanks by turning into the embedded magnets—highly maddening. Magnet placement was imprecise, as were my lid-to-bowl joints. So I dropped back to making simple, flat boxes without magnets. I made more than thirty before returning to magnetic boxes, which required me to kick up my blank-prep and turning skills. With care and attention to detail, I’ve taken care of hostess and holiday gifts for yet another year.” -John Kelsey
04/10/2020
Article: “Biomechanics and Body Movement at the Lathe- Eric Lofstrom
Video: “Garden Dibble”-Nick Cook
Video:“Biomechanics and Body Movement at the Lathe- Eric Lofstrom
Tip of the week: “Reshaping a Parting Tool”-Janice Levi
“Working with wood has been a source of peaceful intrigue since my childhood. When creating at the lathe, I try to practice ‘presence,’ or mindfulness, so I can stay safe and make the most of my time creatively. I strive to balance the seemingly opposite goals of absolute physical control and creative surrender. On my best days, I can zoom in on the finest material details, while also acknowledging how various elements might play to a piece’s artistic message. Approaching studio time in this way may not be the most productive in terms of volume, but it allows me to explore and fully understand things in a more satisfying way.
As an artist, I aim to create clean-lined forms with minimal distraction. I use grain, color, and texture to invite an intimate conversation with my work. I enjoy working within self-prescribed constraints, focusing my exploration to develop philosophical concepts into series. Currently, my work represents curiosities relating to water, energy, and the human spirit.” -Eric Lofstrom
04/03/2020
Article: ” “Concepts for a Woodturner’s Guitar”-Bernie Hrytzak
Article:“Damage-Control Plugs: Music to my Ears”-Grace Lewis
Video: “Cross Grain Bowl with Matching Lid”-Alan Stratton
Video: “Dizzy Bowl Jr.“-Steven Mellott
Tip of the week: “Small Shop Space Savers“-Mark Evans
“My goals as a woodturner are twofold: first to highlight the natural beauty already present in the wood, and second, to continue to learn and push my skills.” -Jason Clark