WOODTURNING ISSUE 312

WHAT YOU
NEED TO
KNOW
ABOUT
thread
chasing

ISSUE 312 4.25

1 2 > DECEMBER 2017

www.woodworkersinstitute.com
9 770958 945098
DECEMBER 2017

TECHNICAL Drawer pulls & door knobs Turning platters Lidded forms
PROJECTS Tree ornaments Father Christmas Needle cases Bottle vase
WT_312_COVER FINAL.indd 1 04/10/2017 12:23

Huge Capacities
Using the optional bowl rest, huge work can
be completed with ease. The large motor
and solid cast iron construction give ample
rigidity and power for the most
heavy-duty woodturning.
This machine punches well above
its weight and performs very well.
Having already tested various large
capacity lathes within the 2,000
- 3,500 bracket, I believe that the
MAXI-1 is exemplary in terms of the
versatility, capacity, solidity, control and the power it offers.
Go and try one out I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.
I enjoy using it every time I press the button and its quiet running is
an added bonus. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to test this
machine as you get a lot for your money without having to make
any compromises.

Woodturning Magazine
Issue 214 June 2010
Review by Mark Sanger

Swivel Head
Packed with features, the heavy-duty swivel
head features reverse-speed function,
6-speed pulley change, cam lock swivel,
safety micro switch and indexing.

Shown with optional MAXI-1/A Cast Iron Outrigger

RRP 169.99, buy with lathe price 149.99

Heavy-Duty Spindle
The M33 spindle is ideal for the heaviest
work and features a machined register for
secure mounting.

England Address Town County Contact

Toolite Co Unit 3/2 The Mews, Brook Street, GL17 0SL Mitcheldean Gloucestershire 01594 544 521
Stiles & Bates Upper Farm, Church Hill, Sutton, CT15 5DF Dover Kent 01304 366 360
Biven Machinery Sales Unit 30, Sycamore Trading Estate, FY4 3RL Blackpool Lancashire 01253 425793
The MAXI-1 D&M Tools 73-81 Heath Road, TW1 4AW Twickenham Middlesex 02088 923 813
Snainton Woodworking Supplies The Poplars, Barker Lane, Snainton, YO13 9BG Scarborough North Yorkshire 01723 859 545
is on dispay Yandle & Sons Ltd Hurst Works, TA12 6JU Martock Somerset 01935 822 207
DJ Evans (Bury) Ltd St Botolphs Lane, IP33 2AU Bury St Edmunds Suffolk 01284 754 132
nationwide DB Keighley Machinery Ltd Vickers Place, LS28 6LZ Leeds West Yorkshire 01132 574 736
at these Scotland
MacGregor Industrial Supplies 15-17 Henderson Road, Longman Ind. Estate, IV1 1SN Inverness Inverness-shire 01463 717 999
stockists Northern Ireland
The Woodshed 11 Lowtown Road, BT39 0HD Temple Patrick County Antrim 028 9443 3833
B McNamee & Co Ltd Park Road, BT82 8EL Strabane County Tyrone 028 7188 2853
Ireland
WH Raitt & Son Ltd Main Street Stranorlar County Donegal 00353 74 913 1028

IFC_001_WTUR_312.indd 2 10/4/17 3:46 PM

 MAXI-1-M33 Heavy Cast Iron Swivel
Head Variable Speed Lathe
The MAXI-1 has been specially designed to offer large
capacities and support for heavy work in a compact design.
Combining Records traditional swivel head functionality with
modern construction and high quality electronic control, this
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IFC_001_WTUR_312.indd 3 10/4/17 3:46 PM

002_WTUR_312.indd 2 10/4/17 3:47 PM

Holiday fun
As you would expect, this issue features
plenty of Christmas items for you to
make and I think you will have a lot
of fun making them. Once the making
mele is over I would love to see some
pictures of what you have made.
Christmas is one of those times when
people let their hair down that would
be hard in my case I know and have
a bit of a giggle with what they make,
but likewise take seriously what they are
making for other people.
I am a great believer in making things
for people. It shows one cares enough to
want to make something for someone. I
make quite a few things for people. I have
a few requests already being worked on
and I still keep getting asked for wizards
wands. It is surprising that the requests
from friends for these keep coming and,
coupled with looking at the ancient lore
associated with the timber/trees used,
they do create an interesting story for the
recipients. But I must admit I get stumped
WT312_3_Leader MB.indd 3
when trying to think what to make for
some of my friends. Some of them have
said please, no more turnings, due to
there being no more space. I have heard
that relayed to me from many other
turners too. So I sometimes make non-
turned functional items for people, which
go down well, but likewise, one can only
make so many for people.
If I cant resolve the issue I buy them
a bottle of something nice or something
from their wish list. At least I know that
will be enjoyed.
Let me know what you end up making.
I know that tree ornaments are one of
the main things made, but what about
the other turned items one gives as gifts?
On a different note, an interesting
discussion topic keeps cropping up
and that is one of workshops and space
available for people to have one. Some
of the people discussing this issue are
moving house, typically downsizing and
not always able to get the house they
FROM THE EDITOR
PHOTOGRAPH BY ANTHONY BAILEY/GMC PUBLICATIONS
want with an area for a workshop. I think
this is becoming more common and many
new-build houses have small gardens,
if any at all, and if one did want a
workshop it would be tricky. Is this where
community-based workshops, where
people can join a group and access the
space, come to be ever more prominent
and important? They provide a wonderful
service and also a community of like-
minded people to share experiences
and ideas with. Thinking about it, if the
availability of such workshops were to
increase, would we see more people take
up woodworking and other crafts?
Best wishes,
Mark
markb@thegmcgroup.com
Woodturning 312 3
04/10/2017 12:23
 ISSUE 312 DECEMBER 2017

Community
3 Leader
Mark Baker muses on the things to
be done for Christmas
12 Community news
The latest news from the world of
woodturning, as well as important
dates for your diary
80 Community
We feature the latest letters and have
searched the internet for the best, most
interesting and fun websites, blogs, pins
and pictures, so you dont have to
71 Next issue
Find out whats in store for next month
Techniques
15 The fundamentals of
making platters
Andy Coates looks at the particular
techniques required for making platters
27 Drawer pulls and door knobs
Continuing with his series looking at
turning for furniture, Richard Findley
focuses on pulls and knobs
48 How to chase threads
Stuart Thomas provides some helpful
insight into how to chase threads by hand
74 Grinding dust what hazard?
Geoffrey Laycock looks at the issue
of sharpening tools

Cover image: Stuart Thomas (see page 48) 90 Our contributors 76 V-groove decoration
Meet our authors Mark Baker explores one of the
easiest, most versatile and widely
99 Advertising index used decorative effects
See who is advertising this issue
85 Fitting lids on boxes
Chris Hart continues his series on
box-making, looking at the issue
15 of lids and how they t on the body

76

NEWS, LATEST PRODUCTS, MAGAZINE UPLOADS & EVENTS Subscribers!

can all be found on www.woodworkersinstitute.com. These all appear on the magazine homepage Turn to page 83 for
and you can see a bigger selection by scrolling down the page and clicking on the individual stories. subscription special offers
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WT312_4_5_Contents SUBBED.indd 4 04/10/2017 12:25


Projects
7 Christmas tree decorations
Walter Hall shares some ideas for
festive decorations
21 A whimsical Father Christmas
Stuart King has some festive fun as he
creates a humorous Father Christmas
43 Christmas tree ornaments
Kurt Hertzog turns festive decorations
51 Needle cases
Stuart Thomas creates needle cases using
both push-t and screw-threaded tops
59 Christmas carousel part 2
Colwin Way, in the second of a
two-part article, creates a centrepiece
for Christmas
65 Ginger beer bottle vase
Chris West provides some
inspiration and plans for you
27
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Woodturning is an inherently dangerous pursuit. Readers should not attempt the
procedures described herein without seeking training and information on the safe
use of tools and machines. All readers should observe current safety legislation.
WT312_4_5_Contents SUBBED.indd 5
CONTENTS
Features Kit & Tools
33 It grows on trees you know 92 Christmas Round-up
John Plater looks at sourcing timber A collection of tools and products
that might make good gifts
36 Collaboration
Mark Baker talks to Gabor Lacko and
Patricia Spero to nd out more about
their collaborative works
67 New challenges
Mark Baker talks to Howard Overton
about his life and his work
104 Featured artist
Seamus Cassidy shares with
us how Orbital came about
43
21
Woodturning 312 5
04/10/2017 12:25
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 Christmas tree decorations
Walter Hall shares some ideas for festive decorations
Making your own Christmas tree decorations can be an enjoyable
and satisfying project and they also make great items for craft
fairs or to sell for your favourite charity. The options available
range from simply using readily available kits, using up small
offcuts of wood and acrylic material that would be too small for
anything else, through practising your spindle turning skills by
turning icicle-shaped forms with a range of beads and coves all
the way to making up segmented blanks to your own design and
hollowing them out. The example I have made for this article
falls somewhere in the middle and requires some spindle work
WT312 7-10 PRO Walter Hall Christmas ormaments_MB.indd 7
PHOTOGRAPHS BY WALTER HALL
and a small amount of hollowing to make the nished article
light enough to hang on the tree without bending the branches.
You could use any hardwoods for this project and it is up to
you whether you add colour as I have done or perhaps use
contrasting woods for the body and nial. I chose oak as
it is open grained and allowed me to use the grain-lling
properties of gilt cream to add a touch of festive sparkle.
Use your imagination to adapt the nish and make a range
of different forms and nishes. A few additional ideas for
shapes and types are shown in the drawings.
Woodturning 312 7
04/10/2017 12:28
 TOOLS AND MATERIALS
RPE & PPE
Dust extraction
20-25mm spindle
roughing gouge
13-20mm skew chisel
Thin parting tool 80mm
(31/8in)
Small bead forming tool
100mm
Face shield/respirator (4in) 105mm
Jacobs or keyless chuck (41/8in)
Appropriately sized
Forstner bit Using kit
Hardwood spindle blank components
Abranet 240-600 grit and standard
Hollowed with pen tube
Medium cyanoacrylate separate finial
adhesive Solid turned
from pen blank
Red and gold acrylic
spray paint
Masking tape
Gilt cream
Tack cloth
Paper towel or tissue

10mm
(3/8in)

tube
35mm 7mm
(13/8in) ( /32in)
9

OS

5mm (7/32in)
Some suggested shapes using
20mm kit components
(3/4in)

Kit Components

1 Select a suitable piece of wood for your project,

mount one end in a scroll chuck and support the
other with a revolving centre in the tailstock. The
method of holding shown in the photograph is
ne for small, square pieces where the overhang
when hollowing will not be too great, but for larger
pieces a dovetail spigot should be cut between
centres rst to ensure secure mounting.

2 Turn the blank down to a cylinder with a

spindle roughing gouge, then mark the length
of the nial and body sections. With a thin
parting tool cut down to the size of the
ats between the sections to determine
the initial position and allow better access
for the spindle gouge or skew chisel. 1 2

8 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

WT312 7-10 PRO Walter Hall Christmas ormaments_MB.indd 8 04/10/2017 12:28


3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
WT312 7-10 PRO Walter Hall Christmas ormaments_MB.indd 9
CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATIONS
3 Form the shape of the body of the piece with
a spindle gouge or skew chisel. I used a spindle
gouge with the wings ground back to provide better
access. Just as with turning a bead, work from the
centre downhill to each side. Start with the ute
horizontal and, using the tip of the gouge, move the
tool forward while turning it so that it ends at the
bottom of the cut on its side with the ute vertical.
4 Once the shape of the body is formed use
the parting tool to dene the at at its base
and a spigot that will become the means of
attaching the nial to the body. Remember to
leave sufcient length for parting off the nial
from the body later. Then form the initial shape
of the top of the nial with a skew chisel.
5 After rst turning away most of the waste material
from the nial using a roughing gouge while the
tailstock support is still in place, remove the tailstock
support and begin to rene the shape of the nial.
This may be as simple or complex as you choose,
but do remember you are making a Christmas
decoration, not a nial for a grandfather clock.
6 Once the nial is formed sand through the
grits and nish it to your preference. As it will
not be subject to much handling, you could
use friction polish, lacquer or even wax, but I
chose to paint mine with gold acrylic to blend
in with the gilt cream that will be applied to the
body. When spraying paint or lacquer make sure
to mask off anything you dont want covered
with paint, including your lathe and chuck.
7 Once the nish is dry and you are satised
with the result, part off the completed nial. You
can see in the photograph the respective sizes of
the at at the base of the body and the spigot.
8 With the nial parted off you can now begin
to hollow the body. Start by drilling to the depth
of the body with a Forstner bit just a fraction
smaller than the diameter of the nial spigot.
Take care not to drill too deep, marking the shaft
of the bit if necessary or using the graduations
marked on your tailstock quill if it has them.
9 First enlarge the entry hole to a snug t for the
nial spigot using a spindle gouge. Continue to hollow
from the entry hole downwards. You can continue
to use the spindle gouge, which will work perfectly
well for a small form such as this or you could use
any other small hollowing tool of your preference.
We are not seeking to create wafer-thin walls, rather
to reduce the weight of the piece, nonetheless
they should be of even thickness and no more
than 3mm. Measure your progress with callipers.
10 Use a skew chisel or spindle gouge to
form the shape of the top of the body then,
using the parting tool, form a at where the bead
at the very top of the decoration will be cut.
Woodturning 312 9
04/10/2017 12:28
 11 If you are very careful you could form the
top bead with a skew chisel or small spindle
gouge, however because it is in a deep recess
between the top of the body and the waste
material it is much easier to do this with a
small bead forming tool. Woodturning is not a
competition to nd the hardest way of doing
things if there is an easy way, why not use it?

12 Sand the completed work through the grits

to 600 using a tack cloth between grits. Do not
skip or limit the sanding stage as the process of
applying the gilt cream later will show up the slightest
imperfection. Once you are happy with the nish,
open up the grain with a brass wire brush. The 11 12
ones for cleaning suede shoes are perfect for this.

13 Mask up the surrounding area again and

spray the body with acrylic paint in a colour of
your choice, I used a nice bright red left over
from repairing my old Nova lathe. The paint may
soak into the grain so leave it to dry and apply a
second coat if required, but dont overdo it as the
grain needs to be left open for the gilt cream.

14 Once the paint is fully hard, it is best to

leave at least an hour to be on the safe side.
Apply the gilt cream using paper towel or a
soft cloth. Work methodically all around the
piece to ensure it is evenly worked into the
grain and any excess is wiped away.
13 14
15 The nial can now be re-attached to the
body. There are many types of adhesive that
would be suitable for this. I used an odourless
cyanoacrylate as my spigot was a good t and I
wanted it to set quickly, but if you have a loose
t then epoxy or polyurethane glue (Gorilla glue)
would be better. Ordinary wood glues would also
sufce if you dont mind a longer setting time.

16 Now part off the nished work from the

waste. A ne saw (with the lathe turned off)
will provide the cleanest cut with no torn bres.
The end can then be touched up with a drop
of the red acrylic paint to nish the job.

17 All that remains once the paint is nally

dry is to t a small brass loop to the top 15 16
so that the decoration can be hung
from the tree (or perhaps used
as an ear-ring after a few festive
drinks). It is best to pre-drill for this
with a ne drill to avoid snapping
the tting off as it is screwed in.

18 Here is the nished decoration

along with a few others made
from kits and offcuts or turned
from wooden pen blanks.

17 18

10 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

WT312 7-10 PRO Walter Hall Christmas ormaments_MB.indd 10 04/10/2017 12:28

 Supplying woodturners with the finest quality tools,
accessories, and service since 1982.

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www.woodturnerscatalog.com 1-800-551-8876

A I L OOL
ET T
T R R
E Y 17 November
N 2017 10am - 5pm
S
E PO W R 18 November
No 2017 10am - 5pm
G T
AR G & OUN
19 November
Nov 2017 10am - 4pm
L
E IN C Nelton EExhibitions
N
TH ORK THE www.skpromotions.co.uk
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wwww.skpromo
ww T: 01474 536535

D W I N Make
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Telephon
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WO SHO
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011_WTUR_312.indd 11 10/4/17 3:48 PM

 Community news
We bring you the latest news from the world of woodturning and important dates for your diary
We try to give accurate details on forthcoming events. Please check with organisers for up-to-date information if you are planning to attend any of the events mentioned.

John James talks

about teaching
turning at Boston
Grammar School
In 2011, I moved to teach at Boston
Grammar School in Lincolnshire as subject
leader in technology. I soon noticed a
dust-covered wood lathe in the corner
of the workshop. I hadnt turned before
but was interested in exploring the
possibilities of the craft. I tinkered about
and, with the help of our technician,
worked out enough to turn my rst little
goblet, this is really where it all began.
A while later I saw Clem Ansell (www.
clemansell-woodturner.moonfruit.com) ABOVE: Eli turning
at Gunby Hall, a National Trust property, on the lathe under
where he was displaying his work among the watchful eye of
other craftspeople. After talking for some Clem Ansell
time it was clear Clem had a passion for
woodturning and for teaching the craft.
After several phone calls Clem visited
the school and we set about planning
a woodturning course for students.
The format was to be similar to that
used for music lessons (students leave
normal lessons for a 30-minute guitar
lesson), and apply it to woodturning. I
am passionate and thankfully so are
our headmaster and governors about
providing a well-rounded curriculum for
the students, where traditional crafts
are as important as CAD software, 3D
printers and laser cutters. With the LEFT: From right,
support of the school trust (parents of Clem Ansell, Eli
current pupils contribute to this pot, Coonan and John
and as staff we can apply for grants for James with some items
extracurricular activities) we purchased made on the courses.
equipment to get the old, dust-covered
lathe back up to scratch. ready, moves people on to the next level. seven student. Now just completing year
Clem teaches each student for one hour One-to-one teaching allows this eight he has produced some beautiful
a week for a block of 10 lessons. The greater exibility to push on or hold products. Eli and two other students
students pay for this in the same way as back depending on the students ability. have purchased their own lathes and are
they would a music lesson. Once up and At school we have just completed our regularly turning at home. This is great
running, I too signed up for a two-day second year of courses, six students in news and ultimately what we set out to
course with Clem in the October half-term total have taken up the offer. One in do promote a rounded curriculum where
of 2016. Clem has a great set-up and I particular has signed up to the last ve students could explore traditional crafts
thoroughly enjoyed my two days with him. potential sets of courses. Eli Coonan alongside new technologies.
He starts with the basic skills and, when rst started in January 2016, as a year www.bostongrammarschool.co.uk

12 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

WT312_12_13_Community_News SUBBED_MB.indd 12 04/10/2017 12:29


Nikos Siragas at Hull Collegiate School
Hull Collegiate School Design &
Technology department was pleased to
welcome Nikos Siragas, a professional
woodturner from Crete with many
years of experience touring the UKs
woodturning clubs and shows.
Nikos delivered his free demonstration
to 80 pupils aged 14 to 16. He impressed
everyone and held them spellbound with
a comprehensive demonstration of spindle
turning. The resulting female sculptural
form clearly reected his professional skill
but was still attainable for pupils to copy
it was a novelty departure from the routine
of timber pens. The whole demonstration
was notable for the intensity of the
near-silent concentration of the pupils
Makers Central: Uniting Creativity
On 5-6 May 2018 Makers Central
will be launching its rst ever exhibition
at the National Exhibition Centre
in Birmingham. Makers Central is
the brainchild of Nick Zammeti of NZ
Woodturning. Nick entered the world
of makers when he was introduced
to woodturning in 2015, leading him
to create his own YouTube
channel. Nick has visited
various Makers events
across the world which
led him to the realisation
that there was a gap in the
market for a Makers event
like this in the UK.
The event aims to bring
together thousands of
makers from around the
world, from crafters and
inventors to hobbyists and
WT312_12_13_Community_News SUBBED_MB.indd 13
a tremendous achievement from Nikos,
especially at the end of a long school term.
The opportunity arose when the
schools AWGB Approved Tutor
Mike Kebbell followed up a note in
Woodturning magazine saying that Nikos
was demonstrating at a school in Hull. In
fact he was still looking for one and Hull
Collegiate duly volunteered. The problem
of suitable equipment was solved with
help from the local club, East Yorkshire
Woodturners.
Nikos proved very adaptable with the
new equipment and the number of pupils
in his audience.
Thank you Nikos and Frances from
everyone at the school.
artists to share their passion for all
things creative. Makers Central is
an event for the maker community.
If you make or just share the passion
for making and creating, come and
join us for this spectacular event
For further information and tickets visit:
www.makerscentral.co.uk
COMMUNITY NEWS
SHOWS AND EVENTS
Surrey Association of Woodturners
Open Day
When: 29 October 2017
Where: Mytchett Centre, 140 Mytchett Road
Mytchett, Surrey, GU16 6AA
Web: www.sawoodturners.org
The Toolpost Open House
When: 4-5 November, 2017
Where: Unit 7, Hawksworth, Southmead
Industrial Park, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 7HR
Web: www.toolpost.co.uk
Wigley DIY Woodturning Open Day
Wigley DIY is holding a new woodturning
Open Dxay with representatives
from Charnwood and Robert Sorby,
demonstrations and discounts on the day.
When: 25 November, 2017
Where: Barracks Road, Sandy Lane Industrial
Exxstate, Stourport-on-Severn, DY13 9QB
Web: www.wigleydiy.co.uk
Northumbrian Woodturners Auction
The auction will feature a large selection
of both new and little-used goods.
When: 8 December, 2017
Where: Briardale Community Centre,
Briardale Rd, Blyth, NE245AN
Web: www.northumbrianwoodturners.com
2018 DIARY DATES
Utah Woodturning symposium
When: 10-12 May 2018
Where: UCCU Events Centre is on the west side
of the Utah Valley University campus at: 800 W
University Parkway Orem, UT 84058
Web: utahwoodturning.com
American Association of
Woodturners Symposium
When: 14-17 June 2018
Where: Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE
Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, Portland, OR 97232
Web: www.woodturner.org/page/2018Portland
AWGB Seminar 2018
The association of Woodturners of Great
Britain has just released the costs for its
seminar on 5-7 October 2018.
When: 5-7 October, 2018
For further information go to:
awgbwoodturningseminar.co.uk
Woodturning 312 13
04/10/2017 12:29
 The fundamentals of
making platters
Andy Coates looks at the particular techniques required for making platters
Platters are perhaps less commonly seen than their more popular
relations, the bowl or dish. But before we proceed we need to
dene what we mean by platter what is it that distinguishes
it from the bowl or dish? In this regard the dictionary is not
much help to the turner, giving dish as a synonym, while I tend
to think of platters as different to the dish. Platters tend to have
at interior bases and are generally intended to be used as
serving plates. Dishes are more akin to shallow bowls bowls
probably need no further denition. In terms of dimensions I
have always taken Ray Keys ideas of proportion as the ideal:
platters ought to be upwards of 230mm in diameter, anything
smaller would be considered a plate.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDY COATES
Platters might have an inherent functionality, but this doesnt
preclude them being decorative at the same time and, in fact,
they are more often seen these days as decorative objects
rather than purely functional. One of the reasons for the
apparent demise of the large platter is probably the fact that
the family dinner around the table has fallen out of fashion,
WT312_15_19_TECH_Coates_Platters SUBBED_MB.indd 15
so producing platters with a decorative element captures two
potential markets the purely decorative and the occasional
functional usage.
Other reasons platters might have fallen out of favour as
a woodturning project are the size of stock required to turn
them, and the capacity of the lathe. Even smaller bench-top
lathes, however, can usually take 300mm over the bed, so this
should be no bar to producing what can be useful, attractive
and functional objects that present a few particular challenges
for the turner to overcome.
Platters can be a useful project to use board stock which
is unsuitable for bowls and other projects. Pre-cut blanks and
boards of 50mm and less thickness are ideal, and are rarely
of much use for other turning projects, but can present some
issues when trying to mount them for turning. As with most
things in life the overcoming of a challenge is often a reward
in itself, so it is a worthwhile project to build condence and
technical skills.
Woodturning 312 15
04/10/2017 12:30
 Basic tools
Making platters does not require any specialised woodturning
tools, and a basic set will prove more than equal to the task.
A long-ground bowl gouge is an advantage, and probably by
now considered a standard, but a standard straight-ground
bowl gouge is also useful, and one of each is probably the
ideal. Aside from these two tools a curved and a at scraper,
and either a small parting tool or a skew chisel are about all
that are required to turn a platter. Other tools may prove useful
depending on the design you set on. Tools should be freshly
ground and kept keen throughout the turning process.

Stock selection and peripheral equipment

Wood used for platters should be fully can be used to shorten the thread and I frequently use, is to use a sacricial
seasoned. Distortion due to warping is far consequent hole required. Care needs block glued on to the blank. This can
more apparent on wider-diameter work, to be taken to ensure you accommodate be a remnant from a previous turning.
and movement can still occur even with secondary mounting options for reversing Whichever method you choose the
seasoned wood, so fully seasoned wood the platter later. A faceplate ring can be considerations are always the same: is
offers the best opportunity for a stable useful but may require shorter screws the blank solidly held and secure?
nished piece. that might be used on a larger section A revolving ring centre for the tailstock
Mounting thin section blanks can be blank. If you have the facility to use a is a distinct advantage for platter work.
difcult when compared to mounting vacuum chuck this can be a very useful Not only does it provide some extra
bowl blanks. Where a simple screw chuck mounting method, but does require that support but, more importantly, the ring
mounting might be straightforward with the blank is not porous and has a at, mark left on the blank face provides a
a deep bowl blank, it presents an issue clean surface to ensure the vacuum seals reference for re-mounting later, ensuring g
with thinner section blanks. A spacer on the blank. A further option, and one concentricity in the workpiece.

A selection of suitable blanks Screw chuck and spacer, faceplate Vacuum chuck, jam chuck plate, Cole jaws Revolving ring centre
ring, jam block and glue

Mounting choices

A A
S
S

W
W

JA
JA

B A

A A

Tenon
A = Direction of force from jaws A = Direction of force on tenon
B = Direction of force inside recess = Centrifugal force
Potential Split Line
= Centrifugal force

Recess mounting Tenon mounting

16 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

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 FUNDAMENTALS OF PLATTERS

Deciding on a mounting method is an
important step in any project, and no
different with platters, but here you also
have to consider the secondary mounting
required to hollow the interior of the platter.
Initial mounting to shape the outside
can be by screw chuck, with or without
a spacer, faceplate ring, glue chuck, or
with a vacuum chuck. Your choice may be
determined by the thickness of the blank
or the availability of equipment, but should
always be safe and secure. The main
problem you will be faced with is choosing
a method that provides sufcient support
while leaving enough material for shaping
and secondary mounting later.
Secondary mounting is usually achieved
by using a tenon or recess, but on blanks
as thin as platter blanks both present
particular drawbacks worth considering.
Both of these methods reduce the
potential depth of the nished piece.
The recess might appear to offer the
best option because it is usually left on
the nished piece and therefore will not
reduce the height of the piece at the rim,
whereas the tenon must be removed,
thereby reducing the height of the nished
platter by at least the depth of the tenon.
There is, however, a further consideration
regarding the recess and that is the
potential for splitting the workpiece.
If too much pressure is applied to
the recess during mounting, and the
grain position relative to the jaws is as
indicated in the diagram (opposite page),
then the potential for the workpiece
splitting is signicantly increased. If a
recess is chosen as the mounting option,
do ensure that the grain is oriented to
prevent mounting in this manner, and
ensure the jaw pressure is not excessive.
While it is tempting to ramp up the
pressure believing this to offer the best
hold, this is in fact not the case, and in
practice it applies excessive force on the
grain. If a bad catch occurs the blank will
sometimes split as the pressure surpasses
the grains ability to hold the blank in one
piece. Remember that centrifugal force
is also acting on the blank and the force
works against the grain.
A recess also reduces the potential
interior depth of the nished platter.
If a tenon is chosen as the mounting
option then some of these potential
problems are removed. The jaws clamp
down on to the tenon and the outward
forces likely to split the work piece along
the grain are removed and directed
towards the centre of the tenon. This
offers a safer mounting option but is not
without its own drawback, inasmuch as
the tenon will need to be removed as a
last process upon completing the platter.
For this reason I would often employ a
second glue chucking method to enable
turning the interior. This entails turning
the exterior shape and gluing on a second
sacricial block with a tenon turned on it.
This is then removed after completing the
platter. This method sacrices none of the
primary material and allows for a deeper
platter making best use of the material
and no unsightly recess to deal with.

330mm (13in)

Using a screw chuck and spacer considerations

A faceplate ring may seem the best option for mounting a
34mm
thin-section blank, but occasionally the holes left by the (111/32in)

screws become an issue later, as they have to be removed, and

depending on the blank size this can have an impact on design
options. A simple solution is to use a standard screw chuck and
add a spacer to reduce the depth of the required mounting hole. 27mm
(11/8in)
If the spacer is made wider than the face of the screw chuck it
can also add stability to the blank. In the diagram the saving in 10mm
(3/8in)
depth can be seen, but reducing the available threads to less
than 50% is not advisable, so aim for reducing between 30% and
50% of the original length of the screw. When boring the hole
for the screw ensure the hole is of the correct diameter for the
screw, and of the correct depth. Using a spacer ring with a screw chuck

Using a glue chuck for mounting

Blanks less than 40mm in thickness
are best mounted using the glue chuck
method. Waste blocks left in the chuck
after turning other objects make perfect
glue blocks. They already have a tenon
turned on them and are essentially cost-
free. Simply clean the face surface at
and mark the centre of the blank to take
the glue block. A paper glue joint can
be used to make later removal easier,
but I prefer to glue directly to the blank
as this ensures the best hold, and the
glue chuck is sacricial after all.
Having applied a suitable fast-cure
wood glue place the glue chuck in the
centre of the blank and carefully mount
in the scroll chuck, bringing up the
tailstock centre and applying rm
pressure to act as a vice while the
glue cures. The workpiece must be
left until the glue is properly cured.
Fast-cure glues often state 30 minutes
curing time, but I prefer to give such
glue-ups at least a couple of hours to
be certain the glue is cured.
At this point turning the outer shape
can commence, but before it does we
need a rm idea of what we are going
to turn, and how. Design is as important
here as with any other project.

Glued on centre Mounted in scroll chuck Tail centre used to provide vice function

Woodturning 312 17

WT312_15_19_TECH_Coates_Platters SUBBED_MB.indd 17 04/10/2017 12:30

 Platter design
BEAD

1
2 3

V CUTS

BEADS

INSET OR FILL
V CUTS
4
7

5 6

A selection of possible rim designs for platters

Design is a very personal factor in anything we make, but
the diagram above offers a selection of potential design
options which may suit, or at least prompt alternative ideas
of your own. Working on the premise that platters have at
interior bases, the shape coming from the internal edge of
the rim should be blended into a at interior base. If you
prefer a gentle curve, more in line with a shallow bowl, then
proceed accordingly. You must, however, keep rmly in mind
how you intend to remount the piece for turning the top and
interior as this may have some bearing on how you turn the
base. A recess mounting, for instance, will reduce the amount
of material available for the interior shape to be turned from.
The dimensions of the rim ought to be in proportion to
the overall diameter and ultimate use of the object. A fully
functional platter would ideally make maximum use of the
interior as a surface, while a more decorative platter may
offer the opportunity for a wider rim, perhaps to make the
most of grain, gure or features in the wood, or you may
wish to employ some decorative techniques such as texturing
or colouring, which a narrow rim would not serve well.
Ultimately the choices are yours, but keep in mind the
function of the object as you make these decisions.

Turning the outside of platters

Having mounted a platter blank initial
shaping can proceed. At this point it is
advantageous to bring the toolrest around
to the front of the blank and true up the
rst 40-50mm of the face. This provides a
concrete reference for the ultimate depth
of the blank and provides for a better
opportunity to assess the nal shape.
Initial shaping can begin, but you must
have decided on the size of the foot, or
base of the platter prior to this. If the
platter is to be a fully functioning platter
the base should be 50% of the overall
diameter to provide maximum support and
stability, but anything between 33% and
50% will usually sufce.
The secondary mounting method
is turned at this point. As previously
discussed this can be a recess, tenon,
or glue-block tenon. The base should be
very slightly concave to provide for stable
seating on completion.
If the blank is under 40mm thick the
sacricial block method is probably the
best option. A suitable hardwood block
is glued to the base, allowed to fully
cure, trued up and a tenon turned on it.
This block would be removed as a nal
process later.
Shaping cuts can be taken using a pull
cut on the wing of the long-ground tool,
but depending on the wood this may
cause pulled grain, in which instance a
push cut with bevel support, working from
the base towards the rim, will produce a
cleaner cut.

Truing the face edge Initial rough shaping Shaping cuts with difcult grain

18 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

WT312_15_19_TECH_Coates_Platters SUBBED_MB.indd 18 04/10/2017 12:30

 FUNDAMENTALS OF PLATTERS

Finishing the outside of platters

Finishing a platter is essentially no different from any other
project. The tool marks should be removed using abrasives,
working down through the grades from a grade appropriate to
your technique and tool nish, to a nal grade, usually 400-600
grit. A rotary drive is ideal for platters.
The surface would then either be oiled, or sealed and waxed as
to your preference. Keep in mind the eventual use. If the platter
is for food use do ensure the nish is appropriate and safe.
Sanding the platter NB: Sacricial tenon can be seen in this image.

Turning the rim and inside of platters

Larger diameter blanks pose the greatest
potential for problems when turning
platters, and the rim area is often the
worst area to deal with. A spindle gouge
with a ngernail grind can be a boon
here, as it can take a delicate, ne cut.
One of the main issues that can occur
with platters is exing of the rim during
turning. If this occurs you adopt a cupped
grip on the tool to alleviate the problem.
The ngers are placed gently against the
rear of the platter to support the wood
and resist the pressure exerted on the rim
by the tool. You should not grip the wood,
simply support it. If heat is experienced at
the nger tips you are pressing too hard.
Having a freshly sharpened gouge and
taking light, bevel-supported cuts helps to
reduce bounce signicantly. Complete the
shaping and any design features of the
rim before taking any of the interior wood
away. Abrade the rim to its nal state.
At the point you begin removing the
central material, hollowing the platter, you
must not return to the rim for any reason.
As you remove the central material the rim
is liable to ex, even when using seasoned
wood, if you try to work the rim after this
point it will result in an uneven thickness
of the rim and potentially ruin the platter.

Turning the rim Initial interior shaping Working towards the at interior

Gauging the depth

For many turners their perennial concern is, going through the nished piece. A jam chuck plate, Cole jaws or vacuum chuck are
bottom, and this problem is just as prevalent with platters as three options for achieving this.
with bowls. If a recess was chosen as the secondary mounting
option this problem is exacerbated by the existence of a recess
you cannot see while turning the interior. There is, however,
a simple strategy to avoid this. By marking the depth of the
recess (line A on picture, right) on the exterior of the platter,
then adding a second mark for the wall thickness (line B on
picture, right) you can set a depth gauge to B and use the gauge
to check internal depth against a straight edge across the rim.
In this manner you can guarantee not to go too deep and ruin
the platter. You can also use this gauge setting to ensure the
interior base is completely at if you chose a at interior.
Flexing is still a potential problem at this stage, and as more
material is removed the problem can get worse. Supporting the
back of the platter with the at of the hand can help reduce the Measuring depth of recess
bounce that people often complain of, but this may effectively
require controlling the tool with one hand and the body alone,
which for some will be a problem in its own right. In this case
the best approach is to take the lightest of cuts with a freshly
sharpened tool, ensuring bevel contact and allowing the tool to
cut the wood at its own pace. Do not rush, take your time, and
bounce should be reduced and completion possible. Once the
interior is turned and you are satised with the shape it can be
abraded to a nish.
Completing the platter requires either the removal of the tenon
(sacricial or included) or reshaping of the recess. The tenon and
recess should be viewed as artefacts of the making process and
as such they have no place on a nished piece, so removal is
prescribed unless you (for some reason) designed them into the Checking internal depth

Woodturning 312 19

WT312_15_19_TECH_Coates_Platters SUBBED_MB.indd 19 04/10/2017 12:30

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020_WTUR_312.indd 20 10/13/17 5:20 PM

 A whimsical
Father Christmas
Stuart King has some festive fun as he
creates a humorous Father Christmas

Unless turned bowls are what you do for a living, what happens
when friends and family start to exclaim not another bowl?
As many a hobby turner knows there is a limit to the shelf
space those close to us are prepared to spare for yet another
work of art.
After the polished peppermills and egg cups, where next? How
about a complete change of direction and have some seasonal
fun with a colourful Father Christmas gure? There is a measured
drawing of my Father Christmas accompanying this article but,
like most of my creations, it is for guidance only. I encourage
you to make what changes you wish, even use the basic
elements to invent a completely different gure. Remember
that this is a caricature so feel free to keep it simple or
to add more detail.
In my retirement years fun at the lathe when the sun
is not shining is what I enjoy, and some of that fun has
been in the form of what I describe as hysterical
gures. These creations are loose, stylised
interpretations from history that can stretch lathe
technique and give free-rein expression to colour
and materials. There! I sound like a proper
modern artist. The Turner Prize next.

Top tips
1. Although I have created a series of iconic
human gures, one could do something
similar with the animal kingdom. Or what
about some ower characters? Do some
lateral thinking and see where it takes you.
2. Being a small project this is another ideal
opportunity to use some of those small
offcuts, maybe to turn a gure using
contrasting woods with interesting grain
and polished rather than painted.
3. If your piece is to be painted you will
achieve a better nish using ne-grain
timber, but if character in a polished piece
is required then a more open-grained
timber can sometimes provide this.
4. Observation when an author is
photographing work in progress it is
not always possible to show how a
tool is correctly held on the toolrest
using both hands as one hand is
required to operate the camera.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY STUART KING

5. Go online to look up images of Father

Christmas. You will observe that he
has changed over time, some of the
Victorian designs are full of charming
detail that you may like to incorporate.

Woodturning 312 21

WT312_21_24_StuartKing_Santa_MB.indd 21 09/10/2017 15:29

 TOOLS AND MATERIALS
PPE&RPE
25-30mm spindle
roughing gouge
10mm spindle gouge
6mm skew chisel
12mm round skew
6mm round-nosed scraper 60mm 60mm
Parting tool (23/8in) (23/8in)
Friction polish
PVA glue
Drill chuck
Vernier callipers
Artists acrylic paints
Paintbrushes
Automotive spray
paint and lacquer 50mm
(2in)
Drill/pillar drill
Drill bit to suit dowels
Drill bit(s) to suit the hat, Bell
Turned in
neck, arm and hand holes 2 sections
Dowels
Belt-sander
Bandsaw
PVA adhesive
Timber of your choice
Hands
2 off
Pre-drill
95mm
(33/4in)

40mm (15/8in)

Pre-drill

45mm
(13/4in)
Plan

15mm
(19/32in)

Feet, turned in one piece then sawn Hole sizes are a

Pre-drilled matter of personal choice

22 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

WT312_21_24_StuartKing_Santa_MB.indd 22 09/10/2017 15:29


1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
WT312_21_24_StuartKing_Santa_MB.indd 23
A WHIMSICAL FATHER CHRISTMAS
1 You will see from my drawing that I
have loosely based the body and head
on an egg shape to help give old Santa that
cheerful, well-fed look that he is noted for.
The chosen wood is beech (Fagus sylvatica)
and before turning you will need to drill
two holes to accept the legs. The legs can
be turned or bought wooden dowels.
It would be difcult to cut these holes
cleanly after shaping.
2 Two clean leg holes, a small hole can
also be bored at the other end for the
neck spigot. Although I do not usually do
a measured drawing I thought it a useful
exercise in this case. I am more used
to making things up as I proceed .
3 Turn the wood to a cylinder. A spindle
roughing gouge is used here, but an alternative
would be a swept-back grind bowl gouge.
4 A 10mm standard gouge is ideal to round
off the bottom end of the body. Once roughly
shaped, use a light shear-cut from a 10mm
spindle gouge with a ngernail grind held at
the angle illustrated. This is a good way to
achieve a consistently smooth convex area.
Continue using the same tooling and techniques
to complete the egg but bear in mind that
if you have drilled a hole at the drive end
leave a little extra wood here as a safety
measure. Sand, seal and carefully part off.
5 Holly (IIex aquifolium) was used for the
head, here we have a ready-turned cylinder
alongside a holly blank with a spigot for
mounting in a chuck and a maximum diameter
reference cut with a 4mm parting tool.
6 Using similar techniques to those used
for the previous component, another
semi-egg shape is turned, this time with a
small spigot at each end, one for attaching
to the body and the other to receive the
hat. Once shaped, sand, polish and part
off. A small parting tool is used to cut the
shaped section from the waste wood. But
the toe of a skew will leave a cleaner nish.
7 Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) was used for the
hat. As it is an open-grained timber this goes
against my previous advice but it has an
attractive grain and if to be used unpainted
it would look rather attractive polished.
Now use a 4mm drill bit held in a drill chuck
via the tailstock and drill a hole to accept the
head spigot. Remember to drill the hole at a
slow speed to avoid overheating and binding.
8 Start shaping the underside of the hat.
But do stop the lathe regularly and use
the completed head to check for t.
Continue shaping and rening the shape,
stopping and checking until you have a
suitable t and the look you require.
Woodturning 312 23
09/10/2017 15:29
 9 A 10mm spindle gouge is ideal for the shaping of
the hat section. If you like, the edge of the hat can
be textured using a decorating elf, shown here, but
a knurling tool, spiralling tool or similar can be used
too. Make sure that the lathe speed is on the slow
side and dont use too much pressure. If the hat is
to be painted, then there is no point in this exercise.
Now part it off.

10 Father Christmas always wears a lopsided

oppy hat, but this is your piece so you decide
how it needs to sit on the head. The inverted bell
shape I use allows the shaping of the smaller
end to create the oppy hat look. The waste
can be carefully removed using a bandsaw, 9 10
coping saw, hand or power carving tool or belt
of disc sander before hand sanding to rene it.

11 For the feet, or more properly Father

Christmass boots, a 35mm square section of
timber, beech in this case, is to be held rmly in
the chuck jaws. I have used extended-reach jaws.
Make sure whatever jaws you are using, you are
able to turn safely without getting too close to the
jaws when shaping the wood. Note, that there
is a pre-drilled hole into which the legs will t.
Pre-drilling eliminates evidence of break-out as
this will be removed during turning and sanding.

12 A 10mm spindle gouge will easily rough the

blank down to a cylinder and round-off the toe
section. Continue shaping the boot leaving a 11 12
small spigot attached to the blank. Sand, seal and
remove the entire unit.

13 Because the square section will lie safely on

the bed of the bandsaw or on a bench the turning
can now be cut down the middle to produce
a matching pair. A bandsaw or a handsaw can
be used to cut down the centre. Another way
of producing a pair of something is to use the
technique of split-turning. This is where two pieces
of wood are stuck together using paper in between
the joint and glued wood. Turn the piece and then
split the item apart. You should now have a pair
of wooden boots or should that be clogs?

14 Thirteen components go to make up our

naked Father Christmas. Here is an assembled 13 14
Father Christmas, now complete with hands,
nose, a Christmas tree and a bell. The turning
of these is relatively easy so I did not show
any turning stages for these, but they add
something extra to the piece. Now you have
to decide whether to apply colour or not.

15 Here is a painted version using acrylic paints.

If you choose to paint your Father Christmas pick a
colour palette to suit your requirements. The beard
is achieved using PVA adhesive and shavings that
are painted when dry. Once coloured, a light spray
with acrylic lacquer will help preserve the paint
nish for many Christmases to come.

16 Father Christmas will now join some of his

hysterical friends. 15 16

24 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

WT312_21_24_StuartKing_Santa_MB.indd 24 09/10/2017 15:30

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026_WTUR_312.indd 26 10/9/17 9:50 AM
 Drawer pulls and
door knobs
Continuing with his series
looking at turning for
furniture, Richard Findley
focuses on pulls and knobs

Many pieces of furniture feature a pull so usually have large coarse threads
or knob. Anything with a door or drawer designed for that purpose. This, of course,
has a need for some sort of handle, is total overkill for a small item such as
and while trends and fashions change, a knob or pull, so a homemade version
turned wooden knobs have been with us is the best way to go.
for centuries and continue to feature on
modern furniture. Making a screw chuck
A search of almost any furniture, kitchen The great thing about making your own
or bedroom manufacturers catalogue screw chuck is that you can use a screw
online or otherwise will show a huge which will suit the job in hand perfectly. Almost any screw can be used to make a screw chuck
array of variations on the classic style. I often use a coach screw, which is strong
Over the years I must have turned hundreds with a relatively coarse thread. These are
of them and while the basic design is available in diameters from 6mm upwards
similar, its surprising how small changes and in assorted lengths. It is always
in diameter or the addition or removal of useful to know how the nished product
a llet or other detail, can totally change will be xed, because it may be that the
the look and feel of the pull. There are alsosize of screw used wont matter, but in
variations in the xing method of the pulls some cases, it could be important. If the
and grain direction. In this article I will intention is to use a ne screw through
show the basic turning operation for two the drawer front or door, a smaller
knobs in a classic design one will be end diameter screw is needed in the chuck.
grain, one will be cross grain. I will also For this job I made a screw chuck using
explore work holding and xing options. a number 8 or 4mm diameter screw. The screw chuck ready for action
Making the screw chuck is quite
Work holding straightforward. I turn a scrap of I hold the turned block in the chuck and
As with any job, one of the rst decisions hardwood between centres and form a use a Jacobs chuck to drill a pilot hole
to make is how to hold it on the lathe. chucking spigot on one end. Any offcut of through the centre. The screw can then be
As always, there are several options. wood would be ne but if you intend to driven in, using a generous blob of epoxy
My natural inclination is to work between reuse the chuck repeatedly in the future, resin to secure the screw permanently.
centres for spindle work, which is ne, a good hardwood is best, I use sapele as Sometimes, when you run the lathe with
leaving just a small parting-off nib it is strong and I always have plenty of just the screw chuck, the screw appears
to remove by hand at the end. I have offcuts laying around. The length of the to wobble. This used to really bother me
also turned cross-grain knobs in this wood used for the screw chuck is mostly but Ive found that, unless its really bad,
PHOTOGRAPHS BY RICHARD FINDLEY

way without a problem. Depending on the down to the length of screw you decide it isnt worth worrying about. It is possible
design, a very good alternative holding to use. Here Im using a 60mm long screw to hold the screw chuck by the screw
method is a screw chuck. The problem as its what I have to hand, and there is and lightly true up the chucking spigot to
with most commercial screw chucks, rarely need for more than about 20mm bring it all into alignment, although there
however, is that they are designed to hold of screw protruding to hold the work, so is too much ex with this size of screw to
a bowl blank in the initial roughing stages, around 40mm of wood works well here. be able to do this effectively.

Woodturning 312 27

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 Turning
Ill start with the end grain, or standard spindle-turned knob. The design of this pull has a spigot or tenon to allow xing.
As with any production job, I begin by making a template or story board, showing all of the important diameters and the
positions of all the details. With this made I can rough down the sapele blank to a cylinder and mark the details.

Marking out with a story board Sizing the llets

Slicing the base of the knob to form a clean undercut Shaping the knob Forming the narrow cove

If I was making three or more, I would
set up my duplicating ngers, but as this
was a one-off for the article, I simply use
Vernier callipers with my beading and
parting tool to size the tenon and the
llets which guide the curves of the base
and grip part of the knob.
After cutting the 16mm diameter tenon,
I use the tip of my beading and parting
tool, just as you would a skew chisel, to
slice down the end grain of the base of
the knob to ensure a clean and tear-free
surface with a slight undercut. This ensures
the knob will sit neatly against the drawer
front or cabinet door, once installed.
Having blocked out the shape, I can
switch to my 10mm spindle gouge to form
the curves. The only tool swap I have to
do after this is to my 6mm spindle gouge
to form the deep, narrow cove. The waste
at the end is reduced to a small nib, just
big enough to drive while I sand with
240 and 320 grit. Satised, I can part
it off, which can be done with any tool,
but I choose to continue using my 10mm
spindle gouge.
Tool choice for parting
Either a skew chisel (in my case I use my beading
and parting tool as a skew) or spindle gouge is
ne for parting. Oddly, a standard parting tool
isnt the best tool for parting as it leaves a torn
nish on end grain because of the way it cuts.
I would generally recommend that parting is
done with the same tool as the shaping that
way there is consistency in the cut. If a different
tool is used, the pressure applied to the work
can be different and the way the tool cuts is
slightly different, leading to pressure marks and
potentially different textures on the wood.

28 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

WT312_27_31_TECH_RichardFindley SUBBEDMB.indd 28 04/10/2017 12:33

 TURNING FOR FURNITURE

Parting off
You might notice the knob is held with its face at the drive end
of the lathe. This may seem counter-intuitive but allows safe
and simple parting. As I cut through the nib, the knob simply
stops turning and drops into my hand, leaving just a small
amount of tidying work to smooth the face of the knob. If the
knob is mounted the other way around and is parted, the knob
continues to be driven but without tailstock support and so
results are much less predictable.
Having safely parted the knob from the lathe it is a simple case
of paring away the nib with a sharp chisel and hand sanding and
blending anything that remains into a smooth and blemish-free
face. If I have made a large batch, I might mount a sanding arbor
in the chuck and power sand away the nib. This works well but it
goes almost without saying that care needs to be taken with this
approach to avoid misshaping the face of the knob against the
powered sanding pad.

Parting off with my spindle gouge A small nib can be pared off and sanded smooth

Cross-grain knob
The difference between the two styles of A screw chuck is a good option for a a screw as well, so the hole left by the
knob is subtle in this sapele, although in cross-grain knob as screws always bite screw chuck acts as a guide for this
timber with a stronger end grain pattern, and hold better in side grain than end as long as you havent used too big a
such as oak, the difference is easier to grain, meaning the nal xing is often screw in your screw chuck.
spot. The main purpose of a cross-grain
knob is to keep the grain patterns across
the front of a set of drawers or cabinet
doors, all the same, without the difference
in grain pattern attracting undue
attention. End grain also tends to end
up a much darker colour under a nish,
whereas the side grain will remain more
consistent with the rest of the furniture.
Some timbers have attractive gure, such
as the rays in quarter-sawn oak or a ripple
in sycamore, which shows up only in the
face grain and would be lost if only the
end grain was showing. Cross-grain knob mounted on the screw chuck

Spacer block
I realised that I had left too much of the screw
protruding from the screw chuck so added
a waste spacer and turned this down out of
the way. If the base of the knob has a specic
diameter, the waste block can double as a
sizing block too, saving the need to measure.
The cross-grain knob and screw chuck, showing
the spacer block
Because of the grain direction, the forces
involved in the turning are higher, with
alternating end and side grain passing the
cutting edge of the tool, rather than the
more consistent surface of normal spindle
turning, so I continue to use the tailstock
for additional support. There is a risk
initially that the force of the cut can cause
the blank to spin on the screw chuck,
making it impossible to turn, so a little
caution is advisable at the start.
I nd it best to rough the blank down
to a cylinder with a spindle gouge rather
than a roughing gouge as the cut is a
little more gentle and the tool can be
presented in such a way as to slice the
waste away cleanly and quickly in the
most efcient way. Once it is round and
to size, I once again mark it with the
story board and can begin shaping.
The biggest difference between end
grain and cross grain is the way that you
approach the cut. End-grain knobs are
normal spindle turning, so shapes are
formed from the toolrest down to the
centre of the spindle downhill. Cross-
grain knobs are essentially tiny bowl
blanks, so cutting in the same way would
be working against the grain and would
most likely result in tear-out. To form the
shapes in cross-grain blanks, the gouge
needs to be rolled on its side, and the
wing of the tool used to draw the cut with
the grain, apparently uphill although it
is in fact still downhill, its just that the
top of the hill is now in a different place.

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 Roughing with my spindle gouge Sizing the llet with a scraping cut

I still begin shaping by cutting the
llets, but the cut with my beading
and parting tool is much slower and
carefully taken and is actually a scraping
cut the tool becoming a negative rake
scraper rather than a normal peeling
cut with a chisel. Once to size the rest of
the shaping can continue as described
above, using the wing of the tool.
Cutting the cove can be challenging as
the initial cut has to be into the wood
and somewhat against the grain, but can
soon be adjusted to the drawing
cut with the wing of the tool. It is
important to keep the tool rolled
on its side so the cutting edge is
presented in a trailing cut to avoid
any chance of a catch.

The shaping process of the cross grain knob with the wing of the spindle gouge

Once Im happy with the shape I can remove the tailstock and the waste, blending
the curve of the face with my gouge before sanding. The great advantage of using
the screw chuck is that it gives full access to the face of the knob and allows easy
blending and sanding without the need for hand work at the end.

Cleaning the face Sanding The difference between

b t the
th cross grain
i (top)
(t ) andd endd
grain (bottom) knobs

30 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

WT312_27_31_TECH_RichardFindley SUBBEDMB.indd 30 04/10/2017 12:34

 TURNING FOR FURNITURE

Fixing methods
There are many options for attaching the
knob or pull in place. The most simple,
and perhaps crude, being a screw driven
through drawer front or cabinet door
and into the base of the pull. This relies
entirely on the screw holding the knob
in place and Im sure most people have
experienced that, over time, the knob will
begin to work loose, coming unscrewed.
Once this has happened it is only a matter
of time before the thread entirely strips
and it is largely irreparable.
An improved method is to have an
insert tted into the base of the knob
and a machine screw passed through
the drawer or door and screwed into
place. This is commonly found on many
commercial/mass-produced kitchens and is
considerably more reliable than a simple
wood screw. I nd the inserts tend to grip
best into side grain rather than end grain,
but have successfully used them in both.
A xing method which alleviates the
need for screws and commercial ttings
is the use of a turned tenon. Usually this
is simply glued into a drilled mortise and
gives a very neat result but is reliant on
the glue to hold. An improvement on this
is to make the tenon a through-tenon
and add a wedge. I love the simplicity
and natural strength that a wedge gives.
By cutting a saw kerf roughly of the
way down the length of the tenon, a Fixing methods for knobs and pulls
wedge can be cut and, once the knob
is in place and correctly positioned for of the drawer front along the grain.
grain direction, the wedge can be driven The wedged tenon method is not
into the kerf, spreading the tenon and commonly found but is something I
permanently holding the knob in place. learned from a book several years ago.
The addition of glue to the tenon and the When approached by a customer who
wedge will only make the whole thing had experienced failures with every other
stronger and more effective. Care should commercially available tting for her very
be taken to ensure the kerf is cut in the heavy drawers, I suggested this and she
correct direction, so when the wedge was keen to try it. I have so far not heard
is driven in, it doesnt split the timber of any further problems with her drawers.

The nal method of xing that I have used is a screw thread
cut into the turned tenon. This is mostly seen on antique
mahogany furniture and works extremely well. I have to make
replacements from time to time, but the fault is usually with the
base of the knob breaking, rather than there being a problem
The wedged tenon before tting
with the thread. Originally the workshop that made the furniture
would have had a tool called a thread box, which is essentially
a block of wood with a small V-shaped cutter xed into it, so
when a knob with a turned tenon of the correct size is screwed
into it, it cuts a perfect thread, which would correspond with a
matching tap, allowing the cabinetmaker to easily and quickly
make matching threads. The trouble for a restorer (or at least a
turner who dabbles with restoration, such as myself ) is that I
dont have the tap and thread box sets of the old cabinetmakers
so I have to do my best to match the threads of the old,
damaged knobs as best I can.
There are a few ways to form the threads by hand, but with
trial and error I have settled on a combination of a wood
carvers V-tool and a triangular le. I set a pair of dividers to
the pitch of the thread I am trying to replicate, i.e. the distance
between the high points of the threads. I then use this to mark
out the spiral pattern. It is a little like setting out for a barley
twist, but because the size is so much smaller, the marking
tends to be fairly approximate, as the tools are used to cut the
threads, the rough lines are tidied, straightened and made more
crisp. Luckily, these threads are quite coarse and the t is not
as critical as a metal machine thread. As long as it engages and
seats properly in the fully done-up position, they will work.

Cross section of a wedged tenon xing Replacement threaded knobs

NEXT MONTH: Richard replicates some antique nials, turning and nishing them to match the originals

Woodturning 312 31

WT312_27_31_TECH_RichardFindley SUBBEDMB.indd 31 04/10/2017 12:34

 My oh my, what is the world coming to?,
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sharing expertise

032_WTUR_312.indd 32 10/9/17 4:03 PM

 It grows on trees you know
John Plater looks at sourcing timber

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PLATER

As I see it there are two methods
of acquiring timber which are on the
correct side of legal. One is to pay for
it from a wood supplier after it has been
processed in some way. The other is to
collect it at source from where the tree
came down, either for payment or as
a gift. Just occasionally it gets delivered
to the doorstep, cutting out the hassle
of collecting it.
If a design requires a specic timber
and perhaps to be worked to a particular
time schedule, then there are plenty of
woodyards, shops and online sources
dealing in the everyday through to the
rare and exotic. Obviously the more rare
and exotic, the higher the price. Usually
these blanks and planks of timber are
bought in for a purpose, with an end-
product in mind. In other words, the
material is sourced to t a particular
brief. The idea comes rst.
An alternative, followed by many
woodturners, is to look to acquire material
on an ad hoc basis. You may have a
good working relationship with a tree siliquastrum), sumac (Rhus typhina), (Araucaria araucana), which pops up
surgeon keeping you supplied with timber. cork oak (Quercus suber) and a variety of quite frequently in woodturning in the UK,
Unfortunately many of them have to cut burrs and root balls. There is a wonderful is, in its native South America, one of the
the tree into small pieces in order to get circularity about doing a show, acquiring most endangered species, on Appendix 1
it out from wherever. Not necessarily wood, making pieces from it, taking them of the CITES Convention. There are
suitable for the woodturner. Some will to another show. If the maker is involved always new timbers added and also laws
only be interested in the rewood value. in the sourcing of timber its provenance connected with what timbers can and
I remember one tree surgeon who had is known. This is a useful part of the cannot be used, sold, transported and
cut down a mulberry (Morus nigra) sales pitch and some customers will what paperwork is required to ensure
tree during the previous week and had buy into the history of the material. compliance. So it does require a bit of
burned it on-site rather than take it away. The story could be a piece of bog oak research if buying old stock and also
Tree surgeons do, however, have the from 2000BC or a colourful piece of make sure, if buying pre-cut timber,
knowledge and experience required to cut sumac from a tree which many gardeners that the source is reputable.
trees down. I love trees. They have every consider an invasive weed. For woodturners, timber is our medium
right to do what trees do. Once they are This ad hoc material acquisition usually of choice. That goes without saying. We
on the ground though, fair play. results in it going into storage until it must be very mindful, though, that it
Like many things in modern life it is gets used. James Krenov, cabinetmaker of might also be the root of many evils.
worth watching the online auction sites. repute, talked in his books about living I remember a splinter of rosewood
I have been able to purchase a whole with the timber, seeing it on a daily basis, (Dalbergia spp.) gave a friend an arm
English walnut tree ( Juglans regia) and a before deciding on how to use it. He then swollen to twice its size. If I am working
mulberry tree, both for the minimum bid. went on a ngertip adventure when with yew (Taxus baccata) or laburnum
I choose to sell most of my work through working the material, responding to the (Laburnum anagyroides) I use gloves to
contemporary craft shows. As it is the grain and the structure, blending them prevent absorption of toxins through the
actual maker on the stand at these shows, into the design he was developing with skin and four levels of dust extraction/
people get into conversations about the the material. This approach may have prevention so as not to feel ill. Having
trees they have down in their gardens resonance for some woodturners. In other commented on barrier, respiratory and
and would I be interested?. Through words, source the material and then work extraction equipment, it is also worth
contacts made at shows I have been able out what to do with it. commenting on personal protective
to acquire some lovely pieces of everyday Be mindful of the CITES Convention equipment. Recently I was turning some
timbers such as ash (Fraxinus excelsior) on timber species. This can be on moral green English walnut and the whole
and sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) grounds, buy timber, sell timber, if you of the bark from the blank stripped
and some less usual ones such as bog want to trade and ship your work. For away in one go. Thank goodness for
oak (Quercus robur), Judas tree (Cercis example, Chilean pine or monkey puzzle full impact-resistant face shields.

Woodturning 312 33

WT312_33_FEAT_JohnPlater SUBBED MB.indd 33 09/10/2017 15:34

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034_WTUR_312.indd 34 10/10/17 9:12 AM

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035_WTUR_312.indd 35 10/4/17 3:52 PM

 Collaboration
Mark Baker talks to Gabor Lacko and Patricia Spero to nd out about their collaborative works
Gabor and Patricia have known each other
for many years but it was about a decade
ago they started their joint venture in
turning and enhancement of work.
Both of them turn, but each brings
something different to the table. I will
turn the basic shapes I need and Gabor
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK BAKER/GMC PUBLICATIONS
the more complex or ultra-thin ones, says
Patricia. But I must admit to liking the
enhancing of work more than the turning.
We both turn what we want to in order to
end up with the result we have in mind.
We create our own projects too, adds
Gabor, but we always discuss ideas.
There are times when designing and
working out what wood to use, the shape
36
WT312_36_40_Gabor & Patricia SUBBED_MB.indd 36
of the item and what the enhancement
will need to be to bring about what we
want takes longer than the actual turning
and enhancement.
We always come to a consensus on
how to do things and what the project
should end up looking like. We both
enjoy that discussion time. New topics
are always being explored, although
not all can come to fruition.
The two attended a masterclass with Binh
Pho some years ago and say his teaching of
piercing, stippling and air brushing opened
up endless possibilities in decorating.
We are now working extensively
on more sculptural pieces in sequoia
(Sequoia spp.), which we wire brush
and nish with oil, says Patricia.
We nd the colour and texture of this
much-neglected wood very inspiring.
She continues: I also recently had
some lessons with Dixie Biggs, and
I am now trying to apply her techniques
to my carving on hollow forms. I nd
it a challenge to try these new-to-me
carving techniques, but am enjoying it.
I like to leave the top of my hollow forms
open, so I can carve the rims to show the
beautiful leaf shapes. Maple, sycamore and
oak leaves seem to be the most interesting
shapes, and they all have such wonderful
autumn colours to use in my decoration.
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
04/10/2017 12:36
 GABOR LACKO & PATRICIA SPERO

GABORS STORY STARTING TURNING changes that were applied to machinery,

I rst came across woodturning in 1942. And I started turning.. well, mainly turning tools (such as the use of tool
For my 11th birthday my parents gave me scraping, but after a while I accepted that steels and carbide tips), accessories and
a small model electric motor. I wanted the bevel needs to rub. I turned the usual nishing chemicals.
to make a slightly up-scaled version but utilitarian items that were associated with In the mid-nineties the Graduate lathe
WW2 was going on and obtaining electrical hobby turning in post-war years. Bowls, company took me on to bring the
components was difcult it all went into boxes, platters, vases usually with a Graduate lathe into the 21st century.
the war industry. A friend of mine suggested stick on green baize. Turning in those The Graduate GL was launched at the
that, instead of presspan bobbins, I could days was very different. There were no NEC in 1997 and the double right-hand
use bobbins made by a woodturner. I went chucks as we know them, only screw main spindle with interlocked reversing
to see one, he made my bobbins, and I was chucks, faceplates and between-centres. and electronically variable speed control
amazed and hooked. I decided that one day What you turned was the nished article. was patented. Eighteen months later the
I would try woodturning. Additional operations, such as carving on company went bust, but today the double
The German occupation of Hungary, turning, or piercing a thin turned bowl or right-hand spindle, electronic speed
the Holocaust, the Russian occupation of platter, came only about 30 years ago. control and reversing are fundamental
Hungary and the Hungarian Revolution This was made possible by the technical to most decent lathes.
put some dampers on my desires. In 1953
I graduated as an electrical engineer at
the Technical University of Budapest and
in 1956, during the revolution, I packed
my bags and walked out of Hungary. After
a fairly adventurous few days I arrived in
England. The Red Cross placed me with
a young English family. The man was a
physicist who worked as an electrical
engineer, his wife a biologist who looked
after the kids but was also interested in
woodwork, which she practised at night
school. At her suggestion, I attended a
night school where a lonesome Graduate
lathe rekindled my desire to turn wood.
Not long after I purchased my rst lathe
a Sherwood, made by James Inns in
Nottingham. It came with a set of three
small tools a 10mm gouge, a 10mm skew
chisel and a parting tool, all with a 5in
handle. And, if I remember right, I paid
17 for the lot. Decorative pierced and coloured eggs. A joint venture by Gabor and Patricia

Gabor nishing off a piece of work The latest collaboration pieces in redwood

Woodturning 312 37

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 PATRICIAS STORY
I have played the harp since the age of 12
and for many years my career has been in
music playing in orchestras, giving recitals
and recording many albums, some classical
and many of my own compositions.
When I met Gabor, he was already an
established woodturner. I used to look
at his beautiful pieces and wish I could
decorate them with colour and inlays.
Eventually he generously bought me a
second-hand Graduate lathe and I began
to turn simple pieces at rst, but always
with the idea of enhancing them. I had a
few turning and colouring lessons and so
Turned and carved item from one piece of beech (Fagus sylvatica)
Turned, carved and coloured vase in maple (Acer spp.)
38
WT312_36_40_Gabor & Patricia SUBBED_MB.indd 38
began my passion for woodturning, and
then for decorating.
INSPIRED BY NATURE
Nature and cultural references inspire
me and I try to reproduce them in my
work. I usually make quite simple pieces
which I can then inlay, mostly on the
rims, with semi-precious stones such as
turquoise or malachite, using brass inlay
for the stems and either crushed stones
or hand-cut paua shell for the owers. I
have also decorated the whole rim with
crystal beads. With many of the bowls
and platters I turn, I carve, texture and
Patricia working on her latest piece of work with relief carved leaves
colour the wood with leaves and owers.
Also, with Gabors ability to turn very
thin pieces, I can use my love of piercing
with a high-speed dental drill to decorate
bowls and platters.
My trips to India have also inuenced
my work. The decorative beauty and
the wonderful colours made me want to
bring that essence to my turned bowls.
I have recorded an album of Indian harp
music and living with the music for many
months, listening to it while I have been
working, has helped me to transfer it to
my turnings.
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
04/10/2017 12:36
 GABOR LACKO & PATRICIA SPERO

Turned, carved and coloured bowl in sweet chestnut

(Castanea sativa) on a sequoia pedestal

DEMONSTRATIONS
We do not demonstrate, we do not make
shavings, asserts Gabor, though we have
successfully demonstrated our products,
technique and methods by giving Power Point
presentations. We are great advocates of this
method and we both rmly believe that in an
evening demo you can pass on more know-how
than by turning a couple of bowls or boxes.
Sadly, presently we are in the minority.
He continues: We also have fairly strict rules on
methods and timing. We do not think there are right
or wrong ways of turning. If you are working safely
as you bear in mind the recommended best working
practices, and it produces the result you are after, then
that is the right way. We hate it when a demonstrator
says and this should take you 40 minutes. Nobody
is rushing you and it takes you as long as it takes you. Turned, pierced and pyrographed piece in maple

Woodturning 312 39

WT312_36_40_Gabor & Patricia SUBBED_MB.indd 39 04/10/2017 12:36

 BIGGEST CHALLENGES
For Patricia: Learning new techniques. It is exciting trying
new things.
For Gabor: I like technically difcult things. That is probably
due to my engineering background. I like solving problems.
INFLUENCES
Gabor cites his engineering background. I used to call my work
engineering in wood, he says.
Patricia says: I have an artistic background in music and have
always liked making things in glass. That gives a lot of scope
for experimentation, just like the opportunities you have when
working with wood.
INSPIRATION
For Gabor: Anything I see is inspiration. I am always trying to
work out how to make it in wood. That doesnt mean I do make
that, it is more about the mental exercise of working things out.
For Patricia: Nature and cultural references inspire me and are
outworked on what I produce.
HAVE YOU GIVEN UP ON A PROJECT?
Only occasionally, says Patricia. I have left something due to
it not working out as intended. Sometimes I go back to it later
but there are a few on the shelf, as a reminder of things that
are not quite how I wanted them to be.
Gabor has a wry smile as he exclaims: Denitely not. It has not
always ended up as intended on the rst try but after
the 273rd try I have solved it.
LIKES & DISLIKES
Gabor is not a fan of technique over creation. Sometimes
Examples of using paua and mother of pearl inlays
40
WT312_36_40_Gabor & Patricia SUBBED_MB.indd 40
people concentrate too much on the techniques and not enough
on what they are making, he says. There is always more than
one way of doing something. Always bear in mind to work as
safely as possible, but just because someone creates something
one way it should not be viewed as less because the techniques
used were not to someones liking or not the perceived best
way of doing it.
BIGGEST REGRET
Gabor rues the fact it is only in the past 20 years he has
practised more. I have had a lathe since 1959 and should
have done more a lot earlier.
Patricia agrees on the topic of practice and the need to do more.
HELPFUL ADVICE
Gabor offers the following: In order to get better you have to
put in the time and take on challenges. Dont be satised with
I made a bowl that is unless it is your rst one. Always try
to do better and dont say you cant do something.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE?
Patricia would like to see beautiful wooden items viewed as art.
There is still a lack of recognition for beautiful wood items, she
says, whereas pottery and glass have been recognised.
Gabor hopes for people to genuinely recognise and appreciate
the difference between one-off hand-crafted items and mass-
produced pieces.
BEST TIP FOR FELLOW TURNERS
From Gabor: Always treat your rst time of doing something
as the rst step to doing something better.
From Patricia: Push your boundaries.
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
04/10/2017 12:36
 

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041_WTUR_312.indd 41 10/4/17 3:52 PM

 en Day
FINISHING SCHOOL
Woodturning Op
Applying Cellulose Sanding Sealer -
atu rd a y 2 5 th N o vember
how, when and why. S
1 The most popular choice for
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together, gives a solid base for
finishing and seals the open
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Stourport-on-Severn
needed, producing a more Worcestershire
2
resilient final finish.
2 Prepare your work, then
DY13 9QB
apply Cellulose Sanding Sealer
with the lathe stopped. On small
areas a cloth is ideal. Beware of
using paper towel as this can
leave bits behind which can
spoil the finish. Safety Cloth is an www.wigleydiy.co.uk
3 ideal choice for application.
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5 The sealer dries quickly and
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042_WTUR_312.indd 42 10/4/17 3:53 PM

 PHOTOGRAPHS BY KURT HERTZOG
Hollow
Christmas
tree hanging
ornaments
Kurt Hertzog turns festive decorations

While commonlynly done, ornament creation

and display dont
ont have to be reserved for
the holiday season.
eason. Turning ornaments is a
great project and skill-builder that can be
undertaken throughout
hroughout the year. Since we
are close on the
he Christmas season its time
to get going on creating our ornament.
Well turn an ornament that can be
displayed either
her hanging from a holiday
tree or from a stand displayed on the
mantle. There are many designs that can
be used for an n ornament but well use the
traditional short
ort upper nial, ornament
globe which iss made in two parts,
hollowed, then n joined back together,
and will have a longer lower nial.
The key to the
he entire process is to make
the ornament light enough to hang from a
tree. Too heavy
vy and it will drag down the
branch. If displayed
played from a stand, there is
far more latitude
ude on the total weight. The
project well do is hollowed in a manner
that turners of all skills should be able to
accomplish. Of course, you could hollow
the globe of the
he ornament through a
small hole at one end. This is a bit more
advanced and d far more time-consuming,
but you dont get the join showing, so feel
free to tackle the ornament in that manner
if you have the tools and skills to do so.

Woodturning 312 43

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 TOOLS AND MATERIALS
RPE& PPE 20mm
Spindle roughing gouge (3/4in)
Spindle gouge
Narrow parting tool 16mm (5/8in) dia.
Ring tool, round nose
scraper, or round carbide
cutter tool for hollowing
Small handsaw (optional)
Chuck with mid-size
jaws and spigot jaws
Revolving tailstock centre 82mm 70mm (23/4in)
(31/4in)
Drive spur
Drill chuck
7mm drill
Brass screw eye
Wood adhesive
Abrasives from 150
to 320 grit
Finish of your choice
Timber of your choice 6mm
Body 100 x 100 x 200mm (1/4in)
22mm (7/8in) dia.
Finial and top 25 x
25 x 200mm

110mm
(41/4in)

16mm (5/8in) dia.

20mm
(3/4in)

44 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

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1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
WT312_43_47 PRO_Hertzog_3Ornament SUBBED_MB.indd 45
CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENTS
1 Planing stock upper, lower, body, and nial.
Prepare stock based on your chosen diameter
and nial length. Rather than waste material by
using one piece, well use a smaller piece of the
same species for the nial. A different species can
be selected for the nial for contrast or turning
characteristics. The grain on the nial stock needs
to run true to allow for a delicate turning.
2 Mount the body material between centres
for roughing and creating tenons on both ends
for mounting in the chuck later. Plan your overall
length and shape. There is no rule that says
the body of an ornament should be round
well make this one a bit egg-shaped. Use a
spindle roughing gouge to turn a cylinder.
3 Turn tenons on both ends for future use.
Having a go/no-go gauge for your chuck speeds
up the process. Callipers will work but a simple
cardboard or paper gauge with minimum and
maximum opening is worth making. It is a
useful tool with no cost and it stores easily.
4 Shape the body while between centres. Leave
the length in your shape for the kerf loss separating
the halves. Leave sufcient strength at the ends
for the upcoming hollowing. Well remove that
material and contour that area to our design later.
5 Once shaped, use a narrow parting tool to make
the cut for separation. Use the parting tool in a
side-by-side, stair step cut to create clearance and
avoid pinching of the blade in the cut due to frictional
heat build-up and binding. Reduce the thickness to
allow for minimal saw cutting later. When you get
close, but not quite parting through, stop the lathe.
6 Reduce the tailstock revolving centre force, or
remove the tailstock completely to ease the saw
cutting separation. Now cut through the remaining
material. Use any small saw that ts to slowly cut
through the small remaining diameter. Support the
turning with your hands to catch at separation.
7 Mount the upper body end into the chuck using
the spigot turned earlier. Good safety practice
is to have the stock rest on the shoulder cut on
the tenon with clearance between the wood and
bottom of the chuck. Avoiding bottoming out
ensures that the blank is running true, with the
original between the centres axis of rotation.
8 Face off the end of the turning to true up the
surface. Now hollow out the body to a reasonable
wall thickness. To do this you can use a carbide
cutting tool, ring tool, round-nose scraper, or back
hollow with a spindle gouge. It is worth using the
waste wood to practise cutting end grain using
various methods. Never miss the opportunity
to practise. The wall thickness chosen is up to
you, but the thinner the walls the lighter the
ornament. The nal thickness is dictated by
how the two parts are to be bonded together.
Woodturning 312 45
04/10/2017 12:37
 9 Use a at surface to support your sandpaper as
you sand the glue face. Using about 150 grit abrasive
will create a face with some tooth for the adhesive to
bite on to. Run the lathe slowly to let the abrasive do
the work. Alternatively, cut a stepped recess to accept
a tenon created on the other half of the body. This joint
is more complex, but you can create thinner-walled
ornaments using the interlocking alignment features
and with the wall thickness needed for gluing.

10 Drill a hole for the nial insertion and gluing.

Using the same size for all of your ornaments will
allow you to mix and match ornament bodies and
nials for best appearance prior to committing
to glue. I use 7mm but another size can be used 9 10
provided your hole diameter and tenon are kept
matched. You might choose a larger or smaller
hole size based on a different sized ornament.

11 Mount the other body half in the chuck,

repeating the facing and hollowing to desired wall
thickness as before. Sand off the face of this body
half with the block and sandpaper to prepare for
gluing. Stop the lathe to test t the other half to
check for a good interface. Make any adjustments
needed to ensure the right t is achieved.

12 Apply a small amount of the wood adhesive to

the interface surfaces of both halves of the body.
Using the tailstock centre for support, guidance,
and clamp force, glue the two body halves together,
orienting them for the best grain match. Using a 11 12
PVA-type adhesive will allow you time to position
or reposition the two halves to ensure best grain
alignment prior to it setting. Use a water-dampened
paper towel to remove any excess glue that is
squeezed out. Leave the tailstock centre clamping
until the glue has cured. If you decide to use
cyanoacrylate adhesive, seal the wood all over with
thinned-down sanding sealer to minimise staining.

13 Shape as much of the body as possible while

mounted between centres. Part off the tailstock
centre end of the ornament body. Using a slow
lathe speed, rene the shape as required and
sand to a ne surface. Now, part off the body from
the headstock end and hand sand as needed.

14 Mount your nial stock in the chuck. Once 13 14

mounted, run the lathe at a slow speed and
engage the tailstock centre. This will allow the
nial to turn on the clamped centre. Alternatively,
you can turn the nial between centres.

15 Round the lower nial blank. With the lathe

off, use the nal ornament body size and shape to
plan for a pleasing nial length and design. A nial
length of 1.5 to 2 times the body height is a good
start point, but it is your ornament, so you choose.

16 Shape the lower nial. Mark the key features

then blend the various lower features to those key
feature locations. Sharp tools and a light touch
are the key to nials. The ultimate thinness or
delicateness and the level of ne detail possible
is dependent on the timber species used. 15 16

46 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

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 CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENTS

17 Now complete the detailing of the lower

nial, including turning the 7mm diameter tenon
needed for attachment to the body. Sand the nial,
working through the grits while running the lathe
at slow speed. Do not use much pressure either
it is a delicate nial. A nish will be applied later.
17
18 Part off the tailstock end of the nial using
a sharp-detail gouge or skew chisel. The goal is
to remove the small block of wood supporting
that end without losing the delicate point.
Lightly sand supporting with your ngers.

19 Using the remaining nial stock in the chuck, turn

18 the 7mm tenon to be used for gluing. Shape the nial
as you wish saving room to part off the completed
nial. Carefully sand in place or reverse chuck after
parting off to complete your design and sanding.

20 If needed, nal sand the nials and ornament

body readying for application of a nish. Finishing
prior to assembly will keep the nish from softening
any crisp details created at assembly points.
A wipe-on nish such as polyurethane works
well. Oil or lacquer nishes would work too.

21 Wipe apply the polyurethane or nish of your

choice to nish the ornament component, making
sure you use the nish as per the manufacturers
instructions. Now thread the screw eye into the upper
nial. Go slowly and carefully, backing up on occasion
19 20 as needed to avoid breaking the brass shaft. If the
threading doesnt begin easily, you may need to create
a starting point for the threaded screw eye. This can
be done by carefully using the point of a pin or a sharp
scratch awl. It will only take a very small indent to get
the threading starting where you want it located.

22 Here is a close-up of the body join. The grain is

reasonably aligned. You can disguise the join by using
a series of grooves cut into the surface, one of which
is directly on the join, or cut a series of beads. Again,
the edge of one of these needs to be on the join.

23 If you have plain timber and want it to look

more festive, you can paint the ornament body.
This works wonderfully if the wood has no character.
You can use dyes, paints, coloured lacquers and
21 22 so on. Likewise you can paint the surface with a
water or oil-based paint and then place artistic
decoration over the top of the painted surface.
This can include other painting, application of
decals or foil, or glitter, to name just a few. I use
a spray acrylic paint outdoors when painting.
The ornament body is held on a wooden kebab
skewer with painters tape keeping it in place.
Multiple coats are needed to completely
cover any grain and provide a good
base for additional decoration.

24 Use a very small amount of adhesive on

each of the tenons of both nials as you insert
them. Orient them for best appearance. Cloth,
string, yarn, wire, or monolament attached to
the screw eye will help you hang your ornament
23 24 for display on your Christmas tree.

Woodturning 312 47

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 How to chase threads
Stuart Thomas provides some helpful insight into how to chase threads by hand
Being able to chase threads widens the
range of woodturning skills and helps create
boxes with secure lids. To start you only
need one matching pair of chasers 20 or
18 teeth per inch (tpi) are good sizes to
start with. You will need a side-cut scraper
and a lathe that runs at somewhere close
to 300rpm. You will need some small pieces
of dense, close-grained hardwood such as
boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) or mopane
(Colophospermum mopane) and so on.
Acrylics and some cast resins also thread
well, but dont be tempted to use softwoods
they break up when chasing threads.
Thread-chasing by hand is not that
difcult if a few basic rules are followed:
Keep the lathe at a low speed.
Position the chaser accurately, on or just
below centre on external male threads,
on or just above centre for internal
female threads.
Maintain a gentle, relaxed rhythm.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY STUART THOMAS
Never cut the threads to the full depth
of the gullet of the teeth. Stop just short
so the peaks/crowns of the threaded
teeth have a small at on them. This
makes the threads stronger and will
prevent breakages.
48
WT312_48_49_Tech_Thread Chasing_SThomas SUBBED MB.indd 48
Lastly, practise, practise and practise
again to get things right.
Simple threaded box
GROOVE
GROOVE
A typical threaded lid and base with grooves at the
end of the thread to give you enough room to remove
the tool before you hit solid wood
Practise cutting a male thread
Start by practising cutting a partial male
thread on a scrap of wood. This will help
you get used to pressure, presentation,
angle of the chaser and movement. With
a piece of boxwood held securely in the
chuck use a three-point tool or the edge
of a skew in scraping mode to round off
the leading edge.
With the lathe speed turned down to
around 300rpm, strike the rst thread
with a 20tpi or 18tpi male chaser. Keep
the handle higher than the teeth so the
tool is pointing slightly down and the
teeth will cut on or just below centre.
On female threads the chaser is held
horizontal to the work, cutting on or
just above centre. Have the tool at
about a 40 angle to the work and lightly
touch the wood with the centre of the
chaser while moving the tool from right to
left in a gentle continuous traverse.
Before you reach the end of the teeth
on the chaser, lift off the tool from the
rest, reposition the chaser on the rest in
the same presentation angle as before
and then enter into the end of the work,
maintaining that right-to-left movement
you previously used.
Practise this several times to get the
traverse of the tool in sync with the lathe
speed. Too slow and you break out, too
fast a traverse and you end up with an
incorrectly formed thread. The movement
of the cutter is like a continuous loop.
Cut, lift off, start at the beginning and
then move forward, lift off and so on,
all the while maintaining the correct
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
04/10/2017 12:39
 THREAD CHASING

movement of the chaser. You just adjust
the handle position to get the teeth to cut
on the right plane.
Having struck the rst few threads,
start to straighten the chaser up. Do
not use the lead tooth too soon wait
until there is a good thread established.
Continue to make the thread longer.
Repeat this process of turning the scrap
wood to a cylinder and chasing male
threads along it. This is a great practice
exercise. In real life a thread has a limited
length so make sure you can create
a parallel thread. As shown in the drawing
a groove would be cut at the far end of
the thread, giving you enough room to
remove the tool before you hit the wall
of solid wood.

Create a small radius or chamfer on the outer corner of Start the thread by striking a cut on the radiused After striking the cut and re-entering the cut thread,
the cylinder or, in the case of a box, the spigot shoulder corner the chaser can be angled to extend the thread along
the piece of work

Cutting a female thread

I start by turning a female thread. Then cut the male thread
afterwards to suit. With a piece of boxwood in the chuck, drill
or hollow a deep hole, smaller than that which is required for
the nal piece, with parallel sides and a groove at the deepest
part of the thread to give a release route for the chaser. Then
chamfer the inner opening edge and practise chasing the female
thread using this waste wood.
To cut a female thread, set the lathe at a low speed about
300rpm. You can go faster, but 300rpm or so is a good place
to start. Place the female chaser at on the rest so that it is at
an angle to the chamfered inner edge and the cut occurs on or
just above centre. Now, using the teeth halfway along the cutter,
guide the chaser along the chamfer and as you reach the end of
the teeth remove the teeth from cutting and arc the tool away
and bring it back at on to the rest. Pick up the partially cut
thread and repeat the process. As you make successive cuts,
gradually bring the chaser in line with the bed bars/side wall
of the box, remembering only to use the lead tooth when there
is a good thread established.
Keep a light touch and gentle movement as with the practice
pieces, and use your index nger down the edge of the chaser to
stabilise it as you cut, which obviates the need for an armrest.

Practise striking the thread in the waste wood before A side-cut scraper to create a groove at the rear end of Strike the thread and continue adjusting the tool with
creating the correctly sized opening required the thread to allow an exit point for the chaser each pass until you have a parallel thread

Chasing the male thread

Now to decide the size of the male thread
on the box. Create two spigots the
smaller is where the completed box lid
will form a snug t, while the larger is
where the thread will be chased. Near the
bottom of this spigot turn a groove a
thin parting tool is ideal for this. This gives
time to release the chaser before it hits the
shoulder. A sizing gauge could be used Main spigot with back groove and front sizing spigot Thread-chasing the main spigot to depth
for sizing the male thread. But I tend to
have the uppermost spigot shown in the speed down to 300rpm. Chase the thread t, you nd that the threads are getting to
picture sized to a miniscule amount smaller as on the practice piece until a witness the depth of the chaser teeth, use a small
than the inside of the threaded form, and mark is visible on the small spigot. This skew to atten off the top of the threads
the raised section between this and the front spigot can now be turned away. Once and then re-chase as required.
groove at the back just smaller than turned away, and as you cut the threads, Continue until you have a nice parallel
the grooved outer section of the thread. stop the lathe regularly and try the thread thread that ts snugly without being too
To chase the male thread turn the lathe for t. If, when trying to get everything to tight a t.

Woodturning 312 49

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050_WTUR_312.indd 50 10/6/17 12:35 PM
 Needle cases
Stuart Thomas creates needle cases using both push-t and screw-threaded tops
PHOTOGRAPHS BY STUART THOMAS
I have been turning needle cases for a
long time and sold many over the years.
The great advantage with these items
is that they only require small pieces
of material. These could be oddments
from a previous project or pen blanks,
which is what I frequently use. The rst
decision you have to make is how to
hold the cap on to the main body. This
will determine the choice of material.
My preferred method is to chase threads
which means using a dense, close-grained
hardwood such as boxwood (Buxus
sempervirens), or a man-made product
like cast resins or acrylics which can
also take a good thread.
WT312_51_54_PRO_NeedleCases_StuartThomas SUBBED_MB.indd 51
If, however, you want a push-t cap
for your case, then you have a much
greater range of woods. But man-made
materials such as resins and acrylics may
not be suitable as there is no exibility
in this material when requiring a very
snug tting lid. So experimentation
is required with these.
This article begins with a simple cylinder
style with push-t cap and then shows
how shaping the body and lid more and
introducing screw threads and inlays can
provide endless opportunities for creating
unique objects.
By adjusting the size, the cylinder design
could be used in the workshop for holding
small drill bits, in the kitchen for cocktail
sticks or for storing small craft utensils.
After all, needle cases are nothing more
than a form of lidded vessel/box.
SAFETY
Acrylics have never caused me a problem but
that is not to say there arent any, just that I
havent experienced them. However, materials
such as alternative ivory can shatter quite
easily, so always use a face guard. Do not be
too aggressive. They require a scraping cut with
the tool pointing down. Effective tools to use
are negative-rake scrapers, skew chisels and,
my favoured choice, the three point tool.
Woodturning 312 51
04/10/2017 12:40
 TOOLS AND MATERIALS
RPE & PPE
15mm (19/32in)
20mm spindle 20mm
roughing gouge (3/4in)
10mm three point tool
13mm skew chisel
13mm round-nose scraper 22mm
12.5mm, 10mm and (7/8in)
12mm
8mm drill bits (1/2in)
Four jaw chuck
Pin jaws or jam chuck
Drill chuck 10mm
Thread chasers (3/8in)
Thread-chasing side cutting
tool or similar
Boxwood (Buxus
sempervirens) or
similar close-grained
65mm
dense hardwood (25/8in)
Alternative ivory
Acrylic for inlay 55mm
(21/8in)
Abrasives
Cellulose sanding sealer
Bufng wheels

20mm 24mm (15/16in)

(3/4in)

Push-t needle case

1 Use a small piece of boxwood branch mounted
between centres, taking care to turn the speed of the
lathe down if it is out of balance. As with all wooden
needle cases the timber needs to be very dry.

2 Turn the branch down to a cylinder using a

20mm roughing gouge. Sliding a nger along
the toolrest helps to control the depth of the
cut and gets a good straight cylinder. At this
stage the lathe speed is up to 2000rpm.

3 Hold the blank in a chuck using pin jaws.

Square off the bottom of the needle case using a
small skew chisel which gives a good nish. The
spigot at this stage is only turned down a small 1 2
amount as it will be taken down to size later.
The main body can now be sanded to nish.

4 With the main body parted off, drill out the cap.
Use a 12.5mm drill to a depth of 14mm. These sizes
would need to be adjusted depending on the size
of your needle case. When drilling remember to
turn the lathe speed down to about 500rpm.
3
5 With the cap parted off hold the main body in
the pin jaws. Wrapping several layers of masking
tape around it protects the nish. Drill out the
main body using a 10mm drill to 60mm depth.
Keep the lathe speed down. Withdraw the drill bit
several times to clear the swarf. Turn the spigot
down to size to match the cap with a snug t.
4 5

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7 distance between the hand and chuck. Do take care
6 8
1 Using an alternative ivory pen blank mounted
2 3
5 to be so you can release the chaser at the end
4 6
7 8
WT312_51_54_PRO_NeedleCases_StuartThomas SUBBED_MB.indd 53
NEEDLE CASES
6 Fit the cap on to the spigot so that it can be trued
up with a spindle gouge or point tool and the top
nished and sanded. Now sand down to 600 grit
and nish on the bufng wheels. Note how the hand
seems to touch the chuck. This is due to the camera
angle. My apologies for that. In fact there is some
to work in such a way that you never get near the
chuck with any part of the body.
7 I gave this piece one coat of cellulose sanding
sealer and lightly cut it back with 0000 wire
wool, followed by bufng on wheels. Alternatives
would be oil and wax or lacquer nishes. A good t
and nish off the tool makes further nishing
of the spigot unnecessary.
8 The nished item, open with needles.
Threaded needle case
1 Now try a different material and
another way of securing the cap.
in a pin chuck with the tailstock brought up for
safety, mark on the parts of the needlecase.
2 With a thin parting tool start to part off the main
body from the cap and turn down the spigot, but
not to nished size. A small skew is ideal for this.
3 Having parted off the main body, drill out
the cap with a 12.5mm drill to a depth of
15mm. Remember to turn the lathe speed
down. Using a drill bit to hollow the cap gives
a good parallel hole for chasing the thread.
4 With the hole drilled out, cut a recess/groove
at the end of where the threaded section needs
of the cut. Then cut the thread required using
a 20tpi chaser using the techniques shown
on pages 48 and 49. Once cut, the cap can
be partly shaped and then parted off.
5 Hold the main body in the chuck making sure
it is running true. With the lathe speed turned
down, drill an 8mm diameter hole 60mm deep,
withdrawing the drill bit several times to clear the
swarf as before. Note the recess at the end of the
thread. This needs to be cut prior to thread chasing.
The spigot can now be turned down to size and a
20tpi thread chased on the outside to t the cap.
6 Use a small scraper to form the concave shaping.
7 Now use a three point tool to shape
the convex curve at the bottom.
8 With the cap screwed on to the main body, nish
turning the cap and body to the desired shape.
I typically use a point tool for ne shaping when
working with resins and acrylics due to them having
a tendency to chip and shard if anything but the
most delicate of cuts is used. But any negative rake
scraper of the correct shapes works well too.
Woodturning 312 53
04/10/2017 12:41
 9 When the shaping is completed, dry sand
the needle case from 240 grit through to
800 grit. Then wet sand it from 1500 grit to
12000 grit with Micro Mesh sanding pads.
Finally, polish with burnishing cream.

10 Now its time to put an inlay in the top of

the cap. This is a great way to add interest to
the needle cases and create different effects.
To hold the cap on the lathe put a small scrap
of the material in the chuck and chase a male
thread on it to t the thread in the cap.

11 Screw the cap on to the threaded jam

chuck. Use a small skew chisel to create a 9 10
shallow recess in which to set the inlay.

12 An offcut of acrylic in deep blue provides

an inlay that contrasts well with the alternative
ivory. Turn down a small spigot on the chosen
inlay material to make a snug t for the recess
in the top of the cap and part the inlay off.

13 With the cap back in the jam chuck, glue the

inlay in place. The needle case is almost nished.

14 Put another piece of scrap material in

the chuck and create a new jam chuck by
drilling a hole and chasing a female thread so
that the body can be held on the lathe.

15 With the body held in the jam chuck nish off the 11 12
bottom of the needle case. Threaded jam chucks are
a great way of holding small projects on the lathe.

16 The nished needle case.

FINISHING
Anyone can achieve a high-quality nish but
rst you must be prepared to spend the time.

Dont accept second best.

If you see small scratches be
patient and get them out.
Sand with the grain.
13 14
Dont be in a rush to get the project off
the lathe. The satisfaction of producing
a beautifully nished item is well worth
that little bit of extra effort and time.

INLAYS
My wife and I have spent lots of time meandering
through antique fairs and market stalls looking for
old buttons, mother of pearl, old coins or anything
that looks interesting and would give a unique
identity to an item. The possibilities are endless
and decorating a needle case in this way is a very
cost-effective way to practise your turning skills
while creating something a little bit special. 15 16

54 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

WT312_51_54_PRO_NeedleCases_StuartThomas SUBBED_MB.indd 54 04/10/2017 12:41

055_WTUR_312.indd 55 10/13/17 3:57 PM
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057_WTUR_312.indd 57 10/4/17 3:54 PM
058_WTUR_312.indd 58 10/5/17 2:21 PM
 Christmas carousel part 2
Colwin Way, in the second of a two-part article, creates a centrepiece for Christmas
Its now time to nish off the Christmas carousel we started
last month, time to crown our project and make the impeller and
PHOTOGRAPHS BY COLWIN WAY
arch. Yes, another month closer now and the big fella dressed
in red will make his appearance. If we time this project
right we can have it nished ready to decorate the house and
give it that really warm welcoming festive theme hes looking for.
Last month we made the base, holders, feet and pillars to
WT312_59_63_PRO_Colwin_Way SUBBEDMB.indd 59
support the top structure and, as I suggested, once
this project is nished you may decide to increase the tiers
from a single to as high as your nerve will take you.
Ive just ordered more cup bearings from Germany in
readiness for my Christmas carousel presents. A long time
ago I promised to stop making the family any more bowls,
candlesticks or pepper grinders.
Woodturning 312 59
04/10/2017 12:42
 TOOLS & MATERIALS
6mm bowl gouge 7mm drill bit
25mm skew chisel Router, bit and table
6mm beading Sanding disc
Parting tool Sanding table
Drill 50mm drum sander
3mm drill bit 25mm drum sander
5mm drill bit 4mm ply for templates

30mm (11/8in)

13mm
(1/2in)
5mm
(7/32in) 35mm
8mm (13/8in)
(5/16in)

5mm 10mm
(7/32in) (3/8in)

50mm (2in) 5mm

(7/32in)

50mm
110mm (2in)
(43/8in)

70mm
(23/4in)

7mm
(9/32in)

153mm (61/8in)

60 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

WT312_59_63_PRO_Colwin_Way SUBBEDMB.indd 60 04/10/2017 12:42


1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
WT312_59_63_PRO_Colwin_Way SUBBEDMB.indd 61
CHRISTMAS CAROUSEL
1 Continuing up from where we left off last
month, the rst part to construct is the arch that
perches on top of the two support columns. This
arch in turn is the top support for the centre pin
and impeller that moves the scene below. Start
by planing your timber to thickness which, in this
case, is 12mm. To be able to repeat the project
its worth thinking about transferring drawings to
either ply or card templates as seen in this picture.
Use the edge of the plank as your reference point
and line the edge of the template along its length.
2 Im always thinking as a production turner
about ways of saving material, so marking out
several shapes at a time is going to save time
and timber in the long run, plus your template
will make this type of thing easily repeatable.
Using the at edge of the board as a reference
edge is a good way of keeping the arch parallel.
3 Use a bandsaw, scrollsaw or coping saw to cut
out your arch, cutting close to your drawn line.
You need to sand the arch back to its nal shape
and if you have a disc sander thats an easy job.
However, if like me you dont, the lathe can be
adapted. Here Im using a disc of MDF held in
a chuck as my disc sander. It is a disc faced-off
with some self-adhesive hook-faced material,
on to which can be attached some loop-backed
sanding discs. This makes a great money-saving
bit of kit and, with the addition of the sanding
table, also seen in the picture, it means I have
the ability to sand all of the convex curves with
ease. Remember to have dust extraction nearby
and only sand on the left-hand side of the disc.
4 To sand the concave surfaces you will need
the help of some drum sanders, these can either
be held in a four-jaw chuck, again on the lathe
or a pillar drill in the same way, only vertical.
5 Once the arch has been sanded start drilling the
holes. There are three in total. The middle 4mm
hole will guide the centre pin, and the outer two
7mm holes will attach the arch to the tenons on
the support columns. Clamp everything down
well and use lip and spur drill bits for this as they
will stay centred and cut a crisp, un-torn hole.
6 Its important that all these holes are drilled
straight and true, which is easy for the 5mm centre
pin support hole as it has two at bases to sit on.
However, the two 7mm holes on the underside are
a bit trickier and a bit of improvisation is required
using blocks of wood. Make sure everything gets
clamped so no movement can occur while drilling.
7 After the holes have been drilled and if you
choose to you can add a little decoration to the
edge of the arch. I used a router held in a router
table to route a small ogee around the edge
of the shape to give it the nishing touch.
8 You should now have a nished arch ready
to be added to the rest of the pieces. You can
make this as decorative or as plain as you want.
Woodturning 312 61
04/10/2017 12:42
 9 Now its time to work on the impeller blade
holders. These connect each individual blade
to the impeller hub. Using six pieces of 12mm
x 12mm beech in lengths of 100mm, cut a
slot 3mm wide and 12mm deep central in
each end of each piece. This will eventually
be the slot that the blade locates into. You
can use a bandsaw as in this picture or,
alternatively, a pull saw cutting a 3mm slot.

10 Each of these square sections can now

be held into a four-jaw chuck and turned to
shape. Using a skew chisel, rough the blank to
round at 10mm then clean up the end grain
again with the skew chisel, slicing the end 9 10
clean to give you a section ready to shape.

11 The shaping is up to you, but in the picture

the piece has been simply shaped to taper
down to a 5mm tenon, which is used to insert
into the blade hub later on. When the rst piece
has been completed part it off, turn the
blank around and repeat the process
on the other prepared end.

12 Here are what all the nished blade

holders should look like after a bit of
sanding, both on the lathe but also by hand
in the slot you cut to take the blade.

13 The impeller blades are made from cedar,

which isnt critical but is nice because of its smell. 11 12
Prepare the timber to 3mm by rstly cutting
your cedar boards to strips 50mm wide by 5mm
thick, then thickness them down to 3mm using
a planer thicknesser. If your thicknesser cant
go down to create something this thin, you can
adjust the blade holders to suit the thickeness
you can create, but dont make them too thick.

14 Again with the help of a ply or card template

mark and cut out 12 blades. You will need a
very ne and thin blade for this otherwise
you could shatter your pieces. Alternatively, a
coping or scrollsaw works very well. Remember,
though, to keep away from your pencil line to
avoid breakout. Once again use your sanding
disc and table to sand to your pencil lines.
13 14
15 Sanding these very thin pieces needs
to be done carefully, using a ner abrasive
of around 240 grit. After youve sanded to
the lines hand-sand the faces and soften
the edges, giving them a slight radius.

16 To bring all of these pieces together we

have to make a centre hub. Start with a beech
(Fagus sylvatica) block of 35mm x 50mm x
50mm and drill a 3mm hole down its centre.
This hole will later locate on to the centre pin.
Use a friction drive and tailstock centre to
centrally locate this drilled block on to the
lathe and turn to shape. The shape Ive
chosen has a at edge that will later
be drilled to accept the blades.
15 16

62 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

WT312_59_63_PRO_Colwin_Way SUBBEDMB.indd 62 04/10/2017 12:43

 CHRISTMAS CAROUSEL

17 OK, so now you will need to use the indexing

feature on your lathe. Most machines have at least
12 positions on the headstock. Ive made a simple
drill guide by turning a piece of oak (Quercus robur)
down to t into the toolrest saddle, then a hole
through the other end at right angles with a 5mm
drill bit. Set the height of the guide to drill a hole
at the centre height of the lathe, using the centre
points of your lathe centres to set the correct height
of the drill. Set the drill guide at 90 to the piece to
be drilled and lock into position. Also, set the depth
to drill by moving the guide close enough that you
can drill until the chuck of your drill contacts the drill
guide. Now start drilling the 12 indexed positions.
17 18
18 Now to assemble the impeller. Start by
inserting the blades into each of their individual
blade holders and then, in turn, into each of
the indexed holes in the centre hub. Ive also
made a small knob to crown the hub and
cover the hole running through its centre.

19 There you have the nished impeller fully

assembled. Its a good tip not to glue any of
the parts together so that after all the festive
fun is over it can be dismantled and put away
ready for next year. Altering the blade angle
will also change the speed of the impeller.

20 The nal assembly is really the exciting bit

and starts with the arch being attached
19 20 carefully over the centre pin. The impeller
will be slightly tougher to t as the pin will
be tight, but carefully twist it on all the way
down until it hits the capping knob.

21 At the moment our carousel is a great piece

but lacks its festive scene, so I think we need
to add a few pieces. You can buy small carved
woodland creatures if you wish; you could carve
your own or, as in my case, turn your decorations.
Ive done a couple of Christmas trees and a
snowman and started the trees by turning a
piece of lime ( Tilia vilgaris) into a cone shape.

22 Now, using the heel point of your skew chisel,

create a series of swirl curls. This takes a bit of
practice but gives a really fun effect that can be
21 22 used in several projects, including hazel owers.

23 There you have a curly Christmas tree.

You can see that a stand and trunk have been
formed, in this case with a spindle gouge.

24 Now it is time to create the snowman.

Again, using a piece of lime held in a set of
small jaws in a four-jaw chuck, turn a series of
decreasing-size beads nished with a top hat.
Ive made a three-beaded snowman but two
beads also work. All thats left to do is place
your pieces on to the carousel and light your
candles. The rst time you light the carousel is a
truly magical moment as you see your creation
start moving by the heat of your candles. I hope
you enjoy this build as much as I did and your
23 24 carousel for years to come. Happy turning.

Woodturning 312 63

WT312_59_63_PRO_Colwin_Way SUBBEDMB.indd 63 04/10/2017 12:43

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064_WTUR_312.indd 64 10/9/17 4:07 PM

 PHOTOGRAPH BY RITA MITCHELL
Ginger beer bottle vase
Chris West provides some inspiration and plans for you
Ebony
35mm
(1 3/8in) Dovetail

43mm
1 11/16in 24mm
(15/16in)
4mm (5/32in)
48mm
40mm
(1 7/8in)
(1 9/16in)
25mm
(1in)
A Neck

Tenon

44mm (1 3/4in)
x 10mm (3/8in)

54mm
25mm (2 1/8in)
(1in)

120mm
(4 3/4in)

Body

Spigot

67mm (2 5/8in)

BODY
Timber: 76 x 76 x 140mm
Mount the timber between centres,
rough turn it to shape and form the
spigot. Now hold the wood by the spigot
in your chuck jaws and face off the end.
Drill the 25mm hole an appropriate length
for the ower vase tube you have.
Now form the recess and turn the
outside as shown in the diagram. Once
shaped, sand and seal it. Stop the lathe,
remove the piece and hold it by the
recess or the 25mm hole with long-nosed
chuck jaws, or via a jam chuck. Bring up a
revolving tailstock centre and locate it on
the spigot, measure, mark and then part
off to 120mm. Sand and seal it and then
remove the body from the lathe.
NECK
Timber: 76 x 76 x 70mm
Mount the wood between centres
rough turn and form the dovetail. Then
remove the wood from between centres
and mount it in the chuck, gripping on
to the dovetail. Now turn the tenon to t
the body.
Drill the 25mm diameter hole. Stop the
lathe. Reverse-hold the piece in the chuck
using the tenon just cut.
It is now time to measure, mark and
part off the work to the length shown
in the diagram. From the top, measure
30mm back and turn down to 48mm
diameter.
Begin shaping the outside but keep the
point A more than 67mm diameter. Now
sand and seal the top half of the neck.
Reverse the piece again, holding it
via the 25mm hole in the top of the
neck, using chuck jaws of the right
size in expansion mode or hold it
via a jam chuck.
When the piece is running true, offer
the main body up. Line up the grain
and glue the two parts together. Use the
tailstock and a piece of scrap wood as a
clamp to keep everything in place while it
dries. When dry, nish shaping the bottom
of the neck to meet the outside diameter
of the body. Then, sanding smooth, seal
and nish the piece.
TOOLS AND MATERIALS
Spindle roughing gouge
Spindle gouge
Parting tool
20mm or suitably sized skew chisel
25mm or other suitably sized Forstner bit
Two attractive hardwoods
100mm x 25mm diameter glass or plastic
ower vase (tube) or other suitably sized tube
NOTE: The diameter and length of the hole
you drill is dependent on your choice of
ower vase (tube).

Woodturning 312 65

WT312_65_PRO_CWest_MB.indd 65 04/10/2017 12:47

 3699

Motor 3 HP Motor 2 HP

Centre Height 280 mm Centre Height 230 mm

Spindle Length 750 mm Spindle Length 700 mm

Speeds 60-1200 / 100-2200 / 150-3700 U/min Speeds 80-1350 / 180-3700 U/min

Spindle M33 x 3.5 Spindle M33 x 3.5

Weight 320 kg Weight 178 kg

Dimensions 1650 x 610 x 1250 mm Dimensions 1350 x 510 x 1230 mm

066_WTUR_312.indd 66 10/10/17 10:28 AM

 New challenges
Mark Baker talks to Howard Overton about his life and his work
As a teenager I lived in East Bergholt on
the Suffolk/Essex border and I must admit
that I didnt care much about school when
I was young. That resulted in my leaving
without qualications. I always enjoyed
woodworking and metalworking at school
and I had a small workshop well a
shed really. It was 2.5m x 2m and shared
between me and my two brothers. This
caused a little friction at times due to my
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK BAKER UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED
wanting to do woodwork and my oldest
brother wanting to do photography and
his own developing, printing and enlarging
in there too. You can imagine there wasnt
a lot of room. I had one side, and my
brothers had the other, but really only one
of us could be in there at any one time.
I did joinery in there, mostly by hand,
and made stools, boxes, cabinets and
yacht lamps.
WT312_67_69_FEA_Spotlight_H_OvertonMB.indd 67
On leaving school I went to BX Plastics,
which specialised in numerous plastic raw
materials for manufacturers. I started off
as the tea boy/gopher. My uncle worked
there so he got me a job. They created
extrusions, tubing, sheeting and so on. I
was really happy about going to work and
it was really interesting. That said, after
about two years, I thought there was not
any future for me in this area of work,
even though I loved it there. I was always
fascinated by woodworking and metalwork
at school and wanted to do this instead.
I went for an apprenticeship with Nathan
Agrin in Ipswich. One of the jobs I had was
to make washstands for the Navy out of
oak. There was an order for 3000 or so of
these and, after the wood was machined,
I was given the job of hand-scraping the
wood to clean up the machine marks.
After 12,000 times of scraping the oak,
I came to the conclusion this wasnt my
idea of woodwork. I wanted to make
things. This job involved too much
machining and scraping. It wasnt as
creative as I wanted it to be.
After this I went to work for an
agricultural company in Ipswich. This
involved gas-welding pipes for the grain
storage and distributions. I was there
for two years or so and it was during
that time that I married my wife, Janet.
NEW BEGINNINGS
I was about 21 when I left the agricultural
company. I wanted to try exploring
metalworking further and took a job at
my fathers company in Gillingham in Kent.
I started off in the tool room, which involved
light lathe work and power presses.
Woodturning 312 67
04/10/2017 12:47
 I progressed up to designing tooling, shelf
bracket and motor industry parts. I was
there for many years.
All through these various jobs I carried on
woodworking, making ever more complex
things, and carving as well. I loved carving
animals at the time. I started carving as a
result of going to an evening class. I also
saw that they had a lathe there, but didnt
start turning then.
It was about 20 years ago that I ventured
into turning. I went to a woodworking
show at Wembley and it was like going
into a sweet shop. Phil Reardon was
demonstrating on a Poolewood lathe and I
thought it was fantastic what he was doing
on such a nice lathe and bought it. I also
went on a great days tuition with Phil. I
was hooked then.

TURNING
I continued going to shows and joined a
club, Medway Woodturners, not long after
buying the lathe. I now also belong to the
Orchard woodturning group.
I started off making mug racks and Laburnum (Laburnum anagyroides) and sycamore This piece of work in sycamore and sapele
bowls. As a new turner one always wants (Acer pseudoplatanus) base. The laburnum oysters (Entandrophragma cylindricum) was inspired
more tools and wood. I have a woodland are slices that are seated glued on angled at by Dennis Keeling, who started me off in my
nearby and I joined the local conservation sections cut using a jig and router journey of segmented work
group and it had a very large beech tree
that had fallen in the storm of 1987. I
asked the person cutting it up if he would
mind cutting up a few pieces for me. I
thought it would be a good idea to turn a
bowl for each of the group members and,
while I completed eight items in total, after
turning them I ended up with respiratory
problems. This was due to my not wearing
any respiratory protection. Thankfully there
appears to be no long-term damage, but I
bought a powered respirator soon after as
well as at-source extraction.
I have turned most of the typical items
and now am always looking to do new
things, nd the next challenge and so on.
I love the challenges of segmented work,
lamination and solving technical challenges.
I am currently working on more segmented
work with more complex patterns.
I have always thought to myself that I can Hollow form in ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and sapele
do these things, even if I have not tried or
done them yet, but one has to keep going tools are, how they are used, and how to
at something to learn it and do it well. sharpen them and also how to hold wood
Dont give up. and cut it safely.
If you dont like it, you have only paid
GREATEST INFLUENCES Pair of laminated candlesticks in sycamore and a small amount of money and if you
I enjoy watching all woodturning walnut (Jun glans regia) do, you dont end up buying things that
demonstrations as there is always you wont need yet or wont use very
something to learn from all of them. stop learning. I might also see something often at all.
My segmented work has been inspired that triggers a chain of thought that I bought tools I dont use or need. I think
by Dennis Keeling. I also enjoy watching may not have happened had I not seen all turners have, to be honest. Its always
Stuart Mortimer and Jimmy Clewes. But, someone do or make something. a good idea to join a local club and learn
I learn from every demonstration I see. from the members experiences.
I have never been on another course since ADVICE TO A NEW TURNER I would also advise the purchase of
that one with Phil, so I am self-taught but I would encourage people to start by going good respiratory protective equipment
continue to learn and develop. We never on a course. That way you learn what the and also personal protective equipment.

68 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

WT312_67_69_FEA_Spotlight_H_OvertonMB.indd 68 04/10/2017 12:47

 HOWARD OVERTON IN PROFILE

WHAT MUSIC AND WHICH BOOK ARE YOU

CURRENTLY IN TO?
I enjoy music from the 70s and 80s, especially Queen
and Johnny Cash, also most classical music. I dont read
much except for woodturning books and magazines,
I do enjoy a Wilbur Smith book when I am on holiday.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR SILLIEST MISTAKE?

This one is easy. I was turning a very nice horse chestnut
burr 300mm in diameter with a ared rim. It was all going
lovely with a beautiful gured pattern, but then I made
the big mistake of not turning the lathe off. I moved
the toolrest, the rest caught the edge of the bowl, there
was a big bang and that was the end of my lovely bowl.
I managed to salvage a 7in bowl from what remained.
Thankfully, I remembered the rule about not standing in
the line of re of the bowl and this saved me from injury.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGE?

My greatest challenge is trying to get the best shape
I can out of a lovely lumpy burr. Shape is key to a piece,
no matter what one does to it or how it is constructed.

NAME ONE THING ON YOUR TURNING TO DO LIST.

This is a jig that I have made to assist in my work to cut the sections on the sycamore and
laburnum piece shown earlier
Before I started turning I did some carving and I
would like to use those skills on some of my woodturning
in the future.
TELL US ABOUT THE PIECE YOU ARE CURRENTLY
WORKING ON.
I recently cut down a shrub in my garden which was a
lovely colour. It was too good to throw away so I have cut
the branches into small segments and hope to t them on
to the outside of a large hollow form.

WHAT IS THE ONE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT OR TOOL

YOU WOULD NOT BE WITHOUT AND WHY?
Apart from my Nova DVR 300 lathe it would be my
Scheppach 5-4 bandsaw and my Trend router, as
without them I would not be able to do a lot of the
things that I make.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING WHAT WOULD IT BE

AND WHY?
I would like to see good wood turned pieces accepted
as art and not something that has to be functional.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TYPE OF TURNING?

I am always trying to think of something different
to turn that will take me longer and is more artistic.

IF YOU HAD ONE WISH WHAT WOULD YOU WISH FOR?

There is only one answer and that is to have the very
best of health, be content with what you have and make
the most of life.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT WHAT

WOULD IT BE?
Like most turners I would like a larger workshop so that
I could leave some of my equipment out not have to put
it away after each use.

ONE FINAL THOUGHT?

I would say always try things, dont give up on things,
learn by mistakes but remember to work as safely as
Clock in cherry burr (Prunus avium) you can.

Woodturning 312 69

WT312_67_69_FEA_Spotlight_H_OvertonMB.indd 69 04/10/2017 12:48

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070_WTUR_312.indd 70 10/9/17 4:08 PM

 NEXT MONTH

Issue 313 on sale 30 November

Pat Carroll shows how to create a block bowl

Emiliano Achaval looks Richard Findley explores

at Hawaiian-style repairs colour-matched
using pewa and huini split-turned nials
What you need to know
about turning platters
Andy Coates on turning Ernie Conover discusses
long and
How thindrawer
to turn spindles
pulls multi-axis turning

Woodturning 312 71

WT312_71_Next_Issue MB.indd 71 04/10/2017 12:49

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 Grinding dust what hazard?
Geoffrey Laycock looks at the issue of sharpening tools

PHOTOGRAPHS BY GEOFFREY LAYCOCK

Did you know that ne aluminium dust
is explosive? Now you may guess, quite
rightly, that inhaling aluminium dust
impairs your lung function, but many
dusts have more than one risk up their
metaphorical sleeve. As woodturners
you are not likely to produce this particular
one but it illustrates the point that we
need to think broadly about what we are
working with, and what we are doing to it.
We write, and the community talks,
regularly about dust and the adverse
health effects this can have, but its not
the only wood dust turners are exposed
to grinding tools is the activity I have
in mind. In its most aggressive form dry
grinding using an abrasive wheel we
can expect to generate and be exposed
to two types of dust. Firstly, dust from
the grinding medium, secondly dust
from the tool being ground. Inhalation
is the primary concern but we also need
to consider eye contamination and skin
contamination. Effects on eyes should
be obvious, especially if rubbed: irritation,
scratches or worse. Remember also you
could have eye penetration from larger
ying particles. Skin can become irritated.
Using a wet grinding method has
several big advantages. Theres almost
no risk of overheating the tool edge Wet grinding little noise, no ying particles and no dust
and no airborne dust unless you let the
resultant slurry dry out before disposal. that have serious effects cadmium, wear a disposable mask if that is your
The more common dry abrasive varies in nickel, lead, molybdenum are examples. preference. Choose a minimum FFP2-rated
hardness depending on whether it has If you are grinding a tool contaminated mask. It may be that you use a powered
an inorganic (harder) or organic (softer) with resin or other build-up from use full-face respirator such as the Trend or
bonding agent. The former, something this may also become airborne, but the 3M Versaow or similar, which provide
such as aluminium oxide or similar, is concentration would be virtually nil. protection in one unit. These respirators
most likely in your workshop. In use any There is a third problem when selected for use should be rated a FFP2
abrasive wheel releases minute particles generating airborne grinding dust work or THP2. With dry grinding you should
of the bonding agent and the grit it holds contamination. If your grinding station also consider hearing protection.
together and neither are good to inhale. is close to where you apply nish or have The HSE control guidance below
The most recent development has been other sensitive materials, you may suffer. recommends having 10 air changes
solid wheels with diamond or cubic boron If your sharpening method generates per hour for the room in which you
nitride particles providing the cutting sparks remember they can ignite wood are grinding, but remember this is for
action. These are very long lasting so dust and shavings or maybe that industrial high workload situations,
little dust from the actual wheel should discarded nishing cloth a good and high volume extraction. For our
become airborne, but it is possible reason to clean up more than we do. intermittent grinding, it is still worthwhile
and there are adverse health effects. Remember that all except a belt linisher thinking about your room ventilation and
Finally, I use an abrasive belt linisher require the grinding surfaces to be providing extraction.
and similar comments to the dry wheel refreshed and trued. With the wet system
apply, although it can produce even larger this is no problem but with a dry wheel
volumes of dust. even larger volumes of bonding agent
As we reshape or sharpen a tool we also and grit will be produced. FURTHER INFORMATION
generate metal dust from that tool. The With all those hazards, it may seem www.hse.gov.uk
steel the tool is made from will inuence confusing what to do, but it is simple. HSG17: 2000 Safety in the use of
what those particles may consist of. Wear eye and respiratory protection abrasive wheels covers safe tting,
Harder steels and those with corrosion the best impact resistance being a testing and use
resistance will contain many components full-face shield which means you can SR21: Dust from abrasive wheels

74 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

WT312_74_In_the_Workshop_Laycock SUBBED MB.indd 74 04/10/2017 12:49

 Drill Press
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Designed to use on a drill press table to
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Simply adjust the toggle lever clamp onto the
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RRP
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V-grooves/cuts have been used as a
decorative effect for millennia. They can
be seen on bronze, pottery and glassware
in various forms, be they incised cuts
radially or vertically or angled too. These
are either cast, imprinted or carved to
form various patterns. Have a look in your
local museums and see how many ancient
items there are that feature such designs.
The style I am concentrating on in
this article are the radial V-grooves/
cuts that run around the work.
These V-cut or V-grooves are used to
add a visual aspect or a tactile quality
to work and are incredibly simple to
create. In the simplest form a corner
of a skew chisel used in scraping mode
or a point tool can be used to cut a
V-shaped groove or multiples thereof.
V-grooves can be used as a visual device
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANTHONY BAILEY/GMC PUBLICATIONS UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED
Bowl with a V-groove on the meeting point between
the lower upward sweeping body form and the outer
owing rim area
76
WT312_76_78_MB_Tech.indd 76
V-groove
decoration
Mark Baker explores
one of the easiest, most
versatile and widely used
decorative effects
to delineate or highlight the transition
between two meeting forms. This can
be very effective visually as it creates
a strong break on a form that would
otherwise be visually OK but be a
bit indistinct.
Disguising a join
V-grooves can be used to disguise a join
in work, however, it is best if you dont
just use one V-cut to do so as this draws
the eye immediately to the V-cut area and
a single V-cut used in this way to disguise
a join looks somewhat odd, unlike when
used to mark a transition of shape.
Instead, try cutting multiple V-cuts
so that the eye is drawn to the pattern
created, and is not aware necessarily
of a join. If you are only using a single
corner of a skew chisel or a point tool
to cut the V-form, it is best to not try to
equidistantly space the V-cuts. You
have to be incredibly accurate in
your marking in order to get the
spacing right and one error in
spacing or, come to think of it,
depth, and the eye will hone in on the
error. Instead try graduating the space of
the V-grooves. You still have to be a little
wary of the spacing, but a minute error
and you will get away with it. The one you
do need to concentrate more on is the
depth of cut, you can graduate the depth
if you choose, but that is tricky without
constant measuring. I aim for something
that is very close to even depth.
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
04/10/2017 12:50
 THREAD CHASING

Equidistant spacing
When it comes to wanting every groove
equidistantly spaced and to an even
depth, I opt to use a forming tool which is
a male thread chaser. I tend to work with
10, 9 or 8 teeth per inch (tpi). I use 10tpi
for most work but when working with
more open and coarser grained timber,
I use a larger form, so the 9 and 8tpi
chasers are then my go-to items. Anything
ner and the V-grooves are too close
together and indistinct. That said, these
tools only work on at, outward sweeping
curves and ball-type shapes. They cannot
touch the surface properly on full or
partial hollow cove-type shapes. It is also
best to use such decoration sparingly and
provide contrast.

Cherry (Prunus avium) hollow form with V-cuts

FIVE RULES TO REMEMBER

WHEN USING A THREAD CHASER
TO CUT V-GROOVES:

1 The thread chaser is only used as

a forming tool to cut the V-cuts.
2 The chaser should always be presented
at 90to the surface. It is not traversed
along the work to create a spiral thread
form. Any presentation angle other than
90 to the surface creates odd-shaped
grooves that are hard to match when
you shift the chaser ot the next section.
But by all means experiment.
3 Never cut to the full depth of the gullet
of the teeth. If you do, you end up with
a spiky/pointy prole that is prone to
fracturing. Leave a micro at on the top
of the V-cut surface.
4 To make sure you end up with the
correct alignment and spacing of a
wider section of equidistantly-spaced
V-grooves, align a minimum of two teeth
in the previous cut grooves, but dont
allow the alignment teeth of the chaser
to cut any deeper into the previously cut Walnut (Juglans regia) box
grooves. Once aligned, arc the thread
chaser around the curved surface until
all of the non-alignment teeth have
engaged the wood and they cut have
cut into the surface to the required
uniform depth.
5 Use a bronze or brass brush to clean
up the V-cut area. This can create a
textured surface on more open-grained
timbers and if you like it, wire brush
the whole outside of the workpiece.
If you do not like the open grain effect
or are working with denser closer-
grained material, sand the top surface
after using the wire brush to remove
any micro damage caused when cutting
the V-grooves. Bog oak (Quercus robur) bowl

Woodturning 312 77

WT312_76_78_MB_Tech.indd 77 04/10/2017 12:50

 Using the thread chaser to form V-cut grooves
1 2
Here is the base of a box and the lower two-thirds is to
feature V-grooves as a decorative effect. Effectively
that pattern cut will stop where there is a change on
the body form. Start with a male thread chaser and
have the handle high, so the teeth engage the work
on or just below centre.
4 5
Check constantly the depth being cut, any discrepancy
is immediately visible. Also, make sure the alignment
of the teeth is correct and you present the cutter at
a constant approach angle to the work or you end up
with odd-shaped cuts. Continue making cuts
Visual and tactile quality
The contrast between the smooth and
the grooved surface not only looks nice
it feels nice too. And theres another
aspect that only shows
up when using some
timbers. Have a look at
the side view of the olive
ash bowl. The V-grooves
are evident and are a nice
contrast to the smooth upper
section, but if you ip the bowl
over you can see how it plays
visually with the woods guring.
It is more pronounced that that
78
WT312_76_78_MB_Tech.indd 78
Gently present the cutter to the wood so that the
right-hand tooth of the chaser engages the wood. Apply
gentle pressure until you get to the depth required
(just shy of the gullet depth), and gently arc the blade
to the left so you engage another tooth or two. Continue
arcing the blade so you eventually cut with all of the
teeth to the depth needed. The curve on this form means
only two or three teeth are cutting at any one time.
until you reach the end of where you need the
decoration. If some V-grooves are a little shallow,
you can realign the chaser and deepen the cuts.
If some are too deep, that is trickier and you will
need to make a micro skim or sand off a little of the
surface and re-do the V-cuts.
exhibited on the cherry or walnut box
shown earlier. I hope you have a lot of
fun experiment with this technique.
The underside of the bowl showing how V-grooves play
Olive ash (Fraxinus excelsior) V-grooved bowl
3
Once you have cut V-grooves with all of the chase
teeth, remove the chaser and align a minimum of
two teeth in the previously cut grooves and gently
arc the blade to minim to the surface of the wood to
engage the teeth and cut the V-grooves to depth.
6
Cleaning up usually requires using a bronze or brass
brush and gently running it over the cut grooves,
followed by a light sand over the surface to clean
that up. If using open-grained timber like oak or ash,
the use of the bronze or brass brush will open up the
grain a little to add more texture to the surface.
visually with the guring of the wood
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
04/10/2017 12:50
 I really enjoyed using the new Merlin2. It
runs more smoothly and cooler as it draws
more air through the body of the unit. The
new switch design and variable speed make
the tool a pleasure to use.
The heavy duty guard and the variety of the
easily changed attachments available make
Merlin2 a must-have tool for any woodcarving
enthusiast or woodturning artist/sculptor.
- NICK AGAR
Carving on turning, decorative effects and the
creation of sculpted and turned artworks demands
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and outstanding reliability, the Merlin 2 grinder by
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With its unsurpassed range of accessories, choice of
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any woodturner would love to own - and use.
If an internationally renowned woodturner and
sculptural artist such as Nick Agar finds it
indispensible, think what a difference it could make to
your turning vocabulary.
Available in both fixed and variable speed models.
Contact The ToolPost, distributors of KATools for UK
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sharing expertise

079_WTUR_312.indd 79 10/9/17 5:12 PM

 Community links
We have searched the internet for the best, most interesting
and fun websites, blogs, pins and pictures, so you dont have to
Website Pinterest
STEVEN KENNARD SEARCH FOR: TURNED CHRISTMAS TREES WOOD
stevenkennard.com tinyurl.com/y9lwenby

Steven creates exquisitely crafted boxes that are wonderful to see. Christmas is soon upon us and many are now busy looking for ideas for
On his site he shares a lot about himself and his work and there is things to make. Well, here are some lovely examples of what others have
beautifully lmed video by Ben Proudfoot of Breakwater Studios. made that may well inspire you to get your creative thinking going.

Facebook Twitter
HAMMONDARTISTS GEORGE WATKINS
www.facebook.com/hammondartists twitter.com/GeorgeWatkins2

John and Hannah Hammond have a Facebook page that is all about George Watkins has created some beautiful, clean-lined boxes
what they are making, what shows they are attending and generally and numerous vessels making the most of natural wood
what they are up to. It is a great advertising vehicle for them. grain. There is a lot to look at on Georges Twitter feed.

Video clips listed have been selected for their interest to other turners. We do not endorse any of the videos or websites selected. We take no responsibility for any information contained
or acted upon in any sites listed. You need to be aware of your own skills and your own responsibility as far as wearing appropriate protective equipment and turning as safely as practicable.

80 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

WT312_80_81_Community_Links SUBBED.indd 80 16/10/2017 10:02

 COMMUNITY LINKS

Instagram
WOODTURNING_AM
www.instagram.com/woodturning_am
Community letters
Here are some letters the Editor
has received from you, the readers

Here you can see the work of Alexandr T. Alexandr is a turner from the
south of Russia and he shows an interesting selection of dishes, vases
and bowls using some colourful techniques and interesting patterns.
Woodturning 308
Hi Mark,
In answer to your leader in issue 308, I
do most of my turning during the winter
months, October to March. The summer
months are generally spent walking/
gardening or generally making the most
of the warmer, brighter days. Generally I
just make things for my own amusement
(i.e. my stuff is not good enough to sell!).
I would like to say how much I enjoyed
issue 308. The article by Stuart Thomas
on Brighton Buns was one of the best
I have seen. The acorn box and Sally
Burnett articles were also good.
I also like the new magazine design nice and clean
clean, looks smart
and professional. Thanks for a great magazine, I look forward to
the next issue almost as soon as the current one has arrived.
Dave Harding

Turning in decline?
FROM THE FORUM John Platers essay on page 67 of the September issue
considered whether woodturning is in decline.
Here we share with you the pieces that readers When Frank Pain wrote The Practical Wood Turner in 1956,
have posted on our Woodturning forum. If you are woodturnings focus was on producing functional turnings. In the
interested in your piece appearing here, or would following decade in the UK Peter Child and Gordon Stokes widened
the focus of professional woodturners to include journalism, teaching,
simply like feedback and advice on your work, visit and product design, supply and endorsement. In the 1970s Dale Nish
www.woodworkersinstitute.com and click on the introduced the concept of artistic woodturning, and David Ellsworth
forum button. promoted hollow turning. Since then woodturners who earn their living
by producing functional turnings have largely, but not completely,
PEBEO BOWL disappeared, in the main because 80 years after it was introduced
Modernism nally caught on and vanquished llets and ogees, and
www.woodworkersinstitute.com/forum/pebeo-bowl_ new materials and processes have rendered wood an archaic material.
topic21509.htmls Thus, although the professional hand-turning of functional turnings
has, like the number of leopards in the wild, indeed declined, the
Mark Sutton wrote: Hi. I just thought I would share my latest wider subject of interest called woodturning has, unlike the leopard
creation, which is made from amed beech and Pebeo Prisme (Panthera pardus), changed its spots. Woodturning is therefore harder
paints used in the rim. to dene and judgements on its decline must be less certain.
Were Frank Pain able to be resuscitated he would be
Bodrighy (Pete) commented: Have to admit to getting a astonished by the apparent current focus on the decoration
bit bored with so many bowls with painted rims but this and ornament of bowls and vessels. How he would react to
one is different. Love the their inclusion under the woodturning umbrella I cant say.
effect almost a snakeskin Franks objective with his book and his other writings was to show
effect.
ec I dont do paint
effe readers how to cut wood as it prefers to be cut. We now see the
work
wo myself, but if I
w increasing promotion of scraping and shear scraping as a proper
did I would want
d alternative to high rake-angle cutting. This change reects two realities:
to do something perhaps 90% of those who, on occasions, use a woodturning lathe
like this. arent prepared to apply the small commitment to learn the skills
which Pain promoted, and commercial interests (including those of
StewartF involved woodturners) are increasingly inuential and intrusive.
commented: Looks Will woodturning last? As more woodturning lathes are being
great nice interest manufactured than are being scrapped, woodturning will certainly
ccreated by the cell- continue in the short and medium term. And it will continue to change.
like
like structure of the How youll regard those changes will depend on your prejudices.
colouring.
colo
ou Mike Darlow

Woodturning 312 81

WT312_80_81_Community_Links SUBBED.indd 81 16/10/2017 10:02

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7HO0RE

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082_WTUR_312.indd 82 10/9/17 9:52 AM

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17-156 NEW WT subs ad.indd 83 11/10/2017 16:02

 The very best in teaching,
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084_WTUR_312.indd 84 10/10/17 10:32 AM

 Fitting lids on boxes
Chris Hart continues his series on box-making, looking
at the issue of lids and how they t on the body
This month the article concentrates on great satisfaction when accomplished. believe, a popular misconception that
end-grain boxes where lids play such an Common to all timbers lid styles and t to make well-tting lids consistently is a
important role because often the shape types, what most affects the success or dark art or the devils work, and so it may
of the box and the intended use will failure of t is the moisture content in well be. However, that does not preclude
dictate, or certainly inuence, the shape the timber. To ensure the best possible mere mortals like us from learning and
PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRIS HART

of the lid, the style, t and how the box
will be made. Achieving the desired t
of lid, while crucial to the functionality,
is also one of the most rewarding
aspects of box-making and a source of
outcome it is imperative that a suitable
timber with a low moisture content is
selected, rough turned where the stresses
are relieved and left to dry for a suitable
period before completing. There is, I
acquiring the skills to make lids that t
as we intended them too.
The primary thing to remember is that
the boxs or vessels function and shape
inuences lid shape, type and t.

Woodturning 312 85

WT312_85_89_TECH_ChrisHartPart3 SUBBEDMB.indd 85 04/10/2017 12:56

 Apple box over-t pop-off lid
Woodturned fruit is not my thing, although I thought an apple
box would be an interesting challenge. A quick study of real
apples revealed they are not ball-shaped, as often portrayed in
examples of turned fruit. There is not even a standard shape,
given the sheer variety of species and the distortions in nature.
So, the shape is open to interpretation. My take is slightly wider
than tall, more sharply tapered towards the bottom, with nicely
rounded shoulders. The objective is to make an apple-shaped
box, not replicate the fruit. A non-functional ornament, I wanted
to make the inside appear to be of equal proportions, including
the walls of the spigot and recess when opened, which dictated
the join should be approximately in the middle. An over-t, pop-
off lid presented the best option.
The apple box with over-t pop-off lid in English walnut (Juglans regia)
Storage jar loose in-t lid
This pot was designed as a storage vessel with a loose tting
inset lid to aid easy access. An over-t lid on this shape would
have precluded the bead, which is the focal point. Without the
bead, I dont think the overall shape would work. Putting the
bead on an over-t is an interesting prospect.
A storage jar with an in-t lid in sycamore (Acer pseudoplantanus)
86
WT312_85_89_TECH_ChrisHartPart3 SUBBEDMB.indd 86
Cylinder box with over-t suction lid
The tall cylinder box is a perfect candidate for a suction-t
lid, because it mirrors the outside and is, in effect, a cylinder
within a true cylinder. Care is needed to ensure the recess
is parallel and this is cut rst because spigots are easier to
maintain parallelism than recesses. Its extremely satisfying to
produce these boxes, particularly to feel and see the resistance
when locating the lid its akin to opposing magnetic forces
and again to experience the suction effect when removing
it. The timber used was about four years old. The moisture
content was just over 12%. Because the wood is known for
its stability I was able to complete this box in one go. Even
so, after obtaining a good suction t I did leave it for a couple
of days to check the t before removing the chucking spigot.
Cylinder box with over-t suction lid in African padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii)
Cylinder box showing parallel spigot and lid
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
04/10/2017 12:56
 FITTING OF LIDS ON BOXES

Making lids with the desired t

My preferred sequence and method for over-t-style lids, whatever
the type of t, is as follows. Once the blank has been turned
into a cylinder with chucking spigots on both ends the basic
shape is roughed out. At this stage, assuming the spigot is on
the body with the recess on the lid, the join for the lid is marked
and the spigot cut with a parting tool. The lid and body are then
parted. Parting off large diameter blanks is potently dangerous,
particularly if the gap is not widened to give clearance for the
tool. However, if the gap between the lid and base is too big it
makes the grain match less pleasing. So I create as narrow a kerf
as possible to facilitate grain matching and use a thin (1.25mm)
parting tool to cut as far as I feel comfortable before switching off
the lathe and using a very thin-bladed Japanese pull saw with a
kerf of only 0.6mm to complete the task.

Cutting the spigot in the base on the roughed-out shape Parting base and lid with Japanese pull saw

THE LID
Since I turn batches of boxes, this
sequence shows my working on a
sycamore box. To help establish the spigot
diameter the inside is turned rst and
the nal adjustments cut to obtain the
desired t. This is easier than adjusting
the recess to t the spigot. With the lid
now in the chuck, the end grain is faced
off and the diameter of the recess is
determined, marked slightly less than
the required diameter. At this point the
rough hollowing is carried out, as are
the initial cuts for the recess (if two-
part turning, the roughed-out lid is set
aside for further drying). The hollowing
is now completed, sanded and sealed,
and the nal cut in the recess is made
using a square-ended negative-rake
scraper. Alternatively, the task may be
carried out with a square-end scraper,
parting tool, bedan or skew chisel used
on its side in scarping mode to plunge
cut. It is vitally important that the wall is
parallel. Carefully checking with internal
callipers is essential this is a key factor
in obtaining the desired t consistently.
The reason for completing the hollowing
prior to making the nishing cuts on the
recess is hollowing will remove stresses
causing the wood to distort (usually going
oval) making a good t impossible, also
making the reassembled blank run out,
making the nishing more difcult.

Cutting the recess in the lid with a negative rake side and square-end scraper The inside of the lid completed, sanded, sealed and polished

THE BASE
The same hollowing and nishing is carried out on the base. The
spigot was formed in the parting-off process, so now needs to be
trued up and cut to within a couple of millimetres of the nished
diameter of the lid, also undercutting the shoulder of the spigot
with a skew chisel. This ensures the two components will mate
on the edge of the joint. Cutting a very small chamfer on the
spigot enables the lid recess to be offered to the base while the
lathe is spinning. It will burnish a witness mark of the intended
nished diameter on the spigot. With the approximate diameter
established the aim is to reduce the surface area of the spigot by
two thirds, using a skew with the long edge at on the toolrest
or a small spindle gauge to cut a chamfer one-third the width of
the front of the spigot and, with great care, repeat the operation
on the back of the spigot, this will leave a one-third ridge in the
centre. As before, take light cuts to reduce the diameter until it is
possible to force the lid on and remove it by prising off with the
thumbs. Its now a matter of reducing further until the desired
t is achieved. The reason for reducing the surface area of the
spigot is that the centre band offers less resistance to the recess
of the lid than two fully mating surfaces. Therefore, a larger
diameter centre band is possible, making the bres easier to
crush when putting the lid on, ensuring a good t and offering
less resistance when removing.
If the base is to be used as a jam chuck it may be prudent to
have a tighter t than ultimately desired. We all have experience
of making loose-t lids so full details are unnecessary.

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 Reducing the surface area of the spigot and chamfering the front of the spigot Applying the nished lid recess to the spinning base spigot to place a witness mark
establishing the nished diameter

The witness mark around the perimeter of the spigot The prole of the spigot prior to nal cuts to reduce the diameter enabling
the desired t

Piston-t lids
A piston t is a cylinder within a cylinder
requiring longer spigots and recesses
and a snug/close t to acquire the suck
effect normally found in straight-sided
boxes. However, anything over 15mm long
with a good t may cause problems with
compressing air when putting on the lid, but
thats another story. In the unlikely event
of this happening a very small V-groove cut
with a craft knife in the recess and spigot
along the grain will release the air.
The process is straightforward a
cylinder with spigots on both ends, parted
off into base and lid, then hollowed out.
The recess is cut rst by plunge-cutting to
the required depth. Taking great care in
keeping the tool parallel to the axis of the
work, with regular checking for parallelism
(parallel sides), the tool will produce a
good enough nish without sanding. A
very narrow chamfer on the end will help
location when nished. The spigot is
cut with a parting tool, plunged to start
then traversing the length again ensuring
its parallel. A chamfer on the end will
determine the nished diameter and
assist location in the nished piece.

Cutting recess on cylinder box lid, keeping cutting Checking the walls are parallel with internal callipers Cutting spigot 18mm long with wide parting tool.
edge parallel to bed bars Finished spigot on cylinder box

Inset or in-tting lids

Inset/in-t lids are where the recess is
in the body and the lid forms the spigot
or a spigot is formed in the lid simple
enough to make. The internal cylinder
may be used as the recess with the
underside of the lid shoulder resting
on the top of the body. Alternatively a full
recess may be cut in the body with the
whole of the lid acting as the spigot.
The techniques and methods are the
same as for the over-t lid but with the
operations in the components reversed. In-t lids, left. Walls used as spigot right, recess cut into walls

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 FITTING OF LIDS ON BOXES

Over-t and in-t variants

Not every lid needs to be a snug t. Many containers require
only that the lid locates and sits on top of something to act
as a covering to keep things stored in place and also allow
the user to be able to lift off the lid with ease without holding
the lower body of the container. The drawings show a few
variants where this can be advantageous and, instead of
using a full elongated spigot, a little spigot comprising a
bead or bead-ended stubby spigot is used as the locator.
Some forms also have a bead and groove-like location t.
There are many variants to explore. The key is to nd a t
that is wholly commensurate and suitable for the take your
box/container requires.

Depending on the box/containers function, one may need just a sit-on lid that gently locates in place without being a suction or tight t so it is easily removed

Re-chucking methods
The essence of re-chucking is to enable
the work to be held while nishing the top
of the lid and the bottom of the base in a
safe way, without damaging or disguring
the already completed parts.
One of the commonest methods is the
jam chuck. There is, however, a conict
in obtaining total security versus ease
of removing the completed work.
The compromise to be reached is a t
that is secure but can be removed without
unnecessary force, together with practices
that will mitigate the probabilities of
unintended detachment of the piece.
In most cases the tailstock can be
engaged for the majority of the turning,
however, it will have to be removed for
the nal cuts to remove the remains of
the original chuck just when the piece is
most vulnerable. Jam chucks are a great
way to practise lid tting because the
methods are the same a square, undercut
shoulder at the back of the spigot for the
work to butt up to will aid stability.
When removing the tailstock to make
the nal cuts, simple solutions to mitigate
potential accidents include the use of
masking tape to secure the components
together, or dabs of hot-melt glue.
Using the base as a jam chuck for the
lid has the distinct advantage of enabling
the piece to be seen and turned as one,
allowing curves to ow into one another.
Here is an example of easy re-chucking
when making lids with either in-t or over-
t lids which a have a knob, (as in the
sycamore storage vessel). I standardised
the hole diameter using a 12mm Forstner
bit to drill the hole to house the knob.
This allows me to jam chuck the lid with
the tailstock engaged for the duration
of the operation by using a smaller
diameter revolving centre located in
the hole. No other security is required.
Having removed the spigot from one
end, the remaining one needs either
a jam chuck making or, as mentioned
earlier in the series, re-chucked in
expansion or compression mode with
the holding area protected by router
matting or something similar and, of
course, the tailstock for support, removed
only for the nal cuts. No other support
should be needed.

Re-chucking a lid, drilled to house a knob or nial, is secured with small revolving centre Long cylinder jaws in expansion mode with router matting used to prevent damage

A long jam chuck to take a cylinder box body. Shoulders are undercut to ensure the Jam chuck with box body. Note top of box sits squarely against shoulder, ensuring
box sits squarely concentricity and aiding security when applying side force

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 OUR CONTRIBUTORS

ANDY COATES COLWIN WAY CHRIS HART CHRIS WEST GEOFFREY LAYCOCK
Andy is a professional Colwin started turning Chris is a retired Chris has spent a Geoffrey is a Chartered
woodturner and has a aged 13 and has since sales and marketing good deal of his time Safety Practitioner,
workshop and gallery gone on to teach the executive now living designing, turning and Chartered Ergonomics
in Suffolk. He mostly craft. He wishes to in the beautiful North writing on the subject Practitioner and Fellow
makes one-off pieces, continue to give Wales countryside on of salt and pepper mills. of the Royal Society
but is just as likely people the condence the edge of Snowdonia His latest book, Adding for the Protection
to be doing small- to try the wonderful National Park. Here he Spice to Woodturning: of Health and has
batch runs, antique hobby for themselves. is currently developing 20 Salt, Pepper & written extensively
restorations or any colwinway@ ornamental turning Spice Shaker Projects for our sister
number of strange btinternet.com techniques and is an for Woodturners, was magazine, Furniture
commissions. He active member published in 2017 by & Cabinetmaking.
also demonstrates of Shropshire and Artisan IDEAS in North geoffrey@
and teaches turning. Mid Wales America otterconsultancy.
cobwebcrafts@ Woodturning clubs. www.westwood co.uk
btinternet.com christyhart@ turnery.co.uk
cobwebcrafts.co.uk btinternet.com

JOHN PLATER KURT HERTZOG RICHARD FINDLEY STUART KING STUART THOMAS WALTER HALL
John has woodturned A professional Richard discovered Stuart King has Stuart has been Walter is a woodturner
in the UK since his woodturner, woodturning while been a familiar woodturning for more who has specialised
schooldays but in a demonstrator and working for his father gure in traditional than 25 years, doing in making pens and
more meaningful way teacher, Kurt writes for as a joiner. He makes woodworking circles work for joinery and pencils for more
since taking early various woodturning all kinds of work to since the early 1960s kitchen rms and the than 20 years. Based
retirement 10 years and woodworking commission, and offers and has built up a National Trust as well on the beautiful
ago. He likes making publications in the US. demonstrations broad knowledge of as demonstrating. Northumberland coast
decorative hollowed He is on the Pen Makers and a range of woodworking and Living with his wife in the UK, Walter sells
pieces from interesting Guild Council and is woodturning supplies. turning techniques. Patricia in Mold, North his bespoke pens and
woods with holes, past president of the richard@turners Stuarts historical Wales, he now spends pencils through local
sap and bark. He American Association workshop.co.uk interest has led to time turning smaller craft centres and via
thinks that hes OK of Woodturners. turnersworkshop. much research into items involving thread- his website. walter@
with a bowl gouge but kurt@kurthertzog. co.uk endangered or lost chasing. walterhall.co.uk
useless with a skew. com skills. crowngreen1@yahoo. www.walterhall.co.uk
www.johnplater. kurthertzog.com www.stuartking. co.uk
co.uk co.uk

TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 01273 488 005 OR VISIT WWW.THEGMCGROUP.COM

Editor Mark Baker E: russellh@thegmcgroup.com Marketing Anne Guillot is published 13 times a year by Post your order to:
E: markb@thegmcgroup.com Advertisement Production T: 01273 402871 the Guild of Master Craftsmen The Subscription Department,
Editorial Assistant Karen Scott Production Controller Origination: Publications Ltd. GMC Publications, 166 High Street,
T: 01273 477374 Amanda Hoag GMC Reprographics Subscription rates Lewes, East Sussex
E: karensc@thegmcgroup.com Tel: 01273 402807 Printer: (including postage & packing) BN7 1XU, England.
Designer Oliver Prentice E: repro@thegmcgroup.com Precision Colour Printing 12 issues: UK 47.40 Europe 59.25 Telephone: 01273 488005
Illustrator Mark Carr Publisher Jonathan Grogan T: 01952 585585 Rest of World 66.36 Fax: 01273 478606
Chief Photographer Production Manager Jim Bulley Distribution: 24 issues: UK 94.80 Europe 118.50 Cheques should be made
Anthony Bailey Subscriptions Manager Seymour Distribution Ltd Rest of World 132.72 payable to GMC Publications Ltd.
Advertising Sales Executive Helen Johnston T: +44 (0) 20 7429 4000 US subscribers should visit www. Current subscribers will automatically
Russell Higgins T: 01273 402 873 Woodturning lightningpublications.com receive a renewal notice (excludes
Tel: 01273 402899 E: helenj@thegmcgroup.com (ISSN 0958-9457) for subscription rates in USD $. direct debit) subscribers

Woodturning will consider articles for publication, which should be sent to the Editor together with a stamped-addressed envelope for return. GMC Publications cannot accept liability for the loss or damage of unsolicited material. Views and comments expressed by
individuals do not necessarily represent those of the publishers and no legal responsibility can be accepted for the result of the use by readers of information or advice of whatever kind given in this publication, either in editorial or advertisements. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the Guild of Master Craftsmen Publications Ltd.

90 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

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091_WTUR_312.indd 91 10/10/17 10:35 AM

 Christmas Round-up
A collection of tools and products that might make good gifts
All prices are correct at time of going to press but are subject to change without notice. Products from US & overseas to UK are subject to shipping & taxes

MACHINERY
Record Power SABRE-350 bandsaw
Record Power has introduced a new bandsaw, the SABRE-350.
It says: It is more effective, accurate and easier to use than
any other machine in its class. Featuring a 1100W output, 1.5hp
motor, coupled with the heavy-duty cast-iron band wheels, the
SABRE-350 packs a real punch and can handle cuts to its full
capacity with ease. The two speeds, which are slightly faster
than comparable machines, make it ideal for cutting non-ferrous
metals as well as wood. The cam-action fence adjustment,
spring-loaded guides, cam-action blade tension release and
double-sided fence mount make this a machine that is so easy to
set up. The SABRE-350 stands on a sturdy cabinet base, giving
plenty of storage beneath the machine. The resaw bar, which is
easily attached to the fence, is included as standard. This is ideal
when sizing long pieces of timber as the timber can be pivoted
to compensate for grain variations, helping to achieve straighter
cuts than would be otherwise possible.

Specications
Maximum depth of cut: 285mm
Throat depth: 345mm
Table size: 546 x 400mm
Blade length: 111in
Blade width capacity: in
Blade speed: 440 and 1000M/minute

Price: 899.99
Contact: Record Power
Web: www.recordpower.co.uk

NOVA 1624 II LATHE

Thoroughly revised, this new version from Nova not only
looks good but has the muscle to match. The class-leading
1120W (1.5HP) 230V induction motor provides ample power
for large projects. The low speed (178rpm) gives plenty
of scope for the large-diameter turnings, while the high
speed (3,000rpm) is perfect for pens, lace bobbins or
many other small turning projects. The 360 swivelling
head means you can still turn larger bowls comfortably in
a reasonably compact space, using the included bowl-
turning attachment.

Price: 1112.47
Contact: Brimarc
Web: www.brimarc.com

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 TURNING TOOLS
DECORATING ELF
Henry Taylor Tools comments: It is the
most versatile texturing and patterning
tool available. It cuts wood side and
end grain, acrylics, alternative ivory, bone
and antler. It is supplied with a brush and
ball cutter bud and cylinder cutters are
available at extra cost and the price
includes an instructional DVD, featuring
Nick Agar. You will be amazed at the
different textures and patterns that can
be achieved.
Price: 48.49
Contact: Henry Taylor Tools
Web: www.henrytaylortools.co.uk
SIMON HOPE TOOL HANDLES
Simon has recently introduced a new range of
interchangeable handles. Each have anodized
heads and removable end caps at the rear of
the handle which have a hex-key located in
the cap to undo and tighten the non-marring
brass-tipped machined screws. The handles
are available in four sizes 270mm (gold)
370mm (blue), 510mm (red) and 600mm
(silver) long. The bore size for each are: 10,
13.5, 16.5 and 19mm respectively.
Prices: 37-45
Contact: Simon Hope
Website: hopewoodturning.co.uk
WT312_92_97_Xmas Kit_and_Tools_ NEW_SUBBED_MB.indd 93
REVOLUTION CARBIDE CUTTER
Crown Handtools has introduced an
8mm mirror-polish carbide cutter (supplied
tted on to a carrier) that can be used
on any of the Revolution hollowing tool
range. The carbide cutter has a slightly
raised cutting edge. When the cutter and
holder is tted to a Revolution shaft the
cutter can be used to bulk-remove waste
or presented in shear-cutting mode to
create a delicate rening cut. The cutter
attachment allows the cutters to be
angled/offset from the tool shaft to create
undercut shoulders too.
Price: Revolution carbide attachment 28
Price for replacement tip: 10
Contact: Crown Handtools for stockist details
Web: www.crownhandtools.ltd.uk
WOODCUT TOOLS MINIATURE
WOODTURNING HANDLE & TOOLS
Woodcut Tools has introduced a Mini Cam-
Loc handle, together with an extensive
range of 10 mini turning tools. All have
6mm round shanks to t the handle. The
Cam-Loc handle locks in place in each tool
with a twist of the head. Up to six can be
stored inside of the tool handle.
Price: Woodcut mini cam-loc handle 81.72
Price: Miniature turning tools from 24.73
Contact: Axminster Tools & Machinery
Web: www.axminster.co.uk
PARTING TOOLS
Carter & Son Toolworks has introduced
two parting tools made from M42 steel in
3 and 5mm widths. They are designed to
t in a 13mm bore handle. They are sold
individually as blades only, but handles
are available as an optional extra. The
manufacturer comments: A distinct cobalt
additive bumps M42s red hardness off
the charts, ensuring impressive wear
resistance. And M42s tight molecular
structure produces a ner, sharper edge.
Less time at the grinder cleaner cuts
at the lathe. The parting tools are sold
as blade only, handles are available
separately.
Price: 89.30
Contact: Carter & Son Toolworks
Web: carterandsontoolworks.com
For UK enquiries contact: The Toolpost
Web: www.toolpost.co.uk
EASY MICRO 3-PIECE SET
Easy Wood Tools has introduced a micro
set of its tipped turning tools. Each has an
overall length of 235mm.
The set comprises an Easy micro rougher,
an Easy micro detailer and an Easy micro
nisher, plus an extra 25mm-radius
carbide cutter. The set of tools is supplied
in a plastic carry/storage case.
Price: $239.99
Contact: Easy Wood Tools
Web: www.easywoodtools.com
Woodturning 312 93
04/10/2017 13:06
 PYROGRAPHY

ANTEX CRAFT FIREWRITER PYROGRAPHY UNIT RAZERTIP PYROGRAPHY UNIT

A professional wood-burning kit that is temperature adjustable The SS-D10 is Razertip's workhorse, with many features not found
to 650C and includes a writing tip, slim pyrography pen, on any other woodburner. Dual handpiece capability allows you
and ve nickel chrome wires to make your own tips. to have two pens plugged in and change between them at the
ick of a switch. This is particularly useful if your pyrography
Features include: work calls for frequent handpiece changes as it saves time and
Temperature adjustable wear on the connectors. The SS-D10's extra low-end temperature
Slim and comfortable pen adjustment allows you to turn the heat down further if the no.1
40W output setting is still too hot. The maximum heat setting is 745C.
Pre-fabricated tips available separately
Clip stand for locating pen when not in use Price: 195
Contact: Woodart Products
Price: 178.62 Web: www.woodart-products.co.uk
Contact: Antex (Craft) Limited
Web: craft.antex.co.uk for stockist details

WORKSHOP KIT

SJBERGS NORDIC 1450 BENCH LONGWORTH CHUCK LARGE TOOL BAGS

With a frame of Scandinavian pine and a
top of Nordic birch, this bench is made
to last a lifetime of normal use. Features
include a double row of dog holes and
four vice-mounting positions. Four bench
dogs and two vices are supplied. The
bench comes with a sliding door cupboard
and four-drawer storage modules which
slot underneath and an accessory kit
containing a holdfast, jaw cushions and
universal handle.
Price: 351.50
Web. www.brimarc.com
Turners Retreat Craft Supplies has
introduced a Longworth-style chuck. Made
from 6mm precision-cut phenolic plates,
it is a self-centring scrolling chucking
device with non-marking silicone buttons.
It holds work in expansion or contraction
mode and is designed to be held in
50mm dovetail jaws of a four-jaw chuck.
It is a designed to hold work while the
nishing cuts are made at a recommended
maximum speed of 600RPM.
Available in 250, 300, 355 and
405mm diameters.
Prices from 99.99 159.95
Contact: Turners Retreat Craft Supplies
Web: www.craft-supplies.co.uk
Toolpost has introduced a new product
line workmanlike tool bags designed
specically with the needs of the
woodturner on the move in mind.
The canvas toolbag is 750mm long,
about 150mm diameter and features
reinforced end panels, triple closure straps
and two shoulderable carry straps.
The leather toolbag is made from tanned
hide, 685mm long, about 150mm in
diameter and features double-end panels,
triple closure straps and two shoulderable
carry straps.
From 36
Contact: The Toolpost
Web: www.toolpost.co.uk

94 www.woodworkersinstitute.com

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 KIT & TOOLS

BOOK OFFERS

SABURRTOOTH CUTTERS
Saburrtooth has cutters of numerous shapes of carving burrs or carving discs/wheels
and cups which comprise long-lasting, razor-sharp carbide cutting teeth arranged
into a unique open pattern to resist loading while providing rapid stock removal and
smoother nishes. BUILD STUFF WITH WOOD
Each cutter/disc is colour coded, which helps identify the aggressiveness or nesse Build Stuff With Wood is a true
of the cutter. Extra coarse are orange, coarse are green, medium are red and ne beginners guide to woodworking,
grits are yellow. aimed at anyone who is interested
Discs/sculpting wheels are available in sizes from 50-178mm The rotary carving in the craft but has only a few tools
burrs come in numerous head shapes with shank sizes: 3mm and 6mm, 18, 332 and and no real idea where to start.
in. The cutting head of the burrs, depending on prole selected, ranges from 3mm
wide to 50mm wide. 9781631867118
RRP 18.99, offer price
Prices: from 11.59 13.29 plus p&p
Contact: Saburrtooth To order please call 01273 488005
Contact: www.saburr-tooth.com or go to www.thegmcgroup.com
and quote code: R5260

KUTZALL HAND RASPS VINCES

Kutzall original rasps are made with a
rugged and long-lasting tungsten-carbide
coating. Kutzall rasps provide the user
with an aggressive, multi-directional rasp
that will cut efciently, resist loading, and
stay sharp project after project, even under
some of the most punishing applications.
They are available in at, warding or half-
round proles in blade lengths of 150 or
200mm.
Prices: from $25
Contact: Kutzall
Web: kutzall.com
For UK enquiries contact: Tomaco
Web: www.tomaco.co.uk
VIN
NCES WOOD N W
WO
WONDERS
O DE
ON DERS
Sanding arbors in various shapes from
1-5in sizes and various shapes and
thicknesses from $7.95.
Palm sander $6.75.
Inner face pads in rm (yellow), medium
(orange) or soft (blue) with a radiused or
tapered prole from $5.00.
Contact: Vinces Wood n Wonders
Web: vinceswoodnwonders.com
ULTIMATE WOODWORK BIBLE
Everything you need to know about
working with wood, including
step-by-step techniques and top
tips from leading carpenters.
9781911163435
RRP 14.99, offer price
10.49 plus p&p
To order please call 01273 488005
or go to www.thegmcgroup.com
and quote code: R5261
Closing date: 2 February 2018
Please note: p&p is 2.95 for the rst
item and 1.95 for each additional item

Woodturning 312 95

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 YORKSHIRE GRIT
Yorkshire Grit is an abrasive paste formulated to give a ne-keyed
surface to your turnings, prior to applying the oil or wax nish
of your choice. It consists of pharmaceutical grade ingredients,
including mineral oil, beeswax and ultra-ne grinding powders
which are carefully blended (without the use of solvents or other
strong smelling and potentially harmful chemicals) to produce a
creamy abrasive paste. Yorkshire Grit acts like liquid sandpaper,
reducing the scratches left by the initial dry sanding and
eliminating the dust produced by traditional sanding at higher
grits. The grinding powders break down to a ner mesh as they
are used, while still maintaining a cutting edge forming a ner
abrasive.
Price: 10.95
Contact: Yorkshire Grit
Web: yorkshire-grit.com
INTRINSIC COLOURS
Martin Saban-Smith has recently introduced a range of Intrinsic
water-based dyes comprising 11 new shades, developed and
mixed by Hampshire Sheen developer Martin Saban-Smith in the
workshop. Available in individual bottles of 250ml or in boxed
sets of full-size 250ml or 15ml sample bottles, the set includes
Martins preferred Danish oil to enhance the colours once dry
in 250ml or 15ml bottles. Each product comes with a handy
colouring guide of the technique Martin uses to colour his work.
Individual 250ml bottles: 8.50
Prices: boxed set prices 24.99 & 84.99
Contact: Hampshire Sheen
Web: www.hampshiresheen.com
96
WT312_92_97_Xmas Kit_and_Tools_ NEW_SUBBED_MB.indd 96
CHESTNUT PRODUCTS FINISHES
The company says cellulose solvent is a high-quality dilutant
for its cellulose-based products, such as Cellulose Sanding Sealer
and Melamine Lacquer.
Thinning these products can help to make them easier to
apply, especially over larger areas as it helps them ow out.
Sanding Sealer is a quick-drying sealer which provides an
excellent base for all Chestnut Products nishes that require
the use of a sealer. This formula does not contain harmful
petroleum solvents such as toluene and xylene.
Melamine Lacquer is solvent based and therefore very quick
drying, usually touch-dry within 30 seconds. It then chemically
cures to achieve maximum hardness. Its ideal for smaller items,
or, with care and a little thinning, can be used on larger areas too.
Prices: from 8.95-11.25 for a 500ml can
Contact: Chestnut Products for stockist details
Web: chestnutproducts.co.uk
BOTTLE STOPPERS AND MANDRELS
SS Niles stainless steel bottle stoppers are made from 304
FDA-approved stainless steel. There are also brass variants.
The stoppers come in various shapes and styles, so, dependent
on the stopper selected, you can afx a wood, stone, glass,
clay or ceramic knob to the stopper.
Prices: from $7.95 each
Contact: SS Niles
Web: www.nilesbottlestoppers.com
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
13/10/2017 12:07
 Saw blades Hole saws Jig saw blades

Sabre saw blades Tools with bore Router bits

& knives & sets
AL
ET
M
y
av
He
M
BI
F
0C
92
PI mm
.9
/2

JS

THE WIDEST TOOLING RANGE

For more information and to find your nearest stockist
please visit www.tomaco.co.uk

098_WTUR_312.indd 98 10/6/17 12:38 PM

 TIMBER, TOOLS & ACCESSORIES COURSES/CLASSIFIED

Advertisers Index
Axminster 35 & IBC Osmo 42
Beaufort Ink 26 Paul Howard Woodturning 82
Carter Products 6 Planet Plus 75
Chestnut Finishing Products 42 Record Power IFC & 1
Cook Woods 70 Robert Sorby BC
Craft Supplies USA 11 Robust Tools 41
Creative Welsh Woodturning 25 Ron Browns Best 50
Crown Hand Tools 25 Simon Hope Woodturning 66 & 84
Exotic Blanks 91 Stainless Bottle Stoppers 56 & 70
G & S Specialist Timber 34 Starbond 70
GPS Agencies 73 Stiles & Bates 64
Hamlet Craft Tools 35 The Beall Tool Company 82
Hampshire Sheen 73 The Toolpost 32, 64 & 79
Henry Taylor Tools 26 Tomaco 72
J & CR Wood 70 Tomaco - CMT 98
Killinger Lathes 75 Toolbank 14
Laguna Tools 2 Toolnut 58
Metal Spinning Workshop 82 Trend 20
Nelton Exhibitions 11 Wigley DIY 42
Niles Bottle Stoppers 34 Wivamac 55
Olivers Woodturning 57 Woodchuckers.com 75
Oneway Manufacturing 34 Woodworkers Emporium 91

Hexhamshire Hardwoods
7OODTURNINGCOURSESINTHEBEAUTIFUL
.ORTH9ORK-OORS.ATIONAL0ARK

 DAYSONETOONETUITION
TOMEETYOURNEEDSBYARRANGEMENT Hagwood,
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Learn to turn in Somerset Wide range of British & Exotic

with George Foweraker RPT
hardwood in prepared bowl blanks
at competitive prices
One to one tuition with
a Registered Professional Turner Tools & Accessories
Maximum of two students
Winter Opening times
Monday - Friday 10:00 - 16:00
Telephone 01278 782074 Saturdays - By Appointment
www.artistry-in-wood.co.uk

TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL RUSSELL: 01273 402841 Woodturning 312 99

WTUR_312.indd 99 10/16/17 10:32 AM

 CLASSIFIED TIMBER, TOOLS & ACCESSORIES

info

NAREX - FLEXCUT - CHESTNUT PRODUCTS - LIBERON

E-MAIL: CHARLIEJUSTWOOD@SKY.COM WWW.JUSTWOODONLINE.CO.UK

100 www.woodworkersinstitute.com TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL RUSSELL: 01273 402841

WTUR_312.indd 100 10/9/17 12:44 PM

 TIMBER, TOOLS & ACCESSORIES CLASSIFIED

Woodworking Materials LINCOLNSHIRE WOODCRAFT SUPPLIES

Easy to find - Only 2 mins from A1 - Easy to Park
Large selection of products Specialist in High Quality Turning Blanks in Both Homegrown and
Exotic Timbers. Over 60 timbers in stock.
Clocks & Accessories (Quartz & Mechanical), Barometers,
Thermometers, Cabinet furniture, Screws, Plans, Kits, OPEN 9.00AM - 4.30PM MON - FRI
Polishes, Adhesives, Abrasives etc. 9.00AM - 1.00PM SAT
For free catalogue please contact, Send six First Class stamps for our
MAIL ORDER CATALOGUE
Chris Milner, Woodworking Supplies FOR EXPERT ADVICE CONTACT: ROBIN STOREY
(Dept WT), Beresford Lane, Woolley Moor,
THE OLD SAW MILL, BURGHLEY PARK,
Nr Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55 6FH LONDON ROAD, STAMFORD, LINCS PE9 3JS
Tel/Fax: 01246 590 062 TEL: 01780 757825
Email: info@clocksandbarometers.com NEW WEBSITE: WWW.LINCOLNSHIREWOODCRAFT.CO.UK

ALL OLD WOODTURNING Allan Calders Ltd Sandpaper Supplies

Unit 2B Churnet Works, James Brindley Road, Leek, Staffordshire ST13 8YH
TOOLS WANTED
Also wanted - all woodworking We are supplying top
hand tools and anvils. quality brands of
sanding abrasives for all
Very best prices paid for Norris planes.
types of wood turners.
Please contact Tony Murland
Web: www.sandpapersupplies.co.uk
Telephone: 01394 421323
Email: sandpapersupplies@yahoo.co.uk
Email: tony@antiquetools.co.uk Tel: 01538 387738

Hardwoods
Wood finishes
Australian Burrs
Speed Genie
Exotic Timbers Features:
t: 01798 861611 f: 01798 861633
W.L.West & Sons Ltd
Selham, Petworth, GU28 0PJ

Woodturning Blanks Start/Stop

Woodturning Courses (see website for dates) New 1.5 HP motor
Speed control
Woodworking Tools
Emergency stop
Fencing, Gate & Decking Products FWD/REV
Bespoke Garden Furniture 2 accel/decal times
Q u i c k T i m e
Q u i c k T i m e
a n d
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d e c o m p r e s s o r
a
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Runs from 13A plug
d e c o m p r e s s o r
a r e n e e d e d t o s e e t h i s p i c t u r e .
a r e n e e d e d t o s e e t h i s p i c t u r e .
Other kits available

Off A272 Midhurst to Petworth road opp The Halfway Bridge Inn

* Mainland UK, excluding

Highlands and Islands

NEW KIT!!
1.5HP Nova 1624-44 Q u i c k T i m e
Q u i c k T i m e
a n d
a n d
a
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d e c o m p r e s s o r

450 + VAT incl. a r e

a r e
d e c o m p r e s s o r
n e e d e d
n e e d e d
t o
t o
s e e
s e e
t h i s
t h i s
p i c
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free delivery*

S. Haydock, Spring Bank Farm, Goosefoot Lane, Samlesbury, Preston, PR5 0UU
Tel/Fax: (01254) 851918
haydockconverters@gmail.com www.haydockconverters.co.uk

TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL RUSSELL: 01273 402841 Woodturning 312 101

WTUR_312.indd 101 10/9/17 9:55 AM

 CLASSIFIED TIMBER, TOOLS & ACCESSORIES

BINDERS
Now you can keep your magazines in order and These stylish and durable binders each
hold up to 13 issues and are an ideal way
build up a complete practical reference library.
to protect your magazine collection.

UK Europe Rest of World I enclose a cheque (made payable to GMC Publications Ltd.)
Binder (each) 8.99 8.99 7.49 (excl. VAT) Please debit my credit/debit card (please indicate)
TO THE VALUE OF
P&P for first binder 2.95 3.95 4.95
P&P for any additional binders 1.95 1.95 4.95 Card
Number

I would like to order .................... binder(s) for Woodturning Expiry Security The last 3 or 4 digits
Date Code on the signature strip
Mr/Mrs/Miss/Other ..............................................................................Name ....................................................................................................
Card
Surname .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Type


Address.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................... Postcode .....................................................................................................
Signature
Date
Country .................................................................................................................................. Tel .....................................................................................................
Email.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd. will ensure that you are kept up to date on other products which will be of interest to you.
If you would prefer not to be informed of future oers, please tick this box Oer ends 28/02/2018

SEND FORM TO: FREEPOST RTHA -TGLU -CTSK,

CALL: +44 (0) 1273 488005 GMC Publications Ltd, 166 High Street, Lewes, BN7 1XU
ORDER ONLINE: www.thegmcgroup.com (Please ax a stamp if posting from overseas) Please allow 28 days for delivery

102 www.woodworkersinstitute.com TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL RUSSELL: 01273 402841

WTUR_312.indd 102 10/13/17 3:44 PM

 TIMBER, TOOLS & ACCESSORIES CLASSIFIED

Barkers Lane, Snainton, Nr. Scarborough,

We have a large selection of woodturning blanks in a variety North Yorkshire YO13 9BG

of species, Spalted Beech, English Walnut, Ash etc. ranging WOODWORKING SUPPLIES TEL: 01723 859545
Open Mon-Fri 9.00am - 5.00pm
from 4- 12 in diameter and 2- 4 thick. www.snaintonwoodworking.com Saturday 9.00am - 4.00pm
Sun + Bank hols CLOSED

Visit our woodstore to see our large

stock of British/Exotic timbers.
Please visit our Forest Row branch, Join our wood discount club for only 15
per year and receive 25% off all British
or contact our sales team on: Turning/Carving blanks when spending 20
01342 822191 or timber@mstc.co.uk CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS
Gift Vouchers available mail order please telephone.
RECORD
DML250 Cast Iron 10" Mini Lathe 219
Books, DVD's, Bufng System, Chisel Sets, DML305-M33 Midi Lathe 299
Pen Turning Kits and much more. DML320 Cast Midi Lathe 1HP 549
www.mstc.co.uk CHARNWOOD
W711 8" Bandsaw 159
CL3 Lathe M33 2MT
CL4 Lathe M33 2MT
From 469
From 899
Station Road, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5EL W715 10" Bandsaw 219 Coronet Herald Heavy Duty Cast Iron VS Lathe 999
B350 14" Premium Bandsaw 589 Maxi 1 Lathe 1799
W815 Mini Lathe 189 BS9 9" Bandsaw 159
W813 Vari Speed Lathe From 390 BS250 10" Bandsaw 269
DC50 Dust Extractor 115 BS300 12" Premium Bandsaw 499
BG200 8" Bench Grinder 89 BS350S Premium 14" Bandsaw 699
CHUCKS AND ACCESSORIES BS400S Premium 16" Bandsaw 999
When you need a Charnwood Viper 2 Chuck
Charnwood Viper 3 Chuck
89
99
NEW 67000 Sabre 350 14" Bandsaw
NEW 68000 Sabre 450 18" Bandsaw
899
1399
Charnwood Nexus 3 Chuck 99 AC400 Air Filter 149
reliable tradesman for Record RP2000 Scroll Chuck From 59.99
Record SC3 Geared Scroll Chuck Package 99.99
WG200 PK/A Wet Stone Sharpening System 149
CAMVAC EXTRACTORS
Record SC4 Geared Scroll Chuck Package 129.99 CGV286-1 Wall 150L 1000 Watt 4" Inlet 249
work on your home Record SC4 Companion Chuck
Nova G3 Scroll Chuck
89.99
From 96
CGV286-3 36L 1000 Watt 4" Inlet
CGV286-4 36L 2000 Watt 4" Inlet
199
279
Supernova 2 Chuck From 127 CGV336-3 55L 1000 Watt 4" Inlet 229
choose a member of The Guild of Master Craftsmen. Robert Sorby Patriot Chuck 175 CGV336-4 55L 2000 Watt 4" Inlet 319
Longworth Style Chuck 3 sizes From 99.95 Large range of machines, tools and accessories.
For a tradesman you can trust and a job done well. PETER CHILD PYROGRAPHY MACHINE 114.95 SHEPPACH
ROBERT SORBY HBS250 10" Bandsaw + 2 Free Blades 259.95
6 Pc Chisel Set 67HS Free Delivery UK Mainland 135 Basa 3 12" Bandsaw 399
ProEdge Free Delivery UK Mainland 278 Tiger 2000S Sharpening System 119
ProEdge Deluxe Free Delivery UK Mainland 330 HMS 2000 Planer/Thicknesser 280

The only place to list members of The Guild of Master Craftsmen exclusively
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR EMAIL/NEWSLETTER
It's free to join @ www.snaintonwoodworking.com
Keep up to date with offers, new products & demonstration days

Woodturning
magazine is the
best platform for Suppliers of quality blanks,
spindles and boards in
reaching native hardwoods and
exotics. Also abrasives and
nishes. We will cut to
your target customers requirements.
THE WOOD SHED Visits to clubs welcome.
11 Lowtown Road market Mail order available.
Temple Patrick
Tredegar House
Co. Antrim BT39 0HD native and exotic woods Newport NP10 8TW
02894 433833 woodturning tools To advertise contact Russell on Tel: 01633 810148
Mob: 07854 349045
accessories finishes 01273 402841 www.iscawoodcrafts.co.uk
www.wood-shed.com woodturning courses for all abilities or russellh@thegmcgroup.com iscawoodcrafts@yahoo.co.uk

BWS
Jet SIP
Sheppach
Fox BWS
Microclene

Barmossie
Startrite
Triton
Barmossie
Charnwood Record
Woodturning Supplies Woodturning Supplies
Moss of Barmuckity, Elgin, Unit 25, Twitch Hill, Horbury,
IV30 8QW :DNHHOG:)1$
01924 271868
07966 298026 07966 298026

Open every Saturday Open every Saturday

8am - 5pm 8am - 5pm

TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL RUSSELL: 01273 402841 Woodturning 312 103

WTUR_312.indd 103 10/12/17 4:20 PM


Seamus Cassidy shares with us how Orbital came about
I like to combine different materials
with wood to give a strong visual impact.
The three elements of this piece would
be ash, elm and polycarbonate. From
my scaled design sketch I knew this
had to be precision turning for all
elements to work together.
I started by rough-turning the ash
from dry timber and left these aside
for a couple of weeks to allow the timber
to stabilise and get the moisture content
down to about 8-10%. Not being able
to source burr elm veneer, I ended up
having to cut it myself to a thickness
of 2mm. Now the glue... the suppliers
of the polycarbonate told me I would
need a special glue which required a
licence to purchase and use it. This was
not an option, so I found an off-the-shelf
glue not commonly used with wood
and it worked.
104
WT312_104_Featured_Artist SUBBED_MB.indd 104
Orbital
Polycarbonate was sandwiched between
two layers of elm and cramped together
using plywood. I nished the ash
vessels and bleached them, having
cut a small groove near the rim to allow
the polycarbonate to slot into.
The laminated polycarbonate and elm
discs were mounted on a screw chuck
with a plywood backing and another piece
of plywood screwed on to sandwich the
disc and keep it at while turning the
outside rim and removing the inner disc
of veneer to leave a ring of veneer on the
polycarbonate. The disc was then removed
and reversed to nish the other side.
I textured the polycarbonate for
contrast and turned a hole out of each
of the discs to allow them to be pulled
down on the ash vessels and pop into
the small slot in the vessels. The hole
in each disc had to be about 2mm less
PHOTOGRAPH BY ROLAND PASCHHOFF. IMAGE SUPPLIED COURTESY OF THE RDS
than the outside diameter of the vessel.
The elm discs were nished with Danish
oil and popped on to the vessels. This
was the nal stage and the most nerve-
racking as if these discs did not t the
result was disaster.
Round bottoms on the vessels ensured
they could be tilted on the sandblasted
glass base with a hole for each vessel
drilled out. The plinth was a light box
with LED lights to reect light upwards
through the polycarbonate and diffuse
through to the outside edge.
The size of the largest piece measures
230mm diameter x 120mm high and it
was awarded 2014 RDS National Crafts
Competition: 1st Prize woodturning;
Irish Woodturners Guild Award.
Enquiries: seamuscassidy01@eircom.net
Website: seamuscassidy.ie
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
04/10/2017 13:23
 Axminster
Hobby Series
Lathes for
the discerning
hobby user
So sure are we of the
quality of the Axminster
Hobby Series lathes,
we cover all parts and
labour free of charge
for three years!

4.8 stars 4.8 stars

this lathe is a dream to use. Its quiet, well balanced Anybody looking to start woodturning I would suggest
and very easy to use. The tool rest is a good size. looking no further than this lathe.

AH-1218 299.95 Inc.vat 505020

AWSL 219.96 Inc.vat 501245 Great choice for those looking for larger AH-1218VS 342.49 Inc.vat 505021
capacities and motor power but still within
Well suited to the newcomer to turning who has Similar to the AH-1218, but this model has the
a reasonable budget.
limited budget and space. convenience of variable spindle speed.
Starter packages with Clubman chuck Starter packages with Clubman chuck
SK80 392.21 717926 SK80 477.32 717928
SK100 412.21 717922 SK100 496.32 717924

4.8 stars
This lathe is clearly a well made and sturdy piece of
See us at the equipment. I have been using it for a couple of years now
and I remain impressed.
North of England
AWVSL 1000 456.49 Inc.vat 501268
Woodworking & Power Tool With a huge turning diameter over the bed, the big
Show, Harrogate brother of the Hobby Series lathes has the capability to
turn larger diameter bowls without the need to rotate the
17-19 November 2017 head. For those who are serious about woodturning!
Starter package with Clubman chuck
SK100 604.25 717925

Finishes From pen turning to German nutcrackers,

our Skill Centre offers an impressive
We have an extensive range selection of woodturning courses for all
of sealants, waxes and polishes levels of ability and experience.
especially for the woodturner. axminster.co.uk/skill-centre

For more information, call 0800 371822,

search axminster.co.uk or visit one of our stores.
Axminster Basingstoke Cardiff High Wycombe North Shields Nuneaton Sittingbourne Warrington
Prices may be subject to change without notice.

IBC_WTUR_312.indd 1 10/4/17 3:54 PM

 Robert Sorby
a cut above
The Robert Sorby TurnMaster is the first tool in the world to combine three
cutting edge technologies in one flexible tool.
Cutters are available in tungsten carbide, titanium nitride (TiN) and high speed
steel (HSS) providing unsurpassed range to woodturners at every level.
An unprecedented collection of parts and cutters make it the most versatile
and value added single tool concept on the market today.
Among its many features TurnMaster incorporates a unique*
interchangeable cutter head that locks into three positions
allowing for simple scraping and shear scarping options.

Benefits:
All cutters interchangeable with one tool
Indexable cutting head for shear scraping
Interchangeable cutter head
no need to buy whole new tool
Flat underside for stability
High tensile torx screw / key
for quick cutter release
*Patent pending

CARBIDE: TITANIUM: HSS

Proudly made in Sheffield, England
Robert Sorby, Athol Road, Sheffield S8 0PA, England.
Tel: 44+ 114 225 0700 Fax: 44+ 114 225 0710
E-mail: sales@robert-sorby.co.uk
Web site: www.robert-sorby.co.uk

OBC_WTUR_312.indd 1 10/4/17 3:55 PM