Meetings 2nd Tuesday of each month.
The next meeting will be March 14
Meetings are held
at the small pre-school building on the corner of County Line Road & Ridge
Avenue
Social hour @
2006 Officers and
Contacts
|
President |
Mark Anderson |
732.477.0156 |
|
Vice President |
Tom Jones |
732.571.9636 |
|
Treasurer |
Buren Gilpin |
732.223.9861 |
|
Librarian |
Bruce Perlmutter |
732.530.5762 |
|
Secretary |
John Puckhaber |
732.920.1915 |
|
Newsletter |
John Puckhaber |
732.920.1915 |
Newsletter Guy’s
Editorial:
This year, 2006, promises to be even more interesting for us than ever before. We now have a program committee, which has lined up some possibilities for this spring and next fall: a demon-stration of inside out turning by a well known turner from eastern PA, and a demo of small lidded boxes, also by a very good and experienced turner from PA. We also will learn all there is to know about taking pictures of our work (details later). The most important thing about pictures: “It is much harder to make bad pictures okay on line than it is to take a better photo.” (Roger Austen, in a web design editorial in the Summer 2000 issue of the AAW Journal.
On another topic…you all know how I have been bugging you about the benefits of joining the AAW: The great journal, the resources, the insurance, etc, etc, and the available educational grants available to members. Well…one of our members has just been awarded a nice sum of $$ to study whatever aspect of turning he wishes (come to the meeting to find out the details and how YOU TOO may apply for and maybe get a grant).
On training and mentoring…almost without exception, every world class turner I have encountered at demos, symposia, or craft and art shows, has partly learned his (her) craft by attending a turning class at least once, mostly more, during their turning career. The AAW has a list of learning opportunities on its website, and some of our own accomplished members offer classes as well. I’ve taken a couple of classes and plan to take more. I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned from the generous sharing of others’ expertise.
Finally, Mark, Russell, and I attended the Tylersport turning and carving fair this month in PA put on by the Bucks County Turners. It was the best deal in turning history: $5 a day got us world class demos, continuous floor demos by a bunch of top notch turners, and a lot of fellowship with great turning folks. They had a good turnout, so they will again host it in 2007. We’ll keep you posted
In line with our efforts to bring you better and more interesting programming, March’s meeting will focus on photographing our work:
Tom Jones
presents
“Photography
for Turners”
Tom, as you know, is our new VP and webmaster. He is the one responsible for putting our gallery of members’ work on the internet. Some of the gallery members’ pictures you see on our site were taken by Tom at past meetings.
What you may not know is that Tom was also once a professional photographer in one of his past lives. He has also filmed and produced the video of Dennis Fuge’s May, 2005 presentation of “From Road Kill to Lathe.”
Tom’s presentation will cover the following areas of photographing and sharing images of our work (while the focus is on digital photography, film images can also be copied, scanned, etc. into digital format):
1. The Camera…the kind to use, how to use it, how to save images.
2. The setting for the picture…making a backdrop, setting it up (it’s portable), composing the picture (its position, size, etc.),
3. Lighting...how to make the piece stand out, look natural, and really look its best!
4. Exposure of the image…how to use the camera controls, setup, and lighting to make the image look its best without looking too dark or light.
5. Taking the picture “out of the camera”…how to get the image into a computer, to a photo center, into an e-mail, to a printer, or to our website.
Tom has written an article “Taking Pictures of Your Work” which follows in this newsletter. There is also a more detailed version to be found on our website.
So…Bring your camera and bring your best work for putting
on the website!
The January
Demo
The January meeting was highlighted by member Lee Alexander demonstrating
turning of thin stem goblets. Lee
remarked at the beginning of the demo that he fine-tuned this skill at a
turning class given by Craft Supplies in
Lee outlined the most important steps for success:
- Use a strong straight grained flawless wood like cocobolo or chechen.
- Make sure the blank is very well balanced when put on the lathe. When turning the long thin stem, any vibration caused by out of balance attachment will cause the thin (about 1/8” diameter) to whip and snap apart.
- Finish turning the cup (inside and out) before beginning the stem (remember balance). Begin turning the stem at the cup end.
- Turn about an inch or inch and a half of stem to final diameter, including finish cuts, before moving up the stem. Once turned to the thin diameter, do not go over the area!
- Use really sharp tools with a very light touch. Support the thin stem with your free hand in needed.
Lee successfully turned his thin stem goblet, but upon turning the second of two captive rings on the stem, it snapped. The most probable cause of the crash was a small defect in the wood. Hence the need for a careful inspection of the blank for flaws.
Well done Lee!
One of the learnings to come from the demo was that the club does not have adequate dust control in our unventilated basement meeting room. The club will take steps to fix this…maybe buying disposable dust masks as a first step.
Wood of the
Month
This month’s wood is Cherry, also known as black cherry or wild cherry.
This tree grows throughout the east from
Color: the wood is variable in color from light yellowish or pinkish to dark reddish brown. Although the color varies, it is usually uniform within a specimen.
Grain: fine textured, with usually straight and tight grain, however, sometimes pieces are found with dark wavy grain. Crotches and burls are prized for turning and veneer.
Uses: fine
furniture, musical
instruments, cabinetry, and turning. It
has excellent strength properties, so it is sometimes used for structural
timbers ($$?)
Workability: saws, drills, planes well, and is an excellent turning wood.
Finishing: sands well, takes a high luster, and glues well
Safety: This wood has no specific safety concerns; however, the usual safety issues associated with turning should be followed, such as dust management and respiratory protection
Scientific name: prunus serotina
Supplies:
dwindling and getting more expensive. Prime production areas are
NY, PA, and
References: “A guide to Useful Woods of the World” edited by Flynn, et al, and various internet sources.
All members are invited to share in this column.
Classified
Section
Due to the untimely passing of Frank Bonner, his shop equipment is for sale. Our club has been given the first option of purchasing Frank’s shop equipment by any member. Among other items, there is a table saw, Delta lathe (1440), bench top band saw, and other various items. The sale is being handled by a personal friend of Franks, and will be coordinated by Mark and John. See either Mark or John for specific information and photos of the equipment
Local (and not
so local) News
The
The Noyes Museum of Art, located on Route 9 in
Turning
instruction offered.
The Central Jersey Woodworkers Assn (CJWA) is offering the
third in a series of half day turning classes on April 22 (Saturday) from
Class size is limited to the first six who register (and pay).
The instructor is Lee Alexander and the location is
his shop in
Cost is $80.00, which includes all materials such as wood, sanding and finishing supplies, etc. Part of the course fee will be donated to CJWA.
Details of the class will be offered at our next meeting, or you can contact Lee at 732.741.0156 or by e-mail: leealex@comcast.net
Ed note: I have attended Lee’s last class and found it to be well worth it…informative and fun!
American Association
of Woodworkers
As a Reminder: Our local club is actually a chapter of the AAW. All members should also be members of the AAW. Their dues are $40 per year which includes their magazine “American Woodturner” four times a year. Some of our club benefits are an insurance policy which is fully funded by the AAW, and a source of activities and information about turning worldwide.
The AAW has revised its grant program to require submissions to only be accepted once a year. The 2006 grants have already been awarded, but you can start thinking about next year, remember submissions will be due in January. Grants may be submitted individually by AAW members or by AAW chartered local clubs. For details on AAW grants, see their website: www.woodturner.org.
Remember, the AAW 2006 Symposium will be held in
The Program
Committee
The program committee is up and running, and has some of our meeting programs set for this year. Remember, if you have any suggestions for a demonstration, instruction, or anything else, let the committee know.
The
Program Committee
Mark Anderson 732.477.0156
Ed Aras 732.741.5940
Buren Gilpin 732.223.9861
Russell Bertlesen 732.367.2862
Walt Rissmeyer 732.364.0707
The Website
www.atlanticshorewoodturners.com is continuously getting better! To submit photos or your work, contact Tom at twjones@bigfoot.com.
To prepare for March’s photography demo, here is Tom Jones’ article:
Taking Pictures of Your Work
T.W. Jones – 1/06
Taking professional quality pictures of your turned items doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. With about a $50 investment, you can set up a portable light booth, which will enable you to get near professional quality results, with a minimal amount of time, effort, and photographic knowledge or experience.
To
start out, you will need a camera. This isn’t considered in the $50 estimate.
Ideally you should use a digital camera, but a film camera can be used. If
using a digital camera, you will need to be able to set the white balance to Tungsten (typical choices are Daylight
(sunlight or flash), Tungsten (
Next, you’ll need a backdrop. This can be a large piece of paper, cloth, or carpet, at least 2’ by 4’, and with as little texture as possible. Ideally, you want a neutral color, such as charcoal grey. You can even use an old bed sheet or tablecloth. It doesn't have to be anything special or fancy.
Start with a very simple set up. Push a table up against a wall. Attach the backdrop material to the wall a couple of feet higher than the top of the table, and have it drape across the table and off the front edge. Make sure the material is wrinkle-free, and pulled forward enough to prevent a seam near the back. It should flow smoothly from the wall and across the table. Set the item you’re photographing in the middle of the table. Pay close attention to how the item looks against the background. Let your eyes be your camera. If you're not happy with what you see, change it. Turn the item slowly, looking closely at the grain. Find the angle that makes it look best.
The next thing you’ll need is lighting. Lots of lighting. For what you're doing, regular 100 watt household light bulbs, inserted in cheap, clip-on spotlights (the kind with chrome colored, aluminum reflectors) will work just fine. Start with at least 3 lights, and be prepared to expand to 5 or more. You may need something to clip the lights to – a piece of PVC stuck in a coffee can full of sand works beautifully.
Set up your lights about 2' to 4' from the item. Start with a light on each side of where you'll be standing when you’re taking the picture, and slightly above the height of the item, aimed directly at the item. Turn the lights on one at a time, and pay close attention to how it makes the item look. Turn each light off and on, consider how the different lights change the look of the item. Slowly, move the lights around (one at a time). Move them up and down, closer, and further away, to the right and left - paying close attention to the shadows and "headlights" (glare spots on the item). Try aiming the lights to the side of the item, rather than directly at it.
For larger items, like wide, shallow bowls, try 2 lights on each side (one about a foot higher than the other) and another light overhead. Move the lights around, as described above, until you get a perfect lighting set up. The goal is to light the item such that the colors are true, and the item looks pleasing to the eye. Remember throughout this exercise, to reposition the item repeatedly - turning it to present the best grain, and move it forward and backward on the table.
You can also try placing another light behind the item, pointed directly at it. This can be a small flashlight. It’s purpose is to highlight the edges of the item, giving it a sort of halo effect.
When the lighting is "Just right", put the camera in Manual mode, and set the white balance to Tungsten. If necessary, check the owners’ manual to see how to do this.
Stand about 3' to 5' away from the item, and zoom in until the item nearly fills the frame. Look through the viewfinder (or at the LCD display screen) and consider the picture carefully. Move the camera up and down, paying attention to how the item looks. Imagine you're seeing the picture on your computer screen. Is it crooked? Are there annoying shadows (like, if the electric cord is hanging in front of the light!)?
The final consideration is exposure. Sometimes, when your camera thinks it's exposed correctly, it is still a little too dark, or too light. The best thing to do is "bracket" the exposure - take a picture under exposed by 1 stop, take another one exposed correctly, then a third one over exposed by 1 stop. Later, when you look at the pictures on your computer, you can decide which exposure is best, and delete the rest.
The pictures below show examples of the techniques I've discussed, and hopefully prove my points:
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1) flash picture, on a table. |
2) flash shot, on a kitchen counter |
3) Natural Lighting (no flash) on the counter |
4) Outdoors, no flash |
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5) light booth shot, using tungsten lights, using the Daylight
Setting |
6) Same shot as #5, using the Tungsten Setting, 1 stop under
exposed. |
7) Same shot as #5, Tungsten setting, no compensation |
8) Same shot, Tungsten Setting, 1 stop over exposed. |
Note: For a more detailed version of this article, see it on our website, at: http://www.atlanticshorewoodturners.com/members/tips/photographingYourWork.htm
Meeting
Specifics
Meetings are the second
Tuesday of each month except for July and August. They are held at the little pre-school
building, which is located at the corner of
Meeting
Directions
Directions: From Route 9, go east on