ATLANTIC SHORE WOODTURNERS

NEWSLETTER

October 2007          

 


 

 

The next meeting will be

 

October, 9   

7:30 PM.

 

Meetings are held at the small pre-school building on the corner of County Line Road & Ridge Avenue

 

Social hour @ 7:00

 

2007 Officers and Contacts

 

President

Mark Anderson

732.477.0847

Vice President

Tom Jones

732.571.9636

Treasurer

Buren Gilpin

732.223.9861

Librarian

Bruce Perlmutter

732.530.5762

Secretary

John Puckhaber

732.349.4275

Newsletter

John Puckhaber

732.349.4275

 

Meetings 2nd Tuesday of each month.  

 

 

October

Meeting Planned Highlights

 

 This month’s meeting will be a “regular” meeting…no planned demonstrations.  We will have show ‘n tell…remember, bring all your stuff from spring and summer.  Also, don’t forget the challenge project, which is, as I recall, a turned birdhouse made with a segmented, or staved body.

 

Also, at the meeting, there will be a last call (really) for ordering shirts.  I held off until now because we’ve gotten some new members (yea!) who may want a shirt.  We’ll also consider whether or not we want t-shirts.

 

 

It’s not too early to think about our participation in this year’s Woodworking Show, which will be held February 15 -17 in the Garden State Expo Center in Somerset.  Last year we had a great corner location, were right across the aisle from Craft Supplies USA, and had a ton of interested people at the booth all weekend long.  We even got new members!  Also, one of the keys to our success was that we had at least one lathe running most of the time.  There will be a sign up sheet at the meeting.

 

November Meeting

Planned Program

 

In keeping with our goal of bringing more outside demonstrators to teach us new and wonderful things, Michael Kagan from Bucks Woodturners will show us all about turning a “barley twist” stemmed goblet.

 

Michael is a member of Bucks Turners and The Bucks County Guild of Craftsmen.  His work has been chosen for the 2007 Pennsylvania Craft Exhibit at the PA State Museum in Harrisburg.

 

Michael’s Artist Statement:  “I view the turned form as a palette for carving. Woodturning has evolved in recent years from the more traditional and functional craft to an art form involving turning, carving, piercing, painting, sandblasting, and whatever else someone can dream of.  The possibilities are only limited by imagination.”

 

December Meeting

Planned Program

 

As you all know, we plan to also feature demonstrations by some of our own talented members, so in December, Mark Anderson will show us a couple of methods for deep hollowing.  Mark has recently studied with David Ellsworth and Lyle Jamison, and will demonstrate both of their methods of deep hollowing, as he owns tools for each.  Mark says these methods of hollowing make it very easy and fearless to do (you still need to pay attention to the process).

 

Future Meetings

Planned Programs

 

We still want to bring you another outside-the-club demonstrator this club year, so we’re working to find someone, maybe to teach us how to turn a bowl, or whatever you members want…more to come later.

 

Also, Tom Jones has been turning miniature turnings lately, so he has needed to make his own tools, since none are readily available for such small scale work.  Tom has agreed to show us how he makes his tools, most likely early in 2008.  Again, more to come.

 

Remember, we will not have show & tell or challenge presentations on demo nights.

 

We also are planning to hold more “Hands-On” sessions, but we’ll need to know what you want!  Please let us know…we will have tools and equipment to turn, sharpen, mount, and finish…let’s use them!

 

September Meeting Highlights

 

We were very fortunate to have William Smith, a well known & world class turner from Doylestown, PA, who demonstrated “Open Segmented Turning.” 

 

He showed us how to plan each project, how to measure and cut the various segments, how to use a placement jig to precisely place each segment, and how to turn the glued up piece (sometimes in two halves, which were then glued together.  He finished his presentation by showing us how he finishes his work.

 

Bill also brought a wide selection of his finished work…Spectacular (my humble opinion)!

 

For those who missed Bill’s presentation, you can learn how he builds these great pieces in his book “Segmented Wood Turning” or visit his website www.smithart.us to view his finished work or his articles on how he sets up and makes his pieces as well as downloadable templates for indexing wheels, and a formula for setting gluing stops.

 

This opened our new club year in great fashion!

 

Coloring Wood

 

What follows are two methods for colorizing wood:  Blackening, and Bleaching as used and demonstrated by Irene Grafert and outlined in her handout from one of her demos.

 

Before starting on any coloring methods, be sure to raise the grain and sand it back again with very fine sandpaper, at least once (you can raise the grain by dampening the piece before sanding).

 

Ebonizing/Blackening:  Use a solution made by soaking a pad of steel wool (be sure to use oil-free pads) in vinegar for a day or two.  Brush, sponge, or pat the liquid onto the wood. 

 

Wood such as Walnut, Oak, or Elm contains a lot of tannin, which will aid in turning the wood black, but for blackening other woods, tannin can be added to the wood before applying the vinegar/steel (aka iron acetate) solution.  The tannin solution can be made and applied by dissolving tannin into hot water, and applying it to the wood a couple of times, letting it dry in between coats.  When dry, apply the vinegar/steel solution.  To achieve the desired level of black, you can repeat the procedure if needed.

 

This method of blackening is safe for food intended items.

 

Bleaching:  Use a solution of 40% Hydrogen Peroxide and household Ammonia.

 

Cautions:  This work should be done outside on a sunny, breezy day with the wind at your back.  Personal protection such as gloves and skin and eye protection should be used.  Mix only as much as you need using an open plastic container.

 

Pour 1 part Ammonia into 5 parts Hydrogen Peroxide…the solution will heat and start foaming quickly.  Mix slowly with a wood stick like a paint stirrer.

 

Apply the solution to the piece to be bleached with a brush, sponge, or cloth pad.  Allow the piece to dry in the open air sun.  If the piece is not bleached enough, apply the solution again.

 

When the piece is bleached enough, rinse it twice with plenty of running water, letting it dry in between rinses.

 

If sanding is needed after using these methods, use something like Abralon to avoid the risk of sanding through the treated surface.

 

Peters Valley Craft Center

 

A new woodturning teaching resource in our area has just been established, and here to tell us about is Steve Butler, the head of Peters Valley Wood Studio:

 

Subject: peters valley craft center

 

Good morning- I want to let your chapter know that Peters Valley Craft Center in Layton, NJ, located in the Delaware River Water Gap Recreation area has added woodturning to its summer workshop curriculum. Upcoming guest instructors include Graeme Priddle, Mark SLeger, Mark Sfirri, Beth Ireland and Michael Mocho. We have brand new One Way lathes and air conditioning. Our workshop schedule will be on line in late fall. Please check us out at www.petersvalley.org
Regards
Steve Butler
Peters Valley
wood studio Department Head
(973)948-0803 studio
(973)948-5200 office

 

Upcoming Shows & Symposiums

 

Totally Turning 2007 Symposium will be held at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, NY on October 12-14, 2007.  Program and registration information can be found on their website: 

www.totallyturning.com

 

This year’s list of demonstrators and topics is truly world class:  turners such as Alan Lacer, Kip Christensen, Johannes Michelsen, Keith Tomkins, and Giles Gilson will demonstrate everything from design, deep hollowing, and inlaid boxes to perfect finishing.  A few of our members went last year and gave rave reviews, and this year’s symposium promises to be even better.

 

2008 AAW National Symposium will be held in Richmond, VA June 20 - 23, 2008 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.  Demonstrations and programs are not yet set, but will shortly be available on the AAW’s website:

www.woodturner.org

 

The Woodworking Show for this winter is scheduled for February 15 -17 in the Garden State Expo Center in Somerset.  The show schedule can be found on their website: 

www.thewoodworkingshows.com

 

 

The Woodturning Center in Philadelphia, PA has scheduled several in-house exhibits for 2007 & 2008.  Our club now holds a membership at the center, which has as its mission the education, preservation and promotion of wood and wood-turned art.  For further information, visit their website at: 

www.woodturningcenter.org

 

The Program Committee

 

Our program committee has been set up for the purpose of planning and arranging meeting programs for the club.   If you have any suggestions for a demonstration, instruction, or anything else, let the committee know. 

 

The Program Committee

 

Tom Jones                    732.571.9636

Ed Aras                        732.741.5940

Buren Gilpin                 732.223.9861

Russell Bertlesen           732.367.2862

Stan Liebowitz  732.886.1530 

Tom Barnes                  732.363.0712

 

 

 

The Website

www.atlanticshorewoodturners.com is continuously getting better! To submit photos of your work, contact Tom at twjones@bigfoot.com.

 

 

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 County Line Rd. and Ridge Ave, Lakewood, NJ.

 

 

 

Meeting Directions

 

Directions:  From Route 9, go east on County Line Rd for 2 ½ miles.  You will see two large church complexes;  Holy Family is the second complex.  From the Garden State Parkway, get of at Exit 91 and continue on Lanes Mill Rd for 7/10 mile.  Follow Lanes Mill Rd as it turns right for 1.2 miles.  Bear right onto East County Line Rd and turn into the church complex.