Night Class Diary - Improvers !

[loz]

Hope no-one minds me putting this here,

22nd Sept - Started night class - woodturning for Improvers,

Well most of the gang from the beginners class was back, A class full of Record DML's and we all had Nova chucks.

I loved the chuck with its single handed mechanism, I have an RP3000 at home that requires two bars to be used to tighten/loosen.

Well after the usual H&S etc, we set to work, trueing a short length of beech between centres, and cutting a spigot for the chuck, Some decided to mount directly in the chuck, square and then rounding off, that i thought was odd ? - but horses etc ...

Joe ( the instructor ) then showed us the undercut, and we went off to make mushrooms.




A nice gentle start to the course, i learnt a new technique, and looking forward to weedpots, and boxes in the coming weeks.

For info - this is joe - http://www.joelairdwoodturning.com/

 

[Anonymous]

:lol: Cultural instructions for mushrooms... keep in the dark and feed on BS

Glad you enjoyed the session Loz... keep the reports coming :wink:

 

[Woodmagnet]

:lol: Cultural instructions for mushrooms... keep in the dark and feed on BS

Your a "fungi" Graham. :lol: :lol:
Nice mushie Loz, the light showing through the top is nicely done.

 

[Paul.J]

Nice job Loz.
The top does look thin,which looks good i think

 

[loz]

Nice job Loz.
The top does look thin,which looks good i think

Cool ! - Yep its about 2 mil.

Iv'e been told i have to make loads of these for the School Xmas fete.
8)

 

[loz]

Sep 29the,
continuing our chuck work, and end grain.

For those who mounted thier stock square in the chuck last week, were shown how to cut a spigot for chucking, with the required angle to match the jaws, and to cut to the chucks documented optimum gripping diameter.

We last night did small Weed Pots. Bored to 2" with a twist drill in a jacobs chuck, then shaped, sanded and waxed. Quite enjoyed this, more undercut work.

i'm not happy with my final shape, would liked to have gone thinner at the neck, and then swept back out to the top, but was close to the hole dia at that point.

Thanks

Loz

Appolgies the shadows

 

[PowerTool]

Very nice piece of work,Loz - beech,isn't it?
Like the shape,and it all looks in proportion;the turned-over rim is a nice touch.
Keep turning,posting,and enjoying

Andrew

 

[loz]

Hi Andrew,

Yes its Beech, Its the other half of the mushroom stock !

I think the camera is being generous on the proportion, its a little off in real life !! Im not quite happy with it.

Thanks

Loz

 

[Richard Findley]

Im not quite happy with it

Hi Loz,

Good work. I find that when you can be critical of your own work you are on the right path to improvment.

Looking good,

Richard

 

[loz]

6th Oct,

So we were supposed to be starting bowls, but there was an issue with the number of Bowl Gouges available, and with the instructor having been tried up all weekend at the Seminar to celebrate the 25 year of the Irish Woodturning Guild - http://irishwoodturnersguild.com/semina ... epage.html, didn't have time to handle the new ones he had bought.

So We started a new spindle project, a pedestal type clock, ( Base is on left, head is on right, head is recessed about half inch to take a clock face )



Only got to sand, seal and polish last night, next week will part ( at the centreline, clean the rear of the head ( need rounding off ) drill a hole for the base to connect to the head, and fit the clock insert. I think it will look quite nice ( If i haven't misjudged the balance and it stays up ! )
Thanks for looking

Loz

 

[loz]

13th Oct

Well made a jam chuck to take the recess in the clock face, mounted and then parted off at the centre, rounded off the rear of the clock head.

Joe made made a drilling jig, that fits into the tool rest banjo - very simple but effective, we used this to drill into the clock head to take the body. My body was out of proportion, so this was chucked and reshaped a little.

Re polished, glued, and inserted the clock mechanism.

SWIMBO likes, i'm not too keen.

 

[Paul.J]

Very nice Loz
Something else learned

 

[loz]

Thanks Paul,

Yep one small thing learned each week - should start to add up soon.....i hope !!

 

[loz]

We had a midterm break, and then started on bowls, a small 3 inch by 5 inch round blank. We mounted with screwchucks, then trued will pull cuts with a spindle gouge. Refined the outershape , and turned a tenon,

Joe wouldn't let me use my normal 2/3 mil recess, so i have quite a chunky tenon to turn off now, but was the safest way in the classroom, and righlty so - we have many students quite close together, and flying bowls do hurt.

I'll post pics of the class next week - as we have a guest turner coming to do a demo for us,

Heres the bowl so far, need sanding, finishing, and reversing for the tenon to come off

Thanks

Loz,

 

[Blister]

Looking good Loz

keep it up :wink:

 

[Jenx]

Love the wee pedestal clock, Loz ... its great !
Somehow, reminds me of one of the little Jaffa-Cake Munchkin-men with his hood up ... do you see where I mean ?
Brilliant wee thing !

The classes definately are a good move then, yes ?

For the 'difference' its making to your work, and the accelerated learning.. whats your opinion on the 'value for money' ?
i.e. -:

Worth 10 times the course cost / Priced about right / Expensive but enjoyable none-the-less ?

Interested to see what you reckon.

I've been thinking about booking up here ---> http://www.ullapoolwoodturningcentre.co.uk/

as I'm told the instruction is very good from Mr Mutch, and any excuse to go up to Ullapool is good :wink: 8)

 

[loz]

Hi Jenx,

I know what you mean re the Hoods-up ! - is a little too heavy on the top/rear.

Courses are the best decision i made ( apart from getting a lathe ! ;-) ) . I am learning so much, i could never from a book, and to have the instructor show your, even hold your hand if you know what i mean, is excellent for leanring, correcting.

Re costs, its 90 euros for the course, plus 25 euros for supplies, - eg all the wood, glue, polish, abrasives, clock inserts etc. Last year there was the lamp parts.

The course is 10 weeks long, and we work from 19:30 till 21:30 on a monday night at the local school. 5 minutes walk for me.
I think its excellent value. I did the Jan 08 to april 08 term, - started again in Sept ( a few weeks left yet ), and i plan to enrol early again for next jan.

The instructor has keep the original Jan 08 beginners class together for this improvers class, and we all plan- to stay together for next jan, that was he can move us all on at a good pace.

One more thing just organised, is the school is becoming the venue for the latest Irish woodturners Guild club ! - so will be joining that in Dec for the first meeting !!


So to answer your question re value for money. - I would have paid double for the same, and been happy.


Loz

 

[loz]

Looking good Loz

keep it up :wink:

Thanks ! - Can't wait to get hollowing also ! ;-)

 

[Jenx]

Hi Loz - thats 20 Hours for 90 Euros... !!
To me, that sounds like a fantastic deal. 8) 8)

Sounds like you are getting extremely good VFM and the instruction and progress made, make the whole thing extremely worthwhile.

Magic !

 

[loz]

VFM it is !!

Its more than that though. There are 8 other guys ( one is a gal ) and although we are all making the same items, we all have a different outcome, and its nice to see other peoples interpretations of something you are working on.

Take for instance the clock - not one was the same, although we all had the same brief, and a basic chalkboard sketch to follow.

I'll take photos of all out bowls when finished to demo.

Plus its great craic !