Club Night Report

Wednesday 11th January 2017

Club Night Report for 11th January2017 - observations by Vernon Hughes

Our demonstrator, Bryan Milham, was making a very welcome return. He was last with us only six months ago in July 2016. Reference back to the observations made then will give a pen-picture of Bryan and provide a reminder of the scope of his ability and the masses of information conveyed last summer.

Bryan's (spindle-turning) theme was to be Toys and Ornaments although he was concerned that Mark Baker's recent book on toys and an article in 'Woodturning' magazine might have taken some steam out of the subject. There were no groans of disappointment though - so his plan seemed to have survived, and indeed as the evening proceeded that was confirmed beyond doubt. There was a stack of fine quality drawings on his table depicting two of this evening's three main items, from which we were invited to take personal copies. (Click HERE to download Bryan's PDF drawing for the Knitting Dolly and his Snapper/ Bang Stick).

Bryan started with a Knitting Dolly used in 'French Knitting' having a finished length of 105 mm, and width at the widest point of 35 mm. He said that the 4 pin dollies were the modern version of the French Knitting Board (click here for images), which is how they knitted; and which were used to make the knitted red woollen (Phrygian) cap, (denoting liberty), most commonly seen in images of people watching executions on 'Madame La Guillotine'.

A suitable square-section Beech blank with some (eight) pre-drilled small holes in what was to be the top end was chuck mounted and the tailstock brought up for support in setting up. Rounding down to size was followed by planing with a skew and precise marking out of the low points of the design. Next came drilling out of a central, full-length, hole. Bryan spoke about the accuracy value of engineering drills with integral morse tapers and emphasised some important drilling disciplines, viz: drill slowly, back off frequently to prevent the drill going off-line and start with short drills to maximise rigidity. He added that RDG Tools (www.rdgtools.co.uk) is a good source of engineering quality drills. Turning to shaping the head, then shoulders, Bryan detected and mentioned (so matter-of-factly) that the work was 'bouncing' but the cause was unclear (read more later). Shaping near the chuck was completed with a fine spindle gouge for safety, followed by parting off. Using 65mm lengths of brazing rod, four 'U'-shapes were then formed neatly, the points of which were plugged into the holes pre-drilled in the top of the item to form four stitch-making positions (see photo). A small piece of timber about pen-blank size was then mounted in the chuck to make the handle of a stitching tool. This was tapered and then decorated with beads using his small beading tool. A small hole was drilled into the top end into which a short length of bamboo skewer was glued to complete the tool.

A 'Snapper' or 'Bang Stick' came next (see above for link to download a PDF drawing). A completed example was passed round to enable us to practice the art of catching the hidden hook on the rubber band (until the penny dropped). A suitable blank of Black Walnut (length say 220 mm) was chuck mounted with tailstock support. This item needs a timber that will polish well. The blank was turned down to a perfect cylinder using skew chisels, and marking out was completed with sections of 38, 35, 38 and 40 mm length. Next came drilling of the long, thin central hole (say 5" deep) to take the (bamboo skewer) push-in stick. The essentials of successful drilling for this purpose were re-emphasised. All drills must be of high quality and speed must be kept low. Start with a short drill and withdraw after say every 1/2" to clear the waste. These disciplines are essential to avoid deviation resulting in the drill emerging through the side of the blank! We could see that he was using his fingers to steady the blank but he told us (astoundingly) that by this action he was lining it up to overcome the 'off-centre bounce effect' mentioned so calmly when making the Dolly. He added that Biro pens of highly pleasing appearance can be designed and made using this drilling technique by simply inserting an ordinary refill into the narrow hole drilled to the necessary size.

Shaping of the body was then undertaken with consummate skill, the small beading tool being used at the appropriate points (see drawing), and the end face was cleaned up. Aim to get a reasonable finish off the tool he advised to avoid or minimise use of abrasives. The main body was then parted off using a skew. The remaining short section of blank was marked out, shaped and drilled to make the working end of the snapper. It was sanded to 600 grit to achieve the essential very smooth finish. The hole for the piece of elastic band was then drilled using a 'Dremel', the line of penetration (at the thickest point of the turning) being through the grain NOT across it. A small tool consisting of a handle holding a piece of piano wire was used to push the pre-cut elastic band into the hole. This was then glued in position. A piece of bamboo skewer into which a hook shape had been cut was glued into the handle and cut to the appropriate length to get the small hook on the end in the correct position in relation to the piece of rubber band. That completed the turning and assembly of the item.
NOTE: the trick is to squeeze the polished handle so that it squirts efficiently into the hole - giving the impression that the rubber band has caused the abrupt movement, thus tempting victims of the trick to try for hours without success…

After all this the pièce de résistance was still to come, a tree decoration. Bryan introduced the idea that the main bulb of the popular shape of tree decoration (remember Arthur's triple entry at the December 2016 Christmas Party?) can be made from appropriately shaped natural materials such as sea urchin shells. Several were exhibited and sourcing, costs and decoration were amply described. One was chosen for this evening's project and holes of appropriate size were ground in the top and bottom of the shell on a very useful conical grinding fitment on a spindle held in the chuck. Turning of the teardrop component to hang beneath the bulb was then carried out with masterly skill. A narrow blank of beech was mounted with about 5" protruding from the chuck face. A short 1/4" hole was drilled in one end and the tailstock was brought up to give support while a small tenon was shaped for chuck mounting. The blank was then reversed and mounted slightly off-centre to compensate for the bounce effect identified earlier! It was explained that the teardrop shape is not easy to turn because, as Bryan put it, the brain does not like it. The blank was tapered almost to a point initially and the tip cut off to remove any possible effect from compression in the chuck. From now on the only support possible would be by the fingers. The tiny point was shaped and then decorated (unbelievably) before work continued on shaping the finest of stems. As work progressed towards the centre Bryan eyed up the shape and judged that it was not thin enough near the tip. Using the most sensitive touch imaginable with perfect finger support he then thinned down that already delicate part of the stem even more! Then came an ogee (with the usual battle to understand the Roman circle and the Greek ellipse) and so it went until completion. The photos speak a thousand words. Golden ratio callipers were held aloft for us to view during this phase. After parting off the teardrop was offered up to the sea urchin before a small piece of beech was mounted for the small suspension component on the top of the urchin. This was completed expeditiously (see photos).

Special Note: A constant theme throughout the evening had been Bryan's emphasis on the value and use of the skew in preference to gouges wherever possible/safe. As an example that might be a useful aid to those still developing their confidence he displayed a skew marked into two halves by a strikingly accurate thick black line along its full length from tip to handle end. Both mind and eye are thereby encouraged to focus on use of the effective half of the tip.

Summing up - When we stop to reflect on it we had been treated throughout to a faultless display of fine, sensitive, confident, manual control, the supporting left hand playing as big a part as the right. This was something to take home and try for ourselves. It can't get any better can it? (Note: numerous small points have been omitted in an attempt to discipline the length of this report).

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This month marked the beginning of two Show and Tell Tables - using the same Theme - with a table for Novice Category and one for the Open Category.
This months Show and Tell Theme was: An Open Theme


The Winner of the Novice Category for January was Phil Tucker

The Winner of the Open Category for January was David Branscombe