Ray Key Demonstration, March 2005

Ray Key demonstrated box-making, finial-lid box-making, and edge treatment for platters on March 13, 2005. He first came to the U.S. in 1981, along with fellow-turner Richard Raffan, when Dale Nish approached him to participate in a Master Turners program in Provo, UT. He returned in 1985 to the Arrowmont School for the Arts-a gathering that ultimately gave birth to the American Association of Woodturners (AAW). Taking the lead from this example, Mr. Key in 1987 integrated the same concept into British woodturning circles, melding approximately 350 interested parties into the Association of Woodturners of Great Britain (AWGB), serving as its founding Chairman (and currently, as its President).

Ray Key has two books on woodturning to his credit, has appeared in three videos, designs woodturning tools (see Craft Products catalog), teaches, and travels extensively in a roll that might best be described as a roving professor of woodturning. The morning began with a demonstration on box-making. Three cylinders, perhaps 3.5-inches in diameter, were turned round, with a 1/8" x 1.5-inch tenon on each end.

End-Grain Smoothing
How should one smooth the end-grain on a spindle turning? A parting tool can be used, but it does not give the cleanest cut on end-grain because it tears the wood fibers. A fluted parting tool will leave a slightly better finish. Note that Key prefers the fluted parting tool from Henry Taylor over the Sorby version, simply because the flute is wider on the former. The Henry Taylor design is also quite useful for making beads. But the flute can also dig into your tool rest, unless like Steve Sinner, you have the foresight to use a tool rest of hardened steel. A ¼" or 3/8" spindle gouge makes a cleaner end-grain cut than the parting tool. Key uses this on dense

African hardwoods. In use, the spindle gouge is tilted about 10° down for smoothing end-grain. A skew chisel can be used on softer woods, leading with the long point as the tool face is tilted 3° to 5° from vertical-a movement which allows the point of the tool to do the cutting. (Note that the French do not use skew chisels; they would use a bedan for smoothing end-grain.) When using the skew chisel, raise the height of the tool rest so that the point of the tool enters the end grain at about the 10:30 position (viewing the spindle from the tailstock end, assuming the endgrain is a clock face). Of these three, the skew chisel gives the smoothest cut on end-grain.

Smoothing end-grain with any of the foregoing tools introduces one minor problem: all three tools exert their cutting pressure perpendicular to the axis of the turning spindle. Key has devised a special grind for the 3/8" spindle gouge. He puts a 60° to 65° bevel on the tool that extends perhaps 1-inch up the right side of the tool (when viewed in the bevel-up position). The tool then can be used to make a planing cut on the side of cylinders, when used in a pulling motion. Note that the bevel is rubbing here; this is not a shearing cut. The tool can also be used to make the same cut on end-grain, with the advantage that the pulling cut tends to bring cutting pressure toward the headstock (rather than bringing pressure perpendicular to the spinning spindle axis). Therein lies the beauty of his special grind.

Key digressed. In the mid-1970s, the only way for a British turner to obtain exotic woods (pink ivory, ebony, or rosewood) through their local vendor, Gardener's, was to buy them by the log. This was expensive. But it provided him with the freedom to cut the log in whatever fashion best fit his projected turning needs. The log was therefore cut into whatever sizes were necessary, and end-grain was coated with polyvinyl acetate (PVA) glue to prevent splitting during drying. The wood thus prepared was seldom used until at least three years of drying had occurred. The benefit of this drying period is that finished pieces were seldom lost to splitting, as the dried wood had reached adequate equilibrium.

Hollowing Out the Top
Key's initial approach to hollowing out a box was to use a 3/8" spindle gouge aimed at the center-line of the rotating piece, and pushed the appropriate depth toward the headstock. The next step introduces some philosophical diversity.

Assuming that one eschews the idea of using a wide-diameter Forster bit for hollowing out the lid and/or body of a turned box (it can work, but it generates much heat from the friction of cutting, and can lead to splitting), one is left with two major approaches. The first is practiced by Richard Raffan, the German turners, and Bonnie Klein. The "up and over" technique involves a spindle gouge with its handle held low, as the rubbing bevel is presented near the 12:00 or 1:00 o'clock position with the flute of the tool facing out to the right, if not slightly beyond vertical. Using this technique, one can go relatively deep into the box without difficulty. Key, however, prefers to use his 3/8" spindle gouge with the special side-grind. The tip of the tool is presented at the center of the rotating end-grain, with the tool handle held parallel to the plane of the floor. The tool flute is oriented at about a 45° angle (at about 10:30/4:30 axis when viewed from the tailstock end). The tool tip begins cutting at the center hole and travels left, as the tool handle moves in an arc to the right,

parallel to the floor. The short, rather stubby bevel of the tool (at 60° to 65°) helps to deliver a relatively smooth surface. The disadvantage with this technique is that one cannot go very deeply into the box. The tenon on the inside of the top, usually about 1/8" in depth, is cut in the usual manner. After the general shape of the concavity has been 80% established by the 3/8" spindle tool, the final finish is rendered by a scraper tool with the leading (left-hand) corner rounded slightly, to avoid catching at the corner on the inside of the turning. While in the past most turners would always keep the undersurface of the scraper tool flat on the tool rest, a smoother surface can be derived by raising the right-hand edge of the scraper perhaps 10° to 15° during the cut. To prevent the leading left-hand under edge of the tool from catching on the tool rest, Key suggested rounding this edge on the grinder. Placing wax on this rounded edge, as well as the tool rest, helps to slide the tool across the bottom of the hollow during the cut. Yet another "trick" is to rub some paste wax on the end-grain surface itself. This technique helps to lubricate the wood surface as the scraper removes its thin layer of wood for the final finish.

At this point, one can begin sanding the hollowed-out surface, starting with 150 or 180 grit paper and proceeding through the grits down to 400. Key uses a soft paste wax to lubricate the sandpaper. Granted, the paper will clog up sooner, but the paste wax keeps the dust down and helps to lubricate the cutting surface. Key finishes off the final surface with a 1500 grit Scotchbrite gray pad. Final finish is applied with diluted sanding sealer or lacquer. Thinning of the polish permits better penetration into the wood. (For those new to box turning: the inside of the top must be finished before the top is reversed for re-mounting to finish the outside of the top.)

After the top is removed from the chuck with a fluted parting tool, the top is reverse mounted. The body of the box is first mounted into the chuck, and a tenon is carefully cut on the body so that its diameter fits precisely within the groove previously cut on the inside of the top. Key found a small, hairline crack in the outside of the top, which can usually be remedied by a shot of Super Glue. Attaching the top to the base can be a challenge, especially if the tenon on the body is cut slightly too small. Key shared two techniques for making this attachment. The first is to apply a small volume of water manually to the inner diameter of the body. This causes the wood fibers to swell, providing a tighter fit with the top. If water fails, then the old reliable Kleenex (or paper towel, if Kleenex fails) helps to make the jamb chuck secure. Once the top is secured, the outside of the top is finished with a skew chisel, followed by a scraper or the special 3/8" spindle gouge.

Top/Bottom Geometry
In box making, how long should the bottom be, in relation to the length of the top? These are questions of aesthetics. Opinions vary. But most often, the top is about 1/3 the length of the bottom, or some might prefer a 2/5 to 3/5 ratio.

Making the Bottom
Once the top is completed, it is time to hollow the bottom. Key sometimes places a small, secondary indentation below the tenon on the base, to serve as a visual cue to the viewer that the assembled piece is in fact a box of two pieces. Ironically, the Japanese prefer their boxes without any such gap between the top and bottom. They prefer a continuously flowing form. The message here was simple: if you put a gap in your boxes, they won't sell in the Japanese market.

As with the top, Key first bored a central hole into the base using his 3/8" gouge to reach the desired depth. Hollowing out followed with the 3/8" spindle gouge as before, followed by the scraper for final finishing.

Production from a Professional Woodturner
Ray Key began his career with a five-year apprenticeship as a pattern maker, learning to read blueprints and make objects to fine tolerances, along with castings for production. Later, he worked for eight years as a clay modeler in the styling studios for Chrysler, the UK automobile maker. He purchased his first lathe in 1965, and by 1971 had an encouraging exhibition of his work in a Warwick bookshop. He and his wife, Liz, decided to open a craft shop in 1973, as their sole source of income. The shop made more money that the woodturning until about 1976, when Key's turnings became the dominant income producer for the enterprise. At one point, Key was producing 23 different items in various sizes, including hat and coat racks, as well as table lamps with hollowed centers. Ultimately, the craft shop was closed in 1984, and Key has since pared down his domestic offerings to bowls, platters, dishes, vessels, and boxes.

“What sort of output does a professional turner deliver?” you ask. Last year, Key made only 70 boxes, but he averages 300 to 400/year. (One year, he made 1500, which would be equivalent to 5 or 6 boxes daily, assuming a 5-day work week!) Boxes were big in the 1980s. Key had one contract to produce boxes for a high profile Greek wedding, where custom dictates placing five sugared almonds in the box made for each wedding guest. Key estimates his annual output as 500 cutting blocks, 150 bowls, 60 to 70 vessels, and between 50 and 100 platters or dishes. There are regional preferences for turnings. For example, “In Britain, you can turn wooden fruit, and you'll sell them all day,” he said. Key prefers not to enter this market, observing that “Nature always does it better than you do.” Key has also turned 70 lamps in teak, each with a 5 foot long center that had to be bored from both ends to permit passage of the wire to the bulb. This contract was done for a high-end British furniture maker who had no in-house turner. The output ultimately was delivered to an expensive Saudi hotel, owned by the Japanese.

Key finished the morning showing us how to turn a finial box, and spent the afternoon demonstrating how to make different edge treatments on platters. Much of this information is presented in his book, published in 1998, Woodturning with Ray Key, which contains exquisite color photographs of Key’s work made by the late Tony Boase. The publisher is B.T. Batsford, Ltd. of London and can be purchased domestically for about $20.00.

We are indebted to Binh Pho for scheduling an exceptional menu of visiting world class woodturners, and in particular to Ray Key for sharing the secrets of his long and productive career as teacher, designer, author, and master turner.