WNY WOODTURNERS II
VOLUME VII ISSUE 3 MARCH 15, 2002
Meetings 7:30 PM; Second Thursday
Hamburg Junior High School
360 Division Street
Hamburg, New York
The next scheduled meeting is April 11,at 7:30 pm.
The April demonstration, hollow form turning, will be given by Paul Mazuchowski.
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President Ron
Hudson had his hands full when he
gaveled the meeting to order with forty plus people in attendance. Besides our
regular members, Ron welcomed each of the nine or more new members to the
meeting. Each was asked to introduce themselve and to give a brief biography.
The new members’ turning experience runs the gambit from accomplished turners
to novice, and we are happy to have them all in the organization. A couple of
the new members have to travel a considerable distance to be here. That kind of
commitment is always welcomed.
Paul Mazuchowski was unable to attend the meeting for family
reasons, so there was no treasurer’s report. Also there was no 50/50 drawing
this month for the same reason. I guess Gary Sargent will have to
wait until next month to see if his winning streak will continue.
Jim Meier, who has been feeling under the weather, had
nothing new to report but asked for the membership to “please send him the
demo. questionnaires A.S.A.P.”, so he can find what direction we want to go in
concerning demos, etc. You will find a copy of the questionnaire attached to
this newsletter or you may print a copy from our website. And do send them in;
everyone’s opinion is welcome and valued.
Sunshine Report:
Barb Burger reports that Jim Hilburger is out of the hospital and improving. He is still not allowed personal visits or phone calls. E-mails and get-well cards are welcome. Jim has expressed his appreciation for the prayers on his behalf and cards he has already received and wishes to thank all those responsible.
Jim Vasi will be doing a "hands on" goblet turning demo at Barb's Barn on Saturday, April 27th from 9AM to 4PM. As usual, the coffee will be there but you need to bring your own lunch and lathe/tools/supplies. You'll need:1/4" bowl gouge, 1/2" round nose scraper, parting tool, sandpaper, 3"x3"x8" blank of medium hard wood (poplar, mahogany, etc.), skew (optional), and a Nova or Oneway chuck (must have). Bring your own mini lathe or make arrangements for one of the club lathes. Call or e-mail Barb to make a reservation. If you can't find a few decent blanks to bring, Jim may have some cherry blocks you can buy.
Old Business
Efforts are moving ahead toward a mini-symposium. A volunteer committee was formed to explore the idea. Those who volunteered are Ron Hudson, Barb Berger, Jim Meier, Lance Kanaby, Randy Hodge, and Bob Harrington. There is much work ahead to just see if the idea is feasible, so if possible, please lend your support if the committee asks for help.
Speaking of helping out, with Jim Hilburger temporarily out of action we needed a new chairperson for the up-coming Southtowns Woodcarvers’ Show. Fortunately Jed Donahue “volunteered” to try and fill the void left when Jim got sick. Jed is going to need people to help cover the Club’s display for the two-day show which runs Saturday and Sunday April 27 and 28. People to turn using the Club’s lathe and people to wait on customers are needed. We also need donations of your work, wine stoppers, pens, tops, and weed pots, anything we can sell to the public. Please remember these are donations and we can’t reimburse anyone for materials or time. The money raised will go once again to The Pre-School Learning Center in Springville. Sam Ciccia is trying to secure a large party tent for the event. Sam is also going to bring along a couple of portable heaters in case the days are cold. If you can help please contact Jed Donahue; jedbuildings@aol.com , 592-7507 or Jake Debski; jdebski@msn.com , 937-7644 Please support the event and call or e-mail. We need all the help we can get. This would be a good time for some of our new members to get their feet wet and pitch in also.
New Business
Because we were running late and there was no pressing new business, Ron Hudson elected to skip over this portion of the meeting and move on to other
things.
Show and Tell
Lots of top-notch show and tell this month, although unintentional it seemed as if experimentation and practice were the order of the day. I think most would agree that practice and experimenting with new ideas and techniques are the hallmark of a good turner, interested in advancing his or her skills. We kicked off the night with Kurt Hertzog showing his goblet with a captive ring on the stem. Why the captive ring you ask? Just to try something different. The goblet was a practice piece so why not really practice?
Up next was John Skowron. John said he was impressed with Sam Ciccia’s demo last month, so he did his “homework” and came up with two cup style wine stoppers. I’d say John learned his “lessons” very well.
Elmer Baumer did it again. He impressed the meeting with a
set of homemade turning tools. The tools, intended for small or miniature
turning, were made from allen wrenches, small bits of tool-steel, and it seems
whatever Elmer had laying around the shop. With Elmer’s nicely turned handles
it is safe to say the tools looked store bought or better. Elmer also had some
good tips on grinding tool-steel. If you approach him at the next meeting I’m
sure he would be glad to pass them along to you.
Lance Kanaby recently returned from a trip out West. He
brought back some Mesquite to show the club. The wood is very heavy and
according to Lance very moisture laden.
Lance working with Elmer Baumer is experimenting with stabilizing the
green Mesquite using the new soap method (see Spring 2002 American Woodturner.)
They both agree the method has potential.
Ron Mostel, one of our brand new members and President of the W.N.Y. Scroll-Saw Club brought several examples of his work. Ron
explained that by combining scrolling and turning he has expanded his
possibilities tremendously. He showed a plate and gavel made using both the
scroll-saw and lathe. Both reinforced Ron’s assertion that the possibilities
are almost endless. He also had two bowls, which made it clear he was not
exactly a novice turner.
Jed Donahue treated us to a completed Indian carving he
has been working on for a while. This was Jed’s first foray into the carvers’
world, and it seems he may have found the right path rather quickly. Almost as
an aside, Jed showed a cookie jar (impressive on its own) he turned from a
twelve by twelve by twelve block of segmented maple. He purchased the block on
a whim not knowing what he would use it for. After hollowing the block using
one of Jim Hilburgers’ hollowing rigs he turned a walnut dome for a
lid and added a brass knob to finish the project.
Roger Harris gave a talk and explanation of his miniature
hat making. All of Roger’s hats start with a real hat and a turning. He uses
the real thing to get accurate proportions and a feel for the shape. After
roughing out on the lathe, he uses a series of fixtures to hold the work while
he carves and details the hats. An interesting note to all this is the how and
why Roger started doing hats. Roger smokes and didn’t want to smoke in the
house any longer, so he does it in the basement. Well, just sitting in the
cellar seemed a waste of time. The hats were an outgrowth of a need for
something to do. He does it so well you would never guess it was just a way to
keep busy. Thanks, Roger.
Spring is near and with it those pesky black flies. Remember Elmer’s tip; when out working in the yard, hang a dryer sheet from the back of your hat to ward off those flying insects. Keep turning and see you at the next meeting!