October 2010
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A Chapter of The American Association of Woodturners VOLUME 17, ISSUE 10 OCTOBER, 2010 WWW.NORTHWESTWOODTURNERS.COM THE WOODTURNERS’ LOCAL RESOURCE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE QUICK UPDATES September saw NWWT striving to settle into our new meeting Northwest Woodturners meetings are held on the 1st place at Sherwood High School. Given the number of things that Thursday of each month at could have gone wrong, I was very pleased with the initial effort. 7:00 PM. See Thanks to all of those that turned out to help get the move off to a www.northwestwoodturners. good start. We have a number of things to perfect, but we are com for details and map. under way. As we always do, we’ll fix the problems as we go Turning Challenge for along. November: Turn a new 2010 Christmas I thought the Marilyn Campbell visit was a success, too. The club gift; not limited to orna- demo was informative and the classes were very instructive. I was ments. very pleased that the Saturday demonstration was very well attended, the best I can remem- ber. I hope the membership enjoyed her visit as much as I did. It will be interesting to see STAFF where the epoxy use leads some of us. Once an idea is planted, there’s not telling how it will grow. (See pictures on page two). President Mike Meredith There have been inquiries about the turning curriculum at SHS. The students are back and (503) 522-0531 wandering though the early days of woodworking instruction. Jointers, planers, safety, dust [email protected] collectors, its all a mystery to them. I got to see some of the kids take a pine board that was V. President already straight, flat and square and turn it into an undefined, 3-D trapezoid in an effort to Richard Hall make it straight flat and square. I understand that since the jointer is the one machine tool with which I still struggle. We all had to start somewhere. I believe the value of this kind of Secretary instruction is not really teaching the kids how to do things, but to show them that things can Bill Rufener be done. The hope is that later in life they might want or need to do something and they Treasurer will remember that they can do it. Tom Reiman In about a week, I will start with a lathe demo; safety, terminology, position at the lathe, Board of Directors tools, cutting motion. Then, we are off into hands on training; round to square, beads, Jim Gentry coves, straight lines, cutting to dimension. The first term will be spindle work leading to Bob Tuck the ever-present honey dipper, planting dibble or a baby rattle. I have no illusions about Fred Kline Scott Blackman what we can accomplish. We’re seed planting with this effort. Watch the MyFamily site for chances to help at the school. Librarian Lynne Hemmert October’s demonstrator is Mike Jackofsky. He is well known for his hollow forms. Check out the front of the latest Craft Supply catalog, those are his vessels. Mike will be with us Raffle for the Thursday night meeting demo, then three days of classes, Friday, Saturday and Sun- Tom Willing day, at Jerry Keller’s. The classes will be back in the swimming pool area of the building. Supplies We’ve never held a class there but this area could become a sort of permanent classroom for Tom Helzer us. The proximity to I-84 makes it easy to reach, regardless of where you are in greater Portland. We could begin collecting a small tool supply there; essential things like a grinder Newsletter & Web and a band saw. We’ll see how it works out and we can revisit this topic in the future. Barbara Hall On a final note, I’ve been testing a new gouge that Serious Tools is making and looking to (Continued on page 2) PAGE 2 . VOLUME VOLUME 17, ISSUE 10 release soon in this area. I’ve never been bashful about my misgivings concerning the applicability of A2 tool steel to a turning gouge. The club is full of recollections of issues with Serious gouges. This also seem a good time to point out the uncondi- tional guarantee Serious has on it’s tools. If there is a problem, they will make it right. I don’t think there will be many prob- lems with the new tool. It is a much harder alloy, though Scot Trumbo wouldn’t reveal which one. The 5/8” bowl gouge I tested held an edge very well, sharpened accurately and performed as well or better than my 5/8” OneWay Mastercraft gouge. Like the OneWay tool it is double ended, which is a real convenience, allowing two grinds on the same tool. I look forward to the local release of this tool. It’s good to see local manufacturers appearing again. Mike SEPTEMBER DEMO AND CLASS WITH MARILYN CAMPBELL Marilyn Campbell, a very accomplished and exciting instructor, began by turning various shapes from platters to bowls. She then cut them apart along attractive curves. Next she positioned the pieces in vari- ous configurations, holding them with tape, and filling the voids and building edges with epoxy. She completed the piece with paint and surface patterns done with a Dremel tool. Members enjoyed learning these new techniques at a very interesting demo and class. Her work is unique and her technique could definitely be incorpo- rated into your turnings for all sorts of special effects. Design ’Out or the box’ Her work is unique and her Fitting the pieces Marilyn at work technique could definitely be incorporated into your turnings. Color Blending Show Stopper Piercing “Simple” inlay inlay overlay VOLUME 17, ISSUE 10 PAGE 3 MIKE JACKOFSKY OCTOBER DEMONSTRATOR SPECIAL 3 DAY HANDS-ON CLASS Mike Jackofsky specializes in hollow forms, most of which are natural edge pieces made from unique burls, but he also turns bowls, including thin natural edge open bowls, off-balance asymmetrical pieces, hollow forms with “wings,” and sculptural forms. Mike is a gifted instructor - you will really enjoy his classes. He offers individualized instructions that are very adapt- able to all your turning projects. New ideas, interesting ways of doing things. Richard and I took our first turning class from him at David Marks’ studio in California. Expect to take away ideas you can use in your own shops. Just a reminder that Mike's 3-day class is coming up in two weeks, October 8-10. The price is right at $250 - you won't get three days of quality instruc- tion and help at that price anywhere else!! Anyone who is interested in hollow forms, large or small, open or closed, thin walled or not, natural edge or not, beginner or advanced, this is your class. Learn the fundamentals, learn advanced tech- niques, or just get your own personal questions answered with hands-on guidance. This will be an EXCELLENT class! You can conveniently pay via paypal using the site: <http:www.Northwestwoodturners.com/workshops_seminars/ Jackofsky_Payment_Page.html> Lunch is provided! PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN: SURFACE EMBELLISHMENT Let's talk about surface embellishment. It can make your piece more appealing in several different ways. Why not let the piece talk for itself? Not all wood is beautifully grained or elegantly colored. It can even be pale and lackluster even though it is fin- ished appropriately. The design probably needs help if your piece simply blends into the background and is lost amid surround- ing pieces. Surface embellishment can make your piece stand out. It can help your piece be the choice for both viewers and buyers. Often we think of surface embellishment as a sort of afterthought. The feeling that this is just extra decoration is built into the name. But if you think of this as part of the design, intrinsic to the piece and it’s expression of your feelings, then you begin to sense the great opportunities afforded. Surely many turnings stand on their own, done with exquisite wood with grain patterning and natural colors that speak volumes without help. Truthfully though, didn’t you examine the piece of wood, and attempt to do your best to let the natural beauty of that piece express itself? You were practicing the same effort as you would if you considered your own embellishment - you were just taking advantage of patterning and color already present. And even pieces with great patterning and color can often be worked with additional effort to further enhance the natural beauty already present, perhaps using pyro- graphy to highlight, additional color to enhance, carving or grinding to lend surface texture. Perhaps we should rename this “expressive management” to reflect the fact that we all do this whether or not we paint or carve or burn. We attempt to maximize the expressive capability of each piece. A major consideration is to grab the viewer's attention particularly if you sell your pieces. Catch a perspective client's attention so he gravitates toward your piece rather than someone else's. We can truly say the object of surface embellishment is not to replace the overall design of your piece; but to actually be a part of the design ... And in so doing make the piece stand out. Our turned pieces can grab the attention of viewers intellectually and or emotionally. Give the viewer the experience he is searching for whether it be a piece to fit a certain decor, to re- member special experiences, or just to feel good while using or looking at it.