Turning Basics with Steve Shanesy – DVD Review
This week I was excited to receive a complimentary copy of “Turning Basics for Furniture Makers” from Popular Woodworking. With my shop currently out of commission, a woodworking DVD really hits the spot! Now most of you know I consider myself a utilitarian turner, meaning, I usually only turn when a project calls for it. So when I watch a typical turning DVD, my attention usually starts to drift pretty quickly. Most of these titles are produced by amazingly talented wood turners who present the content from a turner’s perspective. So most of the lessons focus on bowls or some of the other amazing creations you can make on a lathe. And that’s where Steve’s DVD really stands out from the pack. It stays true to the title and presents information that would be useful to any furniture-maker looking to get into turning. So whether you need to make chair legs, turned feet, spindles, or tool handles, this DVD will expose you to all the things you need to know to successfully incorporate turnings into your work.
So with a cold glass of citrus green tea, I sat down to 104 minutes of turning school, Popular Woodworking style. After hitting play, I was pleasantly surprised to see Steve immediately jump into turning a chisel handle. Instead of spending 20 minutes filling our heads with terminology and rules, Steve skips the foreplay and gets right down to business. I love this approach because it gives you time to think of questions. “What is that?” “Why did he do that?” “What do you call that tool?” By the time the chisel handle is finished, you are ready to have these questions answered and Steve does exactly that, from turning techniques to sharpening to tool terminology, its all here.
As a self-taught turner, I basically figured out what each tool does and I use it in the way I think it would work best. I don’t always know the how’s and why’s of what I am doing but I know it works. Well, with Steve’s descriptions and demonstrations of the cutting action of each tool, I can safely say that I’ve filled that gap in my knowledge. If I had this information when I did my first turning, I would have saved myself a lot of trial and error. If you are new to turning, there is really no substitute for getting in there and trying it yourself. But if you watch a DVD like this first, you will have a much more satisfying, safe and productive first experience.
Steve’s calm demeanor will guide you through just about everything you need to know to jump into the shop, chuck up a stick and start making shavings. I am giving this DVD a strong recommendation for anyone new to turning, or for those who are self-taught and feel like there may be gaps in their understanding of the fundamentals (like me). Experienced turners may want to take a pass, unless you just can’t get enough turning content.
And please enjoy this short trailer provided by the folks over at Popular Woodworking:
Bill Hall was the lucky winner of our free DVD giveaway! Congrats Bill!
Filling Cracks When Turning? – Viewer Question
This week’s question comes from Skip who asks:
“I have some beautifully figured fruit wood (apricot) that I want to turn. There are a couple of cracks/checks in the piece. What should I use to fill the checks that will both look the same as the piece and not finish differently if I use oil? BTW- I believe the checks do not present a safety problem when turning.”
And this was my response:
Let me preface this by saying that I am a self-confessed utilitarian turner. Wow, that’s a mouthful. In other words, I only turn when I need to. So this is my best advice and hopefully other people with more turning experience than I will chime in.
“Hey Skip. It kind of depends on the thickness of the cracks. Many times a little medium to thick CA glue will do the trick. But more substantial cracks will require more attention. Turning cracked/checked pieces always makes me a bit nervous. So don’t forget the face shield.” :)
“Now there are a couple issues. First, even if the cracks seem pretty stable, they may not be if you start turning them as is. So you might consider filling them ahead of time with something like epoxy. Epoxy will hold the piece together as it seeps down into the cracks. The problem here is that epoxy is not going to look like wood, right? So, the only thing I can see you doing is carefully turning the piece down to the near finished dimensions. Then proceed with the filling as one of your last steps. I recommend using a good quality stainable filler. Just about anything else will show itself when the oil finish is applied. There are fillers out there, however, that will take stain/finish very closely to the natural wood, and will do a decent job. Timbermate makes the best filler I have ever used and was recommended to me by Charles Neil.”
“Now keep in mind, the filler will never look perfect. So sometimes its best to embrace the cracks/checks as part of an unique turned item, instead of trying to hide them. Otherwise, they could very well be an eyesore forever. All this is assuming these checks and cracks are not just hairline. If they very small, you can usually just use a little CA glue and some sawdust as a filler. Again, not perfect, but decent. I hope that helps a little.”
Segmented Turning – Project of the Week
This week’s project comes from Austin. It’s an incredibly beautiful segment turning. Here’s what Austin had to say: “This segmented vase is made up of 223 pieces of, yellow heart, ash, mahogany, maple, cherry and walnut veneer. 16 pieces make up each ring. The feature ring is a diamond pattern made of maple and cherry. At the widest part it is 11.5 inches in diameter. There is well over 20 hours put into a piece like this, I hope you will appreciate the time I put into it.”
You can read more about Austin and his wood projects on his blog Dienner Woodworks
3- Refinishing (Pt. 4)
Click Here For The High Resolution Quicktime Movie
In Part 4, I show my tricks for sanding down turned legs. I also get a little frustrated with my wife. Later in this part, I go into detail on one of the most commonly-used tools in the shop, the random orbit sander.
Refinishing Pt. 1
Refinishing Pt. 2
Refinishing Pt. 3
Refinishing Pt. 4
Refinishing Pt. 5
Refinishing Pt. 6
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