Newsletter Archives...

August 2007

September 2007

October 2007

November 2007

December 2007

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Monthly Newsletter...

May/June 2007 Message from the President:

The May meeting went without a hitch. Mike Pulliam provided us with an informative and entertaining bowl turning demonstration. Thanks again Mike.

Tom Tunget provided the June demonstration and showed how to make captive rings. Tom has a great attitude about the rings. If you don't like it, snap it off. Thanks Tom.

It was a pleasant surprise to see the number of members who signed up to turn and/or volunteer at the upcoming meeting in Prescott, and who signed up for Symposium 2009. It looks like I will not have to tap any shoulders to get volunteers. Mike Lucckino has the list of folks who signed up for the symposium and he is contacting them as I type. (I hear your phone ringing!)

I would like to welcome the latest addition to the Board of Directors, Jason Clark. Many of you know Jason is the photographer, web master, and box elder burl vendor. Thanks for taking the plunge Jason.

The membership cards arrived at the June meeting. If you did not get a membership card, you have not paid your dues. We will gladly trade a membership card for membership dues.

As previously mentioned, the election for officers will be held at the October meeting. We will entertain nominations at the September meeting.

Happy Turning,
Michael Holland

May 2007 Message from the Vice President:

Good-bye May, hello June---bring on the heat! I know a number of our members will be heading to milder climates for the next several months, but for those of you staying here, we will continue to have some "cool" stuff to keep you entertained. Our next meeting will be at the Pyle Center on June 16th, with Tom Tunget demonstrating the art of turning captured rings.

Our May meeting featured Mike Pulliam demonstrating open bowl turning. As always, I picked up some excellent reminders and tips. Mike emphasized the importance of safety when turning, and that is an area where we all need to remain vigilant. Eye protection is a must. We all know that, but it's so easy to make that last little "touch-up" cut without protection after the turning is basically complete, and sure enough, that's when that mean little chip goes right in your eye. He also emphasized the importance of properly securing your work lest the whole bowl smack you in the noggin. Mike's discussion of how to use gouges and scrapers to get the best cuts and smoothest finishes was excellent. Thank you, Mike.

And thank you John Lea for critiquing the items in the instant gallery. We all want to become better turners. Our technical skills improve by watching the demonstrators, using the materials in the library, and asking questions of fellow members---how do you do that? Our artistic skills improve by being fortunate enough to have someone like John evaluate our work and make suggestions for improvement.

I'm currently working on large Norfolk Island Pine bowl which is rough-turned and soaking in liquid dishwashing detergent. Before you vote to impeach me for insanity, visit Ron Kent's web site at www.ronkent.com. Ron Kent is well known for his translucent Norfolk Island Pine turnings, and under the "techniques" section of his web site, he discusses his search for a material to minimize warping and cracking. Walla---he recommends Costco liquid dishwashing detergent. If the plastic garbage can I'm using for this experiment leaks, my whole garage will be foam-filled. I'll give you all an update on my success or failure at our next meeting (I'll be the one with the cleanest hands).

Turn Safe!
Rick

June 2007 Message from the Vice President:

Hi Everyone! Sorry this June message is late, but I had to make a trip back east for a family emergency. I do apologize for my May newsletter being WAY late, as I sent it into the ethersphere instead of to our Webmaster. There is also some confusion about when the newsletter is due. Some time ago, it was decided to write the newsletter for the month after the monthly meeting. Thus, the June newsletter gets written after the June meeting, the June demonstrator is wildly applauded, and we remind everyone about the next month's meeting. And speaking of June, many thanks to Tom Tunget for his most excellent presentation on captured rings. I think Tom set us up when he said he wasn't comfortable in front of a crowd and then proceeded to wow everyone with his explanations of the techniques for making and finishing captured rings of various shapes and sizes. Great job Tom! The July meeting will be at the Pyle Center on Saturday the 21st at noon. Loren Fisher will be our featured demonstrator on turning small cowboy hats.

Dish soap update. Hopefully, you will get to read my May newsletter before you get this one, and then the dish soap thingy will make more sense. The Norfolk Island Pine bowl that I brought to the June meeting was rough-turned green, treated with beer to enhance the coloration, and then soaked in a 50/50 mix of dish washing soap and water for about a week before final turning. I got the idea from Ron Kent's web site (www.ronkent.com). Mr. Kent says that the soap prevents cracking/checking, enhances the turning process, and makes sanding easier. I would agree with his findings. The only thing that I noticed was that when I soaked the bowl in Danish Oil, it seemed that the colors were duller than on another Norfolk Island Pine bowl where I didn't use the soap treatment. Anybody else ever tried this concoction? I'd like to hear.

Enough soap opera!
Rick

Web Site Information:

Our website has some beneficial links. Some connect you to local woodturners and businesses. Others, such as “Buy Tools” and “Arizona Woodturner’s Merchandise” can benefit the club. When you buy a tool or an article of clothing at the above mentioned links the club gets a percentage of the purchase price. We are all looking for good deals on tools and clothes. What could be better than getting a good item at a fair price and part of the cost going to your woodturning club?

All pictures taken at our monthly meeting will be placed in the photo album. Only pictures with a name on the bottom of the turning and paid members will have pictures placed in the photo album. We can save each months picture through out the month this way. To see the pictures, click on the Photo Album link, and when that opens, click on the Gallery link. These pictures will still be added to your personal photo album.

Our Buy Tools page is still working the same way. If you are going to purchase a tool, and it is shown on our Buy Tools page. Going through this area to purchase your tool helps out our club. We get a small return on each purchase and so far it has been paying for our web site. Keep up the good work.

Pictures in the Photo Gallery can be enlarged by clicking on them and then clicking a second time to see the full size picture. Once a quarter, the older pictures will be deleted to make room for the newer pictures. This helps keep our web site speed at it's best quality.

You can now purchase Arizona Woodturners logo items through our products link. This includes, shirts, sweatshirts, caps and more.

Arizona Woodturners Merchandise