June Meeting of the

Tennessee Valley Woodworkers

June 17, 2008

 

 

Anthony Watts presided in the absence of Tom Gillard. 

 

Guests:

Tom Brantley

Ruby Brown

Bob Brown

Bob Malloy from McMinnville

Greg Pennington

 

New Members:

Eddie Branum of Manchester (joined at the May meeting)

 

See Chuck Taylor to update your email addresses, etc. for the Splinters newsletter.

 

We regret to note that refreshments may no longer be served at our meetings due to regulations regarding use of our room.  Any opinions or suggestions will be entertained.

 

Be sure to check the latest updates on the website for dates of upcoming events.

 

Old Business:

*A thank you note from John and Janie Lovette was received.

*The annual picnic was a success.  Thanks to Vince for his hard work on the picnic and Richard and Doyle for their fine auctioneering.

*The turning bee at Tom Cowan’s was a great success, and a lot of fun!  Thanks, Tom!

Anthony has turned in 40 pens to be shipped overseas to the troops.  He has 45 more pen kits in.  Ross Roepke has a box of walnut for the pens on the show and tell table.

 

New Business:

*Jim Wright is very sick in the hospital.  They were drawing fluid off his lungs at the time of the meeting.

*Jim Accord is also out sick.  Our thoughts and prayers are with each of these men.

*Ed White has burl available at a friend’s sawmill in Dixon.  See him if interested.

*TVW caps are available for $5.00 each.

*There are 2 Butternut slabs available and one Walnut slab on the table.

*Doyle McConnell is getting shop tours ready and lined up.  He should have information available at the next meeting.

*Our Fall workshop will be “in house.”  We need volunteers and workers.  A place has not been determined, but the date is October 18.

*November 7 and 8 will be a mini exhibit previewing the larger exhibit in May, 2009.  that one will be entitled “In the Spirit of Fine Woowork.” 

      *Exhibit entries are now being accepted.

      *Committee Chairs are now in place.  The Steering Committee is made up of     Loyd Ackerman, Tom Gillard, Henry Davis, and Steve Shores.

       *Please sign up to make items—carving, turning, furniture, etc.

 

The next Carver’s meeting will be July 5 at Phil Bishop’s shop.

 

Show and Tell:

 

  1. Doyle McConnell—Doyle just got back form Provo, Utah where he went to a woodturning symposium.  He saw examples of dying wood with aniline dye.  The dying is done from the inside after turning, and it bleeds through to the outside.  The dye is thinned down with acetone and squirted in with a hypodermic needle, and yellow was wiped on the outside.  After 3 days, it can be buffed and finished.  The finished product is remarkable!  His vase was turned from silver maple with red aniline dye bled through, and the outside wiped with yellow.  The fumes can be hazaqrdous, so Doyle recommends you open the door while working on this technique. 

     He noted that David Marks on Woodworks uses metal foils with acids and                chemicals to create unique results.

  1. Bob Reese—Bob brought his 25th violin, and had Tom Brentley, a champion fiddler play it.  It has 5 strings, with 3 pegs on one side, and 2 on the other.  The extra string adds 25% to the tension on the strings, and bridge, as well as stress and strain on the sound box, so it was quite a challenge.  It was made of Oregon Curl;y Mple.  He made on in 1996 from wood from this same tree.  Tom played Jerusalem Ridge with Richard Gulley accompanying him on the guitar.  It was a great sounding fiddle!
  2. Jim VanCleave—Jim did a relief carving of a rooster on a walnut slab.  For those who don’t know, he informed them that it as a male chicken!
  3. Bob Leonard—Bob brought an antique veneer scraperperhaps built by Stanley.
  4. Chuck Taylor—Chuck turned a natural edge Ambrosia Maple bowl from a flat place in the tree, which made it come out fairly even along the top.  He learned how to do this type surning at the turning bee at Tom’s.
  5. Greg Pennington—Greg brought a fan back white oak char with a basswood seat and spindles turned from silver maple.  He used buttermilk paint using red first, and then black on top, after which he coated it with linseed oil and__?____ for a very fine look.
  6. Henry Davis—Henry brought mantle frames from a plan in “Woodsmith” issue #154.  They had tops held on by 2 dowels and were double sided.  He cut his own glass at first, but discovered that R & M Glass would cut 24 4by6 pieces for only $10.00, which is well worth it.
  7. Dick Wollam—Dick had carved a pod of dolphins playing over a driftwood “wave.”  The dolphins were carved from pine and stained with picked oak, which turned them white.  They were really realistic.
  8. Felix Rees—Felix made an oak necklace rack.  He turned the 3/8 inch dowels himself, and used Coke tabs on the back as hangers.
  9. Geoff Roehm—Jeff brought a bowl he had roughed out at the turning bee.  He was happy that the outside turned out bigger than the inside! J
  10. John Mayberry—John brought a side table he made of Cherry wood for his step granddaughter, Brittany Sain.  It had a drawer and was from a pattern out of Woodsmith.  It had a lacquer and wax finish.
  11. Jay Hazel—Jay brought 2 stave bowls, one of Curly Birch, and the other of Purple Heart highlighted with hackberry.  He had left the chuck ring on the bottoms so that as his family used the bowls, he could chuck them back up and touch up the finish.  Good idea!  
  12. Anthony Watts—Anthony brought some picture frame molding to share with the members that had previously belonged to Ralph Jones’ father.  He also brought a dressing wheel his grandfather made for his grinding stone.  Anthony shared about 15 additional dressing stones with the group. 
  13. Fred Heltsey—Fred showed us a new material by Certainteed.  It was a foam board which cuts like wood, but can be heated and bent for curved applications.  He also showed us pictures of an extraordinary relief carved wall he saw in Huntingdon Gardens in Pasadena.  Frred also told us about the “summersale” at woodline.com.
  14. Tom Church—Tom brought pictures of a 7’6” square conference table he had built for the CEO of Target.  It was made out of salvaged Cypress and was quite impressive.

 

Ideas From the Fiddle Shop

Fiddle Makin’ Stuff You Can Use!

By Bob Reese

 

Bob presented a very informative and useful program about making fiddles while sharing ideas we can use for other applications. It takes about 200 hours of hands-on work for each violin plus cure and down time.

 

 He uses Curly Maple for the backs, necks, and ribs, then uses  high altitude spruce for the top.  (20 grains of even growth per inch)  Grain orientation is critical!

 

Bob uses liquid hide glue by Titebond.  Check the date on it.  It has a 2 year shelf life.  He thins it ½ with water for a semi-permanent glue joint like the top and fingerboard.  He uses 2-ton clear epoxy for important joints like the neck to body and the center line of booked joints.

 

The difference in a fiddle and violin are the curvature of the bridge and whether you say it has strings or “strangs.”J

 

Here are some devices and methods used by “an old fiddle maker”:

 

*Glue 40 grit sandpaper on a 12” X 24” piece of countertop to make a flat sanding board.  He uses contact cement for the glue.

 

*Shop made clamps make life easier.”  Make the patterns from masonite to use as “clamps” to hold glue joints for curved joints.  Put tape or waxed paper under the glue joint to keep it from sticking to the back board!

*“Mini” clamps can be made from small blocks of cork-faced wood connected with carriage bolts.  Use wing nuts.

 

*Spray a smooth sanded surface with water to raise the grain and then sand again.

 

*Varnish takes a full 4 weeks to cure.  If you try to rub it out sooner, you will end up with a no-gloss rub out.

 

Good ideas!