Expert to Beginner

Hi Everyone,

My buddy of mine  and I are cooking up something for a friend who is really special. Here is the story behind this:

We have a friend who is a professional therapist and she works with people who have experienced torture in their lives. As you can imagine she  probably hears a lot of terrible stories about the experiences these people have endured and her job cant be an easy one.

I for one applaud her efforts and I think she should be recognized for all she does and so does Pat, so Pat has commissioned a bowl from me and Im going to be blogging about this over the next week or so.

Discussion and Plans

I have a 10"x4" mineral stained poplar bowl blank that I ordered over a year ago from Turning Blanks 4U that I began turning earlier this week. I told Pat about it and she has asked me to finish turning it for Susan.

Here are the initial photos:

The next two photos show the rough blank. It was coated in wax to prevent its drying out and they look pretty terrible in this state!



The blank has dried out some over time so its no longer round in shape but more of an oval. Im putting it on the lathe between centers because its not balanced and it is safer to turn it this way. Not to mention easier on my equipment:


Ive begun turning the bottom in this photo:


After several minutes of turning you can see that the bowl sides are trued up and round again. In this photo you can see the beginnings of a rim:


Now you can see the rim more sharply:


Time to create a foot. Since this will be used as a salad bowl, it needs a wider than usual foot so it wont be tippy when its used:


And here is a profile view of the blank. Note the wide rim that will be narrowed down a little later:


Here is a side-view photo of the blank off of the lathe:


Wood shavings anyone?

Here is the bowl blank back on the lathe. Ive trued up the face and Im getting ready to hollow it out:


Since it was hot, I decided to stop and begin again tomorrow:


The wood in this blank is dry so the turn should proceed quickly tomorrow.

When the bowl if completely hollowed out, Ill leave it for several days for the fibers to settle down and to see if any cracking develops. If it doesnt, then Ill go ahead and apply a finish.

See you tomorrow,

VW

From Highland Woodworking
 
I just received the new issue of Wood News Online, the monthly newsletter by Highland Woodworking. I always like reading this newsletter as it’s been full of great information. The new video series, The Highland Woodworker has also been great to watch. Only two episodes in but it’s a great show…and free if you can believe that! The first episode was with Roy Underhill and the last one featured Brian Boggs and Ron Brese. Great to see these guys in action and get a glimpse into their work shops.
I was surprised to see a new review for my book- Made by Hand at the top of this new issue and thought I’d share it here.
Cheers!


Made by Hand: A Delightful Journey into the
World of Hand Tool Possibilities
by J. Norman Reid
Delaplane, Virginia
Working wood by hand is becoming increasingly popular. What’s the attraction? Perhaps it’s the elimination of noxious dust, the satisfaction of building something beautiful entirely by hand, achieving closer tolerances than are possible with powered machines, or working quietly and achieving a deeper intimacy with the wood that’s our medium of expression.
Whatever the reason for choosing to work with hand tools, Fidgen’s book is a diverting introduction to working wood by hand. Written in a highly accessible style, more like a conversation with a woodworking friend than a beginner’s manual, Fidgen explains the essentials for setting up a hand tool shop—basic tools, sharpening, constructing key appliances, processes for design and construction—then progresses to six innovative and beautiful projects, each building on skills developed in constructing the previous ones.
He begins with tools: layout tools, cutting tools, hand planes, special-purpose planes and tools, and chisels. He gives an introductory discussion of sharpening, urging the use of honing guides to assure consistency in the shape of the cutting edges.
Next he covers several appliances to guide and ease handwork: bench hooks, miter hooks, shooting boards, winding sticks and workhorses or, as he calls them, shop ‘bents.’ For each of these, Fidgen discusses and illustrates their construction—perhaps these will be your first handmade projects—but provides little information about their use.
He next progresses to processes of construction. Included are making a cut list, selecting wood, planing, sawing, cutting dovetails and making mortises and tenons. Readers will find these sections interesting and useful, though more detailed treatments are available elsewhere.
The second half of the book consists of six projects that build on each other and so are intended to be undertaken in sequence. The first is a cabinetmaker’s tool chest, a small handheld case to carry hand tools to a job site or store them in the woodshop. Following that is a hanging wall cabinet featuring half-blind dovetails, sliding dovetails, a pair of inside drawers and a single-board door. Third is a side table that bears hints of the Shaker style but is clearly modern in design. This project employs six different joints and is intended to stretch your hand tool skills one step further. The next project is a charming small bookcase that features through tenons and front doors with mullions backed by Japanese paper. After that comes a cabinet with six drawers and a door on the left side. The final project is a hunt board or sideboard with sliding panel doors.
The book concludes with a gallery of some of Fidgen’s other work that is intended to inspire other possibilities with handwork.
The large-format, beautifully illustrated book is accompanied by a 45-minute DVD that gives a personal overview of the tools Fidgen employs in his hand tool-only workshop. Introduced by a song, “Working Wood,” written and performed admirably by Fidgen himself, the DVD contains recommendations and tips on selecting, buying and what’s essential for getting started with hand tools.
In sum, I found this book a pleasure to read. For the armchair woodworker, it’s a delightful journey into the world of possibilities. For the beginning hand tool worker, it provides enough information to get you started. The experienced hand tool enthusiast will already know much of what he presents but may find the review enjoyable and the projects inspirational. In short, there’s a little something for everyone here.

And by a new project I mean that I am building an old project but in a bigger size.  I am making another Ice Chest/Cooler box but this time with a full-size ice chest with a drain.  You can see the original prototype build here: http://blogspot.com/2013/05/how-to-make-cedar-ice-chestcooler-box.html

I found a good size ice chest on sale at Target the other day and plan on making this new cooler box for my Fathers for his birthday.  This one will be bigger than the old one, have handles on the sides, a drain spigot, a bottom shelf, and a bottle opener mounted to the front.  I also plan on sanding and staining this one.

A Blue Moon ... Some tarts by Kit .... and some thoughts for the New Year ...
I wish you all the best for 2010 ...







Click to enlarge it ... This is not, in fact, from Old St. Pauls Church , but is, in fact, a poem called Desiderata, written by Max Ehrmann, a lawyer from Terre Haute, in the 19 20s

Yeehah ! ... paddle tennis at 11:00 ... start the New Year right ...