Wood turners club in State College, PA
We had another GREAT demo from a member’s shop, thanks to an outstanding presentation by Mike Lebo of how to make a thin necked goblet. Good attendance, great conversation and Q&A, made for a successful meeting during the pandemic. Thanks all who participated.
Our “try it challenge” for this month is to make your own thin necked goblet. Give it a try and show us what you made at the May meeting and you’ll get a chance to win something in our quarterly drawing.
We had another GREAT Zoom meeting from The Rivet, thanks to an outstanding presentation by Mike Lebo of his latest wood threading tool. Good attendance, great conversation and Q&A, and some terrific âshow and tellâs made for a successful meeting during the pandemic. Thanks all who participated.
Mike based his threading machine on Mike Peace’s design
On October 1st we returned to the Rivet to use their facility and video streaming setup to host a zoom meeting with Jim Finley demoing making a baby rattle and hook tool usage and sharpening of a hook tool and double grind rake scraper. Some pictures of the event with a glimpse at how remote meetings are done.
There were 22 members in attendance (locally and virtually). We had 2 camera angles resulting in excellent video.
Several members who attended virtually reported that it was the best demonstration of tool use they had seen â and that the virtual format actually allowed them to see more than they could in a face-to-face meeting. We recorded the meeting and will distribute the link to all paid members within the next few days.
The winners of the gift certificates:
$20 each from Woodturnerswonders.com. We hope to make more opportunities for members who join our Zoom meetings
MANY THANKS to folks at The Rivet who provided much needed equipment and hours of their time to make our meeting successful. Our collaborative relationship with The Rivet is benefiting both of us. They are providing opportunities for us to sell our own works for our own profit. They are providing opportunities for us to help them sustain the Makers World. They are making opportunities for us to teach classes and to have a lathe available for members who donât have their own. This has become a very productive relationship, and we hope you will continue to do everything possible to support it.
 
Our March meeting occurred on the 5th, just before all the masks and lockdowns came into full force due to the COVID 19 pandemic. We setup 4 lathe stations at the Rivet and had 4 turners demonstrating different techniques. Attendees could go around and watch, ask questions and even try their hand at the lathe. The topics were:
Videos taken during the event can be found here:
Our January 2020 meeting presentation was on sharpening using a variety of tools, jigs and techniques brought to us by Jim Finley, Dan Kozar, and Reg Goeke.
Checkout our YouTube channel for some video highlights
Some member made items for show and tell:
A typical wood auction:Â 
Some notes on sharpening from Dan:
Start by choosing the angle of the grind. The angle that a tool comes with may not be correct. A good starting point is: 35° for spindle gouges, 60° for bowl gouges, 25° for skews and parting tools, and 80° for scrapers. 2 0r 3 degrees either side of these numbers is fine. New tools almost always need sharpened before you use them, even if the angle is correct.
I use the Wolverine, also called the Oneway  system for all my sharpening.
I sharpen roughing gouges, skews and scrapers on the Wolverine platform. The combination of the angle of the platform, and the distance of the platform from the wheel, determine the angle of the grind on the tool.
I sharpen spindle and bowl gouges with the Wolverine Vari-Grind jig. This jig is tricky to set up. For spindle gouges I set the arm of the Vari-Grind near the top of the jig, and for bowl gouges somewhere around the middle. The first thing is to get the correct angle. If the angle of the tool is correct, put the arm of the Vari-Grind in the pocket of the long arm of the Wolverine system, and slide it in and out until the bevel of the tool matches the wheel exactly. To check this, I shine a flashlight on one side of the tool where it meets the wheel and look at the other side of the tool to see in any light shines through. If light shines through at the top (edge) of the tool, pull the long arm out a wee bit and try the light again. If light shines through the bottom (heel), push the long arm in. Once you have it adjusted that no light shines through, you are good to go. You can also check the angle by using a black magic marker to paint the bevel of the tool black. Put the tool in the jig in the long arm, rest the tool on the wheel, and rotate the wheel by hand 3 or 4 revolutions. If you have a shiny strip from top to bottom, you are good to go. If you see black at either the top or bottom, adjust the long arm as if you see light shining there. But every time you adjust the long arm, you have to repaint the tool bevel.
If you want a different angle than what is already on the tool, or you change the position of the arm on the Vari-Grind, start by matching the bevel to the wheel by eye. It doesnât have to be exact. Push the long arm in if you want to go to a sharper angle. Say from 40° to 35°. Or pull the long arm out, if you want to go to a less sharp angle. Say 35° to40°. After each adjustment, check the angle of the bevel.
If you are using stone wheels on your grinder, you will need to adjust the position of the long arm every 2 or 3 times you dress the wheel. Every time you dress the wheel, it gets smaller. As the wheel gets smaller, and you donât reposition the long arm, the angle of the bevel gets less sharp.
If you have  CBN wheel, you never have to dress it. Therefore, you canmeasure the distance between the front of the pocket of the long arm, and the base it slides in, and cut a piece of wood to this length. Label the block of wood as to which tool it is for. Do this for each type of tool. Then you can easily use the block of wood to adjust the position of the long arm for each tool type. No need to use the flashlight, or magic marker when you go from a spindle gouge to a bowl gouge.
When grinding, exert VERY LITTLE pressure against the wheel. Hold the tool near the jig, NOT at the end of the handle. Watch the shape of the tool as you grind, and keep the tool moving. If you hold the tool in one position, you will get a flat spot.
Sources:
Sharpening Woodturning Tools  Book available from AAW
Sharpening turning tools  71-page article on AAW website
Donât expect to a get a perfect grind on your first try. Â It takes practice !
December meeting at Mount Nittany Middle School.
Tis the season â and Joanne Westerhaus brought festive food for the start of our meeting. Great opportunity to mix, meet, and network with other members.
Consistent with the holiday season, weâll be raffling off 10 â 12 gift certificates from Craft Supplies and from Carter and Son Toolworks
We learned about scholarships to attend either the Campbell Folk School for Turners or the Arrowmont school for Turners. Â Any member interested needs to apply by January 15th. Â Â http://tiny.cc/AAWScholarships
Don Wilson was our Guest Demonstrator for this meeting. Don teaches woodturning at the Woodcraft store in Harrisburg and at the York Town Craft Guild in York, PA. Heâs a Past President of the South Central PA Woodturners and is juried as a Master Artisan by the PA Guild of Craftsmen. Don taught us about embellishments in turning, with an emphasis on Wood Burning, Pyrography, and Branding.  Don went over:
Back from our summer break we met to learn about tips and techniques for finishing our turnings by Jim Finley. Â We also had our normal show and tell and wood auction.
In June we had the opportunity to meet on a Saturday and see the unique setup of Joe Peacheyâs Amish shop, as he demonstrated his turning techniques on his lathe.
We also had the opportunity to view and purchase burls that Joe has been collecting from local lumberjacks As well as some of his own artwork and we got to  stop for lunch at the Country Village Restaurant.
It was an excellent opportunity to get a glimpse into the history of turning, to acquire some truly marvelous burls for our own turning projects, to acquire some unique art at reasonable prices, and to further enjoy the company of fellow Woodturners and their spouses in a very relaxed setting and the drive over took us through some really beautiful country!
The April meeting of the Nittany Valley Woodturners will feature a presentation by local wood turner, Ken Fisher, demonstrating Turning apple forms with a customized jig. A former Marine and Retired President of MCS Bank in Lewistown, Ken is a self-taught turner since 2011.
The bowl of âapplesâ on the lower left represents what Ken will be demonstrating. As you can see, Ken also likes to turn burls, which he gets from Joe Peachy, whose Amish shop we hope to visit in June. Time will be allotted for questions and answers for an interactive session.
In addition to the usual wood auction we will be auctioning some exotic woods recently donated to the club.
Be sure to bring pieces youâve turned (or attempted to turn) and would like to share. Weâre especially eager to have you bring pieces that may be giving you problems â whether in terms of design or tool technique. If you have a blank for which youâd like some advice regarding orientation or maximizing the available wood or the best way to mount the blank for safety â all questions are welcome.
Nittany Valley Woodturners is always looking for new members who are interested in woodturning. Our club is a chapter of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW).
We hope to see you at our next meeting on Thursday, April 4, 7-9 pm at the Mount Nittany Middle School, 656 Brandywine Dr., State College, PA
For easiest access to the school wood shop, park in the rear down the second driveway near the dumpster. You may also park in front and find the woodshop in the far left hand corner of the building as you enter.
The February meeting of the Nittany Valley Woodturners will feature a presentation by club member and long time turner, Dan Kozar, for an overview of the fundamentals of woodturning. Topics to be covered will include lathe set-up, mounting, chucks, various types of tools and their intended use, and general information and insight that will be useful and informative for the novice or experienced turner. Time will be allotted for questions and answers for an interactive session.
In addition to the usual wood auction we will be auctioning two pieces of exotic woods recently donated to the club. A piece of Leapordwood and a piece of Bocote will be auctioned.
We will also have our usual Show & Tell. Individuals are encouraged to bring your recent turnings to share with the group. Time will also be provided for group discussion of a particular challenge or success.
Nittany Valley Woodturners is always looking for new members who are interested in woodturning. Our club is a chapter of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW).
We hope to see you at our next meeting on Thursday, February 7, 7-9 pm at the Mount Nittany Middle School, 656 Brandywine Dr., State College, PA
For easiest access to the school wood shop, park in the rear down the second driveway near the dumpster. You may also park in front and find the woodshop in the far left hand corner of the building as you enter.