SPSW Board Message

Note – The following message is from AAW Coordinator Keith Palmer.

Symposium Chapter Challenge

This is our last chance, folks. If we are going to do this we really need some ideas. We would like to vote on a project at the March meeting. Please send ideas to Keith Palmer.

Your Board of Directors thought it would be a good project to come up with a Chapter Challenge entry for the next AAW Symposium in June 2012. Bill Bender and Mike Hughes have already volunteered to start coming up with ideas for the project, but they also want contributions from all club members who have great and gifted ideas.

AAW Chapter Challenge Guidelines:

The entries may be functional or not, as long as they are turned by multiple members and limited only by the imagination of the participants. The best entry in each category will receive a winner’s plaque presented at the banquet. More explicit directions for the AAW Chapter collaborative Challenge project are specified in the latest issue (August 2011, page 11) of the AAW American Woodturner.

Categories are:

  • Artistic
  • Mechanical/Technical
  • Fantasy

In addition to the winners in the three categories, there will be a Best in Show plaque for the best of the best. For inspiration and ideas, see what entries have been presented at previous symposiums at this link at the AWW website: www.woodturner.org/gallery/#SymposiumPhotoGalleries

Let’s have a club presence at the Symposium!!!

Have fun turning!
Keith Palmer

Membership / Message

AAW Press Release

Note – The following press release was issued by the AAW this afternoon.

PHIL McDONALD APPOINTED OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
OF AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF WOODTURNERS

FOR RELEASE: February 27, 2012

CONTACTS: Dale Larson, President, AAW Board of Directors
AAW Office 651-484-9094

SAINT PAUL, MN – Philip S. McDonald, a long-time administrator at the University of Minnesota and an expert in organizational development and strategic planning, has been named operations director of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW), the association announced today.

McDonald, who began his new duties in early February, served for nearly 20 years in a variety of
high-level positions at Minnesota’s largest university, including chief of staff to the vice president for university services. His appointment to the newly created AAW post follows the resignation of Cindy Bowden as executive director.

“We are fortunate to have found an executive with Phil McDonald’s extraordinary depth of knowledge and experience in organizational policy and management,” said Dale Larson, president of the AAW Board of Directors. “His talents in service delivery, project management, and budgeting will bring benefits not only to our administrative staff but also to our 14,000 fellow woodturners.”

McDonald holds both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in business administration from the University of Minnesota. He retired from the school in 2004 to begin Home Revivers, a successful residential construction business.

The AAW seeks to foster a wider understanding and appreciation of lathe-turning as a traditional and
contemporary craft and a form of art among the general public as well as amateur, part-time, and professional turners. Membership in AAW offers a variety of benefits, including a bi-monthly magazine, insurance coverage, scholarships, national symposiums, educational opportunities for newcomers and youth, and a website where turners can display and market their woodturnings.

The 2012 annual symposium, to be held June 8-10 in San Jose, California, will bring together nearly 2,000 woodturners for live presentations, an auction of selected turnings, an instant gallery showcasing current woodturning craft, a rotation of how-to and hands-on demonstrations, the world’s largest trade show of commercial woodturning vendors, and a youth training center.

AAW / Message

Segmented Turners Monthly Summary

The Segmented Turners virtual chapter of the AAW has published their monthly summary for February. Their are now 463 paid members of the Segmented Turners.

Segmented Turning Symposium

segmented salad bowl
Salad Bowl by Johnny McCarthy
Registration is now open for this year’s Segmented Turning Symposium in Lake Tahoe, CA. There is a “grid” available that shows the schedule of events for the symposium. Registration information can be found here.

Spring Chapter Challenge

The Spring Chapter Challenge is a focus on a feature ring. There is currently one submission in the gallery but there is plenty of time as the challenge is open until April 15th.

seasons end
Season's End by Duane Scott
Members Forum

There were lots of good discussions in the forum. A sample includes:

  • Different segments, different angles – This forum thread asked a question about repeatability in your cutting setup but two answers where quite enlightening; how to make a thin segmented ring and how to check and adjust your cutting fence. This thread is worth a re-read!
  • Segmented Ball – The sphere shape beckons the human soul and many of us are curious on the best way to make spheres. They aren’t really any harder when they are segmented and lots of people chimed in with ways to do this in this thread. Also, sphere turning jigs got some air time!
  • Forrest Blades – There was a question posed by a member on selection of a blade for his table saw. He was considering a thin kerf Forrest but had concerns about needing a stiffener. Several great comments and recommendations on this thread.
    • maple burl teapot
    Maple Burl Teapot by Curt Theobald
  • Seasonal Wood Movement – The concept of seasonal wood movement is something that all segmented turners need to understand to ensure that their pieces will stand up to the rigors of time. Some interesting ideas on potential problems where discussed in this thread.
  • Pushing the boundaries of Open Segmented Turning – In this thread, member Dennis Keeling, and the author of the latest book on Segmented Woodturning, trys his hand at compound angles for segments in his open segment turning. Fascinating photo.
  • Ring Centering – How do you center rings on your projects? In this thread, several techniques are discussed and a very interesting YouTube video is recommended. I’ve used almost all of these methods and they each have their place. If you only use one technique, this thread is a good read, in fact, this one is a keeper!!
Sun Kachina
Sun Kachina by Richard E Erickson

Upcoming Segmented Turning Classes

May 20 – 26, 2012
Easy Segmented Platters and Expressive Wall Art
Instructor: Linda Sutter
John C. Campbell Folk School

June 3 – 9, 2012
Turning in the Polychromatic Style: Staved Construction
Instructor: Don Russell
John C. Campbell Folk School

June 25 -­‐ 29, 2012
Segmented Turning: pushing your skills to the next level
Instructor: Curt Theobald
Anderson Ranch

July 8 – 14, 2012
Segmented Turning
Instructor: Malcolm Tibbetts
Arrowmont

September 4 – 8, 2012
Segmented turning: Where Precision Partners with Turned Elegance
Instructor: Malcolm Tibbetts
The Mark Adams School of Woodworking

Web Stats

Unique Visitors: 5308
Number of Visits: 15038
Pages Visited: 251882

AAW / chapter profile / segmented / symposiums

Resin Bowl

The current issue (March 2012, #237) of Woodturning Magazine has an article by Gabor Lacko on the use of resin for creating decoration on a double-skinned bowl. He turned a bowl and glued slices of yew branches to the outside of the bowl. He then filled all of the gaps between the yew slices with casting resin and once that cured he finished turning. I think the end result is quite stunning. There are not pictures yet on the Woodturning website so you will have to pick up a copy of the printed version if you want to see this.

Based on what I learned from our January demonstrator, Stephen Hatcher, I think that West System 105 epoxy would be great for this type of application. Gabor applies the resin to the bowl while it is still chucked so I presume that some type of filler would be necessary to keep the resin from running. All in all, this looks like an interesting project, albeit a stinky one.

Have you tried this type of project? If so, what type of materials/construction did you use and what did you learn in the process?

techniques

What’s New on the SPSW Website

dsc0506-xlWe have added photos from the Stephen Hatcher demonstration in January as well as the handouts he provided. Photos are under Galleries/Demonstrators, handouts under the Learning Center.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAPhotos have also been added of show and tell from our 2011 membership meetings. You can find these under Galeries/Show and Tell/2011.

In case you missed it, the February Newsletter has been added here.

For members, the December 2011 and January 2012 board of directors meeting minutes have been added.

There have also been several updates and additions to the chapter calendar.

demonstrator / members / woodturner profile

February Demonstrator – Carol Zandell

“This month we have another member teaching us. It is always so much fun to have Carol Zandell as our demonstrator. Her whimsy and turning skills combine for an always enlightening and informative experience.”
– SPSW President Dan Stromstad

I like to turn small, fun, tricky or just plain weird things on the lathe. As most of you know, my philosophy for turning and most everything in life is, “If it isn’t fun, I don’t want to do it.

In February, it will be my pleasure to turn for you one of my tricky things. I will also have a display of a variety of turned old time toys and puzzles.

It is my hope that this demo will spark an interest for the beginner as well as add a quick, easy, fun project for all you accomplished turners. Remember the most fun part of turning these things is that when you are done you get to play with them.

demonstrator / Membership Meeting