Brett Williamson, one of our local members, will demonstrate his methods of bowl making. Brett writes:
My name is Brett Williamson. This will be my first woodturning demonstration. I started turning in August of 2022 just to see if I liked it. I had Known Dale Larson for many years and watched him turn a bowl. It looked like fun so I gave it a go. I quickly knew that I had found something I loved. I had watched many videos on YouTube of Richard Raffan that got me going, but Dale has been my primary influence and mentor.
Dale helped me develop my skills with the various tools and got me thinking about the shape and feel of what I was turning. I am incredibly fortunate to have Dale as a teacher and friend. You won’t find a better turner or friend than him. I have been influenced by too many turners to mention but many belong to Cascade Woodturners. I thank you all for helping me along the way.
I will talk about about my influences, tools and techniques as I show you how I turn a simple bowl. Hopefully we all learn something along the way.
Mark Gardner, from the mountains of Western North Carolina, will be showing us how he uses green wood and makes his 'Shrink Boxes'. Note that he will follow the demonstration with an all-day demo and also an all-day hand-on workshop.
I was born and grew up in Cincinnati, OH. Woodworking was my father’s hobby and I was introduced to it through him and I feel lucky to have started learning woodworking as a teenager. Dad had a lathe and I fooled around on it from time to time but it wasn’t until I attended a two week woodturning class at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in 1996 that I was “hooked” on the turning process. I moved to Saluda, NC in 2000 and have been able to focus on my woodworking since opening my own studio there. In addition to making my work, I teach and demonstrate woodturning around the country for woodturning clubs and craft schools.
Shrink boxes are turned on a lathe from green wood. The box is essentially a tube with a groove turned inside one end. A dry piece of wood is then carved to fit the shape of the inside of the box and placed in the groove. When the box dries it shrinks and locks the bottom in place.
1. Turn hollow forms without the hollowing. Cut it in half.
Hollow forms turned through a small opening were always a challenge for me to turn. In this demo I'll show how I make hollow forms, using green wood, much like you make lidded boxes only I'll glue the lid back on. Not only is there less risk of turning through the side of your vessel but it is also easier to gauge the wall thickness as well as remove the shavings from the inside. I will focus on techniques for making a precise joint to help ensure that the piece stays together as it dries. Time will be spent demonstrating various ways to then hide the seam in your vessel. This vessel will also have handles.
2. Surface embellishment for your turnings.
I will demonstrate all the various techniques and methods I use for embellishing my work. I’ll start by showing how I layout geometric patterns on my turned vessels. Some of the techniques I will cover include, carving with hand and power tools, engraving, and even some textures done on the lathe. I’ll show how I use milk paints and dyes to enhance the carved patterns and lastly how I sharpen my carving tools using a simple homemade MDF strop.
About Mark
Turn hollow forms without the hollowing. Cut it in half.
Cascade Woodturners Association