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May Meeting Demonstration

Dr. Seri Robinson and Spalted Wood

The May Monthly Meeting provided a day of intense spalted wood study. Seri Robinson demonstrated how to make and turn Spalted wood, its long history in art, and modern use in science. Attendees learned how to turn even the punkiest wood while minimizing tearout and avoiding stabilizers. 

Dr. Seri Robinson is an associate professor of wood anatomy at Oregon State University and works within the field of art science as a bio artist.

Seri demonstrated alternative turning techniques and tool grinds to reduce tear ups or torn grain when turning spalted wood.

What is Spalting? What woods spalt? How long does spalting take? Can I spalt wood?

With spalting, the use of fungi and natural decay processes not only creates ornament and color (instead of dyes and stains), but challenges perceptions of functionality. Decay fungi are generally disdained, but wood is held in high regard. The meeting of both can create emotional conflict and challenges the viewer to reevaluate their position on functional wood and natural ornamentation processes.

Black lines (called ‘zone lines’) are just one tiny facet of the spalting universe. White rot, the thing you get before you get zone lines, and pigmentation (think blue pine or green oak) are also spalting.

Seri reviewed how to successfully induce spalting in wood while minimizing time and decay, whether you're working with green to dry timber.

View Seri’s spalting guides and book: Spalting 101 : The Ultimate Guide to Coloring Wood with Fungi

The book is a step-by-step guide to DIY spalting—harnessing fungi to create colors and lines in wood. https://www.northernspalting.com/spalting-info/publications/

Website: https://www.northernspalting.com 

Patreon Site: Spalting Cooperative https://www.patreon.com/spalting

Spalting FAQs: https://www.northernspalting.com/spalting-info/faqs/ 



Show & Tell Photos

SAVE THE DATES

Basic Platters

Bob Henrickson demonstrated the basics of platter turning. Methods of mounting on the lathe for turning the face and finishing the base were reviewed for members to apply on their work piece. Design options were discussed to provide opportunities for various types of later embellishment.

Peppermills

KC Kendall demonstrated how to make a peppermill from layout, shaping, drilling and assembly.

Cross Drill Ornaments with Inlays

As an intermediate class, we learned how to make a Christmas ornament using a cross-drill technique and advanced spindle turning skills. After cross-drilling a hardwood cube, the cube was turned to created a globe. Laminates (snowflakes and dog paws) were then inlayed into the cube. A cap and finial were turned to complete the ornament.

Bird House Ornaments

As the holiday season approaches, we found ourselves looking for special gifts for special people. For woodturners, small gifts that will have special meaning for others are well within reach. With a little imagination and the use of wood scraps, the class made birdhouse ornaments that relatives and friends will treasure for years to come.

Demonstrator Class: Winged Bowls

Following his demonstration at the October monthly meeting, national woodturner Jamie Donaldson guided class participants through the process of making their own Winged Square Turning and Winged Bowl. He covered the process of sharpening the tools as well.

Segmented Vessel Week

It was segmented vessel week at OVWG in August.  Jess Parrett led a two-part hands-on class that provided techniques for creating segments using a table saw sled, gluing segments into rings, and gluing rings on the lathe to create a rough vessel blank to finish at home.  Dan Gingerich, John Peters, and Terry Elfers provided instructional support and shared various techniques in making segmented pieces.

Offset Plate:

Bob Henrickson led the group in turning a different sort of plate by creating a plate using both offsets and tilts to produce a striking effect. The domed center provided a focal point for embellishment. Using a jam chuck, the back side of the platter was shaped into an ‘ogee’ curve. 

Cheese Platter:

KC Kendall provided the ingredients to create a cheese platter with a marble insert.  A tasty tip to share - repurpose a mortise.  A mortise on the top side is used to finish the bottom side of the platter.  If the marble insert in the center is set up to be removable, the mortise can also be used to hold a similar sized bowl for chip dip.

Introduction to Woodturning and the OVWG Learning Center

The latest group of new members attended the free monthly orientation to the Ohio Valley Woodturners Guild and our Learning Center. They were acquainted with a brief history of the OVWG that started back in 1988 and how we've grown as a friendly group of people who love to turn wood. The operation of the Learning Center was reviewed and how this great resource can help the journey of learning to turn wood and finding out what kinds of things you can make. 

Safety is a high priority for the OVWG in all of our activities. The parts of the lathe were reviewed and how to be safe when working on the lathe, as well as use of other tools in the workshop. An introduction to sharpening was provided as well.

Attendees used the lathes for spindle turning as a hands on introduction to woodturning by making a bead & cove stick, since beads and coves are the key design elements of many things around us every day. 

Embellishment Tools & Techniques

As an intermediate class, attendees observed the use of a variety of embellishment tools and the associated turning techniques for each, and was then able to try each out on the lathe. Demonstrated tools included the following:

• Point Tool
• Knurling Tool
• Chatter Tool
• Spiraling Tool
• Beading Tool
• Teardrop Tool
• Elf Tool

Intermediate Skills: Jam Chucks

In the July Intermediate Skill Building session, techniques using jam chucks to turn and shape round objects were demonstrated. Attendees created a jam chuck to hold a round work piece in place for turning and repositioning as needed to create a desired shape.

Intermediate Skills: Ball-and-Cup

It was time to have fun making a Ball-and-Cup toy in Bev Connelly’s Skill Building Session for Intermediate members.  In a round about way, the session started with making a sphere and then designing a cup to fit the sphere - all from the same workpiece blank.  Techniques included sphere making, hollowing with a Forster bit, caliper measure, and creating pieces that fit inside another. With Bev and Mark’s expert guidance in efficiently turning the workpieces, the biggest challenge was catching the ball in the cup.