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$: Wood 'n' things - MSWA · Wood 'n' things Page 2 of 14 Document ref. C:\MSWA\Newsletter\2010\06_June\MSWA_June_2010.Doc Editor's scribblings Sorry I didn’t get individual pictures$
Wood 'n' thingsWood 'n' thingsWood 'n' thingsWood 'n' things Mid Staffs Woodturning Association Newsletter Issue 53 - June 2010 Editor: Paul Bellamy Email: [email protected] Tel:- 01543 472669

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Future Events 28

th. June – Staffs & District

Sue Harker demonstration. 1

st. July – Derwent Turners

Steve Heeley demonstration. Note: change of demonstrator. Dave Springett postponed. 2

nd. July - MSWA

Graham Lovett demonstration 3

rd. July – CHADS garden

party Come and support a local charity. Good food for sale and some woodturning to be done as well. 15

th. July –Gloucestershire

Woodturning Association All day demo by Les Thorne. Details at www.gaw.org.uk 17

th. July – Alrewas show

Local village show. Lots to see and do, but come and help demonstrate woodturning. 24

th. July – Kings Bromley

show Another excellent village show.

Club Competitions Challenge cup – July A garden bird box Novice cup - August A small platter Premier Cup, January 2011 A decorated or carved vase or vessel, no less than 8” tall. Gordon Fradley challenge And a reminder about the Gordon Fradley challenge to create something from a piece of his yew, for judging in Sept. & October.

Notes from the Chairman Our demonstration this month by Richard Findley was one I was looking forward to, not only because he was someone new to us, but also because the subjects he was demonstrating were of particular interest to me, namely routing on the lathe and even more so, stick turning. For me it was an excellent demonstration but even better was the fact that several members took the trouble afterwards to say what a good night it had been and how they had been impressed by Richard’s easy manner, clear explanation and obvious competence. I am now looking for a 40 inch piece of wood suitable for a tool rest and I suspect I might not be the only one. The routing demo showed that with a bit of time spent making a router jig it is possible to produce a really classy looking leg which enables a footstool, coffee table, etc to be made without too much effort. Beyond that, other possibilities open up such as plant stands, standard lamps etc., so a little time spent making a jig could well pay off. So thanks Richard for a really good night and I together with several others are hoping we see you again at the club before too long. I would like to record my thanks to all the members who came to my house when we had an open day to select pieces of the timber from Ted Webster’s stock and I can confirm that about half of it has now gone. I will salvage as much as possible from the remaining stock and make it available on club nights for a nominal contribution towards the Oak Tree Farm charity. To date we have raised over £170 for them. Sunday the 6th of June saw our “Events Day” and I was pleased to see a good number of our members coming and supporting us. In addition there were a fair number of turners from other clubs who came and it is good to see familiar faces from the woodturning fraternity. The day offered the opportunity to not only see something of interest but also spend time catching up on what others are doing, something not too easy on a normal club night. Whilst the numbers coming to the show were down somewhat on last year this was compensated for by not being as crowded as it had been. There was a very relaxed atmosphere about the day and it would appear everyone enjoyed themselves, which is really what it’s all about. On behalf of the club I would like to thank Kraft Kabin and Woodwise UK for their support and I can confirm that both would be happy to come again to any future events. I also thank our old friend Steve Heeley for his continued support and look forward to having him at the club again in November this year. Finally thanks to Ron Dixon for demonstrating saw sharpening (and now giving me some decently sharp saws) as well as our secretary Dawn, who’s efforts in contacting other clubs plus everything else she does contributes so much to the success of the day. John

Wood 'n' thingsWood 'n' thingsWood 'n' thingsWood 'n' things

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Editor's scribblings Sorry I didn’t get individual pictures of the entries for May’s competition month. I tried to find anyone who had taken any without success. If any of the entrants would like to bring their ‘toys’ to the next meeting I will take some pictures for inclusion in the next newsletter. Better late than never. And I am hoping to have these pictures on the website. If it is easier, send me your own picture and I will use that. Looking at the up and coming Events, it’s going to be a busy couple of months. I have included events at other local clubs as they may be of interest and other clubs always welcome visitors. And it’s a chance to see other demonstrations, either of new demonstrators or just a ‘refresher’ for one you have already seen. Unfortunately I couldn’t make the Special Events Day but I have heard it was a good day out. No, I wasn’t trying to avoid giving another talk on sharpening, my sister had asked me to ‘giver her away’ at her wedding. I don’t know which is more nerve racking – talking to a bunch of woodturners or to old and new relatives! Also coming up in the next few weeks are the village shows. These are always worth a visit, even if you aren’t prepared to help out on the club stand. There are things that will appeal to the whole family so you won’t need to desert them if you do come along. I can recommend the cakes at all the shows!!! Now, coming back to the newsletter; as the editor, I am the first to see articles sent in for publication so I am also the first who has the opportunity to reply. Philip Watts has sent in a very interesting article on how information is interpreted, in this case on tool angles. His timing couldn’t have been better as I had been sharpening my planes and chisels, having just finished a job for a customer where they all had a fair amount of use. The result was my immediate response to Philip’s article, but please don’t let that stop anyone else who wants to answer his questions. You are welcome to disagree with my comments if you think I have got it wrong or add to it if I have left out anything! And one other apology and request. I feel like I am monopolising the ‘For Sale’ section. It is there for EVERYONE to use. How many unused tools have you got that you could convert to cash so you can buy something new? Tools aren’t cheap and there is a good market for them, both buying and selling. Give it a try! Final thought, heard on the radio – “If you invent a sport, don’t tell the rest of the world how to play it. That way you are world champions.” See you at the shows, Paul, the Editor.

What is it?

Can you identify the objects in the picture? Send your answer to me and the first person with the correct answer will have their name published in next month's newsletter.

Last month's picture was a 2 way mains adapter. It was guessed by Brian Shaw. I had hoped hiding one of the pins behind the other would have made it more difficult but it didn’t fool Brian. So I am going to have to resort to more obscure items or at least viewpoints. Good luck with this month’s but don’t blame me if you are scratching your head, these were sent in by Brian! If anyone else has a ‘mystery object’, take a picture and send it in to me.



Club information Your club committee for 2010 comprises:- Chairman - John Smith Tel. 01889 577380 Mob. 07976 913811 Email: [email protected] Secretary - Dawn Hopley Tel. 01543 878714 Mob. 07860 501379 Email: [email protected] Treasurer - Roy Fallows Tel. 01543 491826 Email: [email protected] Assistant treasurer – We urgently need someone to take this on, ready to take over next year! Tel. Email: Events secretary - Geoff Payne Tel. 01543 480744 Mob. 07775 518769 Email: [email protected] Abrasives - Terry Gray Tel. 01889 576921 Email: Raffle – Anne Hopkinson Tel. Email: Newsletter editor - Paul Bellamy Tel. 01543 472669 Mob. 07946 980978 Email: [email protected] Member's representatives Peter Worrall Tel. 01785 840370 Email: [email protected] Margaret Hill Tel. 01543 876187 Email: Please only use phone numbers if absolutely necessary.

Next issue Write up of Graham Lovett’s demonstration. That said, articles, pictures etc. from any other members will help keep the newsletter going. After all it is YOUR

newsletter.

Newsletter Archive on CD A CD will be available with all the newsletters for 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, together with images of the original newsletters from '94-'98. The cost is £2.50, which includes a contribution to club funds. If you would like one, please let me know. Paul

Merchandise

Clothing

The club has a selection of items for sale, all featuring the club name on a blue background. Sweatshirts (dark blue) £12.00 T-shirts (light blue) £7.00 Baseball caps £6.00 The sweatshirts are ideal for the workshop at this time of year; nice and cool, but they are also smart enough to wear down the high street. See John Smith at the club meetings if you would like to purchase any item of club clothing.

Abrasives If you need that finishing touch, Terry Gray has packs of Abranet, recommended by demonstrators and other club members, at £2.10 for a set of 7 sheets - 120 -600 grit.

Books and DVDs The club has the following DVDs for hire. AWGB Instant Gallery -1991 to 2003 Sharpening - GMC Turning Projects with Richard Raffan Turning Wood with Alan Holtham – Table Lamp Colouring Wood – Jan Sanders The Skew Chisel – Alan Batty Bowls for Beginners – Ray Jones Course on Spindle Turning – Ray Jones Making and Decorating Platters – Mick Hanbury Making and Decorating Boxes - Mick Hanbury Turn it On – Volume 1 – Jimmy Clewes Turn it On – Volume 2 – Jimmy Clewes Turn it On – Volume 3 – Jimmy Clewes All Glued Up! Open Segment Turning – Sue Harker Turned Out Nice Again! Involuted Turning – Sue Harker Wood Turning with Steve Heeley – Steve Heeley



Richard Findley - A Quick Lesson in Spindle Turning by Anne Hopkinson & Dawn Hopley

This month’s demonstrator was Richard Findley from Leicestershire. Richard started out as a cabinet maker and began woodturning as a hobby. However, he was soon hooked and it eventually took over as his main line of work. He is now a professional woodturner with a growing reputation.

The theme for the evening was Spindle Turning. This is an area that is often overlooked and not practised by many hobbyists, but has proved to be Richards main line of work. Project No.1 – A Fluted Stool Leg Richard started with a 300mm long blank mounted between centres. The timber was 45X45mm American Tulip Wood. This timber is popular in America for use in shop fittings and painted furniture. It is relatively cheap and easy to work. It is also excellent for painted finishes as it does not have knots that show through as with Pine. As Richard was making one of four stool legs, he used a wooden template that he had prepared earlier. This was marked with the finished profile drawn in pencil along one edge, along with all the main dimensions. His very first cut was with a Skew chisel. This was to define the edge of the main shoulder on the square end of the leg and stop the timber splintering. Richard prefers to use a Square Skew Chisel as he finds it very versatile for parting off as well as slicing cuts. Richard rounded off the main stem of the leg with a Roughing Gouge. Using the wooden template, Richard then marked out the main details to be cut into the round section. Using the Skew again, he then demonstrated how to round the shoulders on the square section and how to roll a bead. When rolling a bead, the key is to use the very tip of the tool. You roll it over the top and down into the groove. The aim is to do this in a single sweep with a nice smooth action. Richard then demonstrated cutting a small cove using a Spindle Gouge with a Vernier gauge to set the depth. He then used the Roughing Gouge to cut the taper on the main section of the leg. Because of the taper, as you travel along the tool rest, you have to lift the handle of the gouge as the diameter reduces. Richard then did a finishing cut on the taper using his trusty Square or Diamond Skew. Once the taper was finished, Richard turned to finishing the end of the leg. First he turned another cove and then a small bead, before adding a small foot at the end. The leg was now ready for sanding. As Tulip Wood is normally painted, Richard finds that 180 grit is more than enough. Try to keep all the detail as sharp as possible and hand sand the main taper in line with the grain.

The next stage was to set up a routing jig to cut the fluted sections into the leg. Firstly Richard needed to install his homemade indexing system. This was simply a piece of MDF mounted on a Face Plate. Around the edge he had drilled 12 equi-spaced holes. To lock the disc in place, he used a simple latch bolt mounted on a block of wood that fits into the tool rest. Next, Richard set up a routing table, which again was made from MDF sheet with three batons on the rear to locate into the bed of the lathe, secured using a G-Clamp. He used a Round Bottom or Bullet Nosed cutter with a home made wooden collar to act as a depth stop. It was simply turned out of a piece of Beech with a metal collar on the tip secured by a single grub screw. With the indexing system securely locked off and everything else in alignment, Richard began routing the 12 flutes. All the flutes were cut initially with a downwards sloping cut from the top to the bottom of the taper. A final gentle reverse

cut was then made to finish each flute. Once all 12 flutes were cut, and they were gently sanded by hand and we were then presented with the finished item.



Project No.2 – A Walking Cane Richard started producing hand made canes when he was approached by a local shop that specialised in Gothic products. They were after black canes with various Gothic themed pommels such as skulls or beasts claws. After a lot of trial and error, he has now perfected a system that allows him to make four canes an hour from start to finish. Richard prefers to use Steamed White Beech. The steaming process seems to stabilise the fibres and stop the wood from bowing. The results are canes that are strong and straight with very little flex. He buys his timber in 25mm thick boards that he then rips down into 25X 25mm blanks. The length can vary, but as a general rule, all Richards finished canes are 900mm long from top to toe. He starts by drilling a hole in both ends. These seve several purposes; to fit the pommel or Handle that simply screws on at the very end, to mount the cane into a screw chuck and to help with the finishing or painting process. To drill the holes, Richard uses a Chuck mounted into the Head Stock of the lathe. Once the holes are drilled, Richard uses a Screw Chuck to mount the cane in the head stock. After much trial and error he has found this to be the most stable method that helps to prevent too much flex and vibration. Already mounted onto the screw chuck is a thin disc of Plywood or MDF, to reduce the length of the screw and to define the finished diameter of the top end of the came, since the disc is already cut to this correct dimension. He uses a Ring Centre to secure the wood at the tail end of the lathe as he has discovered that it is exactly the correct diameter for the ferrule or metal tip of the finished cane to push onto. This is where you then discover that a standard toolrest is not long enough to do the job, without having constantly stop and start to move the rest along. The results can be a stepped cane that does not have a nice smooth taper from top to toe. To overcome this problem he uses a long piece of Oak or other strong timber. At one end it fixes into the normal toolrest holder, and at the other end it is clamped onto the tail stock using a block of wood and a trusty G-Clamp. When setting up the toolrest, leave a gap big enough to get your fingers through, as you will need to adopt a supporting grip around the timber to give support. Richard starts by turning the tip of the cane to the correct size to take the metal tip or ferrule. He used a parting tool to get a 18mm maximum diameter tapering down to allow the ferrule to be pushed on and glued with Epoxy Resin at the very end of the finishing process. He also added a few grooves to give the glue a key to stick to. Using a Roughing Gouge and a pushing cut, the next stage is to take off all the corners and begin to round off the square blank. This is where you could get a lot of vibration and chatter, so try the following tips. Firstly, try keeping the speed down to around 750rpm (900rpm for the finishing cuts and sanding). Secondly, don’t try to force the tool! Aim to keep the tool nice and smooth and steady and simply let the wood cut itself. Otherwise you end up with a potter’s wheel scenario. Once you start to wobble, you just can’t stop! Remember, at this stage, you are just removing the corners! Next, Richard turned the top of the cane down to the finished size using the wooden disc as a guide. Then comes the tricky bit. Turning the rest of the cane down to size with a nice even taper from top to bottom. Still using a Roughing Gouge, Richard now changes his stance and adopts what he called a “Pencil Sharpener Hold”. With one hand holding the gouge, the other is wrapped around the cane to give support. The finger and thumb then grip the end of the gouge to stabilise the tool on the toolrest. Hence the reason for a good gap between the toolrest and the cane! The most difficult section is the middle of the cane where the taper can sometimes go awry. If you are struggling here, simply use a parting tool to turn this section down to the correct diameter. If you are really struggling and can not get rid of the chatter, then a good tip is to stop the lathe and pick up a small block plane. With the lathe turned OFF, plane along the length of the cane (following the grain) to remove any high spots. Once the shape and taper are looking good, you are now ready for the finishing cuts. Yet another good tip was to use a straight edge to check the taper for any high spots. Richard used a long length of white aluminium extrusion for better visibility than a long metal ruler. Normally Richard would use a Skew Chisel for his final cuts, but he has found that the flexing in such long lengths of wood makes the use of a Skew very “interesting” indeed. So instead his favourite tool is ….. 80grit Sandpaper!



Most woodturners would normally frown at the use of 80grit Sandpaper, as is it seen as a sign that you have not achieved a good final cut. However, Richard has discovered, after a lot of hours, that this is the quickest way to finish long lengths of timber. He uses large wide strips on the diagonal, to cover as large a surface area as possible to take out all of the lumps and bumps. If you use narrow strips, then they tend to follow the ridges and accentuate them so that you end up with a wavy cane. He sands at 1200rpm making sure that the paper is moving at all times. He then stops the lathe and sands in line with the grain to remove any circular lines caused by sanding on a spinning lathe. As an experienced cabinet maker, Richard has found that you do not need to go any finer than 240grit when you sand in line with the grain, hence why he always stops the lathe to carry out this process. Another good tip is to always wipe or blow away the dust before you move on to the next grit. This is because some loose grit will often fall off the paper and lie in the dust. You then start sanding with the next grit, only to suddenly discover some scratches appearing from nowhere. This is often caused by one of the rogue grits sneaking under you paper or polishing cloth. Once the sanding is finished, Richard spray paints the canes using a water based black lacquer. He does not use a sealer, but sprays three fine coats to get a lovely satin finish. Once the paint is dry, it is just a case of gluing on the ferrule at one end and screwing in the pommel at the other. The final tip of the day was to use a centre punch to make a small indent in the ferrule to stop it falling off should the glue fail. Summary I personally found Richard’s demonstration fascinating and learned very many new tips and techniques along the way. Indeed, the very next day I was practising making pens and was able to put into practice many of his teachings. The most notable was his sanding advice. By stopping the lathe and sanding along the grain at the end of each grit, it noticeably improved the final finish. The simple wooden jigs that Richard adopted were also an inspiration and gave me many ideas for overcoming similar challenges in my own workshop. I also admired the fact that Richard was using a Perform lathe that was the forerunner to the current Axminster AWSL lathe. It is always nice to see a professional using a similar lathe to those that many of us amateurs have in our own workshops. In short, Richard proved to be a very good demonstrator and one that many of us would highly recommend to other clubs. Hopefully we shall also see him again very soon. My thanks to Anne and Dawn for a comprehensive write up. Paul



Shugborough Hall Woodturning

It’s not often we get to see club members in their own environment but during a recent trip to Shugborough, I visited our own founder member, Ken Allen. If you have never been to Shugborough or have been, but missed Ken, he is located in the first craft bothie next to the walled garden, just opposite the main car park. I think Ken was a bit surprised to see an MSWA sweatshirt come through the door but I was welcomed in and spent a very pleasant half hour chatting about woodturning. Of course, Ken carried on producing one of his trademark goblets and a winged, natural edge bowl whilst we were chatting. How does he do it so easily! And of course, the goblet was as thin as paper. As you can see in the picture, Ken’s workshop is very much ‘in character’ but note the cunning disguise of the Oneway electric lathe. So that’s why turners leave the shavings on the lathe. Next door Ken has a shop selling all sorts of wooden items, mostly turned but some other unusual pieces; a pair of toast tongs for example. All made by Ken of course!

I believe Ken is at Shugborough most Saturday afternoons, 14:00 – 16:00 but please check with the Hall or Ken if you intend to make a special journey.



June competition This month’s Novices’ challenge was a Child’s toy.

First place – Ted Gill (toy American Train)

Second place – Brian Smith (small toy train) Third place – Andrew Leighton (hoopla game)

and the placings for May’s competition were

1st = Albert Heath 2nd = Geoff Payne 3rd = Terry Gray

4th = Dave Neale, Tom Young, Dave Dawes, Philip Watts Sorry, nobody has sent me any pictures of their work.

Latest vehicle technology for woodturners?

A local company has developed a useful addition for foresters, a log lift that fits in the back of an estate car. I saw this in use recently and thought other members might be interested. It made loading the logs much easier, and it means you can load much larger logs, so you can avoid splits that affect short pieces. It appears to use small hydraulic motors and apparently can lift up to 150kg. There’s a remote control so you can stand well clear of the lifting, but I would advise protective footwear whenever you are moving logs. Wood IS heavy!

Vehicle log lift - 'Easy Gibb'

I haven’t managed to get the price yet but if anyone has any more details, please let me know. All I could get from the driver was his telephone number and that he is based near Rugeley. But after our chat, I did get a couple of logs into the bargain!!



Special Events Day, 6th

. June at CHADS by Dawn Hopley

I would like to send out a very big thank you to everyone who came along to this year’s Special Event Day, especially those that stayed all day and helped to run the event. This was our second year running the open day, and though we were not as busy as last year, the day still proved to be an overall success. In total, we had approximately 50 people visit during the day and we raised well over £100 for the CHADS Charity.

Even more funding was raised through the sale of tea, coffee and cakes. There was even a plant sales table to raise even more! A very, very big thank you must be sent to Angela from CHADS for manning the kitchen all day and to Linda Hopley (Dawn’s Mum) who not only supplied some wonderful home made cakes, but also volunteered to man the door and sell all of the raffle tickets on entry.

There were three lathes available for everyone to have a quick turn on. An Axminster AWSL midi lathe, an SIP Mini Lathe and a brand new Axminster AWVSL Variable Speed Midi lathe. On hand we also had Steve Heeley with his portable lathe. Steve was demonstrating green wood turning and produced some amazing thinly walled ornaments and a

hollow vase. He also gave a few lessons to some of our visitors as well as some invaluable words of wisdom.

Some of our own club members were also demonstrating during the day. Dawn Hopley was demonstrating various pen making techniques, Roy Fallows and John Smith were demonstrating spindle turning techniques and Brian Shaw also turned a small bowl and a few other items. Of course, we must not forget Ron Dixon. Back by popular demand, Ron was again demonstrating Saw Tooth Sharpening and a few lucky members even went away with old saws that were as good as new. There were two sales tables from Woodwise UK and Kraft Kabin. Both companies went away happy with money in their pockets and vowed to come again. However, that does mean that a few happy visitors also went away with

rather less money in their wallets! The woodturning gallery was bigger and better than last year, with a fantastic display stand that was made by Geoff Payne. A lovely lady from America kindly judged the Best in Show and awarded the certificate to Geoff Payne for his amazing Tricycle. This was not any easy competition to judge, but the detail and work involved in Geoff work was outstanding and thoroughly deserved the award. So once again, thank you to everyone who came along and made the day a success. Enjoy the photographs.



The correct angle or too much knowledge is dangerous! by Philip Watts

It has been said that one could promote a full evening's discussion at the club on the correct angle to grind specific chisels. It is also the case that if one attends a number of demonstrations then ultimately one demonstrator will contradict what a previous demonstrator has equally emphatically laid down as correct practice. I have a problem. I am one of the many wood turners who is largely self taught, generally by having a book propped open somewhere near the lathe. I am also one of those people who like collecting and reading books on whatever subject is presently my main interest. Not always bought at the full price, there is a delight in finding books of interest in second hand book shops, charity shops and elsewhere. As a result, I have a small library of books on wood turning, as well as others on sailing and photography. The problem is that the wood turning books are not consistent in the information that they provide. Take skew chisels, the “bete noire” of many of us. Keith Rowley's book “Wood turning A Foundation Course” talks about a 25 degree grinding angle on both sides, which I take to mean an included angle between the ground faces of 50 degrees. Mike Darlow in an article reprinted from Fine Woodworking is equally clear that the angle should be 12 ½ degrees, making an included angle of 25 degrees. This is a differential of two between the two recommendations. Now I am not one of those people who believe that grind angles need to be precise. Tool rest height and the diameter of the work must all have some bearing on the subject but a factor of two takes some understanding. Robert Sorby show an included angle of 30 degrees in their catalogue and Ashley Iles state that their standard grinding angle is 35 degrees (I am assuming that this is the included angle) but go on to say that if the tool is used on softer woods the angle can be ground to 25 degrees, or 40 degrees on more dense, hard wood. All this leaves me confused. Is my inability to use a skew chisel as effectively as the club demonstrators down to my lack of skill, or do I have it ground to the wrong angle? And I haven't started to talk about bowl and spindle gouges yet! Philip

Thoughts on correct angles from Paul Bellamy

Philip’s article has prompted me to put pen to paper but let me start by saying I am no expert but hope the following might be useful, especially as I am sure Philip is not alone in his questions. I agree the way angles are given in books, DVDs and even by demonstrators is not consistent but I think most refer to the included angle, or in other words how ‘pointed’ is the edge of the tool. For a tool to cut it must be sharp, or have a ‘point’ to get into the wood. The more acute the angle, the sharper the edge and the easier for the tool to cut the fibres as there is less resistance to the tool but unfortunately, the wood fights back and will damage the edge. We have to find a trade off, between sharpness and durability of the edge. A good analogy is the bows on speedboats and barges. One cuts through the water, the other ploughs through it, but which one is most likely to survive a collision with another boat? I based my tool angles on those I use for plane irons and woodworking chisels. These are usually ground at an angle of 25 degrees. That means the edge of the iron has a bevel sloping at 25 degrees to the other side of the metal, or the inclusive angle. This gives a nice thin edge to get into the wood but at this angle, the very edge is not very strong. To get round this, the edge is honed at a slightly blunter angle of 30 degrees. This gives it a bit more strength but the following metal is at the shallower 25 degrees, keeping the resistance low. The other reason for honing a tool is to remove any burr from the edge. If it is left in place it will cause resistance to the cutting edge. (Burrs can be useful but that’s another story!) Now I am not proposing we put a different angle on the edge of our turning tools but hopefully you can appreciate the importance of the angle. It is YOUR choice, there is no specific angle for any tool, it is the job that matters. If a tool is only being used on softer, (not necessarily softwoods) you can grind a more acute angle as the wood does less damage to the edge. This will give a tool that can cut the fibres more easily. This could be the case for spalted or green



woods. However, if we are working on hard materials, well seasoned oak for example, the edge has to work harder and needs a bit more support. It may be worth grinding at a less acute angle. Now the problem is we are using our tools for all sorts of woods and I will be the first to say “I am not resharpening my tools to suit each piece of wood!” So we need a compromise and that is based on for what each tool is generally used. By the way, all of this is another very good reason for ‘rubbing the bevel’. Not only does keeping the bevel in contact with the wood we’ve just cut allow us to control the depth of the cut, the wood is actually supporting one side of the edge. The edge can’t bend out of the way as it is surrounded by wood. If the bevel isn’t rubbing, the edge doesn’t have that support and is easily bent over, quickly leading to a blunt tool. That is why scrapers are ground at very large angles, around 80 degrees to give the edge plenty of metal behind it, since there’s no wood to do the job as the bevel isn’t rubbing. More on those later. So let’s have a look at the various types of tools and their angles. A spindle roughing gouge, although it is slicing through the fibres is ground at around 45degrees to leave plenty of metal behind the edge to give it strength. The problem with the rouging gouge is that it is used to bring timber to the round and can take a real beating so it needs a good strong edge. But we also need it to cut the wood so we need an acute angle The trade off leads to an angle around 45 degrees. A spindle gouge is used to slice into the fibres, with the bevel rubbing, so we can get away with a more acute angle. This results in finer cuts but an edge that is more easily damaged. We want a tool that can remove a reasonable amount of wood with each cut, but easily leave a clean cut, and get into tight places, so the best angle is going to be around 30 degrees. The skew chisel is most often used to plane the wood to get a good surface or fine tuning our turnings, removing small amounts of wood. This means we can make the grinding angle even more acute, making it easier to get that clean, slicing cut but the edge is more easily damaged or worn out. So we can get away with around 25 degrees. And remember the skew angle can also be varied, it can even be a curved edge, but the reasons for those are different to those for the cutting angle. The bowl gouge has to contend, a lot of the time, with cutting across the grain or perpendicularly across the fibres. The wood offers a lot of resistance to the cut so would quickly damage an acute edge so we use a bigger angle, most turners use around 50 degrees. This tool is still slicing into the wood but the extra metal at the edge gives it strength. Taking the grinding angle to the extreme, we have the scrapers. The edge on these tools hasn’t any support from the wood but we still expect it to cut the fibres. To make it worse, the cut is usually on end grain or across the fibres giving lots of resistance so we need plenty of metal behind the edge. So scrapers are usually ground around 80 degrees. Now there are lots of other tools in our kit but if you consider the job you expect each of them to do, I hope you have a better appreciation as to what that edge of steel is trying to do for you. If you want to work it hard, it needs some support. Treat the edge as a friend not an enemy. And if you start to think about the angles on fingernail profile and long grind tools, you will appreciate even more what they allow you to do and why, or possibly, why you have to keep sharpening your tools. Hope that helps. Paul PS. If anyone else has any comments, suggestions or recommendations, please let us all know, as the above are my own thoughts on tool bevels. I am always willing to learn.



Turning tips This section is for any tips or advice you would like to pass on to other members. It doesn't matter what it is, if you discovered something you found useful, that you think may benefit others, please pass it on. Organised abrasives? – Mick Hanbury Another useful tip gleaned from a recent demo by Mick. Put a strip of ‘male’ Velcro on top of your toolbox, or workbench so when you are using Velcro pads, you can keep them in order and ready to hand. How often have you picked up a coarser grit by mistake and had to restart your sanding? Recycle old drill chucks – David Fields When that old cordless drill finally dies, and it is not worth buying another battery, remove the chuck and as much of the drive shaft as you can, then mount these in a handle. Very useful for lathe drilling. To keep the chuck secure, drill a small hole through the handle and the shaft and insert an old nail to prevent any possibility of the shaft rotating. This can be covered by the ferrule. And remember the chuck may be held on the shaft by a small screw, inside the jaws, with a left hand thread. FREE OFFER!!! David Fields has a deep fat fryer and large supply of cande wax to seal log ends. David is happy to lend this to anyone who would like to use it. You don’t have to pay for the candle wax. Give him a call on 01283 229072 or email: [email protected]

Useful websites There is a lot of information available on the internet but some is better than others. If you come across any useful sites, please let me know and I will publish them here. The following are worth a look :- Simon Hope tools If you haven’t seen them yet these tool handles are excellent value for money, as are the other bits and pieces on Simon’s site. http://www.hopewoodturning.co.uk/index.html And if that isn’t good enough, have a look at his other site, making ‘bagpipes’. (Apologies to Simon if they aren’t called that. I am only a ‘wee Sassenach’! http://www.hopepipes.co.uk/index.html

Questions and answers This section is an opportunity for members to ask questions for other members to answer, primarily about woodturning but I see no reason why this couldn't be extended further. There is a lot of knowledge in the club on many subjects and this should be an easy way to get answers. What! No questions this month? Is anybody doing any turning out there!

Items for sale or wanted If you have any items for sale, or if you are trying to find something, send me the details and I will put it in the next issue. FOR SALE Woodturners polishing wax I have got a supply of 60g blocks of carnauba / beeswax that can be used to finish your turnings. They are 45% carnauba so a bit softer than Liberon’s Woodturner’s stick but they work very well. £2.50 each. If you want one, or more, please let me know. Paul Bellamy Record CL2 lathe , with Record steel stand– £300 I have a lathe for sale. It is in store at the moment but I can send pictures of it if you are interested. I can deliver and help set it up if required. Specifications:- 36” between centres, 12” diameter over bed, 3/4Hp motor, solid bed bars so very stable, ¾” x 16tpi headstock spindle. Stand will adjust to accommodate any Record lathe but could be used as good base for any lathe. Contact Paul Bellamy Supernova chuck, with standard and ‘Grippa jaws, woodworm screw, T-bar and ¾” x 16tpi insert. I have got a virtually brand new Supernova chuck for sale. A student bought it but has never used it – really. (It’s not even dusty!) The only thing missing is the large spanner to tighten the chuck to the lathe but an adjustable or ordinary 1 ½”AF spanner would do the job. It is not the Supernova 2 and uses the geared T-bar to adjust the jaws but I and some other people prefer that to the new allen key version. Selling for £95. Contact Paul Bellamy – yes, me again! Had a Spring Clean of the workshop!!Anyone else got anything for sale.



Member Services A request was made at the AGM for a list of club member's 'expertise' and interests. This would be difficult to administer for various reasons but the committee suggested having a section where members could offer their abilities to other members, so here it is. I hope it will grow as more of you are prepared to offer help or advice to other members. I have not given telephone numbers or email addresses here as the newsletter is open to anyone on the 'net. I suggest you make contact at the club meetings or via a member of the committee Ron Dixon Ron has many years experience in woodworking and can show you how to sharpen traditional hand saws

He also owns a larger planer/ thicknesser and a morticing machine. He is happy to let members use it on their own timber. Editor's note: If you take up Ron's offer to use his planer, please make sure there are no foreign objects in your wood!

Derek Pyatt Derek has run his own tool supply business for many years but has now retired. However, he still has

some spare parts for machinery e.g. drive belts. He is also able to supply spares and attachments for the obsolete Coronet brand. If you are looking for something, it would be worth having a chat with him. Unfortunately he can no longer supply bandsaw blades.

Paul Bellamy I have built up a lot of experience using eBay for buying and selling. It can be a great way to add to your

tools but there are a few points to watch out for. If you need any help, please get in touch. My first tip is "just because it's on ebay, doesn't guarantee it's the best price". Check other website, magazines and ask other club members.

More elderly joke sent in to me. A senior citizen said to his eighty-year old buddy: 'So I hear you're getting married?' 'Yep!' 'Do I know her?' 'Nope!' 'This woman, is she good looking?' 'Not really.' 'Is she a good cook?' 'Naw, she can't cook too well.' 'Does she have lots of money?' 'Nope! Poor as a church mouse.' 'Well, then, is she good in bed?' 'I don't know..' 'Why in the world do you want to marry her then?' 'Because she can still drive!' Morris, an 82 year-old man, went to the doctor to get a physical. A few days later, the doctor saw Morris walking down the street with a gorgeous young woman on his arm.. A couple of days later, the doctor spoke to Morris and said, 'You're really doing great, aren't you?' Morris replied, 'Just doing what you said, Doc: 'Get a hot mamma and be cheerful.'' The doctor said, 'I didn't say that.. I said, 'You've got a heart murmur; be careful.' A little old man shuffled slowly into an ice cream parlour and pulled himself slowly, painfully, up onto a stool.. After catching his breath, he ordered a banana split. The waitress asked kindly, 'Crushed nuts?' 'No,' he replied, 'Arthritis.'

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