DAWG News January 2019

January 2019 Vol. 2 #1

DAWG 2018 Christmas Party

Photo by Tom Barksdale

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DAWG News Pictures by Tom Barksdale

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Bring-Back-Box

Ken Gano won the Bring-Back-Box and examines the lovely lidded box which was turned by Rick Urban, last month’s winner of the

B-B-B. Nice work Rick!

Show & Tell Pictures by Tom Barksdale

Jared Bruckner – Christmas Ornaments - Various

Doug Anderson – Vase – Redbud

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Show & Tell Pictures by Tom Barksdale

Ken Gano – Bowl – Box Edler

Doug Anderson – Toothpick Holders – Crept Myrtle, Russian Olive &

Purpleheart

Ken Gano – Penquin Jerry Bowmen & Charles Jennings – Beads of Courage Bowl – Unfinished

Jerry Bowmen & Charles Jennings – Beads of Courage Bowl – Unfinished

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DAWG News Pictures by Tom Barksdale

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DAWG News Pictures by Tom Barksdale

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Turning Pages A book review – Jared Bruckner

Multi-Axis Spindle Turning I ordered Barbara Dill’s book from Amazon on Feb. 17, 2018 with 2 day shipping, and it was delivered on June30, 2018, 133 days later! Either Amazon was having a very bad time or I ordered it before it was published. Since it was the later, you can see I was anxious to get it. When it came I looked it over a bit but choose not to begin reading it until a few days ago. I delayed as I knew that when I started reading I would want to drop important things that needed my attention to try out some multi-axis turning and turn, turn, turn. Or I could wait to when I would not be tempted. So I waited until I was in FL, where I could not turn, to begin reading. I must say that I was really surprised at how easily I was able to understand Barbara’s explanation of multi-axis turning. The rather small book (128 pages) began with an Introduction (13 pages) followed by seven chapters: 1. Basic Concepts (17 pages), 2. The 4 Quadrants of Families of Multi-axis Spindles (18 pages), 3. The Basics of the Variables (22 pages), 4. Split and Themed Turnings (13 pages), 5. How to Make a Three-sided Cup or Vase (9 pages), 6. Tricks, Fixes, and Hints (7 pages), and 7. Gallery (21 pages). The heart of the book is found in Chapter 1 where Barbara defines the two basic variables and the two outcomes of multi-axis spindle turnings, concluding with her definition of four basic types (or quadrants in her terminology) of multi-axis spindle turning. In the second chapter she expounds on these four basic types. Barbara does an excellent job of explaining her words with pictures. If a picture is normally worth 1000 words, her pictures must be worth 3000 words, that is, without the pictures it would be hard to understand what she is writing. I sort of stopped reading when I got to Chapter 3, as I realized that I needed to actually turn some pieces of the four basic types before I could make sense of the variables involved. I did read Chapter 4 since I didn’t have any idea what Thermed turning was (and I won’t explain it here LOL). The project described in Chapter 5 will have to wait until I have a lathe I can turn it on. I found a lot of good tips in Chapter 6. The pictures in the Gallery gave me just an idea of what can be done. If you at all interested in multi-axis turning I can’t recommend this book more highly! ● Dill, B. (2018). Multi-axis spindle turning: A systematic exploration. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN: 978-0-7643-5534-9 $23.01 at Amazon Prime.

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Wood Talk By Lloyd Speer

American Beech

The American Beech Fagus gradifolia is found in the Eastern United States and grows to 80-120 feet tall and with a trunk diameter of 3-5 feet. It is closely related to the European Beech Fagus sylvatica. It has the nickname of “initial tree,” because lovers have long delighted in carving their initials, entwined hearts and lovers’ knots into the tree’s smooth, gray bark. One of the most famous beech trees of the South, if not of the whole country, was the “Boone Tree” which stood on the old stage road leading from Jonesboro to Blountville, Tennessee. This tree contained the following inscription: “D Boon Cilled A Bar In Year 1760.” This famed tree fell in 1916. Cut beech wood is typically a pale cream color, sometimes with a pink or brown hue. Veneer tends to be slightly darker colored, as slicing the veneer usually requires the wood to be prepared with steam, which gives the wood a more golden tone. Flatsawn surfaces tend to be very plain, while quartersawn surfaces exhibit a silvery fleck pattern. The grain is straight, with a fine to medium uniform texture and a moderate natural luster. The endgrain is diffuse-porous; small pores gradually becoming less frequent from earlywood to latewood; solitary and in multiples and clusters; tyloses occasionally present; growth rings distinct due decreased latewood pore frequency; rays easily visible without lens, though size is inconsistent, noded; parenchyma usually not visible with lens. The American Beech is considered non-durable or perishable, is susceptible to insect attack and has no characteristic odor. It is readily available and affordable and has overall good workability; it machines well, and glues, finishes, and turns well. It also responds superbly to steam-bending.. Some of its common uses are: lumber, veneer, flooring, crates/pallets, railroad ties, musical instruments, furniture, turned objects, and other small wooden objects. American Beech is sometimes underrated and under-appreciated, which may be due to its somewhat bland appearance. Yet, considering its decent strength and hardness and its comparatively low cost, Beech represents an excellent value for woodworkers. The toothed green leaves are 4" long, tip pointed, and with many straight parallel veins. In fall, the leaves turn golden yellow and during winter, the lower branches retains leaves. The buds during winter are long and thin. Although the nuts are tiny, they are very sweet and nutritious and have long been used as food by man, animals, and birds. (See pictures on next page.) The average dried weight is 45 lbs/ft3, with a specific gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .54, .72. The Janka hardness is 1,300 lbf (5,780 N). Crushing strength is 7,410 lbf/in2 (51.1 MPa) with a shrinkage of Radial: 5.5%, Tangential: 11.9%, Volumetric: 17.2%, T/R Ratio: 2.2 ● Sources used: The Sibley Guide to Trees by David Allen Sibley, Trees of the South by Charlotte Hilton Green, http://www.wood-database.com/american-beech, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fagus_grandifolia

Wood Talk By Lloyd Speer

Help Desk By Rick Urban

Patience Makes Perfect We've all heard the expression, Practice makes perfect! And it certainly is an important factor on in that journey. I will revise that saying to include Patience, which in my opinion is of at least equal importance. I'll make my case for patience with a few examples of what has happened to me when I've been in too much of a hurry. I cut a log for a bowl and see I've left a bit of the pith in the blank. It's not a lot of pith, and I leave it because I'm in a hurry. I mount the blank and rough shape the bottom. The grain (figure) is not well balanced, but I'm in a hurry. I reverse the blank and hollow the rough turned bowl. The thickness of the walls are not all that even, but it's just a rough turned bowl, and I'm in a hurry. I put it on a shelf in a paper bag. I usually use 3, but I'm in a hurry. I take it out of the bag and mount it to finish, waiting only half the time it needs to dry because, you guessed it, I'm in a hurry. I get the bottom shaped and sanded, and reverse the bowl and begin on the inside. I can't finish it today because I started it without enough time because I'm in a hurry.

Continued on page 10

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Help Desk By Rick Urban

I get back to the bowl and start on the inside. I have to lose a large portion of the top because of cracks starting from the pith left in the rough turned bowl when I put it up to dry. I also notice it is not round like when I left it yesterday. Guess it wasn't dry enough. Oh, well. I'll do the inside now and redo the outside next because I'm in a hurry. Uh oh! The walls are badly uneven in thickness and will be too thin if I try to redo the outside to match the inside. Also, there are unexpected cracks in the sides of bowl and across the bottom. Wow! It's out of round again from more drying and the loss of the wood fibers that helped hold the shape against the stresses of drying. Timeout! Let's see what I have here. I likely have a bowl...

...that is smaller than planned because of leaving the pith in the rough turned bowl. ...with cracks to deal with from stresses produced from the uneven walls drying at unevenly causing the wood fibers to shrink at different rates. ...with wall thickness that varies from thick to thin to thick to thin around the circumference. ...with unattractive unbalanced grain. ...with humps and valleys in the outside and inside surfaces instead of smoothly flowing curves. ...with sanding scratches on the humps and tearout in the valleys. So here's my revised axiom....

Practice enables perfect, but it takes patience to make it happen. Now, what should I do with my bowl? The only step left is a little bit of finish. But it's close to the middle of winter. My shop is cold without heat other than a wood burning stove. And I'm in a hurry... to get warm. ●

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