Newsletter
April 2010
Newsletter
April 2010
April Meeting
Is Tuesday!
April 13th
7:30 PM Start
Meetings are held
at the small pre-school building on the corner of County Line Road & Ridge
Avenue
Social hour starts @ 7:00
April meeting Highlight
Barry Gross will Demo
Tuesday’s meeting will feature Barry Gross demonstrating “Pen Making and Finishing”. Barry is a well known and excellent pen maker who has made pens for Hollywood and the White House. He has been and continues to be a frequent contributor to Woodturning Design and other publications, as well as the author of several turning and pen making books. Additionally, he has recently released a DVD “Pen Turning with Barry Gross”.
Barry’s demo will cover all aspects of the pen making process, including selection of materials, turning, smoothing, and finishing. The finishing processes will include those for wood as well as plastics and other materials. Most importantly, because many of us want to know, he will show us how, in detail, to finish a pen with CA.
Barry has his own company: BG Artforms, which sells pen making and scroll saw supplies as well as finished pens. He has been invited to bring his stuff to the meeting, so bring $$ if you need anything.
For further information and a look at his beautiful work, visit his website: http://www.bgartforms.com/
Upcoming Meetings
No Show and Tell again this month: The next show & tell is scheduled for the June meeting. Get to the lathe and make some great things! Tom will have the photo booth up and running.
“Open Turning” is scheduled for the May meeting. We’re scheduled to have someone to do bowls, hollow turning, and sharpening, but if anyone wants something else, let us know so we have whatever we need on hand.
The President’s Message
One of my favorite events of the year is rapidly approaching: the Monmouth
Festival or the Arts. If you're not familiar with this event, you don't know
what you're missing.
For one week out of each year, the Monmouth Reform Temple (on Hance Rd, in Tinton Falls) converts their temple into an
art gallery. I've been involved with this show for close to 10 years, and every
year, I'm amazed at how they do it.
For 50 weeks out of each year, the building is a functioning temple and daycare
center. But then, a mere week before the show opens, the transformation begins.
All of the temple's artwork and display items are put into storage. Artificial
walls are brought in and assembled in the main rooms. Professional landscapers
set up artistic displays (including waterfalls, live trees and shrubs). Then
finally, a professional show designer carefully arranges the thousands of
pieces of artwork throughout the downstairs areas. None of the space in the
temple is wasted. One classroom is used as a cafeteria, while others are used
as display areas. The upstairs classrooms are used for demonstrations. The
library becomes the business office. Even the hallways are used to hang
pictures and artwork. The show runs from 7pm on Saturday night, through 5pm
Wednesday evening. Thursday, purchasers come to pick up the items they bought,
and the artists come to claim the items that didn't sell. Thursday night, the
transformation shifts into reverse: the artificial walls come down, the landscaping
is removed, and the temple's possessions are put back in place. By Saturday
afternoon, the building is restored to being a temple and daycare center, once
again.
Each year, the theme for the show is different, as are the types and quantities
of the artwork. The types of art typically include paintings, photography,
sculptures, woodturnings, jewelry, silk scarves, purses, hats, and even wooden
furniture. There is a lot to see and something for everyone, regardless of age.
Many of the participating artists also give demos, showing how they create
their work. These demos run continuously throughout the show, with topics
ranging from making jewelry to painting landscaping, to even woodturning. Many
of our club members and their spouses participate in this show (ironically,
this is the first year I can remember that none of our members are giving a
demo!).
For more information or to view this year's schedule, check out their website: http://monmouthfestivalofthearts.com.
Hope to see you there!
Tom
Maintaining Your
Chucks by Tom Jones
Of all our turning tools, our chucks are probably the ones we put the most
faith in. Think about it: We don't hesitate to use them to grab big,
heavy, and often unbalanced chunks of material, mount them on the lathe, and
trust them to hold these items while we spin them at high speeds and carve them
with our tools.
When everything works well, it's a miracle at best. When they don't, well, it can be disastrous - not
just to our turnings, as a failure can easily result in our work being tossed
across a room and slammed into the wall - but to ourselves as well. I don't know a turner that hasn't been hit in
the face at least once when something has come flying
off the lathe!
Considering the faith we bestow on our chucks, it's in our best interest to
make sure they are functioning at their best. This requires frequent inspection and cleaning
- something many woodturners never do.
The type of maintenance you need to perform will vary from chuck to chuck. If you still have the instructions manual that
came with your chuck, refer back to it and follow the manufacturer's
maintenance instructions. If you don't
have the manual, go to the manufacturer's website, and look for it there. Most manufacturers have them in the Support
area.
Otherwise, there are some simple steps you can use that will work for most
chucks:
Start by removing the jaws. Be careful
not to lose the screws, as they can be difficult to replace. Check each jaw to make sure the number is
readable, and if not, make marks on the jaw that will ensure you put it back at
the same location when you re-assemble it. Typically, jaws are numbered 1
through 4, and the mating slides have matching numbers. Failure to attach the
jaw to the correct slide can result in alignment problems, and should be
avoided.
Clean each jaw independently. Use a
tooth brush to scrub away as much of the accumulated dust as you can from each
of them. Carefully inspect the jaws, looking
for dings, chips, and cracks. If you find a crack in one of the jaws, DO NOT
put it back on the chuck! Replace it. Dings can be filed out, or left alone,
depending on if they affect the way the chuck works or not. Chipped jaws may need to be replaced. If in
doubt, check with the manufacturer.
Be sure to clean out accumulated dust from the jaws' grooves and dovetails, as
well as the under-side of the jaw, where it mates with the slide.
Clean and inspect the slides. Use
compressed air, if possible, to blow out dust from the areas you can't reach
with the toothbrush.
The slides can be removed, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you really know
what you're doing. Usually, there's a
locking pin (often in slide 1) that can be removed, which will allow the scroll
to be turned far enough to release the slides. If this is done, again be sure to identify
which slide goes in which slot, to guarantee you re-assemble them in the right
places. Also be sure to re-insert the
locking pin, to prevent accidental removal in the future.
If there is stubborn dirt that can't be cleaned, you can try soaking the chuck
and/or jaws in Mineral Spirits or Acetone.
When everything is clean, spray a Teflon-based dry lubricant on any surface
that moves against any another surface, such as the slides and the slots they
fit in. Oils and grease are not
recommended, since they will attract dust, and become a maintenance problem
later on. Use the chuck key to open and
close the slides a couple of times to work the lubricant into place. Use a rag to wipe away any overspray.
Carefully reassemble, being sure that the jaws mate perfectly against the
slide. Be sure to clean the screws
before re-inserting them, make sure they thread in correctly (i.e., don't
cross-thread them), and that they seat properly and completely. Check and recheck each screw, making sure they
are all tightened properly!
In general, you should inspect the chuck every time you use it. Keep an old toothbrush next to your lathe, and
use it to clean away dust from the jaws before using it to grip anything. Give the chuck a good cleaning whenever it
needs it (i.e., if the jaws become difficult to move, etc.). If the chuck starts to slip, suddenly doesn't
hold as well as it used to, or exhibits any other type of problem that makes
you suspect a problem: Stop and fix it! NEVER use a chuck that you aren't 100%
confident in! Whenever possible, use the
tailstock to help support the work.
Taking care of your chucks will not only extend their lives, but might also
extend yours. Remember, turning can be dangerous, if not done wisely. Take a few seconds to maintain your tools, and
you'll get to use them a lot longer.
This may seem like a lot, but it really isn't. Do this a couple of times a year and your
lathe will last a long time.
Club Mentoring Program
Our mentoring
program has FINALLY gotten off the ground!
The first one was Tom mentoring Lisa Carey on making bottle stoppers,
but it was MUCH more than that!
The all-day session
covered “beginning turning” from choosing, preparing and mounting wood,
sharpening, tool handling,
project design, and the actual turning of a bottle stopper.
By Tom’s and, most
importantly, Lisa’s account, the mentoring was a complete success! I hear Lisa will tell us about it at the
meeting.
Two things come to
mind: 1. we need more members to
volunteer to share their skills with someone who needs or wants to learn or
improve, and 2. we need people to tell us what they need.
By the way, the next
mentoring session will be me learning from Tom how to become proficient at
hollow turning.
Our Own HOW Program
We are once again
trying to start our own club’s HOW (hands On Workshop) program. Before we explain the first workshop, here
are some of the general specifics:
Because of our
insurance regulations, only AAW members will be able to participate. For space and equipment issues, a maximum of
six people can attend (my shop space and number of lathes and equipment
available, at least for the first one).
The cost for each
will be $35.00, with a portion going for supplies, some to the club’s treasury,
lunch, and the rest, other expenses.
Now for the first
program:
The first HOW will be held at John Puckhaber's
shop, on May 22, 2010.
Tom Jones and John Puckhaber are collaborating on
this one. The topic will be Basic Spindle Turning, with the final
result being to turn a bottle stopper. Participation will be limited to 6
participants. Due to insurance concerns,
participation will be restricted to AAW members only
This is considered a beginner to advanced beginner level
HOW, with emphasis on people who have turned a couple of pens, and are ready to
move up to the next level.
Cost of participation will be $35/person. The cost will cover lunch, cost of
materials, and other expenses. Plus, a portion of each fee will go to the club
treasury.
Attendees are encouraged to bring their own tools, if possible. If you don't have tools, there will be tools
available for you to use. The tools that
will be used include:
- Spindle Roughing Gouge
- Parting Tool
- Spindle Gouge (3/8" and/or 1/2")
- Skew
The agenda for the HOW will include:
- sharpening tools
- methods for mounting spindles on the lathe
- using the skew and roughing gouges to turn spindles to round
- using the skew and spindle gouge to turn beads and coves
- sanding and finishing techniques
- advanced topics, such as turning captive rings, if time allows.
The participants will complete the session by turning one or more bottle stoppers,
as time allows (the non-wood parts are supplied).
The HOW is expected to last 6 hours, starting at 9:00am, and running until
approximately 3:00pm.
A signup sheet will be available at the April 13 meeting. You can also contact
John Puckhaber directly.
Upcoming Events
2010 AAW National Symposium will be the weekend of June 18th to 20th at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. Details such as the demonstrator list and the topics for special interest night are not yet set, but will be posted on the AAW website at: http://woodturner.org/ If you are thinking of attending, register early and even earlier for hotel reservations, as close-by rooms disappear quickly.
The Monmouth Festival of the Arts will be held this year on April 17-21. This is an annual art show held at the Monmouth Reform Temple in Tinton Falls. The festival has in the past and will again feature several members from our club.
The Utah Woodturning Symposium will be held this year on May 6-8 at the Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah (a suburb of Salt Lake City).
The next All Day Demo
Saturday June 12
John’s Garage
Kurt Hertzog
The demo:
Sharpening made Easy
Mastering the Skew
Work Holding
Unique Pen Designs
(if time
permits)
The demo is
scheduled to last about six hours, with lunch provided. As in the past, please bring chairs (someday,
I’ll buy a few myself). The cost will be
about what it has been in the past:
$35. I’ll have a sign-up sheet
available at the meeting.
Kurt is a professional woodturner who enjoys the entire continuum of woodturning from making his own turning tools to photographing his finished turnings. He has intentionally kept his turnings diverse in an effort to keep exploring the craft and the medium. As frequent demonstrator and instructor on many facets of woodturning, he particularly enjoys teaching tool sharpening, work holding, and advanced pen making. For further information, visit his website at:
Club Logo Apparel
We will again be ordering shirts and hats with our logo. The order will be placed after the May meeting, and the stuff will be available by the June meeting. The items and the prices are as follows:
Golf shirt: $15.00 with logo
XX & XXX add $11.00
Tall add $2.00
Denim shirt: $26.00 with logo
XX add $2.00 XXX add $3.00
Ball cap: $13.00 with embroidered logo
Tee shirt (screen printing): $13.50
($60 one time artwork fee paid by club)
The order sheet will be at the meeting.
Things to think about
In a previous newsletter, we asked you to think about several things, all designed for the improvement of our club. Here’s an update.
To refresh, the topics were:
AAW membership: Now mandatory for HOW activities
HOW (hands on workshops): Now started with the first one scheduled
Mentoring program: Underway with the
first one completed and the second scheduled
Charity/Outreach effort: Nothing yet
More equipment for our lathes: A new chuck, tools and equipment on hand
A New Lathe: Penn State’s new 12” mini lathe is on backorder
Library Items: We need input
The Website
*Update* There is a link to a Wood Magazine blog about the Somerset woodworkers show, which, in addition to mentioning our club, has photos of both Tom’s miniatures and Scott’s beautiful three-bowl turning (this bowl took second place in the craftsman projects judging). Go on the website for the link. Thanks to Larry Morgan for letting us know about this.
For those of you who haven’t recently visited, take a new look! The calendar is right up to date with all sorts of interesting things, and the members’ gallery is chock full of great photos of OUR work. The site is continually getting better…thanks Tom. To submit news, calendar items, or photos, contact Tom at:
www.atlanticshorewoodturners.com
Members can get the user name and password for the members-only section at a meeting. Reminder, the members’ only section contains the complete club roster. Check it out and let me know if there are any changes needed.
March Demo by Sal Straniero
Our member Sal Straniero demonstrated making a peppermill from start to finish. Nice job, Sal! He also was going to show us how he sharpens a Forstner bit, but ran out of time. Perhaps he’ll show us at the open turning session at the May meeting. Here is some of Sal’s work:
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
2010 Officers and Contacts
|
President |
Tom Jones |
732.571.9636 |
|
Vice President |
Ishmael Tuazon |
732.792.3806 |
|
Treasurer |
Stan Leibowitz |
732.886.1530 |
|
Librarian |
Ishmael Tuazon |
732.792.3806 |
|
Secretary |
John Puckhaber |
732.349.4275 |
|
Newsletter |
John Puckhaber |
732.349.4275 |
Meeting
Directions
Directions: From Route 9, go east on
complex.