Club Meeting: 9th September 2015
Report by: Kevin Reeve

A synopsis of the general theme of the two main topics covered by the presenters, Warwick Day focused on dust protection for the “turner” whilst John Whitmore would later follow on illustrating how to eliminate dust totally from the environment by wet sanding.

The presentation was started off by Warwick, who identified specific areas to minimise dust, affecting the person.

Design
Dust potential starts well before you even turn the lathe on, so deciding what you are turning has an impact of the volume of dust created.  As an example, thought should be given to whether you are turning end grain, which creates a lot more dust, or cross grain, which in general has less dust.

Wood Type
With any wood turned, shavings and dust are the resultant effect.
Those that are more sensitive to dust should consider using a harder wood to turn, such as walnut or Black Marie.
Some of the softer woods do create more dust, so this needs to be another consideration for minimising the effect of dust on the person, and your work area.
An example, demolition rimu, where the fibres in the wood exhibited some rotting, created a lot more dust.
In general, the lighter the wood, the more dust there will be Warwick says.
A question was asked from the floor about spalting, and the risks.
Spalting is any discolouration of wood caused by fungi.  Research has identified that it can be found in a living tree, a tree under stress or a dead tree.
The area for concern for the turner are the fungi pores can have a detrimental effect on the lungs, as well as your skin. Coupled with this there needs to be a consideration about the types of wood you are using which may escalate the risks.
This lead to a discussion about toxic wood.
The beginner guide does cover toxic woods, and will not be expanded on this in article, as it is a very specific field, and a topic which can be covered on its’ own merits.

Tools
How sharp are your tools?
The question was put to the audience to get turners thinking about the tool they are using, and their condition.
The turner should not become lax in their tool maintenance, and at every opportunity where there is some trepidation about the quality of their tool sharpness, it should be remedied.
The sharper the tool, the less dust.

Levels of Dust Protection
Masks
There are a variety of dusk masks of the market, both in quality and specific use. Careful consideration must be given to both how they fit the user, and the level of dust protection they provide.
Dust masks have various ratings for example P1 P2 and P3. If the reader requires an in-depth description of the mask ratings, they can go to:
http://www.business.govt.nz/worksafe
There is a good amount of information on this site to assist the turner.

Full face dust protection
Warwick demonstrated the AC400 full face enclosed dust and face mask system. The advantage of this system is the battery is enclosed in the head unit and can provide up to 8 hours plus service.
The unit describes as providing full air filtration.
The face shield is rated at 90 kilo Newton’s.  As a comparison, the clubs shields are rated at 70 KN

Vacuums cleaners, Air hose blowers, and Fans
Warwick completed the first part of his presentation of 3 other devices. His number one tool in the shed was a vacuum cleaner to clear and reduce dust.
Secondly, he pointed out the disadvantage of using an air hose to blow dust everywhere, the more dust you blow around the more dust you are working in.
Warwick touched on the use of free standing fans, and the benefits and blowing dust away from the area you working in.
These can be beneficial combined with a good extraction system, and perhaps fresh air.
This lead on to a discussion from the floor that dust in the workshop can present an inherent risk of being highly combustible if not attended to.

Hand and power sanding tools
Warwick exhibited the different types of power sand tools.
His preference is the inertia type sander with the lathe running at a low speed.
The advantage he suggested was there was less heat created through rotation from two seperate electrical power sources.

The next part of the presentation was from John Whitmore

John’s suggested there should be no dust at all.
Speaking from experience, John turns inside his own home, and albeit a few wood shavings in the house, he has attempted to eliminate all dust in the environment.
John commences his presentation by offering free dusk masks to everyone.
John introduced his presentation by saying humans have lived with dust for “millennia” and because of our ability to get rid of dust through lungs and their biological efficiency.
He went on to say that because of the industrial revolution, our natural ability to do this has been nullified due to exposure to external chemical variants that we would not have been exposed to.
There was some brief discussion around asbestosis, its’ origin’s and use.
He presented a wet sanding solution using 100 grit sand paper and Ondina oil which is produced by shell petroleum. (Research can be done by looking up the product)
There was discussion about the limitations with finishing whilst using this product.
The merits using this way of sanding were presented were twofold:
Eliminating dust by creating a slurry effect on the Astra paper
It cools the wood
A comment from the floor suggested any type of small brush will remove the slurry and one can perhaps use WD40.

The next part of the presentation was again from Warwick about machinery and dust extraction using various machines from manufacturers, but due to the extended time taken with the meeting it is an area that should be looked at again.
A big thanks to Warwick and John. An extremely informative presentation about dust and how it can affect turners, and something we should all consider.

Club Meeting; 25 August 2015
Report by David Jones

Phread  started his  demonstration by making a mallet in under 2 minutes without using the lathe at all.- simply cutting a piece off 100X75mm radiata post, drilling a hole through it with a forstner bit, cutting a length of dowel for the handle, shoving it into the head and walking away.

Clearly a very impressive performance from a speed point of view, but a rather useless mallet , unlikely to last..

Phread then proceeded to give an excellent demonstration on basic woodturning, and the importance of accuracy depending on the requirements of the project.

He started by showing a spurtle and a doris, both particularly shaped pieces of wood designed to stir food in a pot, and both made with a spoke shave . They were both beautiful to look  at as well as excellent in doing the job they were designed for, demonstrating the use of the spokeshave and the effects of cutting with and against the grain.

The head of the mallet had already been drilled for the shaft, but as the head was to be turned off-center, Phread then spent some time discussing the need for maximum accuracy in marking the exact center of each end of the mallet head and the use of the right sized ruler and the making of the point with an awl rather than a builders pencil. The ends were marked with diagonal lines as well as right angle lines through the centre of each end and four offset points 10mm each side of the center.

The head was then partially turned between centers before being offset 4 times using the 10mm offset points previously marked. The head was then sanded along the grain.
Putting the mallet head back on the lathe between centers, Phread then demonstrated marking and cutting the mallet head to the exact length required using a parting tool and then a skew chisel to cut off the torn grain and remove the arras  on the edge.

The handle had a sawcut put in it about 50mm long to take a wedge and was then roughed about 32mm except at the end where the wedge cut was where a taper was put on. A very wide cove was then put into the handle with a large spindle gouge, before Phread reverted to his favorite skew chisel to finish the bottom end of the handle and the taper so the handle would fit through the hole in the head of the mallet. All this time he was demonstrating how to stand and hold the tools so that there was minimum effort. He also pointed out the need for the wedge direction to be at right angles to the mallet head direction, to avoid the mallet head cracking when fitting.

Thanks Phread for an excellent demonstration about the real basics of woodturning which are so essential for our craft.

Club Meeting: 12 August 2015
Report by: Phread Thurston

When Andrew showed us what he was about to demonstrate I thought “how the hell will he turn that and I hope it’s competed before midnight “.  Read this article and you will get both questions answered.

You start with a piece of wood that is cut into an equilateral triangle say 45mm thick.  Mark the centre and mount on a screw chuck.  Face this off.  Remember the tip of keeping the tool rest parallel with the end result of the trued up face.  Sand when true, take off and repeat on the other face.  Both faces are parallel with each other and sanded.

Take it off the lathe chuck and all.  Now the next chuck that it was mounted on is not able to be described in this article.  It was an off centre adjustable chuck made by Andrew ( he has another life I think as a Fitter & Turner. ).  There are other ways of holding the work which is off centre and adjustable but this article is not the place to try to describe them.

Before it’s mounted the circles require setting out.  With an equilateral triangle take a line from an apex to the centre of it’s opposite long side and draw a line.  Do this for the three legs of the triangle.  Now with a little trial and error work out a diameter for the circles and Andrew’s was approx 120mm.  Since the block is 45mm thick you can drill a hole in the centre of the circles to say 30mm and this will become the guide for the bottom of the bowls.  The bowls are then turned conventionally taking care that after the first, you will turn air and a little care is needed not to chip the bowl edge.  By using the adjustable off centre chuck the three bowls are completed and sanded up making sure you keep the three circles or bowl circumferences the same diameter.  Andrew uses sanding sealer after completing this stage.

The back of the three sided bowl can be marked with the same markings as already described above.  Go to the band saw and cut from apex to the marked centre on the three legs.  There are many ways to sand up the three pieces but the sanding disc on the lathe with a supporting table on the lathe bed which was demonstrated worked real well.  Sand each piece, round the corners and do the top and bottoms.  In other words finish all the sanding at this point.
Using same contrasting colour wood and 10mm thick which has been dressed both sides mark out the three legs.  The style of leg and it’s position within the three sided bowl has more than one possibility and depends on how you want the end result to look.  A tip is to connect the three legs together and sand them connected so the end result is three equal looking legs.

Everything all sanded and coated with sanding sealer it’s join up time.  This is really about patience, putting the brain in gear and it will go together.  Why don’t you try to make one.  I now know how and yes the demonstration was well done and inside the time available.  Thank you Andrew.

Club Meeting Demo: 5 August 2015
Report by: Roger Wilson

Does three go into one….yes as demonstrated by Colin Wise

In the interests of a constrained time frame Colin elected to use less than suitable timber (too soft) in order to demonstrate the stage by stage process involved in turning this rather delicately trumpet fluted three neck vase.

Colin explained that in essence, you create three separate vases however a bonus would be in remembering ones school days geometry.

It is critical at the starting point that the joining angle of 120 degrees is established and that the correct offset is marked..e.g. 16 degrees on the bottom (tailstock), 42 degrees at the top (headstock) which equates to a 15 degree offset over the 130 mm length.

What was also demonstrated by Collin was his use of an ingenious wooden chuck shaped to hold the vase for both turning and shaping the trumpet plus hollowing out the vase. This chuck (attached to a set of cole jaws) piece of apparatus was the culmination of about two days work but once made would allow for multiple replication.

Collin made use of his sphere turning setup to show how the perfect sphere can be produced in spite of working with soft  timber.

This stage by stage demonstration by Collin Wise showed that with patience what appears to be magic could, with care, be a reality for wood turners with some experience.

A full diagrammatic description can be found on www.woodworkersinstitute.com (ed: not sure where)

Club Meeting :  27 July 2015
Report by: Dave Armstrong

David started his demonstration by discussing the “Methodology” or the process of turning his pieces and showed us examples or his two types.  One being an oblong piece with three dishes and the more traditional round piece, also with three dishes.  David mentioned that it is possible to make pieces with more dishes (bowls) depending on the swing of the lathe and your layout.  Dishes could also overlap.  He showed us the process of designing and making suitable jigs and faceplates with additional sacrificial fixing plates.
David stressed the safety and balancing required, and the need for accuracy when marking out. Other considerations are aesthetics and the use of contrasting timbers along with the relation between lathe speed, diameter and chisel speed.
Throughout his preamble and demonstration he supported his comments with a very well-constructed PowerPoint presentation.

Demo – Oblong Piece

David positioned his oblong stock on the oblong jig attached to the large faceplate which was swung at 45deg over the bed and turned the first outer dish.  He then made a template of the depth required to use as his guide for turning the other dishes.  Next he tipped his piece end for end and turned the second outer dish. Having completed these he then goes on to turn the centre dish and finished to suit.
He stressed the safety aspects concerning projecting wood spinning on the faceplate, keeping elbow into the body and also the need to ensure you mark out accurately or the dishes may not be positioned correctly.

Round Piece

David mounted his round work-piece to the large faceplate and proceeded to show the marking out using indexing and his drilling jig which was fitted to the banjo.  This ensures the dishes will be uniformly positioned around the blank. Each position was numbered.
The piece was then positioned at number one marking.  The complete faceplate and workpiece are checked for balance and the first dish turned and sanded.  Then he repositioned the work-piece to the next positions, balancing and turning until finished and sanded.

As usual, considerable time is spent making jigs, sacrificial faceplates, and marking out etc. but the reward is a repeatable piece in the end.
Davids demo was so informative that everyone remained absorbed throughout and he fielded many questions at the end. Thanks David for your great demo.

Demonstration Date: 23 July 2015
Demonstrator: Terry Scott
Author of Article: Wim Nijmeijer

Terry started by first giving us some general information about the wood, being Coolabah Burl (Eucalyptus Coolabah, found throughout Australia)
The burl is water blasted under high pressure to remove the bark and further processed in order to satisfy NZ customs. Typically there is a 24% moisture loss due to processing prior to importation into NZ.
Next Terry showed us a typical “flywheel” (can be made from custom wood or preferably from plywood)
The flywheel is used to attach the burl and also to balance the off centered burl.
A few examples of off centered turnings were shown.
Next the center of the burl was determined.

Terry then demonstrated how to attach the wood onto the flywheel. This was achieved by using a packer board, spacers/wedges and a glue gun and plenty of glue!
The packer board is then positioned and fastened with screws to the flywheel. Terry then removed all this and replaced it with a pre-mounted burl already fitted to a flywheel. (Center of burl at center of rotation, tailstock in place)

It was noted that this assembly was already sufficiently balanced.
The assembly was first rotated by hand before switching on the lathe at a slow speed, and then gradually increasing the speed to approximately 650 RPM.
The face of the burl was now turned. (Light cuts and rubbing the bevel)
Terry then showed us various pieces of lead used for balancing. Balancing is achieved on the lathe by attaching sufficient lead weights on the flywheel to offset the out of balance of the off centered burl. In this instance only 1 screw was used to balance the assembly.
With the tailstock removed the face of the burl was now completed using light cuts, followed by scraping.

With the flywheel still on the lathe, the burl was removed. (Including packer board, spacers/wedges)
Next a number of overlapping off centered circles were drawn on the finished face of the burl.
Then the burl was fastened again to the flywheel, with the first bowl centered on the tailstock. The burl was then balanced as required using 3 lead weights secured with 2 screws per weight to the flywheel. Webbing can also be used to provide additional security.
The assembly was first rotated by hand again before switching on the lathe at a slow speed. (Beware of the off centered rotating burl)
With the tailstock removed the first off centered bowl was turned using a 35-degree bowl gouge. Terry then finished the bowl using a ring tool (tungsten carbide ring) starting at the bottom of the bowl at approx. 80% and then rotated slightly as the cut progressed to finish the inside of the bowl. The bowl was then finally finished with the use of a negative rake scraper.

Next the burl and packer board were repositioned on the flywheel, by lining up the second bowl centered on the tailstock, and again fastened to the flywheel. This was then followed again by balancing.
The second bowl was then turned. First a 35-degree bowl gouge was used (light cuts, as cutting into the first bowl) followed by a 55-degree bowl gouge to finish the bottom of the bowl. Final finishing was done with the negative rake scraper. (Very light cuts)
The third off centered bowl, sanding and finishing with Danish Oil were not carried out due to lack of time.
All in all a very interesting demo with lots of additional information provided and as usual very well executed.
Thank you Terry.

Club Evening;     24th June 2015
Report by:  John Smart

Graeme showed some of his work on these Egg Cups with hats on.

He started with some of his thoughts & work on this subject as there are many options; Pointed versions ex Richard Raffan, Round & full bodied ex Grey Lynn.  Stories regarding Runny Eggs with lips to hold the juices.  Ice Cream look-a-likes all made from different timbers. He makes all of his from all forms of wood like Tasmanian Blackwood which after use ends up with a good gloss plus all other types of supplies coming from the firewood bin and ever looked at wood locker.

His next subject was PENCILS 3 years ago he purchased 3 dozen Pink carpenters pencils and since then has never found one where he stores them he of course blames the Nombessssss.

We then got to the nitty gritty what size egg do we use and that required more discussion.  It ended up as a size 7 egg you will find all the dimensions in our projects file EGG CUP.

Graeme created a entertaining evening and showed the skills he has plus a lot of technical advise that he uses which we can all adapt where necessary ourselves

Projects File; Egg Cup

Thanks Graeme

John Smart

Club Meeting: 17/6/2015
Author: Alistair Hancox

The St John volunteers delivered a very informative presentation on Wednesday night to those in attendance. We were given some sound advice on what to do should we or someone close by get into a spot of trouble. An interesting point made was that 30% of all calls to 111 aren’t for urgent emergencies. A key message from the evening was how to identify when to call the emergency line, and alternatively when to get yourself to A&E. If you’re even in doubt on whether to dial 111 for an ambulance, phone Healthline on 0800 611 116. A registered nurse will be able to provide you with advice. It’s important to note that in some cases, it may be quicker to drive the person in need to the hospital or A&E, rather than phoning for an ambulance.

Their main points of the presentation can be broken down into a number of key topics, outlined below.

Bleeding
The first question to ask is what’s the severity? Is if from a main vein or artery? If so, call for an ambulance. Some wounds can be associated with injuries beneath the skin. The first priority with bleeding, is to try and stop it. Apply pressure and wrap with a pad and bandage. If blood is leaking through the bandage, add another pad and wrap again. Do not remove the previous bandage.

Triangular Bandage
It’s important to elevate any bleeding and bandaged part of the body. We were given a demonstration on how to fold a triangular bandage to rest a wounded arm in a sling. During the audience participation, the room began to resemble a scene from the television show M.A.S.H. It was just as entertaining too.

Foreign Objects Embedded in a Limb
Do not remove! Leaving it in until you are being seen by health professionals will avoid additional internal damage. If you can move and you can manage the bleeding, get to A&E. If not, phone an ambulance.

Amputation
Apply pressure to the severed end. Take the detached appendage with you in a sealed plastic bag. Do not put it on ice. This will damage it and make reattachment and recovery harder. If you can get yourself to A&E, do so. If not, phone an ambulance.

Heart Attack
It’s important to recognise the early warning signs: Chest pain, pain down the left side of the body, rapid or irregular pulse, blue colouring of the skin, or a feeling of impending doom. If someone is having a heart attack, call 111 and put them in the W-position. This is lying/sitting on the ground with your knees brought up. This will take some pressure off the heart.

Eye Injury
Don’t rub the eye. Try and flush out anything that gets in there. Look straight. If you can’t get out something which has got in your eye, go to A&E.

Strokes
A stroke is caused by a blocked blood vessel in the brain. Recognising the signs of a stroke are important (Facial droop, loss of mobility in ones arms or legs, slurred speech, etc.). It is very important to get the victim to the hospital as quick as you can. At the hospital, an injection is given which can break down the clot. This must be administered within 2 hours of the stroke for the best chance of recovery.

CPR
CPR should be done on someone who has become unconscious, isn’t breathing, and/or doesn’t have a pulse. The first instance in this situation is to call 111 for an ambulance, then begin giving CPR. CPR should be given in a sequence of 30 chest compressions to two breaths. You should be aiming to compress the chest by about 1/3. The patient should be on a firm surface, like the floor, not a bed. Chest compressions should ironically be to the beat and timing of Another One Bites the Dust by Queen. Keep CPR going until an ambulance arrives. CPR will unlikely bring someone back by itself, though it should keep the patient alive long enough to get a defibrillator to them. Defibrillators are becoming common in places like supermarkets or other community centres. They are very easy to use and increase the chances of survival dramatically.

Recovery Position
The recovery position should be used when the patient is breathing and in a stable condition. Lay the person onto their side with their lower arm pointing straight up. Their head should rest on this arm. The lower leg should point straight down. Bring the knee up of the other leg.

Choking
If someone is chocking, grab them from behind and give them 5 strong compressions to the chest (Not the diaphragm!). Compressions to the diaphragm can cause damage to a victims internal organs. Follow  up the 5 compressions with 5 hard smacks on the back. Repeat as necessary.

Club Meeting: 4 June 2015
Report by: Bill Alden
Photos: Ross Johnson

Rolling Pins can be traced back to the 9^th Century. Commercial production of them started in the 18^th Century and were made from Pine, probably a harder wood than we are used to. They were also used for crushing Oats. In the late 18^th Century JW Reid patented a rolling pin with a central rod handles on each end which could be held firm in use. In the USA 650 to 700,000 are sold pa. They are made out of a wide range of materials. Some are patterned to leave an impression in the dough.

They can have handles or be just a straight cylinder with many different diameters and lengths. Smaller ones are used for icing sugar. A French rolling pin has a taper from the centre to each end.

Colin demonstrated some beading with a bead cutter on a small pin in order to pattern the dough. Black Maire is a good wood as it is heavy and turns well.

We discussed ways of keeping the cylinder equal along its length. Sight the tool rest with the bed and follow that, another method is to Part down to a given size using callipers slightly larger than the required finished diameter.

Thank you Colin for an informative evening.