Issue 306
Issue 306
Turning is Woodworking!
I have a really wide appreciation for woodworking of all types. And one of the wonderful benefits of my job is that I have gotten to dabble in many techniques and niches of the craft. Marquetry, carving, scroll sawing, fine furniture, rustic furniture, cabinetmaking, stringed instrument making — I have attempted them all. But a curious thing happened to me about five years ago: I started to do woodturning for fun. In most of my other woodworking sojourns, I have worked hard to achieve mastery. As much as it surprises friends and family, I am something of a perfectionist in this one aspect of my life.
Not so with woodturning. I go to the lathe to have fun and make a nice bowl, or whatever. Not that I don’t try my best, but I have decided that this will be my release from the rigorous demands of expert woodworking, not an additional bullet point on my resume. The result of all this is that I find myself at the lathe more and more. See some examples of my non-expert woodturning projects on the Woodworker’s Journal Blog.
Whether you’re already familiar with woodturning fun, or (so far) an admirer of others’ works, you’ll find plenty on the topic in this issue of the eZine: it’s our first themed issue, dedicated to the theme of — you guessed it — woodturning. I hope you enjoy it!
Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal
Today's Woodworker
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Ernie Conover: Woodturning, with an Appreciation for History
If you’re a woodturner, you’ve likely heard the name Ernie Conover.
Q & A
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What is an Ellsworth Grind?
I’ve heard of something called the Ellsworth bowl gouge grind. Is this a company or way to sharpen?
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How Do I Prevent Redwood Ridges?
I really like silky-smooth finishes. How can I sand to eliminate these unwanted ridges in the redwood?
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Best Method for Sharpening Forstner Bits?
I use Forstner bits a lot in my woodturning projects and was wondering if you have a good/simple/best method of sharpening/caring for them?
What's In Store
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Tormek Rotating Base RB-180
Since some tools are best sharpened with the stone running toward the edge, and others with the stone running away from the edge, Tormek has introduced the Rotating BaseRB-180.
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Rockler Pewter Bottle Opener
Rockler’s Pewter Bottle Opener kit is a pewter bottle opener and a 5/16″ threaded insert that lets you remove the turned handle from the metal bottle opener for quick and easy washing.
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Carter Products MultiRest Workpiece Support System
The MultiRest™ Workpiece Support System from Carter Products serves as a steady-rest for all sizes of workpieces, on lathes ranging from mini-lathes up to those with a 20″ swing — no additional hardware required.
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Rockler’s Lathe Duplicator Speeds Repetitive Work
Sooner or later, most turners will need to make matching spindles of one sort or another.
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Rockler Dado Jig
The new Rockler Dado Jig is a sliding sled with a groove that can be fine-tuned to fit a variety of lumber thicknesses, including thin plywood and lumber with odd thicknesses.
Tricks of the Trade
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Well Done Turnings
A motorized barbeque turning at about five rpm is ideal for finishing turning projects.
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Turning Unique Candle Shapes
The large candles my wife and I buy for holiday decorations are usually plain round cylinders. They’re nice candles, but I wanted something a bit more unique, so I tried turning them on my lathe.
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Shaving-free Lathe Tool Caddy
I wanted my woodturning lathe tools to be sharp, neat, and clean.
Feedback
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Thanks for the (Today’s Woodworker) Memories
Our first reader response to last week’s eZine was an answer to Rob’s editorial, where he spoke about having the entire collection of Today’s Woodworker magazine now available on CD.
Reader's Project Gallery
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Southwest-Style Turned Platter
This southwest-style serving platter is about 20″ in diameter x 5-1/2″ high. It is constructed from Acrylic, holly, bloodwood, black walnut, cherry and gabon ebony.
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Red Oak Burl Woodturnings
These items were made from a two foot diameter red oak burl.
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Skeletal Clock Unit
I purchased the skeletal clock unit, and inserted the whole thing into a piece turned from English Sycamore.
