Club Demo: 15 June 2016
Written by Graeme Mackay

Richard started with a cheerful introduction and gentle lead in by opening with his key point; the need for sharp tools, always, sharp tools. Also, he reinforced the need to keep doing the sharpening. Not only that, he remembered the colour of the honing bars red blue yellow or was it yellow blue red. Whatever the colour or the system, the basics are sharp tools.

Naming your blanks: when question image and he puts his both date and name on the blanks when they are shaped. This protects a piece against all comers and has several sons. A good basic idea that gives an indication of when this piece was shaped up and put out for storage.

In all standard starts, Mark the centre before putting on the faceplate and again before that, with great humour, discuss the options (as Richard noted even with yourself) and ensure the screws and holes the right size. Sometimes a simple operation that is missed.

The steps are straightforward and available on our club website. Go through the steps and verbalise each part of the process. Richard commented that saying is allowed often helped keep things ordered and avoid missing steps.

Restrain the aggression: when cleaning up the faceplate and getting things ready avoid being aggressive. Get the blank and balance and then start working on your plan. That is if you have a plan or a drawing. A point taken up not too much later in the demonstration.

Check your measurements: Do you have the correct chuck bite? Do you actually know the correct size? Do you have something to measure things with? All this to avoid later readjustment and correction of any miscalculations. A good direction for getting back to basics.

The correct gouge: Do you have the correct gouge are making the rebate? And as Richard corrected the taper of the rebate he commented; did you checked instructions? Sometimes it’s the little things that really miss you up when you have to go back. Marking a bottle spot will resist resend train if needed corrections. Think through the process for the shape you want. Have you thought about the foot? Richard cheerfully mentioned the need for planning and drawing. A basic feature which helps that particularly nearly days of the first 200 bowls.

The foot: have you made a decision. There is a need to plan early and ensure that the correct amount of wood is left for the type foot that you’ve decided upon. Sometimes simple questions such as “is it easy to sand” will assist in back to basics approach. Again the cheerfulness Richard said look at the shape you have chosen and make sure that you have the appropriate tools close by and sharpened. All these items are on the checklist. If you can print them off.

Working through the items on the checklist avoids the need to go to Plan B or plan C or plan D….

Along with this approach is a need to have your body position worked out. Ensure you have the correct placement of your feet. Can you move freely and complete the cutting exercise without interruptions making those lovely bumps and humps. Richard returned the conversation to early planning and the oft missed drawing a diagram. Planning can mean room for options; is there room on the rim to have an undercut. Will you be able to use some of the attractive grain in the wood?

A good joke about callipers; if there are no batteries for the digital callipers, do you have the batteries to run fingerometer to judge the thicknesses. In a back to basics approach, it is good to think about how you’ll take the spigot off. Some prior thought, and even some prior planning will make this a little easier and probably provide a better visual finish.

Richard commented that in this back to basics approach; just slow things down. Don’t rush. Have a thought about things, sharp and tools and enjoy yourself.

Club Meeting :  25 May 2016
Report by: Phread Thurston

Norm knows quite a bit about pepper grinders.  So lets get the confessions out into the open straight away.  This writer has never made one.  But this will not stop me describing Norm’s presentation.  I do know that I will make one in the future as it’s not too daunting.
Instead of turning timber Norm has a presentation board with the stages of the process in live form mounted upon it.  He then described each stage and some of the pitfalls that he had to overcome.  In discussing the presentation with another woody it was mentioned that you can see five or so pepper mill presentations and they will all tackle the task in a different way.

Now having shown how Norm went about the evening’s demonstration it’s not going to be written up here with all the instructions on how to make pepper grinders.

It is very clear that this is just not possible and if an error in the process is made then it’s in fact not even helpful.  But don’t fret if you want Norm’s detailed instructions given to the writer on the evening then contact South Auckland Woodturners Guild’s Secretary, provide your email address and a copy will be sent to you.

Norm’s presentation was relaxed, interactive and covered all the trouble spots involved with turning pepper grinders.  With no actual turning the subject matter was covered quicker than it would have been otherwise.  However if we had turned one from go to completion it would have been very late indeed when we left our clubrooms.  The Crushgrind mechanical grinding mechanism is the preferred peppercorn grinding mechanism.  Cheaper mechanisms should be avoided as they will just not last.  Only two pepper grinders had been returned with problems.  Yes one of them had just simply run out of peppercorns.  Obviously Norm makes quality grinders.  He likes Forstner bits for doing the drilling and even though he sharpens them contrary to good practice ( honing the flat and not the bevel is good practise ) he has never had a problem.  He uses a very narrow saw when parting the top from the base.  The basic reason is to preserve the grain.  He likes Danish Oil to finish the grinders.

So the evening came to a close.  Norm did put a few shavings onto the floor just to give the nominated sweeper a job to do that night but this small part of the evening was not about pepper grinders.  Thank you for your demonstration Norm and yes I will have a go at making a pepper grinder.

Club Meeting : 11/05/16
Report by: Paige Palmer

Raed started this demonstration by talking about the size, shape and design of platters. While the SAWG instruction sheet recommends that platters be 300mm in diameter and have a depth of 15% of the diameter, the process for turning a platter is the same regardless of size. Raed demonstrated this by turning what he referred to as a ‘saucer’ – a small platter.

The first thing that Raed pointed out to us was a lesson that he learned the hard way – make sure that your final product is the right size to fit your cole jaws. You will need to turn your platter around and hold it in your cole jaws in order to turn off the spigot.

Speaking of spigots – typically when turning a platter you will have a fairly thin blank, however you should ensure that you have enough depth to create a spigot deep enough to fit your chuck. Other members of the guild suggest that you create one using hot melt glue or a PVA paper joint; however Raed isn’t too sure about these methods.

Raed mounted his blank on the lathe, having drilled a hole with a forstner bit and expanded the jaws of the chuck. Alternatively, one could use a screw chuck (if the piece had enough depth) or a faceplate. After checking that his setup was safe, Raed went about turning his blank so that it ran true. He then cleaned up what would become the bottom of the platter and created a spigot.

Raed then started to create the shape of his platter. Raed said that he did not have a particular shape in mind for this piece – he was just going with what the wood showed him. While shaping the outside of the platter, Raed needed to be aware of the depth of the recess which was holding the piece to the chuck to make sure that he didn’t end up with a hole in the bottom of his platter!

This is where Raed ran into a little bit of trouble. He was having a bit of trouble with the finish on the outside of his platter. Dick suggested that he check the grain of the wood, and encouraged him to make sure that he was cutting uphill, with the grain. After checking his positioning and trying again, Raed produced a finish that he was much happier with.

Once the outside of the platter was finished, Raed turned the piece around, mounted it in the chuck and started to hollow the inside. Raed reminded us to ensure that your spigot is the right size for your chuck so that the chuck holds the wood securely, with the jaws as close as possible. Raed then started to talk about making a border or a rim around the top of the platter. In decorative pieces, the rim of the platter provides a canvas for the turner to be creative and decorate to their hearts content. On this occasion, Raed made a rim that rose to a small lip towards the centre of the piece then dropped to create the hollow of the platter.

Raed discussed one of the problems of working with thin pieces of wood – if it gets too thin it may start to vibrate on the lathe. This will produce a poor finish that can be hard to get out. To combat this challenge Raed ensured that he left a mass of wood at the centre of the platter while he hollowed around it for as long as he could. Once he reached the depth he was aiming for, he then carefully turned out the mass. Doing it this way reduces vibration in the piece and can increase stability while turning.

Finally, after hollowing the piece to a nice finish, Raed explained that he would mount the piece in cole jaws in order to turn off the spigot. Unfortunately Raed’s piece was too small for his cole jaws … but you get the idea!

Club Meeting: 4-May-2016
Report by:Gary McDonald

On display on table this evening were a set of four natural-edge bowl saved bowls from a pepper tree that Dick had turned some time ago – this term’s theme is Back to Basics, tonight’s topic was Bowl Saving.

Whilst commonly referred to as bowl saving, other terms may also be implied such as coring or centre-saving.

Dick kicked off by giving an overview of the business end – discussing the various clearance angles and rakes on the cutters of three bowl-savers. Two New Zealand manufactured products were on display: Woodcut Bowlsaver and the McNaughton Centre Saver, in addition Dick also covered the cutter on the Oneway, a Canadian coring system.  

Having owned and used the Woodcut I was keen the see the McNaughton demonstrated but unfortunately the handle was missing in action. This tool appears to offer greater options for coring but Dick stressed this is a judgement tool, that may take some time to become familiar with. Sourcing may also be an issue.  Carbatec are the distributors for Kelton Industries.  Also check the Library for a Mike Mahoney DVD on the McNaughton Centre Saver.
Onto the Woodcut.  Dick covered off the assembly and also showed the difference between the Guild’s bowl-saver and his own which has been modified to accept a longer cutting blade that Woodcut now offer.  Sharp is key with a quick refresher on honing the Steelite tip was useful.

Mounting a blank of kauri roughly 350 in diameter Dick commented that he has managed to bowl save up to six bowls from one blank with the Woodcut. Forming a spigot – another useful tip noted was that by using larger chuck jaws these are able to absorb the cutting pressure better when bowl saving. It is recommended finishing the outside of the bowl and if coring green wood this can be achieved by wet sanding. Use of a reversing mandrel makes remounting the blank more accurate – another item for the tool kit.

One thing I have noted with purchasing kiwi made woodturning tools is that the manufacturers in the main have good written instructions and advice on setup and use. I still have the video on my early Woodcut Bowl Saver and the advice in the early booklet on setup discusses using callipers to determine the mounting/cutting position. The later models offer templates to assist with setup or an optional extra is a laser guide.

Setting the lathe to 500-600rpm in this instance the general thrust, no pun intended, is nice and steady using the body where possible to support the cutting pressure. With the pivot point set some 20mm towards the turner, the longer blade, in this instance, allowed for a clean cut right to the centre rather than having to knock the inner core out if the shorter blade had been used.

Time passed quickly and this was a timely refresher as I have some bowl saving to do coincidentally it is pepper wood that I am planning on coring. Thanks Dick another insightful demo.

Club Meeting: 13 April 2016
Report by: Philip Johnstone

This was a very informative demo by Gary, showing us how to make finials. He started by pulling out some finials that he has made in the past, and it soon became obvious that he has had a lot of practice with them!

Next he moved on to showing us the mathematics behind the perfect finial, and such calculations are not for the faint-hearted! He toned down the technicalities by teaching us the six “control points” on a finial. These basically take a set ratio, apply it to the length of the finial, mix it all together in a calculator, and out comes the diameter of the desired finial.

He then moved on to the lathe, and started turning. Starting from the tip of the finial, he slowly worked his way to the base, checking his measurements each time he got to a control point. As he was doing different parts, he demonstrated how to use different tools, and showed a considerable skill in thin turning.

It was a well-presented demonstration, and Garry kept a lively dialogue going throughout. An enjoyable evening in all.

Club Meeting:    6 April 2016
Report By:  Murray Wilton

Well known to our members, Ian is from the North Shore Guild. He began his demo by showing us a mock-up of the finished article in solid form. This was to give an idea of outer shape and form, as well as to illustrate what the finished lid insert would look like. The “box” could be described as tiny, measuring about 75 X 75 X 75.

Wear a safety mask! Ian is strong on the need for safety in the workplace and he carried out his demo with the full gear in place.

Ian starts with a block 90 X 90 X 120 which allows plenty of waste and allowance for any blunders which can happen when working with small pieces. Choose a darker timber to produce a contrast with the insert. Small work of this kind is enhanced by using a chuck and/or live centre at each end. Held in a chuck at the headstock end and a live centre at tailstock end allows initial roughing down to round to be achieved accurately. Ian then replaces the live centre with a drill chuck holding a 48mm Forstner bit to make an initial hole for the lid insert, about 10 mm deep. This means the tailstock end is the lid end of the starting block. The hole must be drilled carefully and the drill must be sharp as Forstner bits sometimes tear the timber. (“This is my way”, Ian responded to those who suggested it might be easier to simply turn the insert with a suitable chisel.)

The insert is produced by fixing a glue block into the chuck with a 50 X 50 X 15 mm piece of contrasting timber (rewarewa or copper beech in Ian’s case) glued with Titebond to the outer face. The insert also serves as a spigot for later use. The glue block can be turned at a relatively high speed because of its small diameter. Using a parting tool the insert on the glue block is trimmed to same diameter as the 48 mm Forstner hole. It must be a perfect fit so great care has to be taken. Also, the insert has to bottom out in the main block hole so make sure it isn’t too thin. Leave enough clear to make a spigot.

Next mark the glue block with “top” and “bottom” at each end of the insert grain to ensure insert and main block grains line up when the two blocks come together. Place the main block in a second chuck at the tailstock end and line up with the glue block so grains are in same direction. Apply superglue to the edges only of the insert and wind the tailstock in to meet the headstock and fit the pieces firmly together.

When dry, remove from both chucks and insert the main block and glue block together into the headstock chuck, using a live centre at tailstock end to hold the insert. (You are totally confused by this stage so please study Ross Johnson’s excellent photos to see what I’m trying to tell you!) Now begin turning the whole assembly to the desired final box diameter (about 75 mm).

This is where you need to be clear about the depth of the lid insert so that when you part off the lid you will know whether or not the insert will show on the under side of the lid (your choice). Mark the desired depth of the lid (say 10 mm) and use a 10 mm bowl gouge to turn the lid to required outer shape. Turn a spigot in the insert above the top line of the lid. When completed, part off the lid at the marked line and use a draw saw (available from Carbatec) to complete the cut, slowly and carefully to avoid burning.

Re-position the now separate lid in the headstock chuck using the spigot you have just turned and finish lid to desired shape. This means any hollowing you want in the lid as well as the rebate which will position the lid snugly on the base. Now replace the base of the box in the chuck, bottom end to headstock. Carefully measure the lid inside diameter (of rebate) and mark where the hollowing edge has to finish to ensure the box rebate fits perfectly to the lid rebate. Before starting the box hollowing, jam-fit the lid on the box, rebate-to-rebate, with the grains lined up. This is so that you can finish off the lid. The lid end (glue block still attached) is held by a live centre in the tailstock. Tape the joint to avoid any tendency to twist during the lid finishing work. Part off most of the glue block, withdraw the tailstock and live centre and complete finishing work to top of lid. Normally turn from centre of lid outwards, but if this causes tearing of the insert, work the other way. At this stage add beads if you want them.

Complete the job by removing the lid and finish the hollowing of the box as well as any external finishing needed. Finally part off the bottom of the box.

Ian warned that making small lidded boxes is delicate work requiring a great deal of patience and careful turning. After making several of these little pieces, Ian says he is still learning, so don’t be discouraged if your first attempt isn’t a raving success. Thanks, Ian, for a top-of-the-class demo.

Club Meeting: 23 March 2016
Report by: Richard Johnstone

Bruce began his demonstration by showing us some pre-prepared examples of his work. Each was hollow with different shapes cut out of the walls. His demonstration example was hollow with a tree in the centre.

He began with four identical pieces of wood. 33mm square by 220mm long. Each piece had been carefully prepared so that each surface was clean, flat and square. These are glued together on the long sides to get them ready for putting on the lathe

Tip: Bruce doesn’t use a Paper join and explains that his way is easier to separate. All that is required is a small dot of Titebond glue at each end of the pieces to be joined. These are then clamped to ensure a firm hold. After the first turning has been completed, the ends can be cut off and the four pieces will either just come apart or are easily separated.

The glued pieces are put between centers using Steb centers. These are better than single point centers as they reduce the pressure in the middle and lessen the risk of the glued pieces separating.

Bruce carefully marked out the block and then began cutting the first hollow. He uses a cardboard cutout as a template to ensure accuracy. He then changed to using a 55 degree gouge for the bottom of the hollow because as he said, “it’s not so sharp on the point”.

After completing the “inside” turning, Bruce cut off the ends and used a kitchen knife to split the pieces. They did come apart reasonably easily, but he may have used a bit more glue than necessary because he knew that it was going to be used for the demonstration and he didn’t want it to fly apart.

The pieces are then turned around and re-glued in pairs ready to have a Christmas tree inserted.

The tree was made from a 40mm long and 28mm diameter piece of Kauri. It was held between centers and had the tree shape made then grooved and sanded lightly. He then turned off the ends and power sanded the rough ends. The tree was painted appropriate colours with water based dye.

With the tree complete it was now time to return to the two glued pieces. Bruce used a Dremel with a 5mm round bit to cut a groove in each side for the tree to fit. Trial and error soon had the grooves the correct size and the tree could be fitted and the pieces glued together and clamped. The effect was a brightly coloured Christmas tree inside a hollow cavity.

Using a piece which he had prepared earlier, Bruce put it back on the lathe to shape the outside. He told us that he aimed to get an even thickness around the hollowed area without getting too thin. We all watched as he perfected the shape around the hollow and the walls continued to get thinner with each cut. But, he did it successfully and stopped before the fatal “final cut”.

To finish, Bruce turned a small ball on the top and a finial on the bottom. He sanded it before the ends got too thin and then turned both ends thinly until nearly through. The final job was to cut off the ends and give a light sanding.

It was a very good demonstration. Thank you to Bruce for all the time and effort to prepare and present his ideas.

Club Meeting of 16 February 2016
Report by Jim Jackson

Dave gave the members an insight as to his past advising the members that he was born in the UK, trained in the UK as an Engineer working in metal. Emigrated to NZ 49 years and 11 months ago on a 2 year contract. He was inspired to start woodturning by his father. Dave was a founder member of Franklin Woodturners Club at Waiuku. Dave’s dad worked at the mill for 17 years and Dave beat him in service with 30 years. Dave made his first segmented turning at the club in Waiuku, it took 3 months to complete, and he was advised to put a high price on it.
Dave handed out a segmented bowl to be passed around the audience.

This bowl has over 300 pieces, the main ring has 10 elements to each segment, and Dave made another 4 bowls to the same pattern.
Dave gave out the following tips at this stage for advice:
Work out pattern to start with.
The books on segmented turning are generally very old, the glue used in the old days was made from boiling up horns, hair and hoofs in cast iron glue kettles, this glue has long setting times, the work probably was clamped with a hose clip, Dave subsequently used a yellow glue from Carbatec, now he uses a white exterior grade glue which grips faster, within half an hour he can machine it and being exterior it can go out in the rain. The segments are now clamped with elastic bands, more pressure will only squeeze out and waste the glue.
Use a jig (shown) or toggle clamps to hold segments for cutting with a drop saw or table saw, remember to remove any burrs.
All segments are cut with the drop saw and NOT sanded as the sanding creates ‘curved’ pieces.

Dave was asked to make a rolling pin with segmented wood in a spiral form. It took 972 pieces, when the woman asked for another one similar he refused. Now he makes rolling pins with a slightly less onerous formation.

Dave uses jigs to hold the segments together whilst assembling them on a flat surface.
Years ago Tecknatool made a device called an “Ornamental Turner”, which was sold by Carbatec. Now no longer available except at a high price on the internet.
Dave’s Missus gave permission for Dave to purchase something nice when he got out of hospital, so he purchased his device, he has subsequently added a toolbox to hold his cutters. The toolbox was made by Dave during his time at the machine shop. The ornamental turner ensures that his built up work will be parallel to the previous segment. Using the ornamental turner with the toolbox and homemade cutters Dave confirms that he does not have “dig ins” and the set-up is good for repetition work, he makes 50 wig stands at a time.

Note the soft jaws made by Dave holding segmented work ready to be machined flat.
Dave passed around a bowl with 182 pieces measuring approx. 120mm diameter, wood is Rata and Kaikatea.

Another tip to manufacture thin strips of wood (approx. 2mm thick) to look like a feather, take a thicker piece of scrap wood and thickness it then glue on your good wood, saw with a table saw to give say 3mm thick and then thickness to 2mm, add another good wood strip to the previous thin strip and continue in this fashion to however many strips you want. You can now use them in segmented work.
Dave’s demo was well received

Club Meeting: 9 March 2016
Report by: Graeme Mackay

The task for this term was to use several types of wood in a turning project. Dick Veitch focused his demonstration on making wig stands with a comment that it is an item that is pleasurable to give away, fun to make and has a number of interesting challenges. Wig Stands are part of the “look good feel better” cancer recovery program which the SAWG club supports.

The making of wig stands; headpiece, stem and base, involves a number of techniques that include spindle turning, turning between centres and bowl work – and of course planning and measurement. A useful project to develop woodturning skills. The basic wig stand design plans and measurements are on the SAWG club website. The design has been developed to accommodate a stand that holds a full wig. The headpiece has to be wide enough to allow a wig to be easily placed over it and keep the fall of hair in place. Also, as experience has shown, there is a need for reasonable depth to allow the wig to flow off the head piece and fall freely.

The Headpiece: Dick placed the Matai block between centres and a chuck bite was made on the side that is to be top of the head. There is a need to give enough wood for the spigot and to allow for a second. Dick suggest to keep the speed quiet and making the initial spigot. The block is then reversed onto the spigot ready for rounding and shaping. A new spigot with a centering dimple is made. The dimple provides a guide for drilling the 25 mill hole to take the stem tenon. Dick suggested a 25 mm hole to allow the use of idle option of using an expansion jaws.

Increasing the depth of the headpiece: If the blank/block for the headpiece does not have depth the next work is required. There are often bits of wood around the workshop that are “not quite” for the purpose designed. Then with some glue and lamination they can be joined to form a larger block with more depth. This is a good exercise to practice lamination skills – and your design skills. There are many options of both similar and contrasting wood.

Base: Dick used a Pohutukawa blank for base. The heavy wood providing some stability to the wig stand. A base spigot is formed. The block then reversed onto the jaws for shaping and drilling the hole to take the stem Tenon. Dick referred a simple clean base with the design showing in the stem itself. A 25 mm hole is drilled to take stem and act as a hole to take expansion jaws.

Stem: Dick used a Tawa block for the stem. The measurements for the length of the stem are in the SAWG project guide. This is a good place to practice spindle work and application of design. After rounding the blank, the 25 mm tenons are marked off and made on each end to join the base and head.

Stem Design: Dick discussed keeping the stem elements visually balanced, usually the thicker element on the bottom section. The simple demonstration design had pairs of beads with a key element bound by each bead. Dick then set up the marking for the initial cuts that frame the beads. The middle section was divided into thirds and the Ogee curve mapped out. Dick expressed the need for patience and starting out on the beads. In this demonstration he used the Skew chisel to form the beads and finish with a standard spindle gouge. Care needs to be taken with the main cove. Planning the cutting process for the individual elements on the stem is productive and helps in avoiding uneven elements.

In summary Dick made the following comments:
The Wig Stand offers a useful woodturning exercise.
Planning and marking pays off.
Thinking through the process again pays off.
And a bit of patience helps the end product.

Wig Stand Project Sheet
Wig Stand Spindle Ideas