.JPG)
Last night we tuned in and listened to the President give was most will agree was a great speech. Later, I found myself asking what did he say. What I heard was a bunch of campaign promises that I'd heard before. The rest was mostly rhetoric that really didn't say anything of any substance. I was confused as to what he really wanted was trying to accomplish with the whole thing. I was really wondering if it was just me or if I heard, or didn't hear as the case may be, what I thought. The anchor on the news later agreed with me. There was a lot of fluff and not a lot of anything else. There was double talk and running around the issues that he, himself, brought up. But there were no solutions offered.
Tonight we were there in Bible study @ church. I was leading the study of the Parable of the Talents. We took that passage and began to talk about being stewards of what God has given us. The most important point though was God asks us to be stewards of His Word. The Bible and its contents are what tell us of eternal life that is given to us by Jesus, God in the flesh. The Bible tells us the truth of God's love for us, how He worked through His chosen people and brought the world to the point that Jesus was born. It tell us of the temptations of Jesus and how he resisted every single one so that he could be the PERFECT sacrifice for the sin of all mankind.
Take a moment to watch this video, please. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JHS8adO3hM
Pretty impressive that an avowed atheist knows that we have a story of truth to share.
Made me think a bit when I first saw this video.
Who do I love enough to tell the story of Jesus to?
Who do I hate so much that I won't tell them about Jesus?
Am I going to talk in circles and make folks think I gave a good speech, a la President Obama, or am I going to be loving and daring enough to share the truth about the love of Jesus Christ?
What about you?
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Pleanty of "Clewes" Today!
What a day. Left the house this morning about 6:30 AM (that's not a particularly good time of the day for me). Why was I leaving out so early? Because I had a reserved spot in a group lesson with renown turner, Jimmy Clewes. Choice Woods was hosting Jimmy as part of the Grand Opening celebration of their new location. They are still in Louisville, but have moved from a very small location with no parking to a very spacious location with plenty of parking. Still lots of nice turning stock for what ever project you have in mind. Give them a look at www.choice-woods.com.
I really had no idea what to expect today. Clay had told me to bring standard tooling but to expect most anything. So I loaded my gear this morning and headed out for the lesson I've been looking forward to for about a month now. As I got there, Jimmy asked what I was looking to get out of this day. I told him that I really hadn't thought about it, that I have been turning for a few years not and wanted to get some further instruction. He suggested a box with a "pop" fitting lid. This project would allow for instruction in form and tool use. It also would be a good opportunity to learn to properly fit a lid on a box. So I jumped all this idea.
Had no hitches and completed a nice cherry box with a red palm inlay in the lid. And yes, the lid pops when I remove it. He told us that it was a simple thing and it really is. The trick is knowing how to make the subtle cuts that produce the friction needed. In the past I had tried to be so careful making the mating surfaces but simply could not make it work. One attempt to put the box together and it would not go together. The slightest adjustment, and the joint would be sloppy. Very frustrating.
Not only were taught technique, but there is one specialty tool that is made to make it all the easier. A simple tool really that most of us have used at one time or another. Jimmy showed us a parting tool that he had ground off at an angle. That simple little modification made all the difference in the world and made the pop fit box lid possible.
The joy of the day was the very end. Some of the projects was being completed, people were going home and Jimmy was in no hurry to go home. I got my second project to a point where I was ready to take it home and cleaned up my area. Before leaving, I went over to shake Jimmy's hand and thank him for the day. It really had been a pleasure. He thanked me for being a part of the class and then made a big deal out of the box that I turned. He complimented my work over all, the shape, the fit and finish. Jimmy could have just said that I did a good job, but he went so much further and complemented what had been produced and was specific about it.
I was just thinking the other day that I had not been in the shop for any amount of time since long before Christmas. Today was nearly 8 hours of shop time. It was not all turning, but I was in the shop and there were others there too. The time waiting for instructions was spent talking and sharing and helping others. Turning and teaching, two of my favorite things to do. I also decided to carve out some time each week to do more turning. I need it for my sanity. And boxes, well they are back on my list of fun things to turn.
Box, Cherry with Red Palm insert in the lid
Approx. 3" wide x 4" tall
Finish to this point is a friction polish, a mixture of shellac (same stuff to helps M&M's melt in your mouth, not in your hands) and bees wax. Not sure I'd want to drink the stuff, but once cured it is perfectly edible.
I really had no idea what to expect today. Clay had told me to bring standard tooling but to expect most anything. So I loaded my gear this morning and headed out for the lesson I've been looking forward to for about a month now. As I got there, Jimmy asked what I was looking to get out of this day. I told him that I really hadn't thought about it, that I have been turning for a few years not and wanted to get some further instruction. He suggested a box with a "pop" fitting lid. This project would allow for instruction in form and tool use. It also would be a good opportunity to learn to properly fit a lid on a box. So I jumped all this idea.
Had no hitches and completed a nice cherry box with a red palm inlay in the lid. And yes, the lid pops when I remove it. He told us that it was a simple thing and it really is. The trick is knowing how to make the subtle cuts that produce the friction needed. In the past I had tried to be so careful making the mating surfaces but simply could not make it work. One attempt to put the box together and it would not go together. The slightest adjustment, and the joint would be sloppy. Very frustrating.
Not only were taught technique, but there is one specialty tool that is made to make it all the easier. A simple tool really that most of us have used at one time or another. Jimmy showed us a parting tool that he had ground off at an angle. That simple little modification made all the difference in the world and made the pop fit box lid possible.
The joy of the day was the very end. Some of the projects was being completed, people were going home and Jimmy was in no hurry to go home. I got my second project to a point where I was ready to take it home and cleaned up my area. Before leaving, I went over to shake Jimmy's hand and thank him for the day. It really had been a pleasure. He thanked me for being a part of the class and then made a big deal out of the box that I turned. He complimented my work over all, the shape, the fit and finish. Jimmy could have just said that I did a good job, but he went so much further and complemented what had been produced and was specific about it.
I was just thinking the other day that I had not been in the shop for any amount of time since long before Christmas. Today was nearly 8 hours of shop time. It was not all turning, but I was in the shop and there were others there too. The time waiting for instructions was spent talking and sharing and helping others. Turning and teaching, two of my favorite things to do. I also decided to carve out some time each week to do more turning. I need it for my sanity. And boxes, well they are back on my list of fun things to turn.
Box, Cherry with Red Palm insert in the lid
Approx. 3" wide x 4" tall
Finish to this point is a friction polish, a mixture of shellac (same stuff to helps M&M's melt in your mouth, not in your hands) and bees wax. Not sure I'd want to drink the stuff, but once cured it is perfectly edible.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Turning a bowl without a chuck
Recently someone asked how to turn without a chuck. One way is to turn it on a face plate, either with or without 
a face plate. Some time ago I read a forum post that described turning a bowl with no chuck or face plate. I took that idea and figured out that yes indeed you can turn a bowl with out a mechanical chuck. I'll explain more as we go through the process.
Here you see a log section mounted on the lathe ready to start turning. BTW, this is my mini lathe, the only one I had at the time.
The turning process has begun. The end toward the right will be the bottom of the bowl while the left end will be, you guessed it, the top. Still some flat areas so there's more turning to do here.
Lookie here, it looks like maybe two bowls are starting to develop here. I honestly don't remember what was going on, but I'm getting this blank turned down to have a stem on both ends.
Also, do yo see the dark lines in the wood? That's spalting and it gives so much character to the wood. I wish I still had this bowl. For some reason I'm thinking it wound up being a gift.
Now you can see that I've turned the stem on the bottom and left it rather hefty. It needs to be so that I can hollow the inside of the bowl and also to take the riggors of driving the blank round and round.
At this point, with the outside of the bowl pretty well shaped, I've turned the blank around so that I can start the work on the inside. The tenon in the center will remain until the very end of the turning process. You'll see it go away later because if I were to turn it away now there would be nothing to hold it against the drive spur. Also there would be nothing to hold it up in line. The wood must spin on a constant axis in order to be turned round.
The hollowing process has gone well to this point. Notice the stem on the inside of the bowl. This is something to work around and with as you do the rest of the hollowing. There are some things different about this type of turning, but it was an exorcise for me. As you can see, it does work, at least to this point. Looks to me like I've got some sanding ahead.
You can see here that I have started to thin down the inner stem. I hope that the sanding was already done. At least it should have been done to 220 or so. Anyway, I suggest that the inner and outer stems be thinned at the same time. Thin a bit on the inside, then the outside, a little more on the inside, a little more on the outside, etc.
Once the inner stem has been removed, I suggest that you use a 2" sanding mandrel mounted in a drill to sand out the inside bottom of the bowl. Once the sanding process is done you can move on to finishing the bottom of the bowl. Now the fun begins.
You have some options now. I've alluded to one way of doing this, that is to thin the outer stem as you thin the inner. Then you can remove that outer stem with a carving knife and sand down the remaining nub. That's how you can do it with no chuck what so ever. The next picture will begin to explain the way I did it and how I might suggest you complete yours as well.
The Donut Chuck is a wonderful piece of equipment to have. It works great for these small pieces that really need to be reversed. The top of this bowl is toward the left and the bottom, outer stem is toward the right. Once mounted in the donut chuck you can turn down that outer stem to your hearts content. In this case it could be tapered on the sides and flattened on the bottom to create a pedistal or turned all the way down to form a small foot or even a rounded bottom. Your main concern is to create a bottom for your bowl that will complement the design of the piece and provide you a finished piece that will draw folks to look at your work a second or third time. The other idea to deal with is to remove all evidence of how you mounted the piece. With this method you'll have no screw holes, spur marks, or live center marks. All you'll end up with is the design that you and God combined together to share with your customers.
I'm sorry I don't have a picture of the completed piece. I do, however, have a pic of a completed spalted Buckeye bowl that I turned using this exact process. If you don't mind, I'll post it for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.
a face plate. Some time ago I read a forum post that described turning a bowl with no chuck or face plate. I took that idea and figured out that yes indeed you can turn a bowl with out a mechanical chuck. I'll explain more as we go through the process.Here you see a log section mounted on the lathe ready to start turning. BTW, this is my mini lathe, the only one I had at the time.
The turning process has begun. The end toward the right will be the bottom of the bowl while the left end will be, you guessed it, the top. Still some flat areas so there's more turning to do here.
Lookie here, it looks like maybe two bowls are starting to develop here. I honestly don't remember what was going on, but I'm getting this blank turned down to have a stem on both ends.Also, do yo see the dark lines in the wood? That's spalting and it gives so much character to the wood. I wish I still had this bowl. For some reason I'm thinking it wound up being a gift.
Now you can see that I've turned the stem on the bottom and left it rather hefty. It needs to be so that I can hollow the inside of the bowl and also to take the riggors of driving the blank round and round.At this point, with the outside of the bowl pretty well shaped, I've turned the blank around so that I can start the work on the inside. The tenon in the center will remain until the very end of the turning process. You'll see it go away later because if I were to turn it away now there would be nothing to hold it against the drive spur. Also there would be nothing to hold it up in line. The wood must spin on a constant axis in order to be turned round.
The hollowing process has gone well to this point. Notice the stem on the inside of the bowl. This is something to work around and with as you do the rest of the hollowing. There are some things different about this type of turning, but it was an exorcise for me. As you can see, it does work, at least to this point. Looks to me like I've got some sanding ahead.
You can see here that I have started to thin down the inner stem. I hope that the sanding was already done. At least it should have been done to 220 or so. Anyway, I suggest that the inner and outer stems be thinned at the same time. Thin a bit on the inside, then the outside, a little more on the inside, a little more on the outside, etc.
Once the inner stem has been removed, I suggest that you use a 2" sanding mandrel mounted in a drill to sand out the inside bottom of the bowl. Once the sanding process is done you can move on to finishing the bottom of the bowl. Now the fun begins.You have some options now. I've alluded to one way of doing this, that is to thin the outer stem as you thin the inner. Then you can remove that outer stem with a carving knife and sand down the remaining nub. That's how you can do it with no chuck what so ever. The next picture will begin to explain the way I did it and how I might suggest you complete yours as well.
The Donut Chuck is a wonderful piece of equipment to have. It works great for these small pieces that really need to be reversed. The top of this bowl is toward the left and the bottom, outer stem is toward the right. Once mounted in the donut chuck you can turn down that outer stem to your hearts content. In this case it could be tapered on the sides and flattened on the bottom to create a pedistal or turned all the way down to form a small foot or even a rounded bottom. Your main concern is to create a bottom for your bowl that will complement the design of the piece and provide you a finished piece that will draw folks to look at your work a second or third time. The other idea to deal with is to remove all evidence of how you mounted the piece. With this method you'll have no screw holes, spur marks, or live center marks. All you'll end up with is the design that you and God combined together to share with your customers.I'm sorry I don't have a picture of the completed piece. I do, however, have a pic of a completed spalted Buckeye bowl that I turned using this exact process. If you don't mind, I'll post it for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Introduction
Hey,
I'd like to introduce myself as this new blog gets started. My name is Doug. I'm married to a great girl. She's the love of my life and the only girl for me. I have no doubt that God placed her in my life and that we will go through life together "until death do us part." We had been married for many years when we found out that she was pregnant with our first child. That child was born and is now 7, in 1st grade, and making us both very proud for how well he is doing in school and crazy for being 7 and in his own little world. But, he's 7 and that's just how 7 year olds are. We're just glad that God chose to give him to us.
As you can probably tell, God is very important to me and my family. I'm the pastor of a small Southern Baptist Church. I don't pretend to know what He has in store for me and my family, but I will say that allowing God to be the leader of my life makes things much more adventurous, fun, and fulfilling.
I decided to start this blog for several reasons. One idea is to talk about events in the news and in the world that catch my attention that I want to express my opinion on. When I do share my opinion on things it is exactly that, my opinion. I don't post anything to start arguments or to make anyone feel bad. I'm only sharing what I think about things. I fully admit that my opinions are slanted. My thoughts are filtered through my beliefs in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and what I believe the Bible, God's holy word, says about various events. So, don't let my ideas shock you. Do feel free to ask questions if you don't understand my point of view. Don't expect me to argue with you. I'll share my beliefs but have no interest in arguing.
Another reason for this blog is to share my love of turning wood. I have two lathes and love to make logs into round pieces of functional art. Included in the items I turn are pens, platters, bowls, goblets, boxes, etc. As you see pictures of the various pieces, you'll begin to understand what I see and feel in the wood that I work with. Another turning buddy made a statement that I agree with completely. God created the wood. As a turner, my job is to expose what God has already put there. He gets the credit for making the beauty. I use the gifts He has given me to open the wood and allow the beauty of God's creation to shine before the eyes of man.
Thank you for taking the time to read this introduction. I hope you'll check back in from time to time to see what is new. Feel free to ask any question you might have. If you see a turning you particularly like, make sure you contact me. I turn for the love of the wood. I can continue only because a piece or two sells once in a while. Whether you purchase any of my work or not, your questions and comments are always welcome.
Hope you enjoy your time here,
Doug Miller
I'd like to introduce myself as this new blog gets started. My name is Doug. I'm married to a great girl. She's the love of my life and the only girl for me. I have no doubt that God placed her in my life and that we will go through life together "until death do us part." We had been married for many years when we found out that she was pregnant with our first child. That child was born and is now 7, in 1st grade, and making us both very proud for how well he is doing in school and crazy for being 7 and in his own little world. But, he's 7 and that's just how 7 year olds are. We're just glad that God chose to give him to us.
As you can probably tell, God is very important to me and my family. I'm the pastor of a small Southern Baptist Church. I don't pretend to know what He has in store for me and my family, but I will say that allowing God to be the leader of my life makes things much more adventurous, fun, and fulfilling.
I decided to start this blog for several reasons. One idea is to talk about events in the news and in the world that catch my attention that I want to express my opinion on. When I do share my opinion on things it is exactly that, my opinion. I don't post anything to start arguments or to make anyone feel bad. I'm only sharing what I think about things. I fully admit that my opinions are slanted. My thoughts are filtered through my beliefs in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and what I believe the Bible, God's holy word, says about various events. So, don't let my ideas shock you. Do feel free to ask questions if you don't understand my point of view. Don't expect me to argue with you. I'll share my beliefs but have no interest in arguing.
Another reason for this blog is to share my love of turning wood. I have two lathes and love to make logs into round pieces of functional art. Included in the items I turn are pens, platters, bowls, goblets, boxes, etc. As you see pictures of the various pieces, you'll begin to understand what I see and feel in the wood that I work with. Another turning buddy made a statement that I agree with completely. God created the wood. As a turner, my job is to expose what God has already put there. He gets the credit for making the beauty. I use the gifts He has given me to open the wood and allow the beauty of God's creation to shine before the eyes of man.
Thank you for taking the time to read this introduction. I hope you'll check back in from time to time to see what is new. Feel free to ask any question you might have. If you see a turning you particularly like, make sure you contact me. I turn for the love of the wood. I can continue only because a piece or two sells once in a while. Whether you purchase any of my work or not, your questions and comments are always welcome.
Hope you enjoy your time here,
Doug Miller
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