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June 2008 Program |
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"Making an M&M Dispenser" |
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presented by Johnny Tolly |
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Johnny Tolly of Driftwood Springs, Texas will be our guest demonstrator for the June 2008 monthly club
meeting. He will be demonstrating how to make his award winning Peanut M&M candy dispenser. This is a
fun project and when completed makes a very nice gift for grandchildren and other members of the family. |
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Previous Programs |
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May 2008 Program |
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"Building a Vacuum Chuck System" |
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presented by John Solberg & Pete Tkacs (The Bruised Brothers) |
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The "Bruised Brothers", John Solberg and Pete
Tkacs became interested in vacuum chucks a couple of years ago, but
were turned off by the expense of purchasing one. They were determined to build a system and reduce the cost
significantly. After researching other avenues of parts and supplies,
they came up with a system that functions as well as the |
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March 2008 Program |
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"Turning and Decorating a Platter" |
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presented by Al Stirt |
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Our demonstrator for the March meeting will be the “world famous” Al Stirt from Enosburg Falls, Vermont. He has given woodturning demonstrations all over the US as well as in Canada, England, Ireland, and New Zealand. He has taught hands-on classes at Anderson |
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February 2008 Program |
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"Making Wooden Jewelry on the Lathe" |
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presented by Joel Crabbe |
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Until 15 years ago, my life was a vagabond existence; two foreign countries and 13 schools before I graduated from high school. I was born a military brat, married a military brat and had three military brats of my own. I retired from the U.S. Navy in 1992 and realized that I had the opportunity to pursue my woodworking hobby with gusto. I discovered the lathe four years ago and soon the building of square things yielded to the turning of round things.
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January 2008 Program |
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"Ornamental Lathe Turning" |
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presented by John Herber |
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Our January 2008 program will be presented by John Herber, one of our
long-time members and will feature the ornamental lathe that he designed and built. The program will include historical
information on the subject; information on ornamental turning organizations; pictures of some pieces of ornamental
turnings (both current and eighteenth and 19th century); pictures of John’s lathe and work; and a demonstration of
John Herber’s lathe in action. John retired in 1999 after working as a electromechanical design engineer in the aircraft industry for over thirty years. His interest in woodworking started at an early age when he built a Soap Box Derby racer in 1951. The car was built using laminated construction and won the “Best Constructed Car” award in the 1951 San Antonio Soap Box Derby. There were approximately two hundred entries and the prize was a fifty dollar set of Stanley hand tools, most of which he still has and uses. John is an avowed “thing maker” because he is frugal (cheap). Most of the materials used on projects have come from the scrap yard or have been salvaged from junk either given or found. Purchased materials are the choice of last resort. The ornamental lathe that he built exemplifies this attribute. Among the many things or disciplines He has done over the years are: lapidary  work (both cabochon and faceted);
jewelry making (both fabricated and cast); furniture making; house construction; auto mechanic and construction; and machine
shop work. It was when he was into lapidary, and a member of The Arlington Gem and Mineral Club, that he first met two the
future WNT members, Randy and Keith Johnson, who, along with his own kids were junior members of the club (early seventies).The Spring 2007 issue of American Woodturner had three articles that are ornamental turning related. You can find these articles beginning on page 40 and continuing through page 53. These three articles are what inspired John to build an ornamental lathe. After construction of his ornamental lathe, he bought books on the subject and has recently joined Ornamental Turners International (OTI). This is somewhat the reverse of the order in which this should be done. OTI is an international chapter of AAW and has less than 200 members. They meet once every two years alternating between the East coast and West coast. The next OTI meeting will be in the fall of 2008 near Saint Louis, Missouri. The OTI web site can be found at: http://www.ornamentalturners.org. This web site is very interesting and can consume you for hours if you are not careful. Another organization dealing with ornamental turning is the Society of Ornamental Turners (SOT). This is a primarily British organization. Their web site is: http://www.the-sot.com. After John’s decision to make an ornamental lathe, his wife, Lynne, has been a widow of the project. Most of his time has been spent modifying, adding to, or learning how to drive (operate) his ornamental turning lathe. John’s woodturning experience started in high school industrial arts shop where his instructor was primarily a basketball coach. He briefly owned a Shop Smith in the early seventies where he scraped out some candle holders. In 2002, a friend of his said “hey, John, Harbor Freight has a neat wood lathe for $179. Let’s each get one”. After that purchase, he had to figure out what to do with that silly thing. He attended the Woodworking Show in Arlington where WNT had a demo booth and shortly thereafter was a member of WNT. He has studied under Stuart Batty, David Ellsworth, Nick Cook, and Larry Roberts; all renowned and world wide recognized turners. He has done bowl turning, deep hollow vessels, spindle turning, and pen turning. Much of his equipment is home built. (in keeping with his general philosophy). |
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November 2007 Program |
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"Turning a Snowman" |
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presented by Marion McDaniel |
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Wood craftsman Marion McDaniel is a native of Georgia who has resided in Dallas for the past thirty-five years. He currently lives near White rock Lake.What makes Mr. McDaniel’s talent and artistry so amazing is that he only began his work with wood a few short years ago. After an on-the-job accident seriously injured his back, he was forced to retire after twenty-one years with Kroger Foods. While recovering, he decided to whittle a cane for himself since he now needed one to aid him in walking. Prior to carving that first cane, he had never carved drawn, painted, nor even doodled on paper. That cane, however, was the beginning of a consuming pastime, and he now spends his time crafting other beautiful works in wood. Marion has turned and carved beautiful bowls, bottles, canes, snowmen, and walking sticks from a variety of fine woods, some with intricate inlay.  The holiday season keeps him busy creating his special wooden snowmen, which are each carved from a single piece of native Texas wood. At the November meeting, he will be demonstrating his techniques for turning these unique creations. |
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August 2007 Program |
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"Tools for End Grain Hollowing" |
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presented by John Horn |
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Most of us know that a bowl gouge is the preferred tool for most cross-grain bowl turning where the grain direction is perpendicular to the length of the lathe bed. End-grain turning, defined as the case in which the grain of the wood is parallel to the length of the lathe bed, presents a completely different challenge in both turning techniques and tools used. If you peruse the woodturning tool catalogs, you will find that there are a wide variety of tools for sale to solve all of the various difficulties encountered in end grain turning. Some of these tools are complete systems of components that are quite pricey to say the least. When faced with this overwhelming variety of tools, how is a person to decide which tool or system to select in order to perform the task at hand? Is it necessary to get a large loan at the bank just to turn a few end grain vessels? Obviously, there are a large number of options, some are relatively inexpensive and others are very expensive. By understanding the theory of how end grain wants to be cut without  tearing out chunks of wood, both the tools and technique choices become
 much more manageable. The August program will include information about the features and limitations of most of the end grain hollowing tools on the market and which of those tools and techniques would be best suited for different projects. Educated as an instructor of high school musicians, John spent a major portion of his life teaching a variety of subjects from high school band and choir to adult computer applications. Now he teaches regular classes at the Woodcraft store in Addison and one-on-one sessions on woodturning topics in his shop for beginning to intermediate turners. When he is not teaching and attending woodturning meetings, he stays busy turning contract jobs for corporations and individuals on one or more of his three wood lathes. John is a member of the AAW and is active in both the Woodturners of North Texas and the Golden Triangle Woodturners. |
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June 2007 Program |
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"Ribbon Turning" |
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presented by Steve Ott |
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demonstrator for the June, 2007 program will be our very
own Steve Ott who became seriously interested in ribbon
turning when he attended demonstrations by Malcolm
Tibbetts during SWAT 2005 in Wichita Falls. He attended
every one of Malcolm’s demonstrations and became
fascinated with what he saw. Here is his story about the
June program and his fascination with ribbon turning.Malcolm’s ribbon turnings were spectacular. Now I do not pretend to be as talented as he is, but my demonstration will introduce you to the world of ribbon turning. In Malcolm Tibbetts words, “All you do is turn bottomless bowls, cut them in half, and glue them back together.” Well it may be a bit more complicated than that, but not too much more complicated. If you are new to segmented turning, an accomplished segmented turner, or just have an interest in segmented turning, this will open up entirely new avenues for you. In “normal” segmented turning, you make flat segments, which are glued together into a ring, and the rings are stacked on top of each other into your desired shape. In this “ribbon turning”, you add another element - a slope. This then becomes stave construction for segmented turning. Although you can do this in the “normal” manner, it might be harder to ensure the design matches in your final construction. I will attempt to show you how to make these turnings, and just some of the shapes you can 
make by doing this. I will be using just one example - a
45 degree slope. By using different degrees for the
slope of your bowls, you will come up with entirely new
shapes. I will also describe some tips and tricks that I
learned the hard way.You start with a lamination that you have determined for your design, cut this into compound segments, glue segments together into a bowl shape, turn to final shape, cut apart, reposition, and glue back together. See how easy that was! Just seven easy steps!! Ha, Ha, Ha. Seriously, it is not that difficult to do this, if I can do it anyone else can also. In the latest issue of American Woodturner, Malcolm has written an article that describes this procedure in detail. With his book, this article, and my demo, you will have all the information you need to construct and complete a one of a kind ribbon turning. After my demo, I hope you will attempt this type of turning. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Steve Ott |
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May 2007 Program |
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"Road Kill for Woodturners" |
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presented by Kevin Bassett |
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Our May 2007 program was presented by Kevin Bassett, a local certified
arborist with over thirty years of experience. Kevin made a PowerPoint presentation about common north Texas trees
suitable for turning and how to identify them in either tree form or as “road kill” for scavengers of wood. Kevin also
brought along one of his natural edge mesquite bowls chosen for the June 18, 2006 “Photo of the Day” on the AAW website:
www.woodturner.org.Kevin’s program presented a lot of information and tips concerning what to look for in identifying various trees by their bark and leaf structure. Questions from the floor were answered with the expertise that amazed us casual woodturners. His program also covered a number of things to consider when selecting wood to turn, since he is not only an arborist, but an accomplished woodturner. |
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April 2007 Program |
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"Tips on Turning Eggs" |
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presented by Fred Denke |
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The April program will consist of the following two segments: a review of the WNT entry in the 2000 AAW Collaborative Project and a demonstration on turning an egg. Fred Denke retired seven years ago from an engineering career in the aircraft industry. He grew  up on a farm in central Texas near Waco. As a farmer’s son working with wood was part of farm chores. This work let him use woodworking tools at an early age. In his adult years he continued woodworking using hand tools and a nine-inch table saw. This woodworking led to the curiosity of woodturning, so after retirement and buying a medium size lathe he was a woodturner.He has attended several “Texas-Turn-or-Two”, SWAT and AAW symposia. He has spent a week at Arrowmont with David Ellsworth as the instructor. He also has attended all day hands on with Lyle Jamison, Stuart Batty, Michael Hosaluk, Dick Sing, and Jacques Vesery. Fred has led two AAW Collaborative Projects. The Coffee Grinder at the 2005 Symposium in Kansas City, KS and the Dirigible presented at the 2000 AAW Symposium in Charlotte, NC. The Dirigible has been selected for permanent display at the Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas. As part of the April program, a review of the Dirigible project will be presented. For our April Demonstration, Fred Denke will talk about his process in learning to turn an egg. The demo will include turning a egg using a template as a guide and a holding jig for finishing the ends. |
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March 2007 Program |
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"Finishing for the Home Shop" |
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presented by Howard Hale |
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Howard
Hale, of Dallas, will present a very informative and
entertaining presentation on "Finishing for the
Home Shop" for our March meeting. Howard brings 22
years of professional woodworking experience to the
Dallas Woodcraft store. He was a student of the great
Danish woodworking master, Tage Frid, and brings a
unique style of teaching that everyone enjoys.His hands-on approach helps students learn everything from power tools to hand tools to applying fine finishes. His classes include: Raised Panel Doors, Mortise and Tenon Joinery, Hand-cut Dovetails, Hand-tool Basics, Building a Smoothing Plane, and his premier class; Finishing for the Home Shop is a must take by everyone. Along with his own classroom activities, Howard is in charge of the Education Program at the Dallas Woodcraft store. He schedules all classes and sets up the Second Saturday Free Demo Days. |
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January 2007 Program |
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"Turning a Covered Dish" |
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presented by Tom Crosby |
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C. Tom Crosby is a multi-talented woodturner as one
can readily tell by visiting his personal gallery space
on the East Texas Woodturners website to see the
diversity in his turnings. Tom will be the demonstrator
for our January 2007 program and the topic will be
"Turning a Covered Dish". Tom Crosby was born and raised in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Tom retired from the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, in 1995 after forty years of service. He and his wife Marjorie relocated to Van Zandt County near the small town of Canton, Texas. Tom has been working with wood since he was a youngster making boxes, furniture, cabinets, and has built two houses. His interest in woodturning began in 1999 when he got his first lathe and fell in love with woodturning. He makes segmented bowls, hollow vessels, pierced vessels, vases, boxes, urns, platters, cups, inlaid bowls and various other pieces. Two of his pieces were featured in the Members’ Gallery of the Winter 2003 edition of the American Woodturner. His pieces have won several awards, including the top award in the 2004 Rockler’s National Turning Contest. In the Spring 2005 (Issue No. 5) of Woodturning Design, there is an article by Tom on a method developed by him for turning a One Piece Cup with a Handle. Tom and Marjorie serve as librarians for the East Texas Woodturners in Tyler, Texas. Tom served as the 2003 -2004 President of the East Texas Woodturners Club. He is a demonstrator and mentor and has demonstrated at numerous other clubs and the 2004 and 2005 South West Association of Turners Symposium. He is also a member of the Dallas Area Woodturners and the American Association of Woodturners. Tom says that woodturning gives him a chance to explore his artistic side and that when he picks up a piece of wood he can’t wait to see what is hidden within. He is an avid conservationist and feels that this is a way of recycling by using wood from trees that have been cut or must be cut because of disease or some other reason. |
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| For a handout of this program in Adobe PDF format, select the following link (left-click to view online or right-click to download): Turning a Covered Dish. | |
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Links to Archived Programs |
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Updated June 26, 2008 |
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Copyright 2005, 2006, Woodturners of North Texas |
During the program, Johnny will show and explain the various steps required to make the individual parts. This
includes the dispenser, top, body knob and the base.
Johnny Tolly has created numerous masterpiece turnings. He is very creative and has a keen eye for form and design
elements. In addition to bowls, vases and unusual things like his Texas Sized Big Bug, he has stretched his imagination
and made closed and opened segmented items as well. They range from vases, bowls, a football, a globe, table lamps,
a floor lamp and bowls with open segments on the top.
catalog versions and was considerably less expensive. 
Ranch Arts Center, Appalachian Center for Crafts, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Brookfield Craft Center, Marc Adams School of Woodworking, Ernie Conover Workshops and many other places. The weekend after our meeting, March 28th-31st, he will be teaching hands-on classes at Gene Colley’s Canyon Studios in Copper Canyon near Lewisville.
tension created by combining the circle’s perfection with the energy of pattern I am trying to make pieces that have life. I use patterns, whether created by grain structure or organic fluting and carving or repeated geometric shapes, to develop harmony in each of my pieces. I find myself always looking for a new means of expression within the turned form. --- Al Stirt
Our featured demonstrator for February, Joel Crabbe,
said that he turned his first pair of earrings about a year
ago and, “the ladies in my life: wife and daughters gushed over this miserable pair of earrings and wanted more”.
what designs are currently
popular and collecting baubles that have interesting elements that could be cannibalized for his turnings. “I sure get
more than a few quizzical stares from other guys as they make their way to the tool and automotive sections,” he says.
spindle work and face plate techniques. The
creativity aspect is in the combination of simple turned shapes and other elements to create a pleasing piece of jewelry
that is unique and a creative process for him. He describes the process as the lathe creating the bones while his
application of creativity and imagination fleshes out the wearable art. His guidelines for turning jewelry on the lathe
are simple ... there is only one rule in the creation of jewelry: THERE ARE NO RULES.