Category Archives: Meetings

Branchwood: A Fruitful Journey – Chris Hooton

Club Meeting: 12 September 2018
Report by: Graeme MacKay

A humorous and very informative demonstration from a woodworker of long-standing. A well prepared approach to dealing with fruit wood branches supported by a regular commentary on safety for operation and fixing. Chris started with the pitfalls of a long thin blank that required an understanding of negative space and shadow directed cutting.

The initial checklist for starting with new fruit wood highlighted Chris Hooton’s approach:

  • check for nails and cracks
  • work out the correct way to cut the branch including having a suitable jig for using on the bandsaw
  • sort out and mark the cuts
  • measure and mark the centreline to allow for installation of faceplate.
  • Ensure that schooling through appropriate for the fixing of the faceplate

And simple things such as

  • ensure that the faceplate holes of the correct size to take the tech screws
  • and very simply, with humour, check that the tech screws are long enough

Chris provided a clearly illustrated approach to cutting across spaces and working with shadows. A useful tip was the placement of lights and shifting them around to get a clear and definitive shadow to work with. Then, using the shadow of the chisel to judge the distance to make initial contacts and start cutting.

A tip for sanding: Chris uses chalk gently rubbed across the face of the surface being worked to highlight and identify scratches, marks cuts and hollows. Chris used a standard soft builders chalk stick rubbed across the surface and using the marks to decide on the type and placement of the next cut. This process was used for final sanding with Chris providing illustration of what marks show through at the movement through the sanding paper grades.

Tip for measuring wall thickness: Chris noted that we often forget what the start point was after two or three checks. A piece of masking tape over one end of the figure 8 calipers and have it sticking out so that a mark to be made on the tape. Once the initial measurement has been taken, a mark is made on the masking tape where the non-taped caliper end stops. The tape cut at that mark. It provides an ongoing guide point for subsequent measurements on that particular surface. Simple and low-tech.

Chris provided a number of excellent workplace tips and directions for the topside cutting on the newly formed spigot. He emphasised the need for soft hands for the chisel work and the usefulness in providing marking lines.

Tips and guides included:

  • Check on your cutting directions, although looking for a flat surface you’re still cutting to the middle like hollowing out a bowl.
  • Mark depth and check.
  • Adjust lighting to show shadow to assist cutting.
  • Keep the tailstock in place until as late as possible.
  • Keep the hands soft, keep chisel sharp, and don’t rush it on the final cuts.
  • When using power tools for sanding, look at your approach and angle for the sanding mandrel.
  • Keep sanding mandrel moving working through the quadrant angles, backspace. A hollow centre dimple means that you have not sand with the correct angles.

Ellsworth Signature Gouge – Raed EL Sarraf

Demonstration Date: 5 September 2018
Demonstration Title: Ellsworth Signature Gouge
Author of Article: Wim Nijmeijer

The challenge for this evening was to produce a bowl made from a 125mm Rimu cube using only the “Ellsworth Signature Gouge”. Raed then explained and demonstrated the various cuts made with this gouge.
(The cube was already mounted on the lathe using the screw chuck method.)

Roughing Cut- Raed explained how to present the gouge, axial pitch of the gouge 45 degrees, shaft horizontal on the tool rest. He then identified the cutting area of the gouge. He then proceeded with the removal of the corners and the rough shaping of the outside of the bowl. Using the gouge in this manner, large quantities of wood can be removed very quickly; the surface left on the wood however is pretty rough.

Following the rough shaping of the bowl, the slicing cut was used.
But before commencing with the slicing cut, Read first cut the spigot, to allow remounting of the bowl at a later stage.

Slicing Cut- Gouge presentation, axial pitch 45 degrees, shaft 20-30 degrees on tool rest. The final form of the bowl was now further refined. This cut also resulted in a lot less tear-out compared to the roughing cut.

With the shaping of the outside completed, it was now time to finish the outside of the bowl by using the shear scraping cut.

Shear scraping Cut- Gouge presentation, axial pitch 85 degrees, shaft 45 degrees on tool rest. With this cut, Read was able to put a very smooth surface on the bowl. Only minimal sanding would be required to finish the exterior of the bowl.

The bowl was now remounted using a scroll chuck.

Raed then preceded roughing out the interior of the bowl by using the Interior Roughing Cut, this cut is basically the same as the roughing cut used on the exterior of the bowl.

Interior Roughing Cut- Gouge presentation, axial pitch 45 degrees, shaft horizontal on tool rest. Read explained the importance of body movement and position during the execution of this cut.

With the roughing out of the interior of the bowl completed, the Interior Finishing Cut was used to make the final cut on the interior in preparation for sanding.

Interior Finishing Cut- Gouge presentation, axial pitch 0 degrees, shaft horizontal on tool rest. Before commencing this cut however, Raed first made a 6 mm deep cut to support the bevel when starting the interior finishing cut. Using this cut Read achieved a very smooth interior surface of the bowl.

All in all it was a very well executed and interesting demo. Thank you Raed.

Note
Further information about:
How to sharpen the Ellsworth Signature Gouge,
Detailed information on the various cuts with the Ellsworth Signature Gouge can be found in the “Ellsworth on Woodturning Book” held in our Library. (Book # 194)

Liquid Polymer Glass – Michael Engel

Club Meeting: 29th August 2018
Report by: Dave Armstrong

Michael introduced himself as owner operator of Liquid Polymer Glass Ltd. He commenced his discussion with an overview of his company and some of the original history that caused its development. Their main product centred around Bar Tops, providing hard wearing coatings that could withstand the constant beating they received from the knobbly bits on the bottom of beer bottles.

The original resins they used were not clear and they set out to address that issue settling on an Epoxy type sourced from Europe. However they required considerable development in order to get the required curing result both hard, resilient and clear with an acceptable cure rate. To that end Michael stressed the need for exact proportions of resin and hardener and to achieve this they settled for a simple method using weight (i.e. 200gr resin / 100gr hardener) as opposed to volume. He showed us examples of various suitable scales with differing degrees of accuracy and cost. Suitable scales can be bought for less than $20 and can measure weight as little as the difference between two postage stamps.

Mixing is extremely important and instructions must be followed precisely to avoid bubbles and to ensure correct resin to hardener ratio within the mix. Michael prefers to Double mix the brew. To achieve this he ensures all product is scrapped away from the bottom and sides of the mixing vessel and stirred in well, then transfer the mix to a clean dry vessel and repeat the mixing before pouring into your project. Ideally ambient temperature should be around 20deg C to provide a cure time of between 12 to 24 hours and in some cases depending on film thickness up to several days.

Michael went on to discuss methods of colouring resins including the use of powders, inks, paints and dyes. Liquid Polymer Glass use oxides only in their work.

Problems were addressed and Michael again stressed the need for patience and to keep your mind on the job at hand. NEVER answer the phone or take unwanted distractions when doing a mix/pour as the likelihood of failure is high due to inadvertently forgetting a step or using incorrect proportions. He also mentioned that Air and Moisture are your enemies and work must be sealed to prevent its affects. Several methods were discussed to achieve this but it is as simple as coating a void or trench with a coat of the resin, PVA glue or water based paint.

Never add more hardener thinking you will speed up cure time as this will only weaken the cured resin. However you can add a tiny amount more resin to give a slightly longer cure time. Michael also mentioned viscosity and that the resin can be warmed slightly to make it flow better but NEVER heat the hardener.

Slow and cool cures are achievable but contact Michael for an appropriate brew as the resins are quite different and the exothermic temperatures can be quite extreme.

As usual, it is preferable to layer smaller amounts in your pour than one big deep run. Although it is possible to achieve different levels of clarity (i.e. Satin,Clear etc) in your result he said the easiest way was to simply cut back the surface to get the desired effect.

Michael’s presentation was very enlightening and I feel I almost had brain overload but he imparted his knowledge clearly and he answered many pertinent questions from the floor throughout his talk but he always reverted to his topic. Of course he is keen to promote his company but it is rare today to find a welcoming and knowledgeable character keen to help fellow woodworkers.

Thank you Michael for the colour samples and information sheets given to members.

Footnote – Don’t put samples in your pocket. I thrust my hand into my pocket to get my car keys only to be covered in red additive which spread its self around the car and my wallet.

Lidded Box – Dave Gillard

Club Meeting: 29 August 2018
Report by: Dave Armstrong

Our speaker this evening was to be Michael Engel from Liquid Polymer Glass Ltd. However, due to a slight communication error, Michael was not due until 8.00pm so David Gillard stepped in to fill the slot with a quick demo of making a lidded box.

Dave started with a piece of hard wood he had bought along to be identified and cut off a piece fitting the term project of 125mm cubed. He mounted the wood between centres and rough turned it round making a tenon on each end for mounting into a 50mm chuck.

After fitting the chuck Dave mounted the piece using the tenon made on one end and turned down the outside shape of his box in keeping with a drawing he scribbled up on the white board. Using a thin parting tool he parted off the lid and set it aside and commenced to hollow out the inside using a series of tools. His preference for a cup tool saw him ultimately having the piece dramatically leave the lathe to the rapturous cheers and guffaws from the appreciative audience. He then took advice from a member and finished the main hollowing with a forstner bit and then refined the bottom and called it done. Dave then miraculously sanded the piece to 2000 grit using just one tiny piece of sandpaper. He then mounted the lid section on its tenon and quickly finished it off as Michael Engel had arrived and set up.


Dave received some light hearted ribbing and applause and handed over to Michael.