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Oh the memories we shared turning wood. When we first met, I was new to woodturning and quite unfamiliar with sharpening. With every bowl, my friend grew less patient with my lack of skill. Eventually the relationship became more of a hazard than a benefit. It was time for me to let go. You never forget your first bowl gouge. I know I won't. My old friend rests comfortably now atop a shelf, content to enjoy the show from afar. I still have catches. I get chatter on occasion. But it's just not the same. My new friend is far more forgiving. At least for now. | in this issueThis month's Featured WorkNew club member Jose was proud to share his first vessel on his lathe. Jose only recently joined our club and had no prior woodturning experience. After some one-on-one training with club secretary Phil Edilla, Jose is well on his way to turning great works of art. Well done Jose! |
January Open Shop DayJanuary 19th, 2019 Club Secretary Phil Edilla and Director John Gerald took a few new members under their wing starting with basic woodturning safety, sharpening technique and spindle skills. Experienced members brought their own pieces simply to turn and share the experience with others. It's exciting to watch members sharing each others passion and joy in this remarkable hobby. Club President Joe Payne and member Craig Meyer worked hard installing new flat panel TV screens as part of a top-to-bottom upgrade to the club video presentation system. Rumors that Craig did most of the work while the club president merely tried to keep up are of course completely unfounded! |
A special thanks to member Jerry Williams for helping a Naples resident with a recent custom woodturning request. Jerry's efforts bring more awareness to our club and help give back to the community in which we live. |
A few surprises greeted members attending this month's club meeting. Several upgrades were made since the January meeting and boy did they look good. The shop room was bright and clean with freshly painted walls. New education-themed posters adorned the walls with custom framing compliments of Treasurer Dan Alvo. A brand new multi-screen video presentation system has been installed and sits prominently on the back wall. The member response was overwhelmingly positive and included additional ideas for future education-themed posters. A call for a show of hands for all new members this year was made. Several new members were in attendance with each giving a quick intro. Club growth continues to outpace expectations as we move through the first quarter of 2019. Club discussion then moved to such topics as extending Saturday open session an additional 3 hours. The club president will reach out to City of Fort Myers to discuss our room schedule options. Additional thoughts and ideas regarding the club website were discussed and noted by the club president. The club website has already been updated to include a members-only page of downloadable images that were used in the new education posters. We'll continue to add to this image library in the future. Club treasurer Dan Alvo gave a brief summary of club finances and expenditures. A synopsis of the A/V upgrade project was also provided. The meeting then proceeded to Show-and-Tell where some spectacular pieces were on display. Finally, the general club discussion concluded and the meeting transitioned to our featured presenter. | show and tell contributors (not in order)Phil Wolfson, Sheldon Edner, Earl Shone, Larry Buettner (guest), Lisa Benton, Dan Alvo, Ralph McKee, Richard Rose, John Gerald, Phil Edilla, Ted Hains |
Richard Rose |
This section is something new I thought everyone would enjoy. Each month we'll feature a nifty tip or trick related to woodturning.
Keep RPMs fairly low, say 200rpm-300rpm max. Faster will work too, but you're more likely to wind up with a colored shop.
Applying dye to the wood will raise the grain due to the moisture. This is easily solved by simply sanding the piece again between color coats. A gentle pressure is the key. Some color on your sandpaper is unavoidable.
Mixing dyes to form different colors is no different than mixing paint. Start with your three primary colors Red, Yellow, Blue. Use any color wheel (many are available online) to learn the right ratios for the color(s) you desire. Even a small quantity of color will last many vessels.
Multiple incidents of injury and death have already been reported this year across the country. Sadly one death occurred right here in Lee County only a few weeks ago. The American Association of Woodturners has banned the use of this process at all of its events, has banned articles about fractal burning in all of its publications and will not allow the display of works that were created by the process at its events.
Be smart. Some rewards are just not worth the risk.