As The Wood Turns September2003

As The Wood Turns Internet Version

September 2003

CWTC Meeting 7 PM 2^ndTuesday of each month

Location: Woodcraft Supply Store, 1280 E. Dundee Rd, Palatine IL
847-774-1186

In this Issue
> Curls from the President
> Demonstrators Schedule
for meeting nights & weekend Master Demos
> CWT Mentors
> September Meeting Note’s
> September Gallery — See Gallery section of web site
> Making Tools and Stuff

Curls From the President’s Platter
By Paul Shotola

Last month I talked about that elusive quality, “Originality”. Being original and creative can take many forms, but the essence is that no two artists will think alike, want to create the same things, or even like the same finished products. That is the beauty and joy of art. On any given month, our gallery table is filled with beautiful work, skillfully turned, and there are no two alike. Bravo! It is the originality and diversity of work that keeps not only our club but woodturning in general fresh and interesting.

Within our club, we can easily think of two artists whom we admire, but who are completely different in their approach to turning. Is one better? Is one more original? Not at all. They just have two different concepts. Compare two of our guest demonstrators. Nick Cook was here to demonstrate and teach this past weekend, and Alain Mailland will be here on October 11. Are there two more different approaches to woodturning? Possibly not. But they do share a few common traits: precision tool work, with the correct tool presented to the wood at the proper angle for the desired cut; an insistence on quality of finish; and a burning desire to create beautiful turnings.

Here in Chicago, we are incredibly fortunate not only to host great artists and craftsmen like Cook and Mailland, but we have great artists in our membership to draw from, learn from and be inspired by. Take a more analytical look at the work on the gallery table, pay closer attention to our club demonstrators, then go home and practice, practice, practice. Scrap a lot of wood, and push your skills a little bit higher. You will be another step closer to producing work that fits your own personal vision, and a little bit closer to true originality. Now that is a noble quest.

Until October, push your skills, work towards your originality, and turn safely.

Paul Shotola
Email address:

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Weekend Master Turner Demo Schedule

Alain Mailland, France — Oct 11-12,
No hands on After

For More on Master Turners Demonstrations, see Demonstrations Page

Francisco Bauer Demonstrates Sorby Texturing Tool

Meeting Demonstrators 2003

October 14
Duard Oxford — fancy trivets

November 11
Oliver Buettner — TBA

See Fran Islin to sign up to be a demonstrator.

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CWT Mentors
The following individuals have volunteered as mentors. Their contact information is listed in the CWT roster, available at our monthly meetings and on the Yahoo club website. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ChiWT/
(You must be a CWT member to access the Yahoo website)

Name Teaching Level

,	City	Starter	1-2 Years	2+ Years	Advanced	$$$
Anderson, Dan	Itasca	X	X	X	X	,
Barbier, Harris	Lisle	X	X	X	,	,
Brooks, Jim	E Moline	X	X	,	,	,
Eovaldi, Tom	Evanston	X	X	X	,	,
Eslinger, John	Antioch	X	X	X
Friedman, Jim	Palatine	X	X	,	,	,
Hubbard, Gary	Rockford	X	X	X		X
Malmin, Bruce	Arlington Heights	X
Olszewski, Tony	Palatine	X	X	X	,	,
Pho, Binh	Maple Park	X	X	X	X	X
Pyrick, Paul	Lisle	X	X	X		X
Rader, Darrell	Woodstock	X	X	X	X	,
Shotola, Paul	Vernon Hills	X	X	,	,	,
Sinner, Steve	Bettendorf, IA	X	X	X	X	X
Szakonyi, Ed	Roselle	X	X	X	X	X
Waterstraat, George	Elmhurst	X	X	,	,	,
Welch, Ted	Wilmette	X
Your Name Here?		,	,	,	,	,

Mentors have indicated the skill level that they are comfortable teaching.
This is not the same as their personal skill level. Some mentors may charge for their services, and have indicated so by checking the “$” column.
To add your name to this list, contact Paul Shotola.

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Minutes of the September, 2003 CWT Meeting
by Marie Hunter

September CWT Meeting First off, there is a correction to be noted. The August meeting minutes states that the CWT will be turning at Woodcraft on December 16th. That should read December 6th. Mark your calendars. Fran Islin opened the meeting with the usual house and safety rules. She indicated Francisco Bauer would be demoing the Sorby texturing tool. Duard Oxford is on tap to demo turning fancy trivets at the October meeting. Mike Malloy will mentor ahead of the October meeting. Wayne B. gave the Treasurer's report. Nick Cook will do the all-day demo September 20. Fran asked for volunteers to bring donuts and ice, and to help with setup, cleanup and the video work. At that very moment the dreaded CWT virus spread through the room like wildfire, causing a great number of CWT members to suddenly sit on their hands. We hope science can find a cure for this malady. In the meantime, there is a home remedy for this ailment. It consists of raising one’s hand when asked to volunteer to do a simple task like making coffee or bringing ice in a cooler, or stopping to pick up donuts. And Wayne B. will gladly shake the piggy bank to reimburse you for the cost. Mentoring before the meeting or on the Saturday after would help, too. Binh Pho mentioned the hands-on class with Nick Cook on Monday, Sept. 22. Alain Mailland of France will do the all-day demo on October 11. Volunteers are needed for that day. The Sept. 13 picnic at the Rader farm was discussed. Membership stands at 189. There were 2 guests and some new members introduced. The raffle was held. Then Tom Jesinowski critiqued the gallery, which as usual was outstanding. Francisco Bauer showed us his expertise in using the Sorby texturing tool and also how to sharpen it. Thank you, Francisco, for an interesting demo.

September 13 Picnic Photos

Making Tools and Stuff
by Jon Keith

My vocation involves working with metal, my avocation involves wood turning, and my ancestry includes Scottish roots; if I can combine working with metal, wood turning, and penny pinching, I’m hooked. Thus, I enjoy making some of my own wood turning tools and accessories. So far, I’ve built a lathe (now semi-retired), a couple of face plates, a thin parting tool, a chatter tool, a Jamieson-style hollower with laser, a steady rest, a sharpening station, a screw chuck, a cup-type safety drive center, a Morse taper pen mandrel, and a few other things. Since my “real” lathe only slows to 350 rpm or so, I’m planning to convert my homemade lathe to a super-slow lathe to be used for applying finish ala Sinner.

My most recent project was a pair of scrapers (left and right) modeled after ones that I saw on a John Jordan video. He used these for shear scraping to sweeten up the outside of vessels, etc. I bought an M2 rectangular high speed steel tool blank from a local supplier for about $8 or $9 and cut it in half on a diagonal, yielding two scraper blades. This tool blank was purchased in the hardened condition, about 62-64 Rockwell c. I machined round stainless steel shanks for the blades. A friend who is a very good welder helped with the project by welding the shanks to the blades. I made two long screws to pass through the handles and secure everything. Next on the list were brass ferrules to reinforce walnut handles that I turned for the scrapers. I polished all the metal parts and applied 1 Ib. Cut amber shellac to the handles to warm up the walnut. I prefer an “in-the-wood” look for this application and the handles came out just about the way I wanted. The finishing touch was to have the ferrules engraved by a pro, per Steve Sinner’s suggestion at the critique. Not counting the engraving cost, the two scrapers cost a total of $11.00; remember, I mentioned my Scottish heritage. 1 have a lot of fun with projects like this. If others are interested in this type of thing, I’d be glad to share info, advice, sources, or whatever.

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Chicago Woodturners 2002
A Chapter of the American Association of Woodturners
Last Updated October 19, 2006