June 2016 newsletter
Transcription
June 2016 newsletter
Turning Times Central New York Woodturners (www.cnywoodturners.org ) A Chapter of The American Association of Woodturners (www.woodturner.org ) Volume 9, Issue 6 OUR JUNE MEETING M embers and guests of the Central New York Woodturners will gather starting at 6:15pm on Tuesday, June 14th for the monthly meeting at our usual place – the Youth/4H Building at the New York State Fairgrounds. Our monthly demonstrator with be Larry Prunotto and Crew who will talk about segmenting and staving as methods for creating boxes and other pieces. In addition to the demonstration/talk, we will also have a short business meeting, handle membership renewals, and hold both our Show & Tell session and our Monthly Challenge of Sticky Stuff pieces. You will also have the opportunity to rent videos, buy sandpaper, buy wood, buy anchor seal, and enter both the tool and 50/50 raffles! We will select the winner in the tool raffle! Please plan on attending, bringing your recently completed items for the Show & Tell plus your entry into the Monthly Challenge. See you all on the 14th! Some Highlights of What’s Inside Finishing Pens – page 24 WOW Update – page 22 June Workshop Info – page 12 Recent Donations – page 17 Wood Education – Coolibah Burl – page 6 Monthly Tips – page 27 June 2016 UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE ORNAMENT SALE Location: Mercer Park, Baldwinsville / Seneca River Day Saturday, June 11th – Setup at 8am / Sales till 4pm JUNE 2016 MEETING Location: Youth/4H Building at NYS Fairgrounds When: Tuesday, June 12th at 6:15pm CHALLENGE: INNOVATIVE USE OF STICKY STUFF DEMONSTRATION: I’M SOOO STAVING! WITH LARRY PRUNOTTO & CREW JUNE WORKSHOP – I’M SOOO STAVING! Location: Robert Love’s Shop in Volney When: Saturday, June 18th at 9:00am [$5] Sign‐Up at Meeting or via email to treasurer@cnywoodturners.org RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE ORNAMENT SALE Location: Austin Park Pavilion, Skaneateles as part of the United Methodist Church Antique & Artisan Sale Sales 10am-5pm, Friday, July 8th & Saturday, July 9th Tent Setup, Thursday, July 7th Product Setup, 8am on Friday July 8th Turning & Scrolling Demonstrations – Both Days NEED DEMONSTRATORS! JULY 2016 MEETING Location: Youth/4H Building at NYS Fairgrounds When: Tuesday, July 12th at 6:15pm CHALLENGE: STAVED PIECE DEMONSTRATION: WEIGHT WATCHERS WITH BOB IRELAND JULY WORKSHOP – WEIGHT WATCHERS Location: 8 Acres Event Center, Baldwinsville When: Saturday, July 16th at 9:00am [$5] Sign‐Up at Meeting or via email to treasurer@cnywoodturners.org Turning Times June 2016 Page 2 of 31 NOTES FROM OUR PRESIDENT A s I write this June message, things are very busy around the North household. Winter left and summer came in so quickly that it seems like we are way behind. My daughter, Amy, likes to take care of the flowers because of her flower shop experience and I always tend to the vegetable garden, probably because I like to eat. My wife enjoys looking at the garden but at the first sign of a snake, she retreats back into the house. Given the proximity of our house on the edge of a wooded area, we get all kinds of wild life, some desirable and some not so desirable. We decided that this year we would try a motion activated sprayer that is supposed to scare anything away with a safe spray of water. We recently noticed that as a young deer approached the sprayer went off and spooked him off like it was advertised to do, so maybe it will help. We do also seem to attract some interesting animals as well. Last night we got an up close view of a Pileated Woodpecker and if you have never seen one of these, they resemble a taradactle/ pterodactyl (see photo right). Aside from woodworking and gardening, another passion of mine is boating. Last year while vacationing in Old Forge, my Johnson 90hp outboard suffered a broken water pump which left us floating in the middle of Fourth Lake while on our nightly ice cream run to Northern Lights in Inlet. We managed to flag down the only other craft on the lake and were towed back to shore by an old pontoon boat (probably my most embarrassing boating moment). We hauled the boat out of the water and decided that this was the last tale in the book for my trusty 1984 Starcraft. To save the trip for the nieces and nephews, we decided to rent a 19’ Bayliner with which we fell in love. It was large enough and fast enough to pull a teenage skier with the rest of the group in the boat to observe. After camp, I decided that it was time to donate the Starcraft and see if we could find something like we rented. After a month or two of watching Craigslist, I happened to find myself wandering at the used boat show not really planning on buying anything but, tucked in a corner, surrounded by large cabin cruisers was a used 1997 19’ Bayliner – exactly like the one we rented only in mint condition. Needless to say it was love at first sight and the salesman made me a deal I could not pass up. Earlier today I picked up the boat so we got to spend an hour or so out on Owasco Lake checking it out and taking a nice tour of the lake. Changing subjects and getting back to wood, I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to everyone that helped with the WOW project. I was pleased to see the number of members that contributed cones as this made this a true collaborative project. I would also like to send out a special message of thanks to Chad Dawson, Robert Love, Larry Prunotto, and Mel Taber for spending extra time finalizing cones, making the stand as well as all of the little name plates to identify the woods. Thanks also go to Barbara Raymond-LaPrease for the hours spent making up the book that goes along with the cone of cones. The biggest thanks goes out to Bob Ireland for not only heading the project up but also donating the wood for making the cones and spending hours coordinating everything. In closing, I would like to congratulate Barbara RaymondLaPrease for winning third place in the AAW newsletter contest. Barb spends hours putting together this award winning publication which we all enjoy reading every month. As always, keep turning . . . safely. Doug North Turning Times June 2016 Page 3 of 31 MAY 2016 MONTHLY CHALLENGE T he club holds a Monthly Challenge as part of its regular meeting. The Challenge is a way for all club members to have fun honing their turning skills using information and skills learned during each monthly meeting’s demonstration. Members are encouraged to bring an original piece they created that fits the basic requirements of the Monthly Challenge and within the constraints announced by the President. The Challenge topic is announced via the newsletter as well as at each meeting. Generally, the Challenge for the next month is based on previous month’s meeting topic. For May, the Challenge was OGEE SHAPPED PIECES based on what was taught at the April meeting and workshop by Greg Potter. We had 21 people participate in the May Challenge, the most ever. The People’s Choice was a group of pieces by Mel Taber. The Participant award was given to Jerry Holbrook. Charlie LaPrease Walnut Yew Cherry Mel Taber Purpleheart Myrtle Spalted Sycamore Bob Ireland Cherry Heather Muckley Big Leaf Maple (T) Figured Maple (B) Dick Parker Maple Greg Potter Figured Maple Crotch Turning Times June 2016 Page 4 of 31 MAY 2016 MONTHLY CHALLENGE Chad Dawson Curly Maple Jim Kent Cherry Ash Dave Grant St. Daniels Ash Ed Rantanen Ash Bob Johnston Maple Walnut Mike Gridley Norfolk Island Pine Mike Malecki Walnut with Turquoise Inlay Jerry Sweeney Ash Jim Yonkers Box Elder Top has Ulu blade purchased from USA Knife Maker Turning Times June 2016 Page 5 of 31 MAY 2016 MONTHLY CHALLENGE Terry Vermilyea Butternut Rod Castle Box Elder Ed Siegel Coolibah Burl Jerry Holbrook Pecan Robert Love Sycamore (T) FID (L) [Found in Dump] Phyllis Radford Ash Contemporary Ogee Piece REWARDS: Based on voting by attendees, a People’s Choice award winner is selected. A Participant award winner is selected from the remaining entries. Both receive special awards. All participants vie for year-end awards based on their year-long participation. Each month, the newsletter is updated to include the Challenge participants and the number of times they shared a piece. At the end of the year, a random drawing is held that includes a ticket for each participant, for each month they entered a Monthly Challenge. NOTE: All Challenge pieces must be constructed as a result of the demo at the meeting; in other words, created from the date of the meeting to the date of the next meeting. Current Participation Chart on page 6 Turning Times June 2016 Page 6 of 31 MAY 2016 MONTHLY CHALLENGE CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS FOR 2016 Mark Anastas (1) Rod Castle (3) Chad Dawson (4) Dave Grant (5) Mike Gridley (2) Dick Hoblitzell (1) Jerry Holbrook (3) Bob Ireland (5) Bob Johnston (1) James Kent (4) Ted Kleege (1) Charlie LaPrease (5) Tom Lawlor (2) Robert Love (4) Mike Malecki (5) Gary Morison (1) Heather Muckley (5) Bob Norton (1) Dick Parker (1) Greg Potter (4) Larry Prunotto (3) Phyllis Radford (3) Ed Rantanen (5) Barbara Raymond-LaPrease (3) Ed Siegel (5 ) Jerry Sweeney (2) Mel Taber (4) Terry Vermilyea (5) Jim Yonkers (5) WOOD EDUCATION Coolibah / Coolibah Burl –– Eucalyptus coolabah – The coolibah burl is from an Australian eucalpt grown in riparian zones (the interface between land and a river or strean) throughout Australia. The common name is loaned from the Indigenous Australian Yuwaaliyaay word, gulabaa. Propogation of the coolibah is dependent upon periods of immersion under water to sterilize seedbeds so it mostly grown in areas that experience at least periodic flooding. The tree is wide spreading (more wide than tall) and reaches up to 25-50 feet tall with a 2-3 foot trunk diameter. The bark is box like (persistent, dark grey, thick, furrowed) on the trunk and lower branches, but smooth pale grey up the top. The heartwood ranges from pink to darker reddish brown. Thin sapwood is grayish white. It is nearly always seen in burl form. The grain is generally interlocked with a fine texture. When working with the wood, you may notice skin irritation. Purchasing: Many different vendors sell the burls. One of the most reliable is Bad Dog Burls of Belchertown, MA, a four hour drive from Syracuse. Other great resources include AustralianBurls.com (they will be in Atlanta). West Penn Hardwoods (they will be in Atlanta), and Cook Woods. Turning Times June 2016 Page 7 of 31 MAY 2016 SHOW & TELL M embers create a wide variety of projects. Sharing those projects with others is a wonderful way to show members what you’ve completed lately as well as gain valuable feedback on your turning. We love seeing what you create. Remember that long explanations impact other participants’ ability to talk about their projects. If you are developing new techniques for creating a turning, why not put together your technique into a meeting demonstration. You will learn even more! When you bring something in for Show & Tell please enter as much information as possible on the sign-in sheet so there is an accurate record of your project in the newsletter. If you want, bring a card with the information and leave it with the sign-in sheet. Please put your name on a card and place it with your entries to make it easier for the photographer. Mike Malecki Bowl Maple Burl Mike Malecki Small Vessel Colored Pencils Jim Yonkers Bowl Box Elder Chad Dawson Bowl Northern White Cedar Rod Castle Peppermills Cherry with Walnut Waves Jim Yonkers Dish Mahogany Mark LaFontain Peppermill Ambrosia Maple Robert Love Suspended Black Cherry Burl Rod Castle Screwdrivers Walnut & Bees Wing Dave Grant Bowl Sycamore Turning Times June 2016 Page 8 of 31 MAY 2016 SHOW & TELL Mike Gridley Bowls Red Maple & Burl Bottle Stoppers Ornaments Larry Prunotto Lidded Box Cherry & Maple Staved Construction Beads of Courage Box Rod Castle Peppermill Cherry & Walnut Charlie LaPrease Bowls Black Walnut (L) Maple (R) Don’t forget to sign-in your Show & Tell items! And if you know who owns the peppermill above, please let us know. We will edit the newsletter! Are you available to mentor at a Workshop? We really need additional folks to help less experienced turners at the Workshops as the demonstrator can’t be with each Workshop participant at all times. You don’t have to attend every monthly Workshop. If you are able to attend, note it on the Workshop sign-up sheet or email Mark to let him know. We all benefit from sharing information. Give the gift of your wisdom to a newer turner – you’ll find yourself learning more! Turning Times June 2016 Page 9 of 31 OUR MAY DEMONSTRATION STICKY STUFF AKA GLUES & FINISHES WITH BRUCE MEISSNER W hat is the best glue? What is the best finish”? Bruce Meissner shared numerous insights into those questions and pointed out that best depended a lot on what you were trying to do and accomplish in your woodworking project. GLUES Bruce described and gave examples of the most common types of glues for woodworking. He encouraged the reading of the manufacturer’s directions for each type of glue as each glue works best in certain applications and some have health warnings such as skin contact or fume hazards. White Wood Glue has long been the go-to glue for most indoor projects because of the easy clean up and low cost. It is not water resistant and is not as strong a bond as yellow wood glues. Yellow Wood Glue, like the Titebond brand, is the industry standard in woodworking. These glues provide a strong initial tack, set fast (30 minutes), allow for water clean up, and develop a stronger bond than the wood itself. Titebond is most often used in one of three types: Original (poor water resistance), Type II (water resistant); and Type III (water proof). Bruce recommended evenly applying glue to both surfaces of a joint and to not over tighten clamps so that you extrude all the glue and create a weak joint. Polyurethane Glue, like the Gorilla brand, is popular for certain types of applications. Bruce uses it for gluing metal tubes into pen blanks and warns that wearing gloves is important as it is not easy to remove from fingers (use acetone or nail polish remover with acetone). Apply the glue to one surface of a joint and moisten the other surface because the glue needs moisture to cure. The glue foams and expands as it cures so it works well for certain applications (wood to foam board, wood to metal, but may not be the best wood-to-wood application). Veneer Glue is used in adhering wood veneer to wood surfaces. It dries very hard and can be purchased in various colors to be used where the glue joint is exposed. Epoxy Glue is a two part system that requires mixing in small batches and can be purchased with set times from 5 to 90 minutes. This type of glue is most often used for bonding dissimilar types of materials such as metal to wood, where waterproof joints are required, or to strengthen weak wood fibers when turning spalted wood projects. Bruce mentioned that epoxy generally dries clear; however, it can be colored for applications where the joint is exposed. He purchased some coloring material from Harbor Freight. Epoxy glues have many applications, but it can pose a health hazard such as through skin contact or fumes – wear gloves and avoid vapors. Cyanoacrylate (CA) Glue is widely used for quickly gluing small wood and non-wood materials together or as a fast and hard surfacing finish such as on pens. It is not recommended for gluing large wood-to-wood surface areas. CA glues can be purchased in various setting times from seconds to minutes and in various viscosities (ultra thin to thick) depending on whether you want deep penetration or a surface bond. Separate accelerator liquids can be used to accelerate bonding, but that reportedly weakens the bond. CA glues can pose a health hazard such as through skin contact or fumes – wear gloves and avoid vapors. Use acetone, CA debonder, or nail polish remover to remove from skin; alternately, it will dry and peel off over a few hours. FINISHES Bruce shared some thoughts and cautions on finishing and compared some of the most common types of woodworking finishes that he uses. He encouraged using the first coat of whatever finish you choose as a wood sealer before sanding and he did not recommend separate Turning Times June 2016 Page 10 of 31 Sticky Stuff, AKA Glues & Finishes with Bruce Meissner – page 2 sanding sealer products because many of them have stearic acid that can negatively affect your finish. He suggested polishing and buffing naturally oily woods such as cocobolo or olive wood and to not apply any other finish to these woods. Bruce cautioned that when your finishing work is completed, dry out any rags before disposing of them in a trash can to prevent spontaneous combustion. He also suggested that you can replace the oxygen in the can of finish with inert gas products like Bloxygen (www.bloxygen.com) to prevent the finish from drying out or becoming gummy while still in the can. Linseed Oil and Tung Oil can take several days to fully dry, but they bring out the natural wood figure especially if there is an unusual texture or pattern to the wood that you want to enhance. Many of the oil finishes like linseed and walnut oil are food safe; however, read the manufacturer’s directions to determine if a oil product is food-safe or not. These oils can be top coated with polyurethane to add a more protective finish. Bruce suggested that various finishes can be made using linseed oil and one of his favorite finishes is equal portions of linseed oil, beeswax, and turpentine. Polyurethane comes in both brush-on and wipe-on formulations. Brush-on formulations offer thicker coats and more protection; however, they are harder to apply due to brush marks and sagging or running varnish marks. Wipe-on formulations may require more coats for full protection, but are easier to apply and achieve a quality looking finish. Bruce uses up to four thin and even coats of wipe-on polyurethane applied with a soft cotton rag; alternately, he also sometimes applies brush-on polyurethane with a rag as though it was a wipe-on formulation. He sands with 800 grit sandpaper in between coats. Some polyurethane varnishes can be thinned with mineral spirits – read the directions on the can to determine what the manufacturer recommends. Shellac can be purchased already mixed (it has a short shelf life) and ready for use or you can purchase shellac flakes or chips to be mixed with denatured alcohol. [Shellac Shack or Shellac.net] This is an older product that can be easy to use although it does not provide the same protection as polyurethane varnish products. Several products are available, such as Shell-A-Wax, that are shellac-based and easy to use but do not provide a durable surface. Research your shellac product before using. Carnauba Wax is a food safe product that can be applied directly to wood or over a polyurethane varnish to give a buffed shine to a final woodworking project. Bruce uses a Beall buffing system (www.bealltool.com) on his lathe to buff his work or he hand buffs with a piece of brown paper bag (Kraft paper). Submitted by Chad Dawson. Photos by Greg Potter & Heather Muckley. Demonstrators Needed Friday, July 8th & Saturday, July 9th – 10am to 5pm Austin Park, Skaneateles – During the Methodist Church Antique & Artisan Sale The organizers requested that we demonstrate as well as sell our ornaments and other items during the event. The tent for demonstrating will be located next to our sale tent. We will have a Lathe and Scrollsaw there. You will need to bring your tools and wood. Small things like tops, pens, small lidded boxes, and small bowls are some suggestions. Please let Barbara know if you can make it even for 2 or 3 hours. It is likely we will sell more if we show them how things are made and our sales goal is $1000 for the weekend! Turning Times June 2016 Page 11 of 31 MAY SATURDAY WORKSHOP O ur May Saturday workshop was the annual club Topa-Thon, an all-day opportunity to create tops that will be sold during the New York State Fair at the Witter Agricultural Museum. We had good turnout with a few staying only a few hours and others staying the whole day. We had turners inside the shop area and out in the garage area, with learning taking place in each area. Here are photos of the day. NOTE: Experienced turners are always needed at workshops to help others. The mentors do not pay for the workshop unless they take supplied materials. 126 Tops Made Turning Times June 2016 Page 12 of 31 SATURDAY WORKSHOPS S aturday workshops allow members to receive additional training on a subject presented during the regular meeting demonstration as well as an opportunity to get basic turning experience with help from mentors at the workshop. Information about each workshop is provided so you are aware of the requirements for each. There is a $5 fee for each participant. Pre-workshop sign-up is desired since many of the workshop instructors travel a distance to hold the session. Most workshops are held from 9am to noon at the club’s workshop space at the 8 Acres Event Center in Baldwinsville, the home of Barbara & Charlie LaPrease. Also, during most workshops, we can accommodate fundamental instruction during the workshop. Things are a bit different for June. For various reasons, the June workshop is being held at Robert Love’s shop space in Volney. Robert does not have the club equipment so there will be no opportunity to receive basic woodturning instruction at this workshop. Directions to Robert’s will be available at the meeting or by email. Coffee and tea are generally provided but snacks are always welcome! The June workshop is on Saturday June 18th. JUNE 18TH WORKSHOP Staving Workshop At Robert Love’s Workshop in Volney Join Robert Love and Larry Prunotto on Saturday, June 18th for a workshop to learn how to produce your own staved lidded box! At the workshop, attendees will cut and shape staving pieces, assemble and glue-up the box sides, and receive coaching on the remainder of the lidded box process. As time permits, we will demonstrate and/or help in setups and techniques as they apply to creating the remaining parts and assembling the lidded boxes. PLEASE NOTE: As long as the final product will be donated to the Beads of Courage project, the club will provide pre-cut and sized wood for a 5” inside dimension by 5” high lidded box. What should you bring? A set of two 6-7 inch adjustable clamps (hose clamps); TiteBond original or Type II glue; a Measuring Tape, a Compass, Marking Pencils, a Gluing Board/Table (small), and Personal Safety Equipment. Questions? Ask at the meeting. The cost of this workshop is the usual $5! Please register at the meeting! NOTE: Directions will be available at the meeting or by email request. These Forms of Segmenting Will Be Discussed at the June Meeting Mark Baumes Segmented Vase Jerry Holbrook Segmented Vessel John Mielcarski & Peter Monteleone Segmented Bowl Larry Prunotto Staved Box Turning Times June 2016 Page 13 of 31 TURN & PASS 2016 T urn & Pass is our club effort to produce items that will be raffled during the 12 days of the 2016 New York State Fair. We’ve made some changes in that you are no longer limited to the size of the wood or where you source the wood. The piece(s) of wood used can include multiple species, sizes, and shapes. The wood does not have to be from one single piece or species of wood. The wood can be cut, shaped, and used in any type of woodturning technique from segmented work to laminations to inlays and to hollowing. The objective of the challenge is to produce turned pieces that demonstrate high quality workmanship, exhibit good woodturning technique, and are appealing to the audience at the NYS Fair who purchase raffle tickets. Examples of pieces of interest to NYS Fairgoers in recent years include: lidded boxes rolling pins vases bowls platters goblets vessels pepper mills Items you could make also include: goblets with captured rings pen and pencil sets in a display box honey pot with honey dipper sets of Christmas ornaments on a nice stand hollow forms lamp bases sculptured forms jewelry sets such as earrings and necklace sets of bottle stoppers and many others Our goal is to produce 12 high quality pieces – hopefully each with a WOW factor – for the Fair raffle each year. Remember, this raffle is the largest single source of income to the club each year. We use the money raised by the raffle to pay for demonstrations, club workshops, tools, and all that we do to educate and engage people in the art and craft of woodturning. Turn & Pass Pieces for 2016 NYS Fair Month Turner Wood Donated Piece August Phyllis Radford Purpleheart Mirror September Robert Love Walnut Square Platter October Dick Hoblitzell Figured maple Rimmed Bowl November Ed Siegel Hickory Peeled Lip Vase December Terry Vermilyea White Ash Bowl January Mike Malecki Walnut w/Aluminum Inlay Globe February Dick Hoblitzell Cherry Finial Box March Greg Potter Bruce Meissner Deer Antler Black Walnut Box Pen with a Pen Box April Rod Castle Cherry & Black Walnut Peppermill May Chad Dawson Curly Maple Platter June Jerry Holbrook Cherry ? July Jim Yonkers ? ? Please Consider Stepping Up to this Challenge! What Can You Create? We Want 12 Items for the Yearly Raffle Turning Times June 2016 Page 14 of 31 MAY 2016 CNY WOODTURNERS MEETING T he May 10th meeting of the CNY Woodturners was opened by President Doug North at 6:15pm in the 4H/Youth Building at the New York State Fairgrounds. With approximately 45 people in attendance, we welcomed two new members, Erik Radomskyr of Constantia and Scott Riddell of Manlius. Also, Jacob Alexander, one of Mike Malecki’s students joined us with his mother. Our membership stands at 93 with a goal of hitting at least 100. Mark Baumes presented a short treasurers report. Discussion & Announcements from Doug Wes Swayze took a bad fall from a church roof back in February and broke a leg. He expects to be laid up another 4 weeks. Hopefully, we will see him at the June meeting. The Board decided to sell the old used TVs since we don’t use them. The silent auction is tonight. If you are interested, please complete one of the bid forms and place in the appropriate box. Barbara Raymond-LaPrease noted that she received 33 ornaments, magnets, bottle stoppers, seam rippers, and vases for the sale to benefit the Ronald McDonald House. She also received 65 tops. See page 17. The annual Top-a-Thon will be held Saturday, May 14th from 9am to 5pm. You can come for a short time or all day. We’ll get some lunch. The Mid-Atlantic Woodturners Association is holding a Symposium in Lancaster, PA on Saturday, September 24th and Sunday, September 25th. There will be 32 seminars by 8 nationally known demonstrators. Consider attending at $210 for the event which includes dinner on Saturday evening. See page 24 for a link. Doug reminded everyone that this is YOUR club. Your ideas and suggestions for projects, etc. are always welcome. Use the contact information in the newsletter to contact any of the officers or send an email to execcommittee@cnywoodturners.org to contact all of the Board and Officers at once. Read the newsletter. Barbara, your editor, is very good at adding most information you need. Bob Ireland gave an update on the WOW project. Bruce Meissner gave a talk about Sticky Stuff – essentially glues and finishes. The challenge for June will be to present a piece that is innovative based on the talk that Bruce gave. We took a break, voted on the Challenge, bid on the TVs, and purchased raffle tickets for the tool, etc. After the break, Doug led the group thru the Show & Tell and Monthly Challenge portions of our meeting. For the Monthly Challenge, the People’s Choice award was won by Mel Taber and Jerry Holbrook won the Participant Award. Anyone with a lathe that’s able to handle large items, we received an inquiry from someone wanting to turn a large column. See me. Doug announced that Jerry Holbrook won the bid on the Panasonic TV. No one bid on the JVC. He offered it to the next highest bidder, Steve Witham, who agreed to purchase the TV. Our annual 12 days of demonstrating at the NYS Fair is coming up. Please sign-up on the sheet in the back. Greg Potter won the 50/50 with his son, Ian Potter, collecting the cash. We have two sales coming up – Seneca River Day and the Craft Sale at Austin Park in Skaneateles. Please consider helping out. Please consider helping at one or both sales. Charlie will be in class on the Saturdays so help is needed. The meeting ended about 8:15pm and everyone helped clean up. The next meeting is June 14th when Larry Prunotto & crew will talk about the variety of options with segmenting. The 30th AAW Symposium in Atlanta is June 9-12, 2016. Early registration is over as of May 1st but you can still register at a higher cost. Consider volunteering and preregistering your items for the gallery. Respectfully submitted, Barbara Raymond-LaPrease, Secretary Turning Times June 2016 THE MAY 2016 MEETING IN PHOTOS – PAGE 1 Page 15 of 31 Turning Times June 2016 THE MAY 2016 MEETING IN PHOTOS – PAGE 2 Page 16 of 31 Turning Times June 2016 Page 17 of 31 MEMBER DONATIONS W e have several different opportunities for members of the Central New York Woodturners to donate product for charitable purposes. At the May meeting, Barbara received several items that will be used for either the ornament sales or the tops sale. Thank you to everyone for their donations. Here are some photos of items donated. We’ll be sure to get photos each month showcasing everyone’s donations! Tops for Sale during the NYS Fair Mike Gridley (Far L) Dick Parker (L) Ed Rantanen (Below) Peter Monteleone (w/vases) Products for Ornament Sale to Benefit Ronald McDonald House BOTTLE STOPPERS Mike Gridley (Up & Far L) Dick Parker (L) SEAM RIPPERS Dick Parker MAGNETS Dick Parker VASES Peter Monteleone (Up L) ORNAMENTS Mike Gridley (Far L) Don Lum (Rest Below) Turning Times June 2016 Page 18 of 31 BEADS OF COURAGE BOX CHALLENGE S tudies indicate that there are health benefits associated with giving including lower blood pressure, increased self-esteem, and lower stress level. As a club, we have numerous opportunities to give back to our community. Last fall, our President Doug North announced his challenge to the membership: create Beads of Courage Boxes for donation to the Golisano Children’s Hospital. He asks that members create 1 or 2 boxes using the guidelines right. When, you ask? Doug would like to present a group of boxes this spring. He also donated 20 of the inset beads described below which you can obtain at the meetings from Barbara. What is the Beads of Courage program? Twelve years ago a nurse working on her PhD developed a program that helps children with serious illnesses record, tell, and own their stories of survival. This program – Beads of Courage® – has grown into a worldwide effort supported by children’s hospitals, various non-profit groups, and artists - those who make the beads, those that make bead bags, and those that make lidded treasure boxes. It’s those boxes we’d love for you to create and donate for delivery here locally to support children in our community with serious illnesses. During last year’s AAW Symposium, 357 boxes were donated for use at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Here are the Specifications from the Beads of Courage® webpage. Turned lidded boxes need to be about 6 inches in diameter (5 inches minimum) and rectangular lidded boxes should be about 4 x 6 x 4 inches. The lid should be easy to remove for small hands and sturdy enough to be opened regularly. If adding a finial on the lid, please don’t make it really elaborate. If possible, engrave or burn Beads of Courage in the lid or side of the container. Sign your name and write Central New York Woodturners on the bottom. Please refrain from painting the boxes; rather, highlight the beauty of the wood with your finish. Are you stepping up to this Challenge? It’s a great project to support! Boxes are due at the October 2016 Meeting! ORNAMENTS FOR THE CHILDREN M embers of the Central New York Woodturners collaborate with the Sawdust & Woodchips Woodworking Association to produce funding for local children charities by selling Christmas ornaments and other assorted items. Started in 2006, so far approximately $30,000 in profits were distributed back to the community into the Golisano Children’s Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House, and the children’s play area in the infusion room at the Upstate Cancer Center. We sell at 4-5 events per year, some indoor and some outdoors. Last year we sold at the Seneca River Day, the Artisan Show in Skaneateles sponsored by the United Methodist Church, the Manlius Historical Society show, and at St. Rose of Lima Church in North Syracuse. Because of donations from everyone as well as time spent by volunteers at the sales, we raised over $3,000 in 2015. Our first sale for 2016 is at the Seneca River Day on June 11th in Mercer Park in Baldwinsville. If you don’t go to the AAW Symposium, please consider helping. We will also return to the show in Austin Park in Skaneateles on July 8th & 9th. Please consider helping out in some way in 2016. Donating items for sale, helping to setup or pack up, or helping to sell at a venue. Don’t want to make ornaments? We are always looking for a variety of pieces to sell. They do not have to be ornaments. Magnets, bottle stoppers, clocks, seam rippers, letter openers, bottle openers, light pulls, keychains, candlesticks, vases, etc. are always welcome in addition to unique ornaments. Turning Times June 2016 CNY WOODTURNERS MEMBERSHIP M embership in the Central New York Woodturners LLC is open to anyone interested in woodturning. The cost for a first time individual member is $30 which includes the cost of a badge. Renewals are $25 per year and due by March 1st. Family memberships are $35 per year plus $5 per badge for each family member needing a badge. Membership applications are available on the club website – www.cnywoodturners.org. The club leadership, with contact information, is listed right as a reference. Feel free to contact any club leader to ask questions, suggest programs, or deal with issues. You need to have an active email address if you are a member as the leadership sends many member communications via email as well as this newsletter. To read the newsletter you need to have a PDF reader product such as Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Adobe Reader is free. Due to its size, we prefer not to send newsletters by mail. However, a limited number of hard copy newsletters are sent to members without email. The CNY Woodturners group was formed in September of 1998. It was accepted as the 121st chapter of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) in November 1998. We encourage you to join AAW as it is an excellent organization with great resources as a member. Membership in AAW costs either $43 for an online only or $53 for a paper-based membership. Each membership includes the 6 issues of the journal, American Woodturner, with the online membership receiving it only online. You also have access to a large collection of online resources such as the publication AAW Fundamentals which is published on the off months from the journal. AW is an international organization of over 14,000 members of varying woodturning skills. In addition to receiving current issues of the journal, American Woodturner, membership also provides online access to all past issues of the Journal from 1986 forward. Access to a Resource Directory is also available only to members. Members of AAW also receive savings of up to 50% on AAW merchandise, including project books, DVDs, logo apparel, and more. Members can apply for an educational opportunity grant whereby an individual can receive compensation toward woodturning education for expenses such as tuition, registration, travel, lodging, meals, etc. They can also apply for professional outreach program fellowship grants to encourage creative growth or research, or to provide inspiration for new directions in turned wood art. The AAW Forum is also available to members as are other restricted articles and resources on the AAW website. Members receive a discount on registration for the annual Symposium which is in Atlanta, GA in 2016. Check out the AAW website – www.woodturner.org. A For membership applications, directions, and additional information on club events, checkout the Club website, www.cnywoodturners.org. CNY Woodturners LLC, P O Box 2280, Liverpool, NY 13089-2280 Page 19 of 31 OFFICERS Doug North, President (315) 673-3611 president@cnywoodturners.org Chad Dawson, Vice-President (315) 480-4319 v-president@cnywoodturners.org Barbara Raymond-LaPrease, Secretary (315) 638-1217 secretary@cnywoodturners.org Mark Baumes, Treasurer (315) 730-9027 treasurer@cnywoodturners.org MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Rod Castle (315) 638-2659 roderick.castle@verizon.net Bob Ireland (315) 402-2813 rireland@twcny.rr.com Mike Malecki (315) 569-0099 mquared16@aol.com John Mielcarski (315) 476-6571 slickrover@aol.com Larry Prunotto (315) 652-3605 larry0128@verizon.net Ed Siegel (845) 554-2473 egsiegel@aol.com Mel Taber (315) 487-7855 mtaber3@gmail.com COMMITTEES DEMONSTRATIONS Heather Muckley, Robert Love, Mike Malecki, & Greg Potter EQUIPMENT Charlie LaPrease NEWSLETTER Barbara Raymond-LaPrease NEW YORK STATE FAIR Ed Siegel PHOTOGRAPHY Heather Muckley VENDOR RELATIONS Larry Prunotto VIDEO LIBRARY Phyllis Radford WEBMASTER Chad Dawson Turning Times June 2016 Page 20 of 31 EDITORIAL RAMBLINGS I t’s time for another newsletter. Each month, I send out notices to those that need to provide input to this newsletter. This month, knowing that several folks were gearing up to leave for Atlanta and the annual AAW Symposium, I sent that message out early. Ever since, the responses have rolled in. That’s the collaborative effort that generates this newsletter. It is great that those key folks help on a monthly basis. Can you? Sure. Each of you has a tip that you employ to make your turning or woodworking activities better. Why not share it. Each of you also has stories to tell about one of more of your turnings – how you found the wood, how the turning progressed, that little interruption in the turning, even the family’s reaction to your turning. Take some time to write one or two of those stories down and pass it along to me. Please consider it. This newsletter contains an update on our World of Woods project, our collaborative project that resulted in 36 of our 90 members participating to create a product that can be used and expanded for years to come. Robert & Michelle Love have the project in their vehicle and will deliver it to the Symposium Thursday. They’ll have help assembling it from Heather, Greg, Doug, and Larry. If you are there and can help, give Doug a call. We hope that the audience falls in love with it. Just remember, it is a work in progress. We only have 354 cones and there are approximately 20,000 different species of wood! I am hoping that one or more of those going to the AAW Symposium will be reporters. I’d like to see some nice summaries of the speakers you heard, what you learned, any interesting things you saw in the vendor expo, and anyone you chatted with during your time at the symposium. Please take some time to put together your summaries and DON’T FORGET ABOUT PHOTOS! Until we meet again, Barbara What Are You Doing From August 25th thru September 5th? Consider helping out at the New York State Fair, demonstrating in the Witter Agricultural Museum! Volunteers are Needed for All Shifts Start planning today! Note: With the changes at the fairgrounds, parking on the track is gone. All parking will be in either the grey lot (by the Antique Tractor Display) or in the orange lot (up by the new amphitheater). Plan to take the bus or get dropped off if possible. Working the whole day is probably easiest. We believe the tram will be going right by the building! Sign-ups will continue at the June meeting. DIRECTIONS TO OUR MEETING LOCATION The CNY Woodturners meet in the Youth/4H Building at the New York State Fairgrounds, just northwest of Syracuse. The New York State Fairgrounds is immediately adjacent to Route 690 just west of Syracuse. It is easily accessible from the New York State Thruway (Rt. 90) from the West and East, and from Route 81, North and South. Just follow the signs to the Fairgrounds once you enter the Syracuse area. For your GPS, the street address is: 581 State Fair Blvd., Syracuse, New York 13209 Take whatever route is easiest for you to be on the west side of Syracuse on Rt. 690 and enter Gate 2 of the Fairgrounds off State Fair Blvd. Stop at the Gatehouse and identify yourself as going to the woodturners meeting. Make an immediate right onto Tonawanda St. Go past three large buildings on the left – the dairy cattle Building, the coliseum and the horse barn. Make a left onto Sioux Avenue which is opposite Gate 4 and before the Iroquois Indian village. Turn right at the next street, which is Mohegan. On the right will be the Youth Building. Park anywhere in the area in front of the Youth Building. Enter at the front center of the building. Turning Times June 2016 Page 21 of 31 OUR 2016 MEETING SCHEDULE Date Topic Demonstrator Workshop Date / Location January 12 Finials Demystified Dick Hoblitzell January 16 / 8 Acres February 9 Turning a Lidded Box John Meloling February 13 / 8 Acres March 8 Wave Bowls Chad Dawson March 12 / 8 Acres Extra $5 for materials April 12 Oh, Gee! Greg Potter April 16 / 8 Acres May 10 Sticky Stuff Bruce Meissner May 14 / 8 Acres – All Day TOP-A-THON! June 14 I’m Sooo Staving! Larry Prunotto & Crew June 18 / Robert Love’s in Volney July 12 Weight Watchers Bob Ireland July 16 / 8 Acres August 9 At Witter Museum Cheap Piercing Ed Siegel August 13 / 8 Acres August 25th to September 5th Demonstrate at New York State Fair All Members! Each day 10am to 8pm in the Witter Agricultural Museum! September 13 Belgium Cold Springs Station 1 You Can Take That to the Bank-sia Mike Gridley September 17 / 8 Acres October 11 What’s Cook’n, Good Look’n? Mike Malecki October 15 / 8 Acres November 8 Hip to Be Square Robert Love November 12 / 8 Acres December 13 Holiday Gathering with Your Woodturning Friends! The Future? None – Enjoy the Holidays! Maybe you can be one of our demonstrators. Contact the Demo Committee today! GOT NEWSLETTER ARTICLE IDEAS? HAVE A STORY THAT NEEDS TELLING? Even if you hate to write, you can work with Barbara to get the story in the newsletter! Don’t be afraid! We’ve all got stories to tell! Why not step up to tell them! Turning Times June 2016 Page 22 of 31 WOW UPDATE BY BOB IRELAND A s I sit here writing this the WOW project is either on its way south or soon will be thanks to Robert and Michelle Love. In total there are 3 large cones, 25 rings, 354 small cones, a sign stating the project title and who made it, countless hours of preparation and fabrication, and the hope that people just don’t overlook it as a nice collaborative project and miss the technical aspects of turning out the project we did. You may not think this will happen but I see it all the time. Each month, at the club challenge, I usual bring something that’s, well let’s just say out of the box. Many of you may be familiar with the acronym KISS” (Keep It Simple Stupid or Silly – depending on who you learn the acronym from) but I actual use a different acronym for most of the things I do MILS (Make It Look Simple). This has its advantages and disadvantages. I like to consider myself a pretty humble guy and I don’t often seek out the limelight, although it seems to find me enough times. By making things that look simple I can usually make people laugh and ride under the radar of acknowledgements and such. Yet if you really look at the pieces I enter you’ll usually see some interesting and challenging aspects of the pieces. Take my Ogee entry for last month (See page 3). Yes, I got a laugh or two for my O and G but how many of you thought about how those letters were turned (and yes they were turned and the G had some cuts). I tried to make the rings like what was described in the article entitled Turning Curved Tubes in the April 2016 AAW journal. No my letters were not tubes (after all there is only so much one person can accomplish at 6:30pm on the day before the club meeting) but it was still an interesting challenge to try. In short I hope this article encourages two things. First, try things. You’ll be surprised how well things you try can be hidden in a piece, if you want them to be. Once you get good at a technique share it with the rest of the club so others can learn from both your mistakes and your successes. Second, I’d like to encourage you to look at pieces a little more closely and see if you can figure out how a piece is turn and/or completed. This will do two things for you. First, it will help you think through projects in the future because thinking about how things are accomplished helps train your brain for helping you put in order the things you need to do to do a complex project, whether it is wood turning or not. And second, it will give you a greater appreciation of what each person is capable of doing and the thought process that goes into even the simplest of pieces. Just for a quick example, many of you turned at least one small cone for the WOW project. How many of you found it challenging to turn a straight cone ¾” at the base and 3” long. I’m guessing quite a few of you. And for those of you that didn’t even attempt one cone; I’d say you are doing yourself a great disservice. So moving ahead, get outside of your own box and try even the simplest of things (tops, honey dippers, pens, etc.) until you are comfortable with them and then push yourself on how you can do something different to that simple object. You might be surprised what you come up with! Michelle Love Turning a Cone Turning Times June 2016 Page 23 of 31 WOODWORKERS BUILD AT GINGERBREAD PRESCHOOL W hat happens when eleven woodworkers go to the Gingerbread House Preschool with Build & Grow kits donated by Lowe’s? A group of young 4 and 5 year old have a morning to remember building bird feeders! So how did this happen? The youngest member of the Central New York Woodturners, Ian Potter, attends the Gingerbread House Preschool. His mother, Heather Muckley, suggested to the preschool director, Miss Wendy, that it might be great activity. Heather asked Barbara & Charlie LaPrease if they could assemble a group of volunteers. She then worked with the manager at the Midler Avenue Lowes to order the kits and borrow the supplies needed – a worktable (a piece of OSB), supports for the worktable (upside down Lowe’s buckets), and children’s hammers. On Wednesday, May 11th the crew arrived by 8:30am and gathered in the gym/auditorium. Barbara reviewed the kits with the team and the first group of seven children arrived. We worked through assembling the first set of bird feeders and found that there were some challenging areas and most could not finish in the time allocated. We moved on to another group and another. Over three hours, we worked with 42 kids, completing all the feeders. At the end of the session, all of the children returned, found their feeder, and assembled on the stage with the woodworkers for a photo. Thanks go to all the team members from either the Central New York Woodturners or the Sawdust & Woodchips Woodworking Association who participated: Stephen Coyle, Chad Dawson, Jerry Laffer, Barbara & Charlie LaPrease, Tom Lawlor, John Mielcarski, Dick Parker, Jerry Sweeney, and Jackie & Jim Yonkers. Thanks also go to Lowe’s for the donation of the kits and the loans of the materials needed to facilitate the build. Aside from the great work performed by the team , many breakthroughs occurred with some of the kids. A child diagnosed with ADHD who never finishes worksheets asked permission to stay and finish his feeder with Mr. Chad. A young girl who resides with her grandfather opened up to Jerry Laffer. A young boy found he could get more leverage by climbing up into Jackie Yonkers’ lap. Children who normally were very talkative were instead shy and those who were normally shy expressed themselves. Many children showed off their skills pounding the nails. In general, all the kids had a ball and the adults learned much from the kids Turning Times June 2016 Page 24 of 31 REGIONAL MEETINGS & TURNING CONFERENCES FINGER LAKES WOODTURNERS T he Finger Lakes Woodturners (FLWT) generally hold their meetings on the third Thursday of each month from September to May. Their next meeting is in September. Their 2016-17 schedule is on their website. In addition to their monthly meetings, they will host 2 national turners during their 2016-2017 season: Mark Sillay on the weekend of November 18th and John Beaver on the weekend of March 16th. REGIONAL SYMPOSIUMS S everal woodturning clubs hold symposiums on a regular basis. The closest, Totally Turning, will return to Saratoga Springs in 2017 on April 1-2. Obviously, the biggest symposium is the AAW International Symposium; but there are others you can also plan to attend. Here are a few within a day’s drive: th July 22-24 – Turn-On! Chicago 2016 – The 5 bi-annual symposium of the Chicago Woodturners at the University Saint Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois. Demonstrators are Nick Agar, Rex Burningham, Robin Costelle, Clay Foster, Stephen Hatcher, Frank Kobilsek, Rob Nelson, Graeme Priddle, Mark St. Leger, Mark Sfirri, Rob Wallace, Vince Welch, and Molly Winton. Visit turnonchicago.com for more information. September 24-25 – Mid Atlantic Woodturning Symposium – Lancaster Marriott/Convention Center, Lancaster, PA. See below for website. October 27-30 – 5th Segmenting Symposium at the Boston Marriott Quincy, Quincy, MA. Demonstrators are John Beaver, Bob Benke, Jerry Bennett, Bruce Berger, September 24-25, 2016 Andy Chen, Robin Costelle, Ray Feltz, Tom Lohman, Mike McMillan, Wayne Miller, Al Miotke, Jim Rogers, Malcolm Tibbetts, and Gary Woods. Visit www.segmentedwoodturners.org for more information. November 4-6 – Virginia Woodturning Symposium at the Expoland outside Fishersville, VA, just east of Route 81 off Route 64. Demonstrators are Trent Bosch, Jimmy Clewes, Barry Gross, Lyle Jamieson, John Jordan, JoHannes Michelsen, Frank Penta, and Bob Rosand. Two day pre-registration (which ends on October 29, 2016) is $75 with a second family member for $45. Visit http://www.virginiawoodturners.com/index.htm for more information. ANNUAL AAW CONFERENCE T he 30th annual AAW International Symposium is in Atlanta, Georgia at the Atlanta Convention Center at AmericasMart with the host hotel as the Westin Peachtree Plaza on June 9th thru June 12th Get the latest information from the AAW website The symposium features 3 days of woodturning demonstrations and meetings led by over 70 talented experts. Multiple rotations are held simultaneously so attendees have many types and styles of woodturning demonstrations available throughout each day. There is an instant gallery that you can enter with up to 3 of your own pieces. There is also the largest woodturning tradeshow anywhere, including tool and lathe manufacturers, vendors of wood and other materials, and suppliers related to woodturning. Lancaster, PA Demonstrators are Cindy Drozda, Dennis Fuge, Kurt Hertzog, Eric Lofstrom, Mike Mahoney, Binh Pho, Mark Sfirri, & Al Stirt. Being held at the Lancaster Marriott/Convention Center in Lancaster, PA. Registration is now open and will be closed when they reach capacity. Visit www.mawts.com now to get more information and register. Turning Times June 2016 Page 25 of 31 FINISHING PENS BY DON WARD, RED RIVER PENS Editor’s Note: More Woodturning Magazine has a program for Woodturning Club Newsletters whereby they provide articles to be included in newsletters. This is the current article provided. Interesting that it covers finishing, a topic we covered during our May meeting! Check out the website at www.morewoodturningmagazine.com. Note: Please be aware that some, if not all, finishes can cause reactions to those who are sensitive to them. T he topic of finishing pens comes up at least once a week on the pen forums with subjects such as these: • What is the best finish? • What is a quick and durable finish? • What is the most durable finish? • Which finish is the easiest to apply? • Is a sanding sealer necessary? Which finish is quick, easy, and durable? While those three qualities don’t go together, I would say that none of the finishes I’ve tried are especially difficult. Some take more time than others and some are more durable than others, but I’ve not come across a finish that is especially problematic. The quality of the final finish will be directly proportional to the surface preparation under that finish. A quality finish on a pen starts with sanding. Sanding should start with as fine a grit as possible. I turn pens with a skew leaving a very smooth surface on which to begin sanding. I often start with 320 grit sandpaper when possible. After sanding with the first grit, stop the lathe then clean the blank and apply a sanding sealer. Then, continue sanding through finer grits. I stop sanding at 600 grit. Stopping the lathe and sanding length-wise after each grit of sandpaper is also a good practice, as is cleaning the sanding dust off of the blank. Cleaning will remove dislodged grit and keep it from interfering with the finer grits. On open grain wood, I use a slurry made from thin CA and sanding dust. The CA slurry will be discussed in more detail later. After sanding with sandpaper sand with Micro Mesh™, a cushioned abrasive, which leaves the wood surface as smooth as glass and ready for the chosen finish. More information about Micro Mesh™, which is available from all pen turning suppliers as well as most woodturning suppliers, can be found at www.sisweb.com/micromesh . Purchasing full sheets and cutting them into smaller swatches is much more economical than purchasing the smaller swatches in sets. Micro Mesh™ will last for several months and can be cleaned by placing it in the pockets of jeans or in a separate garment bag and tossing in the washing machine. It can also be used wet for wet sanding acrylics and plastics. One thing I’ve noticed penturners doing (incorrectly) is assembling and handling pens as soon as the finish is applied. A newly finished pen should be given time to cool and cure before assembly and each finish has its own cure time. Learn what they are and respect that for a much better finish. FINISHES FOR PENS SHELLAC BASED FRICTION POLISH: The finish most of us started using is shellac-based friction polish. Most penturners who make pens to give away (the recreational or casual pen turner) will continue to use shellac based friction polish. When used correctly, shellac-based friction polish produces a very stunning finish. However, all too often shellac friction polish fails to produce the finish we desire for two reasons: (1) the use of too much friction polish for each coat and/or (2) not applying enough pressure (friction) to create the heat needed to evaporate the solvent leaving the shellac behind. Ever wonder why it is called friction polish? Several coats can be applied but the pen blanks should not be handled until the final coat is completely cured. Waiting until the next day to assemble the new pen is best. A nice shellac-based friction polish finish can be ruined by handling the pen while the shellac is still warm and not fully cured. Shellac-based friction polish is not as durable or as hard as pure shellac. They have oils and solvents added that make them easy and quick to use, but reduce the durability of the finish. Remember the white rings we often find on older furniture? Those white rings were caused by moisture condensing on drinking glasses and reacting with the finish—the shellac finish. Shellac reacts with the moisture and oils from our hands and causes the finish to deteriorate and turn darker as the pens ages and is used. Shellac-based friction polish is great for turnings that will not be handled. Several profess to like this patina and that’s fine. Several of us do not, and that’s fine also. Pure shellac is quite durable but takes lots of time to properly apply. LACQUER: Lacquer is one of my favorite finishes. It is not a quick finish because lacquer takes a week or two or longer Turning Times June 2016 Page 26 of 31 Finishing Pens by Don Ward – page 2 to fully cure and reach its full hardness. But once it does fully cure, lacquer can be buffed to a deep shine. Lacquer can be used in several ways: (1) full strength from the can; (2) diluted using lacquer thinner; (3) spray can; or (4) the dipping lacquer. Lacquer can be purchased in gloss, semigloss, or satin finish. But remember, lacquer must be allowed to completely cure to its ultimate hardness before buffing. This may take several weeks depending on individual shop conditions. I prefer a 50-50 mix of gloss lacquer and lacquer thinner applied on the lathe with a clean cloth. I apply 6 or 7 coats and allow the pen to cure for two weeks before assembling and buffing. It is not a fast finish, but lacquer is a great finish for pens. instructions where ever the forum stores articles and instructions. My CA instructions follow. I use either a sanding sealer or a slurry of CA and sanding dust after sanding with 320 sandpaper. Sanding through 600 grit sandpaper is followed with Micro Mesh™ starting with 1500 and progressing through 12000. An application of Medium Walnut WATCO Danish oil follows. The Danish oil darkens the wood just a little and makes the grain very noticeable. The pen is now ready for the CA finish. Here are the steps I use: 1. PLEXIGLASS: After reading several threads on the penturning forums, I think plexiglass finish has potential. Basically, the plexiglass is broken into small pieces, dissolved into acetone and applied to the pen. Smaller pieces will dissolve quicker. The solution needs to be stirred often to keep the pieces of plexiglass from forming one large mound of plexiglass reducing the total surface area of the plexiglass and requiring more time for it to dissolve. Add more plexiglass or acetone as needed to reach a solution that is close to thick syrup in consistency. The mix is applied to the pen using paper towels. Two or three coats are applied and when it dries, wet sanding seems to be the best way to sand. Wet sanding keeps down the heat and the finish doesn’t melt. Caution: use only real plexiglass. Other clear plastics like Lexan(tm) will not work. And, the best plexiglass to use is the Cyro brand which is used by picture framers. Cyro brand Acrylite™ is the only sheet acrylic currently manufactured that is guaranteed not to yellow. Other brands of sheet acrylic will yellow, especially the Plexiglass™ brand. Scrap from picture framing shops can be bought cheaply or often will be given away; else it ends up in landfills 2. CA (CYANOACRYLATE) glue with or without Boiled Linseed Oil: As will soon be revealed, finishing pens with CA glue has become my finish of choice. And, I also use boiled linseed oil with the CA. Woodturners have been using CA glue for filling checks, cracks, and gaps on woodturnings. But, CA has become a popular finish for pens. I know some turners who use CA for a finish on small bowls and spindle turnings. CA is used with and without boiled linseed oil and results are quite comparable. I’ve seen excellent and not so good CA finishes where CA was used with boiled linseed oil as well as without the oil. Several excellent instructional articles have been posted on the penturning forums outlining the finishing techniques for CA glue. Go to your favorite penturning forum and you’ll find those 3. Tear a sheet of paper towel into six or seven strips and fold. Use a piece of paper towel folded several times, add three drops of boiled linseed oil and apply a light coat of boiled linseed oil to the spinning pen blanks, using a slow lathe speed. I use three drops for the entire pen with each coat of CA. I apply the finish at a much faster lathe speed now than I did when I first started learning. (Note: if you use too much oil the CA will gunk up and not be nice and smooth or the finish will appear to have some ghosting spots, like maybe the CA is not stuck to the wood.) Hold the paper towel applicator from step 1 (which was used to apply the boiled linseed oil) against the bottom side of blank. Starting with the paper towel and CA bottle on same end of pen, add a thin layer of medium CA on top of blank as the blank spins while moving the CA and towel pad from one end of the pen to the other--one pass only--then add light pressure with the paper towel on the blank, constantly moving side-to-side until the CA is dry and the surface of the pen is smooth and slick. The CA will heat up some (the heat is from the CA curing, not the friction applied by the paper towel applicator.) Repeat process for second blank. The paper towel should be kept moving from end to end and the CA will cure to a bright shiny coating. After some practice, you will be able to determine how long to keep the applicator on the blank and moving. I think many who try this remove the applicator too soon and hence the high failure rate and frustration. Now, do the same to the other half of the pen. I sometimes lightly sand between the CA layers but most of the time I don’t...you will learn to tell when you should. I use very fine sandpaper (600 or 1000) or the 1500 MicroMesh™ Turning Times June 2016 Page 27 of 31 Finishing Pens by Don Ward – page 3 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Repeat step two...I do four coats of CA/boiled linseed oil. After the final coat of CA/boiled linseed oil, sand with Micro Mesh™ 1500 to 12000. After sanding with MicroMesh™, I buff with Tripoli, white diamond and HUT Ultra Gloss Plastic Polish. Next, I use McGuire’s scratch and swirl remover auto polish and I use it as directed on the tube. I use no wax or other top coats over the CA finish. That’s how it’s done and the result is a great durable finish for pens. After using this finish for three years now, I get such a great looking finish after the final CA/boiled linseed oil application that I have stopped the sanding after the CA application and go straight to the buffing step. This has come with practice and continual tweaking of the application process. I often apply the CA to the paper towel applicator and then apply the CA to the spinning pen, but I think learning as I have outlined may produce quicker successful results. Deviations can be developed as you become comfortable with the CA/boiled linseed oil finishing process. Happy finishing....and, OH YEAH, you should keep a can of acetone close by. You will figure out why! Do a good turn daily! More Woodturning Magazine is a monthly online magazine for turners who primarily turn wood. It is designed to provide educational material and guidance in woodturning techniques and to keep you informed about what is happening in the woodturning world. Visitors can purchase an annual subscription which allows them to read the magazine content online or print it out for easy reading. One year subscription is $25. Here is the link to the magazine webpage: http://www.morewoodturningmagazine.com/index.php INTERESTED IN SEGMENTING? Attend the 5th Segmenting Symposium October 27-30, 2016 Boston Marriott Quncy Demonstrators include John Beaver, Bob Benke, Jerry Bennett, Bruce Berger, Andy Chen, Robin Costelle, Ray Feltz, tom Lohman, Mike McMillan, Wayne Miller, All Miotke, Jim Rodgers, Malcolm Tibbetts, and Gary Wood The Cost is $275 per Member or $290 per Non-Member Hotel Discounted Cost: $139 per night Details on the AAW Chapter website - http://segmentedwoodturners.org Turning Times June 2016 Page 28 of 31 OUR MONTHLY TIPS SEGMENTING RESOURCES BOWL PRESS ur June demonstration/discussion focuses on segmenting options. In concert with that discussion, Mel Taber is sharing a couple resources you should consider looking at if segmenting is something you want to pursue. Y O The first resource is a wonderful set of three videos found on You Tube. Jerry Bennett, one of the experts in segmenting produced the three videos. The titles are Segmentology: The Basics, Segmentology: Beyond the Basic, and Segmentology Tilt! The link to connect you to the videos is: https://youtu.be/6Yl-qDN1HtI The second resource is a source for templates used when cutting segments on a table saw. Check out Seg-Easy at: http://www.segeasy.com/toystore.htm Woodturning Online, the group that provides monthly articles for our newsletter, has a special section that focuses on the unique aspects of segmenting. It includes some project plans – beginner and advanced, links to software that can be used to design projects, links to tools and jig that can be used for segmenting, and links to some articles. Check it out at: http://www.woodturningonline.com/Turning/segmented_ turning/index.html ou may not have seen this in the April newsletter and since we are focusing on segmenting this month, we are repeating the tip. Are you assembling layers of wood before turning? How are you clamping the wood? Borrow a tip from the scrolling community – build a bowl press! What? You see, scrollers are making bowls on their scrollsaws and they are making presses to place even pressure on their bowls when they are assembled. Want to make a press? There is a great set of plans on the ScrollMania website – www.scrollmania.com. Look under Plans. The website has several other tools including an angle calculator and board foot calculator. Check it out! GOT A TIP? SHARE IT HERE S end to Barbara by the 20th of each month or write it out and hand it to her at the meeting! Hey, we all have tips! Yours is probably excellent! Robert Love recently completed working two arduous nuclear refueling outages at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant in Maryland and at Nine Mile Point Nuclear Plant up north in Scriba. With his tough overnight schedule, spending time turning was not possible. Recently, he sent along this photo and noted, dang it was good to do some turning! Michelle and Robert are attending the AAW Symposium after visiting family in Tennessee who they’ve not seen for two years. He is donating this bowl for the empty bowls project at the Symposium. He will be demonstrating turning square bowls at our November meeting! Turning Times June 2016 Page 29 of 31 SHAVINGS & SCRAPS CLUB TOOL RAFFLE T he tool raffle is a Robust 9” small “J” standard 1” post tool rest (Model 09-SJ-LO) which was donated by Dick Hoblitzell. Our drawing will be this month. Don’t forget to get your ticket!. Tickets are 1 for $1 or 6 for $5. CLUB VIDEO RENTALS T he club maintains a library of various videos in DVD format for rental by members. The cost is $3 per month. If you miss a month to return a video, you must pay $3 additional for each month over the initial month. We urge you to try to return on time as many others have interest in the videos as well. If you have suggestions of videos to be added to the collection, please let Phyllis Radford know. Donations are always welcome. CLUB SANDPAPER SALES T he club purchases Carborundum sandpaper in bulk for resale to members and guests at meetings. Ten grits of sheet sandpaper are available at $0.75 per sheet – 80, 100, 120, 180, 240, 320, 400, 600, 800, and 1000. Sanding pads of 5 different grits – medium (120-180), fine (320400), superfine (500-600), ultrafine (800-1000), & microfine (1200-1500) are also available at $1.50 per pad. often loaned because beginners need to figure out what to purchase and we encourage you to borrow the club tools as a way to determine what works for you. COMMUNITY SUPPORT – TOPS E ach year the CNY Woodturners donate handmade tops to the Witter Agricultural Museum for sale in the museum to benefit its operation. We need to start working on tops for the 2016 New York State Fair! The 2016 goal is 1000 since we ran out of tops on Tuesday, just 6 days into the Fair. Deliver all tops to Barbara Raymond-LaPrease so they are counted toward your totals for the end of year raffle. Please follow some rules when making tops: No tops should be made from old CDs or DVDs For safety purposes tops should be larger than 1¼” to meet federal requirements. Please take time to decorate your tops – using various tools to add texture and/or colorize them when using plain wood. If you need help turning a top, start with page 6 & 7 of the August 2015 newsletter (on our website) or ask for help. CLUB GOALS – 2016 CLUB DISCOUNT AT HARTVILLE TOOL M embers who choose to be part of the Hartville Tool club discount program can purchase any of the tools and supplies offered by Hartville at a discount of 15% — unless the item is on sale or is on clearance and the price is better. Orders can be placed by phone at 800-345-2396 or from their internet page at www.hartvilletool.com. When ordering by phone, identify yourself as a Club Discount Program Member. When checking out via the internet, type Club Discount Program Member in the Checkout Notes. The club receives a 5% rebate check on a yearly basis calculated on all club members’ purchases. CLUB TOOL LOAN PROGRAM T he club owns 10 lathes, 5 sets of basic tools, 2 face masks, 3 chuck sets, and several miscellaneous tools. Members may borrow equipment if they have a need. Tool loans must be limited to a maximum of 2 months and tools must be returned where loaned from, not handed off at meetings. The Board recognizes that tools are DONATIONS BY MEMBERS ITEM GOAL CURRENT Tops 1000 221 Ornaments 150 81 COMMUNITY SUPPORT – ORNAMENT SALES M embers of CNY Woodturners support a local effort to donate funds to charities that support children through the sale of donated ornaments and other turned objects. Since 2006, members have created and then donated a wide variety of ornaments, magnets, bottle stoppers, and other items. Sales are coordinated by Barbara & Charlie LaPrease. Our current charity is the Ronald McDonald House. Donations are recorded, noted in newsletters, and provide the basis for end-of-year awards. See page 18 for more information! Turning Times June 2016 Page 30 of 31 SHAVINGS & SCRAPS ANCHOR SEAL AVAILABLE AGAIN! A few years ago, the club purchased a 55 gallon drum of anchor seal which was then divided and sold at meetings. We ran out so the Board authorized another purchase. The drum is delivered to Jim Yonkers who fills gallon jugs. The jugs are then sold for $10 each at Charlie’s sale table during the meetings. Jim brought them to the May meeting and we will have it at the June meeting. If you need anchor seal, now is the time to purchase it. Anchor seal is used to seal the ends of wood to prevent checking while it dries or until you decide to use it. NEEDED: Clean plastic gallon jugs – not flimsy milk jugs. Heavier juice bottles, anti-freeze or window washer fluid jugs are good. Please wash out and bring in a bag to a meeting. Give to Jim Yonkers. SHARPENING SERVICES O ne of the most asked questions is where can I get table saw blades and other tools sharpened. The Sharpening Shed in Cicero closed and the person who purchased the tools hasn’t really started up the business. Recently, Phyllis Radford sent your editor a note about a sharpening service in Kirkville. The service is run by Paul E. Hart and is located at 7902 Kirkville Rd, Kirkville, NY 13082. The phone number is (315) 656-2899. Phyllis noted that her father has previously used the service. The prices depend upon the number of teeth and size of blades. He also sharpens hand saw and replaced tips on saws. The flyer she provided has the following statement: “All saws on being received will be cleaned, checked for run out, minor retension (no charge), sharpened, polished, and dipped in plastic to protect the tips and prevent rust.” If you use the service, please report back. PLAN AHEAD FOR JULY CHALLENGE T he June demonstration by Larry Prunotto and his crew will focus on creating multi-piece turned projects like those that are segmented or staved, concentrating on staved construction. The challenge then for July will be to create a staved piece. To do so, you may need a special router bit – called a Bird’s Mouth bit or multi-sided glue joint bit. If you plan on making a staved piece, you may want to order the router bit ahead of time. At least four different vendors have the bits: Woodline (click here); Lee Valley (click here); MLCS (click here); and Infinity Cutting Tools (click here). AAW OFFERS GUEST MEMBERSHIP! Y our officers just received notification that AAW now offers a 60 day Guest membership program! You must setup an account but thru it will you be able to review what the AAW has to offer. You will not have access to everything but you will have access to enough to learn about the vast array of resources available from AAW! Check it out by clicking here. MAY ISSUE OF WOODTURNING FUNDAMENTALS AVAILABLE I f you are already an AAW member, the next issue of Woodturning FUNdamentals is now available online. It is ALSO be available thru the Guest Member opportunity! In the May issue are articles by Barbara Dill about turning multi-axis spindles and by David Schell about selling your pieces plus more. Additionally, there are several tips and a link to a video on making a natural edge bowl. COLORED PLYWOOD SOURCING M any members enjoy working with colored plywood when making their projects. As woodworkers, we called the product dymondwood. But really there are different products. The maker of Dymondwood , Rutland Plywood, burned in August of 2014. At this time, Rutland’s owners have not licensed their product to anyone or rebuilt the factory. Some suppliers have Dymondwood available in limited supply. Enter by Cousineau Wood Products of North Anson, Maine. First they made the Spectraply product and now they have introduced the DymaLux product. They say it is “resin-infused, wonderfully colored, waterproof, stabilized & rugged Birch laminate”. If you need colored plywood blanks – even dowel stock, you can purchase directly from Cousineau Wood Products which recently launched an updated website - http://www.cwp-usa.com/ LOOKING FOR ABRANET® ROLLS & SHEETS A branet, by Mirka, is available in discs, sheets, and rolls from a website called Supergrit, the online presence for Red Hill Corporation. If you search the web, you can find other retailers, including Amazon, who sell the product. Thanks Mel! Turning Times June 2016 Page 31 of 31 CLASSIFIEDS Classifieds are welcome with the caveat that people notify the editor when entries are sold. FOR SALE: Gemini Wood Carver/Duplicator No Reasonable Offer Refused The machine is complete and has the decoy/gunstock option included. Ready to put on your bench and have running in an hour or less. I will assist you in set up if you want. Made in USA in Elbridge, NY. Contact Mel Taber, (315) 487-7855 or mtaber3@verizon.net FOR SALE: General International I HP Dust Collector with 1 MICRON CANISTER FILTER, 4 inch inlet, 110 volt. $290. Contact Mel Taber, (315) 487-7855 or mtaber3@verizon.net FOR SALE: John Ruttan’s General Lathe, variable speed, bed extension, $2,200.00 or offer. Also, John’s Langer [now Carter] Hollowing System $375.00 or make offer. I believe this was only used once. Contact Mel Taber at mtaber3@verizon.net or (315) 487-7855 AVAILABLE: Owner has over 1400lbs of white oak from shipwreck, Lizzie H. Brayton which was built in Bath, Maine in 1891 and sunk Dec 1904. Was recovered in Jan 2013 after Hurricane Sandy. Contact Joe Drozek @ jpdsolarjoe@gmail.com FOR SALE: Sam Yook was a former member who relocated recently to New York City. His remaining equipment and wood is located at Bob Ireland’s home south of Fulton. Please contact Bob via email – rireland@twcny.rr.com or if necessary by phone at (315) 404-7085 to make arrangements to see or purchase these items. EQUIPMENT STILL AVAILABLE: Earlex Spray System $100; Makita 1806B Planer $ 150; Skil Jig Saw $ 10; Battery - Maxx Everstart 35N $ 40; Makita 1912B Planer w/extra blades $ 90; Radiant Heater $ 25; Dewalt 9" Polisher/Sander $ 65; Honda Generator $ 600; Makita 9045B Finish Sander $ 10; Woodsman Pro 48" chainsaw bar $ 40; Oregon 40" chainsaw bar & chain $ 40 WOOD SPECIES FOR SALE: Ash; Birch; Bubinga; Cherry; Curly Philippine Mahogany; Elm; Imbuya; Jatoba; Mahogany; Maple; Padauk; Pecan; Poplar; Purpleheart; Walnut; & Yellowheart – Different sizes available. FOR SALE: Vega 2036 Lathe w/1.5HP motor, variable speed & reverse [16” inboard & 20” outboard]. Plus many tools & accessories, including a Pro 36 duplicator with patterns. Lathe & duplicator were not heavily used & are in very good condition. Make an offer. Contact Andy Dennison at (315) 429-1264. [Located in Cazenovia] FOR SALE: Craftsman COPY CRAFTER. $150. Contact Fred Brockway at (315) 521-5873. Memphis Hardwood Lumber – Situated on the bank of the Old Erie Canal, over 40 species of domestic and exotic hardwoods – including turning stock. Only local supplier for Baltic birch plywood in different sizes – 1/8”, ¼”, ½”, etc. For more information, see website www.memphishardwoodlumber.com. Custom engraving also available. Located at 6535 Church St, Memphis, NY. Open M-F 8am–4pm. Call for Saturday appointments. (315) 689-3949