http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/good_day/charleys_world/a-lesson-in-woodwork-011212

Segment One

A lesson in woodwork: MyFoxTAMPABAY.com

Text, Photos and Video by Tom Hintz – COPIED FROM NewWoodworker.com (http://www.newwoodworker.com/turning/trnsnomnstpr.html)

Click on the image to view a video showing virtually the entire turning sequence.
(1:14 min. – approx. 4.5M – Windows media)

The Snowman bottle stopper is a fast, fun to turn gift that will be appreciated for years to come. Because of the small blank required they can often be turned from pieces of scrap that might otherwise go unused.

I use a shop-made jig for mounting pre-drilled (dowel hole) bottle stopper blanks in my lathe but virtually any mounting method that works for bottle stoppers will do. See the link at the end of this story for a downloadable PDF (Adobe Portable Document Format) file with dimensioned drawings of the jig and the Snowman bottle stopper.

In addition to the jig, I use the tailstock live center to add stability to the piece until near the end of the process when the scrap is cut off and the final cut made to clean up the top of the hat. This is not always necessary but does allow me to be relatively aggressive during the early stages of turning.

Prepare the Blank

Cut blanks 2 ½"-long by 1 ¼" to 1 ½"-diameter and prepare as necessary for how you will mount it in the lathe. My jig requires a 3/8"-diameter by 1"-deep hole, centered on one end of the blank. Later, the cork and dowel is inserted in this hole.

The turning techniques used to produce the Snowman Bottle Stopper are basic. Making these is also great practice.

Mount the blank in the lathe and turn it round. If round blanks (dowel-type stock) are used, I still round them slightly to be sure they are true on the lathe.

Making a "story gauge" with the transition points is helpful, especially when several stoppers are to be made. Mark the transitions on a piece of flat scrap large enough to hold against the stopper blank and transfer them to the stock with a sharp pencil. With my jig, the head portion is located at the left end of the blank with the scrap at the live center end to allow forming the top of the hat later.

After making a bunch of these stoppers, I forego the story stick in favor of making V-cuts, located by eye to locate the transitions. With a little practice, this has become surprisingly accurate and very fast.

Turning

Start by making a deep V-groove at the top of the hat, removing most of the material from the scrap area. Turn this groove down leaving a stem between 3/16" and ¼" in diameter. This provides plenty of support when turning the rest of the stopper but can be cut off easily later.

Make another V-groove about 3/16"-deep at the top of the brim. Work the hat to a taper shape until the narrow end meets the V-groove. I like to leave the top of the brim with a small upward angle so may take a final cleanup cut after tapering the body of the hat.

Cut another V-groove at the underside of the brim, also approximately 3/16"-deep to both define the brim and make room for rounding the upper portion of the head. The bottom of the brim seems to look best when it is 90-degrees to the length of the finished stopper. I wait until after rounding the head and then make a cleanup cut on the bottom of the brim to true that surface up.

Round the top and bottom edges of the head, working the juncture with the brim as needed for a clean transition.

When rounding the bottom of the head remember the diameter of the cork being used. The bottom edge of the head should flow into or be slightly larger than the cork.

Burning the Hatband

When shaping is complete everywhere but the top of the hat, do any finish sanding necessary. Turn the lathe up to the highest speed you are comfortable with and hold a ¼"-thick piece of hardboard, on edge, against the hat slightly above the brim. Press just hard enough to produce friction and hold until the band is burned into the hat clearly. Try this on some scrap a few times to get the feel for how long to "burn" it.

Shape the Top

   Cut the waste from the top of the hat and make a final cut across the end grain to finish that surface. Sand as needed.
   The actual shape at the top of the hat can be whatever you like. I think a very shallow conical shape looks best but you might want it more rounded or flat. Indulge yourself!

Finishing

   Whatever finish you normally use on bottle stoppers is fine. The burn-on Hut waxes and other friction finishes all work well.
   I like to remove the stopper from the jig, put it on a piece of scrap dowel and apply several coats (spray) of clear, high-gloss lacquer.
   When the finish has dried, install the dowel and cork to finish the Snowman bottle stopper.

Options

Virtually any type of wood can be used to make the Snowman bottle stopper but I prefer hardwoods because of their strength and appearance.

Decorating the face of the Snowman with painted-on charcoal eyes, nose and mouth is possible but consider how that will stand up to fingers gripping those surfaces when the stopper is being removed from the bottle. I leave my Snowman stoppers plain.

The hatband can be painted rather than burned on with the only real consequence being the addition of another step and drying time.

To make a more universal holiday gift the head portion can be left off and the hat extended slightly to make a top hat stopper.

Scaled Drawing

Click Here to download a dimensioned drawing (PDF format) of the bottle stopper mounting jig I use and the Snowman Bottle Stopper.

Mary Lacer’s supporters, who have adopted the name the Member Action Group (MAG), have launched a proxy initiative to recall the Board of Directors. Both Mary and the Board of Directors recognize this effort is dividing the AAW membership. Mary and the Board have agreed to stop the proxy drives and to cancel the August 28th Special Meeting. Mary and the Board have reached a mutual agreement so the AAW and its members can move ahead in a positive way. Mary has accepted the Board’s offer for her to fill an advisory position to help with the training of the next executive director.

The Board acknowledges that Mary Lacer was not involved in any financial wrongdoing. The Board of Directors simply wishes to move the AAW in new directions.

Mary Lacer, AAW President Tom Wirsing, and the entire Board of Directors, hope that everyone on both sides of this controversy can “bury the hatchet”, renew damaged friendships, and get on with the business of sharing our passion for woodturning.

WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere
under the workbench with the speed of light . Also removes fingerprints and
hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, ‘Oh
sh–!’

SKILL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation
of blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor
touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board
principle… It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable
motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal
your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt
heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer
intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various
flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease
inside the wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing race.

TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch
wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground
after you have installed your new brake shoes , trapping the jack handle
firmly under the bumper.

BAND SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops
to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the
trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside
edge.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST: A tool for testing the maximum tensile
strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under
lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on
your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips
screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used
to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering
your palms.  Also see Pry Bar.

PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or
bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays
is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts
adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

UTILITY KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of
cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on
contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector
magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for
slicing work clothes, but only while in use.

SON-OF-A-BITCH TOOL: (A personal favorite!!) Any handy tool that you
grab and throw across the garage while yelling ‘Son of a BITCH!’ at the top
of your lungs.. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.

Hope you found this informative.

You will need a blank about 1.25 in. by 1.25 in. by about 10 in. long. Put it between centers and turn it round. Now turn a ¼” wide bead right on the tailstock end. Reverse the blank and clamp in the smaller opening created by the bottom of the jaws of your chuck. Before tightening the chuck completely center the other end on the live center in your tailstock [a 60* cone live center is the best one, the little circle around the point and a regular live center gets in the way]. Now tighten the chuck the rest of the way. Turn a concave shape in the end of the blank at the tail stock. Now you know why the little circle gets in the way. After turning the concave shape start just in from the tail stock end and turn at about a 45* angle down to about where the ankle should be. REMEMBER THE ANCLE HAS TO BE SMALLER THAN THE NECK AND THE WAIST LARGER THAN THE NECK]. Working back and forth between the 45* angle and from about 1/3 of the way from the tailstock end and taper it to the 45* leaving a slight bump about ½ to the foot for the knee. Sand and finish. Loosen the chuck some and move the blank ½ way from the center point to the outside edge at the tailstock. Lock down the tailstock and tighten the chuck back. The blank is now off center turn from just short of the next 1/3 tapering down to the waist and from the leg end take off some of the shadow to create the hip area [be careful] sand and finish. Now loosen the chuck and move the tailstock in a straight line across the bottom to ½ the way to the edge from the center point. Tighten the tailstock and the chuck and turn the neck area, [a small spindle gouge here] take a little of the shadow of the shoulder off and less of the chin off. So that the neck is inset just a little on the back side. Sand and finish. Now move the tailstock back to the original center point and turn the head area. Be careful not to make the head to long. Rounding the top of the head until you are about to cut if loose from the waste area and sand and finish. Now you can finish taking if off the waste wood. Finish sanding and finish the very top of the head.
Walter Jones
Suncoast Woodturners

David Epler

Hi,
My father and I are turners over here in Live Oak, FL. We come across a lot of domestic woods from tree service businesses in our area. (cherry, sweet gum, maple, magnolia, cedar…..) No trees are cut for the purpose of bowl blanks. The trees that are cut would otherwise be burned or buried.
We would like to provide your club members with a source of bowl blanks. Here is an example of our price: 8″X4″ round blank of cherry is 10.00. All blanks are sealed in paraffin wax. Shipping is always a large expense for turners. For this reason we are offering free delivery with the purchase of at least 500.00. If this interests you send me your address and I will send a sample blank for you to try out.

The blank I used was 1/2 a log of Osage Orange. [12" long 5" wide and 4 1/2" thick] I used a worm screw to hold the blank [Flat side] to the chuck with Masonite spacer between the wood and the chuck jaws. Slow speed [as the lathe will want to move around] The turning tool was a fingernail grind 1/2″ bowl gouge. BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU PUT YOUR HANDS AND THE TOOL ; Put the tool rest parallel to the wood as close as possible without touching. the gouge is applied to the wood with the flute rolled over to the left and the left cutting edge [lower edge] cutting the wood with the right edge [upper] about 1/16″ from touching Do not open up the gap between the upper cutter and the wood., It will result in a catch. Start shaping the wood to get a tenon while removing wood to create the wings. Create the wings before you get to much wood removed from the outside of the bowl. It is important to keep the mass of wood in the center to cut down on vibration in the wings. Leave enough wood to allow for sanding them smooth also some room for wood removal on the top side. You may want to have the rim of your bowl show on top as to make it look as if it comes through the plank creating the wings. You will need some room for sanding on top as well. After you have reversed the bowl for hollowing Clean up the wings and create any rim on the bowl you wish to. if you do this you need to make the rim the same diameter as the bow. coming up from the bottom. Otherwise it will not look right. Now that you have completed this part you can hollow out the bowl as if you were doing a regular bowl. [WATCH OUT FOR YOUR HANDS} When the bowl is completed. You then reverse chuck the bowl to clean up the bottom. Your choice of methods. i hope this is of some help. if you have any questions Please contact me at the store 727- 532- 6888 or home 727 734-4078 or wjones101@tampabay.rr.com Take care
Walter
And enjoy turning.

Learning to use the Skew
Second Lesson
The following instructions, Assume that you are familiar with a woodturning lathe and its tools. That you understand turning on a lathe can be dangerous. These instructions are meant to be a guide in learning how to use a skew. After following the instructions you should be able to learn more about using the skew with out to much trouble. Be safe and enjoy learning
You have learned to use the skew to smooth a round spindle between centers.
We will move on to making a bead.
Use the skew with the long point down. Place the tool on the tool rest at 90* to the blank. Gently press the tool into the blank, cutting a small V shaped cut into the wood. After that you will move the skew over to one side or the other of the first line about the same space as the tool is wide [example ¾” skew the space should be ¾”]. Continue this until you have crossed the entire blank. Place the long point just to the side of one of the original cuts. Following the bevel of the tool on the right side of the tool, make a cut into the original cut so that it finishes at the same place the first cut did. Do the same with the left side. Continue until all of the cuts have been widened. Take the skew short point down and having the shavings come off of the cutting edge one third of the way up from the bottom [same thing learned in the first lesson] Roll the cutting edge up so the tool is straight up on the tool rest and in the wood, at the same time you will be lifting the handle up causing the cutting edge to move into the bottom of the cut. This will cause a curved surface [hump rather than valley] from the upper area of the wood down into the cut. Then pull the tool straight out,
[Do not climb back up the hill]
There are two possible reasons for a catch while in the process of making a bead. First is lifting the bevel off of the wood while moving into the cut. The other is leaning the tool into the hill on the way out.
Repeat the process until you reach the center between two cut lines. Do this until all the cut lines have been done on one side. Repeat the process on the other side of the cut line until you reach the center and you will now have a bead [hump] between two cut lines. If you do not get a round topped bead you are not rolling the tool enough and you are raising the handle causing a pointed top kind of like a triangle.
Practice, Practice, practice
Don’t get frustrated this can take lots of practice. Doing the cuts all on one side at a time is teaching you body the moves it needs to make. You will learn this faster than doing both sides of the same bead and then moving to the next one. Constant practice will develop your skills. Remember to practice what you learned in lesson one.
Have fun and enjoy learning the skew. After you learn to use the skew you will find it to be a very useful tool.
Walter jones

For carving, you’ll hold the cutting knives one of two ways. To begin, sit down in a armless chair, and hold the work piece on your lap.

Position Number One
Grasp the knife in your right hand (or left if you’re left-handed). Place the first joint of your thumb, at the blade end of the handle, and wrap your fingers around the handle as shown. Turn the inside of your wrist toward your body and rest the tip of your thumb, the knuckle of your index finger, and the point of the blade on the work piece. This lays the blade at about 65 degree angle to the wood. Move your hand and the knife as a unit; don’t flex your hand to draw the knife toward your thumb. Maintain a constant angle between the blade and the work. This is used for the first and third cuts of a three-cornered chip. You will also use this grip for all the other cuts when carving including curved and compound curved chips.

Position Number Two
Position two is used for the second cut of a three-cornered chip and making a “flip-flop” notch. Tilt the top edge of the knife toward you, and place your thumb along the back of the blade. Rest your index finger knuckle on the carving to maintain a 65 deg. tilt of the blade, shown.

Cutting a Triangular Chip
Traditionally, the “foot” side of the triangle or the cross grain cut is the last cut. To begin cutting the triangular chip, cut in first position down the right (or left for lefties) side of the triangle towards the foot. Next, flip to position two, turn your work piece 180 degrees and cut from the start of your first cut, down the opposite side of the chip. Switch back to position one and make the foot cut.

The idea here is that you are trying to take out a perfect 3 dimensional chip where all three cuts meet perfectly in the bottom of the chip.

The triangular chip may be not exactly a triangle. As in the photo to the left, the chips in the half rosettes at the top, the first and second cuts curve around the curve of the petals.

Cutting a Curved Chip
To cut a curved chip like the ones on the outer leaves of this rosette, you will use the first position. Start with the knife at a more perpendicular angle to the work piece. Start the pull the cut down the line, as you drop the angle of the knife back to 65 degrees, and then back up to around 80 degrees when you hit the end of the cut. Repeat the cut to complete the chip.
Changing the angle of the cut allows for a clean end point. This is especially important when making cuts at the center of a rosette. Remember that you are looking to achieve a straight line down the center of the chip where the two cuts meet.

Compound Chips
Some chips require both of the techniques to execute. Remember, you can always bisect the chip into smaller pieces to complete a clean chip.

Video Lessons from www.MyChipCarving.com: