A Chapter of The American Association of Woodturners

Northwest Woodturners meetings are held on the 1st Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM. See www.northwestwoodturners.com for details and map.

STAFF

President Joe Jedrychowski jjedro@comcast.net phone 503 699 1990 V. President Richard Hall Secretary Bill Rufener Treasurer Mike Meredith Board of Directors Jim Gentry Bob Tuck Fred Kline Scott Blackman Bob Mach Librarian Lynne Hemmert Raffle Tom Willing Supplies Tom Helzer Newsletter & Web Barbara Hall

QUICK UPDATES

I know it must be winter, I need the propane heater on in the garage now. With some sense of completion, I am composing the last President‟s piece. It‟s been a good two years, and a good year as VP before that. We have come along way on many fronts, but have others to address. Sherwood High School as a meeting place still has a lot of bugs to work out but we have a place to go and working with the kids in the shop class has been a lot of fun, on the whole. Club attendance remains strong but I would still like to see more members participate in leadership roles. Classes have been well subscribed but demonstrations continue to lag for reasons that are unclear. We continue to move forward in our own way and at our own pace.

Next year will be full of new challenges, like every new year. There will be different things to consider and possibilities abounding. Is it maybe time to think about changing the meet-ing date to avoid Labor Day, July 4th and New Years conflicts. Just a thought.

I hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving and I look forward to seeing all of you at the club party on 4 December.

Mike

.

We have a great year ahead of us, with interesting meetings and opportunities to learn from some of the best turners in the world!

We can look forward to Bob Rosand in March. Bob specializes in bowls, ornaments and boxes. You can view his work at www dot rrosand dot com. Christian Burchard will be here in Sep-tember. Christian works by expressing himself through sculp-ture and figurative work. It is unique and inspiring! See his work at www dot burchardstudio dot com. We also have several presentations from our own stable of fine wood turners. Jim Hall will present on carving turnings, Phil Lapp will present on wood, and Joe Cornett from Rockler will present on finishing. We also have several other features in the works to keep us informed and improve our breadth of knowl-edge and skill. It is my hope that all of us bring this new year in with enthusiasm, participate both for your own edification, and to support our club. Happy New Year! Richard Hall

PRESIDENT ’S MESSAGE

DECEMBER, 2010 THE WOODTURNERS’ LOCAL RESOURCE

VOLUME 17, ISSUE 12 WWW.NORTHWESTWOODTURNERS.COM

New format:: Bring in your turnings and discuss your pieces with other interested members. No critiques, just fun and sharing ! February Show and Tell 2011 theme: ‘Spring’

Kudos and thanks to Mike for a job well done! There have been some major changes in 2010 and he has always been on hand to give direction and support. From moving lathes to preparing coffee at the demos, he has graciously been there when needed! He will take on the role of treasurer in 2011. We look forward to his continued ideas, good humor, and help.

OUR THANKS TO M IKE MEREDITH

PAGE 2 VOLUME 17, ISSUE 12

PAGE 2

FRANK LAROQUE FURNITURE RESTORER EXTRAORDINARE

This is a large shaped dowel he tapes to the gouge to keep the chips from flying into his face. The chips hit the dowel and deflect for-ward. Frank shaped the dowel on a bandsaw.

Frank uses a laser as a guide in the duplication process. Each piece must exactly match.

Richard and I had the opportunity to take a two day class with master furniture restorer Frank La-Roque. I know many of you in addition to your turning also make fine furniture. His unusual classes may be just the ticket to encourage you to attempt to restore your ailing antiques. He can certainly put you on the right track to solve your personal restoring problems.

Frank is a soft spoken warm hearted individual whose passion is for tools, ideas and fine craftsmanship. He generously shares his talents with those of us who are in his classes. A walk through his shop is awe inspiring. He has created a place for everything and everything in its place is easily accessible and ready for use. His creative use of storing tools and equipment and facilities management reflects his 40 years of wood working experience. It also is a measure of his ability to ingrain efficiency in all he does in the shop; for example winding cables directionally, and using carpet samples to anchor work pieces in

place from slipping on a work surface. Each direction you look in this amazing shop, you see items such as soup cans used as simple fixes to multi-storage problems. We were amazed at Frank‟s ingenuity. We thoroughly appreciated his sharing of knowledge and references and his tips are to put in a very handy notebook for constant usage.

For the Northwest wood turners here are pics by Chip Webster showing Frank at work doing spindle restoration. If you have tried to replace broken spindles in your chair backs or replace legs you know it is not all that easy. Simply matching and making your chairs whole requires a knowledge of the condition of the wood, the appropriate finishing as well as the fitting, and then you may have to make multiple copies of parts to put it all together! The result in Frank's capable hands defies the experts to tell which spokes and parts have been fixed or replaced. Can we turn and replace our chair spindles? I think so; but with great care and much attention to detail, and practice, practice, practice …. and we may still have to ask Frank for help.

He surprised the class with his knowledge and practice of ergonomics. Did you know a 5‟6” turner should have his workstation at a different height than a 6‟1” individual. We also have to adjust each of our work station elevations according to the type of processes we will do at that station. Frank believes that Turners should be free of injury and alleviate pain caused by poor work-ing posture. He makes shop health and shop safety an integral part of the whole process. One of his classes is titled „Furniture Restoration with Frank LaRoque‟. The second class is titled „Tricks and Secrets of Woodworking‟. The knowledge we were given boggles the mind, and as Ed Vachal said as he wrote about his class experiences for the Guild of Oregon Woodworkers. The first thing we learned was damage assessment which included condition of the wood, structure and finish. We then contin-ued with proper disassembly. Frank systematically securely numbered each part as he took the chairs apart, including left and right fittings. The really tough part was reassembly; all repaired pieces in their proper spot, included legs even and properly canted. His engineering skills become apparent as he adjusted and securely tied the chair structure in place.

There were many things Frank does that we can use in our own turning shops. We can use his light control and his inexpensive very effective dust control system to great advantage. A 20” fan under and above the work surface took 30 seconds to clear the air. He controls the humidity and keeps the shop temperature at a constant 70-80 degrees. This really makes a difference in stabilizing the wood in good condition.

VOLUME 17, ISSUE 12

PAGE 3 VOLUME 17, ISSUE 12

All of us exhibit the use of left (mechanical) and right brain (design) thoughts in creating our movable sculpture. A left brained person is more inclined to focus on the mechanics of making things work, while a right brained person focuses on the movement itself. For example: the left brained person will create movement by focusing on mechanics or electronics so that movement is a by product or end result of the process. The right brained person concentrates on the space, the flow, and the expression of the movement itself, and then tries to come up with a way to get it done.

What Kinetic-artists seem to have in common is a great fascination with movement that began at an early age and each continues with training that has movement potential. Ken Kinetics as a youngster was mesmerized by particles of dust that would flow and dance in the sunlight or the smallest wisp that rose from his father's pipe. He has a degree in mechanical engi-neering and spent 35 years designing machines. Now re-tired, he has redirected his love of motion along with his mechanical abilities to creating kinetic sculpture. “By the careful machining of each part, proper placement of shafts and counterbalances, and using highly efficient bear-ings, I am able to make elements of my sculptures appear as if they are weightless”.

The only way to really appreciate kinetic sculpture is to view these sculptures in motion. Ken Patton‟s work can be viewed at: www.KenKinetic.com and You Tube—Mauro 0437‟s Channel. Incidentally, Ken resides in Tigard, Oregon and we saw his fascinating kinetic sculpture at „Art in the Pearl‟ You can visit his studio in Tigard. Contact him at 503-819-4327

Charlie Belden combines story telling and even his philosophical viewpoint with his kinetic sculpture. Each of his sculptures has its own look and behavior that is impossible to be conveyed with just still images. His pieces bring to the table light, sound, and movement that the user can control. (In a later Newsletter, we will show kinetic fun and games beginning with Charlie's 'Don't Lose Your Marbles' piece.)

The Gold Dragon Fly incorporates movement by the use of a small springy wire for movement. A light puff of air will set the dragon fly in motion … a small springy wire permits the dragon fly to pivot around on it and rock back and forth and side to side. The delicate wings are made of veneer, the pedestal is black wal-nut.

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN : K INETIC ART

A tip among many that I immediately put to use and really appreciate is the use of Nitrile gloves easily purchased at many hard-ware stores. They are breathable with a non slip surface that gives you the flexibility to pick up the tiniest screw. Even leaves your hands moist. These are the gloves to use when turning the tiniest spindle.

Frank included techniques on how to lay out and align parts. He showed us how to repair veneer and included banding, inlay, marquetry and steam bending. Stripping was an important part that we might not use in our turnings; but if we are matching spindles to repair old chairs it regains importance. Frank showed us types of finishes and how to apply seal and top coats. He talked at length about the types of glue and their uses. While most of this material was geared toward wood furniture workers, it certainly applies to turners.

We received annotated references for tools and materials from a professional production worker, Frank LaRoque. I urge you to take advantage of these classes that offer extraordinary direction and techniques that will maybe not revolutionize the way we work; but they will save you time and help you to produce excellent results. I felt like a kid in a candy store when I looked at the many ways Frank has of storing products for quick, handy to use easily accessible!

LARoque‟s Woodshop 541-296-1066 5622 Wahtonka Rd. The Dalles, OR 97058

FRANK LAROQUE FURNITURE RESTORER EXTRAORDINARE . . . CONTINUED

svwoodturners.org/MemberGalleries/BeldenCharlie/BeldenThumbs.html

Thor‟s Hammers Walking Hammer

Continued on page 8

PAGE 4 VOLUME 17, ISSUE 12

Cindy Drozda: inset shows jewel set in lid

Tom Helzer: Vase Jerry Keller: black walnut mirror

Roy Ackley: bowl

Fred Kline: Oregon duck whistle

Mike Meredith: threaded walnut Spice box Jim Hall: box

Bill Rufener: „Mei Ping Vase‟

Tom Helzer: off center box

The club wants to thank the generosity of the buy-ers who with their purchase gave money to the club to be used for demonstrators we can all enjoy in 2011 and extra money to the artists. The club made over $500. Enjoy your purchases!! Barb

The Northwest The Northwest The Northwest Wood Turner Wood Turner Wood Turner Members‟ AuctionMembers‟ AuctionMembers‟ Auction

Northwest Woodturners MEMBERS AUCTION Thanks to Tom Willing for the great photos

First, I want to congratulate every member who brought his/her pieces in to be auctioned. That was a very gutsy move and you showed real courage. An auction is unpredictable and you never know who will want to purchase your products or if they will sell at all. It is too late now; but next November I want to add an article describing the parameters to think through carefully including the tough one: How do I price my turned pieces.

Have a warm happy holiday and a New Year of good health, challenging ideas and exciting turnings! Barb & Richard Hall

PAGE 5 VOLUME 17, ISSUE 12

Phil Lapp: „Leaf Vase‟

Jim Hall: 3 bottle stoppers

Dave Maguire: spalted white oak ‘Cold Fusion’

Jerry Keller: coffee pen Steve Newberry:

David Williams: maple burl bowl

Mike Meredith: pepper mill

Jerry Keller: Birds eye maple pen

Coming in January - Annual Swap Meet

The January swap meet is really a great NWWT tradition.

The Swap Meet has been very well received in the past. It isn't limited to tools; members can bring anything they want to sell, trade, or give away. Tools, wood, jigs, it‟s all fair game. The club doesn't have any part of the transactions, it's strictly between members.

Last year, the Chem West meeting room was filled with tables with a lot of interesting stuff to be moved. Last year there were some good bargains, valuable equipment, great tools, wood, fun stuff and an enjoyable opportunity to socialize. I lucked out and got exactly what I needed—a great steel stand for my Delta mini-lathe. It raises and lowers to adjust to my height. It definitely pays to come early to find that special treasure!

PAGE 6 VOLUME 17, ISSUE 12

.

HALLOWED HALLS … OUR SPECIAL LADIES … TALENTED WIVES

I have been quilting for about 15 years after taking a beginning

quilting class with my daughter. Since retiring about 7 years

ago, I have taken many classes and learned a lot of new tech-

niques. My latest interests include adding hand embroidery to my

quilts, learning free motion machine quilting and making landscape

quilts. I also enjoy doing wool felted wall hangings.

North West Wood Turner Members: Those of you who are proud of your talented wives, please let me know that we can pub-lish the pictures of their work and their stories for our next Christmas 2011 special edition. We were time limited this year; but I look forward to and expect to show the work of many more talented wives next year!

Thank you, Barb Hall

VOLUME 17, ISSUE 12 PAGE 7

Being married to a woodturner (worker) is a great compliment to my handwork and quilting - free advice/opinions - and wood frames for my

work.

I have been doing Brazilian embroidery, a three-dimensional stitchery, for about 6 years.

I am also a quilter with a love for hand appliqué. I have been quilting for about 12 years.

Mokume Gane forged

Bronze cast „Out and In’

Sterling Silver cast ‘Dancer’

Bronze forged hollow ware

Fine silver forged hollow ware neck piece Bronze hollow ware „Conversation a Cinq’

I have been working in metals for over 25 years. This includes both sculptural forms and jewelry. I like the feel of the metal, I like the noise hammering it and I have learned patience planishing the surfaces so there are no bumps or ripples. I cast, forge, inlay, and set stones etc. Two Japanese techniques I enjoy are foil inlay and mokume gane. My husband joined me for a couple of years in my business. He facetted stones, created amazing catches, set elegant pave, and cast intricate stuff. He was my pri-mary critique and could see my 2d paper designs in 3d. I established a two year transferable jewelry metal program at Clatsop Community College. I really enjoy teaching and have had the opportunity of working with some very creative students.

HALLOWED HALLS … TALENTED WIVES … CONTINUED

PAGE 8 VOLUME 17, ISSUE 12

K INETIC DESIGN CONTINUED

I realize that in presenting pages on design I have been asking many of you to use more of your right brain than you are accustomed to. Many of you primarily use your left brain to tackle a problem, thinking it through mechanically or logically. Learning to express your-self through your feelings is not an easy task, but it is laced with excitement and discovery for those that are tempted. The article on the golden ratio was popular because it gave many of you a method by which you could solve balance problems in your pieces by measuring or the use of mathematics - right up the left-brained alley. Texture, line and form are design elements common to the right brained thinker. If you enjoy Whirl-a-gigs, Alexander Calder mobiles, or any of the pieces highlighted here, challenge yourself and try turning a kinetic sculpture . There is plenty of room for turned kinetic work, a challenge to both the left and right brained among us. Go ahead—give it a whirl !

He hovers over a grape vine branch, his iridescent body glowing. Charlie says this elegant project is within the reach of a novice turner.

“Houston, - we have a problem” Charlie says that some of his pieces are intended to disturb, to remind you of a problem, that is more cost effective than building prisons and all that goes with them. This is one of them. The roving eye reminds him of a speed freak‟s eye, twitchy, darting about and never staying still. The cone shape reminded Charlie of the Apollo Space Capsule. He added a needle, a small piece of springy wire. He put a servo inside the capsule, weighed it down with a small turned fishing weight to amplify the twitch. With a hole for the eye to look through this is indeed a disturbing sculpture!

Charlie uses a small battery powered programmable micro controller as a means of adding “behaviors” to turnings—with light, sound and movement; triggered by sensors. In “Houston, - we have a problem”

The twitchy EYE

There is an infinite world of mechanisms, shapes, sound and motion to explore. It's wonderful to see something new. Each of my kinetic sculptures is a wooden machine powered by a constant force spring which must be wound. While visually interesting sculptures when still, they become truly fascinating when in motion. After a simple winding they entertain with motion and soft sounds for hours.

Shimmer is the second sculpture I've created using this patterning wheel. The mecha-nism synchronizes the motion of the wheels so they always move at the same pace but in opposite directions. This is a virtually silent, long running sculpture. The motion starts very slowly, smoothly accelerates, reaches a peak, and then smoothly decelerates, comes to rest, reverses direction and repeats the cycle but with the wheels going in the opposite direction. This creates two distinct patterns, one with the center of the wheel appearing to grow and one with the center appearing to shrink.

Kinetic sculptors you might enjoy are: Jeffrey Laudenslager with his huge 20‟ massive kinetic sculptures. Laudenslagerculpture.com.

Of Jim Bumgardner, David Roy says “Go here to experience "a musical realization of the motion graphics of John Whitney as de-scribed in his book "digital harmony". The site is a flash site begging for online interaction. Enjoy. I did!

reference David Roy

Editor‟s note: Since these are PDF pages it is not possible to link directly to these sites. Access them from your web browser. They are such fun!

PAGE 9 VOLUME 17, ISSUE 12

Date Class/Demo Location Time

12/04

12/04

Wood Finishing demo

Turning Boxes

Woodcrafters

Woodcraft

10:00AM-3:00PM

*9:00AM-1:00PM

12/05

12/11

Pen Turning

Turning Holiday Ornaments demo

Woodcraft

Woodcrafters

*1:00AM-4:00PM

10:00AM-3:00PM

12/12

12/19

Lathe Turning

Bowl Turning

Woodcraft

Woodcraft

*10:00AM-4:00PM

*10:00AM-4:00PM

Many other fine classes and demos are available from your local stores: Woodcraft Store at (503) 684-1428 Email: Portlandretail@woodcraft.com Woodcrafters Store at (503) 231-0226 Web page http://woodcrafters.us/craft supplies Rockler Store at (503) 672-7266 Email: store17@rockler.com Lathe students should bring chucks, sharpened turning tools, safety gear. * denotes class fee required

Submissions to the newsletter are due by the 20th of the month. Articles, tips, web links, classified ads, or other items pertaining to woodturn-ing are welcome.

Barbara Hall Newsletter Editor Phone: (503) 649-5581 E-mail: barbara@iwci.com All other business should be directed to:Northwest Woodturners

13500 SW Pacific Hwy #185 Tigard, OR 97223

LOCAL EVENTS , CLASSES , AND DEMO ’S

Key: H1 Hands-on class Friday H2 Hands-on classes Friday and Sunday H3 Three day Hands-on class D Saturday Demo

Jan 2011Annual Swap Meet July

Feb Joe Cornett (Finishing) Aug Picnic/Wood Auction

Mar Bob Rosand (Ornaments/Boxes) H2 D Sep Christian Burchard (Sculpture) H2 D

Apr Phil Lapp (Wood) Oct

May Jim Hall (Carving) Nov Selling your work/Member Auction

Jun Mitch Patton (Pens) Dec Christmas Party

MEETING SCHEDULE FOR 2010 & 2011

BUSINESS ADS

The Northwest Woodturners Christmas Party Mark your calendars; Saturday, December 4th, at 6:00 PM, will be our annual Northwest Woodturners Christmas Party. This years event will be held at Jerry Keller's place which is in the rec room at Wood Village Green mobile home park at 23300 W Arata Rd. Wood Village, Or 97060. A map is on the My Family site. Our party will consist of a catered dinner, spouses‟ gift exchange, tool swap and door prizes. The cost is $18.00 per person, send a check, made payable to Fred Kline, 16420 NE Fargo Ct., Portland, OR 97230. Bring a wrapped tool or perhaps some woodturning related item for the tool swap, as well as an item you have turned for the spouses‟ gift exchange. If you have attended one of these Christ-mas parties I‟m certain you know the good time we all have. Contact Fred at (503) 257-6405 evenings

We want to thank Woodcraft, Woodcrafters, and Rockler for their con-tinued support of the Northwest Woodturner members. Not only have they graciously offered member discounts on products; but have also given bonuses to award to the winning member of our Show and Tell Challenge. Their turning demos and turning classes are much appreci-ated. We urge our members to enjoy their professional classes.

February 2011 Show and Tell and Challenge: Spring … What does your turning say about Spring? Snow ending, crocus pushing through the snow; spring house cleaning; strong winds, Valentine‟s day? Let your turning express Spring. Your turning will not be judged; but you are invited to discuss your piece with your fellow wood turners. It‟s all about fun and sharing! And winning!

13500 SW Pacific Hwy, #185

Tigard, OR 97223

CLASSIFIED ADS

Guidelines for Classified Ads: Ads will run for three consecutive months. Please submit your ad by the 20th of the month. The Editor takes no responsibility for spelling or grammatical errors. All woodworking items, for sale or wanted, are welcome.

Show your NWWT Membership Card to receive a discount of your purchase at Gilmer‟s, Rockler, Woodcraft, Woodcrafters, and Crosscut Hardwoods. Membership has benefits.

For Sale: Nova 1624 lathe, supernova chuck, and assorted Sorbey tools. Anybody interested in these items? Everything is a little over a year old, and in excellent condition.

Brian Waddell

Tools Wanted: I'm looking for 1 x 8" insert for my Stronghold chuck. Need mounting bolts as well. Please email me at draphael@comcast.net Home Phone: 503.235.7840 in Portland. David Raphael

I have a Craftsman Table saw in good condition that I wish to sell. It is an Electronic (digital) saw with a Biesemeyer Fence. I am asking $300 for it.

Jim Hall 503-655-1716

Approximately two years ago Soren Berger made a trip through the Northwest. During his trip he took orders for his tools. Most of the tools were delivered but a few were not. If you ordered and paid for a tool from Soren two years ago and did not receive it, please send me an email and I'll forward the list to Soren. Let me know which tool you ordered. Thank you

Dale Larsen woodbowl@verizon.net