John Jordan - text by Martha Etchart July 22, 2006 Page 1
On Saturday July 22nd the Channel Islands Woodturners were
privileged to have world renown John Jordan demonstrate his hollow form turning
and carving techniques. John shared observations about woods, grain, turning for
design and utilizing the heart and sap wood, as well as various surface carving
and texturing. Some of John’s tools that he used were also available for
purchase during the day.
Mr. Jordan began the day with basic lathe information and
care. He emphasized cleaning and proper maintenance of the tool rest by using a
light file to clear any imperfections and nicks followed by fine sandpaper
sprayed with WD-40 to keep tools sliding easily. He also suggested the same
treatment for the bed of the lathe so that the tail stock glides easily.
Anywhere that metal meets metal should be completely clean of shavings and dust
to enhance the performance of the lathe. Throughout the demonstration Mr. Jordan
returned again and again to the grinding wheel to sharpen tools. Because of this
process, cutting was easier and cleaner. Every tool maintained a sharp and dust
free surface if at all possible. Shavings were cleared away often to prevent
their interference with the cut.
Greenwood, specifically silver maple, was the wood chosen for
the demonstration. Mr. Jordan only turns greenwood (or wet wood). His focus is
to turn a piece so that the shrinkage is part of the final design or cleverly
hidden in the final shape and carving. He prefers to utilize the natural
inclinations of the wood and work with it to his advantage instead of struggling
with checks, cracks or warping. John pointed out on other pieces that he had
brought for display where the sap wood was preserved as the detailing at the lip
of vessels. The pieces had a distinctly organic feel, almost like flower buds
ready to bloom. Carving emphasized the fluidity of the form.
The demonstration began with a large block of the silver
maple placed between centers. John turned a tenon and instead of turning the
block cylindrical first, he turned to the final desired shape. A rather large
inclusion presented itself near the proposed base of the vessel so John modified
the design, shortening the height, attempting to remove it. Unfortunately, it
was too large, so it remained.
It was emphasized early on in the roughing process that John
rarely turns a piece at a speed greater than 900rpm. He suggested that turning
faster lends itself to more errors and potential dangers. John also began the
turning left handed, even though he is right handed, because of his left-handed
angle to the lathe he was able to divert shavings away from his body. It was a
clever way to keep little shavings from getting under clothing. The initial cuts
were basic bevel rubbing cuts. While he was rounding the piece to the general
shape he was sure to leave a double tenon, one with a second shoulder. This
process was in preparation for a small base in the design, so the bowl appears
to be just barely touching the surface of a table. Often a single shoulder will
cause a design to have a heavier or larger base which may be undesirable so the
turner will have to redesign the shape later. The second shoulder gave more
options in finishing the base of the vessel. As the design came into being, John
constantly watched the profile of the piece. His cuts were from top to center
and then from bottom to center always cutting to support the grain of the wood.
This prevented tear-out or as John described it, the fuzzies.
His final cut was using a gouge that had been touched up with
a very fine ceramic slip-stone to bring up a small burr. A sheer cut using this
burr produced a surface that would need little sanding for a smooth finish. Even
so, John would be carving the piece or texturing and stated that any
irregularities would only become irregularities that had been covered by
texture, they would not be hidden. So, it is ideal to have the best possible
surface. The final cut was a pulling cut with the long edge of the gouge. [He
also finished with a special tool that he makes with a short handle and a
reversible angled straight edge with a slight burr as a shear (scraper). The
burr is raised with a very hard and fine ceramic rod. Holding this tool at 45°
or more gives the cleanest cut and prevents the tool from flopping onto the tool
rest. This could be done with a standard straight ended scraper with a very fine
burr but would be more difficult.] John had the lightest touch, producing very
fine shavings. If he had pushed the tool or applied too much pressure, there was
an increased risk of bouncing on the surface. If the lathe is also slowed there
is less chance of chatter as well. As the outside of the piece had been
finished, john approached the hollowing process. Hollowing was methodical.
The lip of the vessel was first determined. At present the
base was planned for a diameter of approximately 2.5 inches so the opening was
nearly that. The design included a slightly pulled up opening (see photos). John
then used a long 3/8 drill bit held with vise-grips. He marked the intended
depth with a bit of painters tape (very high tech!). This set-up can use an
electricians remodeling bit at a cost of 6 to 8 dollars or you can order the bit
through a catalogue at a cost of $30.00, your choice! It was emphasized that the
bit be cleared often of shavings to prevent bogging down. Also, you would want
to be sure the bit does not turn in your hand and cause a friction burn (if you
are using a wooden handled variety). At this time, with the guide hole
completed, John re-tightened the chuck to be sure that the greenwood had not
loosened. A fine coat of paraffin was applied to the tool rest and the back of
the tool to allow for an easy glide on the final finishing cut.
A straight tool with a 3/16” bit was used to begin the
hollowing. John used a 3/16” square cutter ground to a fingernail shape. Once
the bulk of the wood is removed he switches to a curved tool. It was emphasized
to keep the cutting edge small to prevent a too large surface from grabbing. The
tip was always straight and flat in relation to the handle at or slightly below
center. Any angling was done manually. The tip was also kept in line with the
handle to provide more support in cutting. At this point John was not as
concerned with wall thickness as he was with removing the bulk of the material
from inside the vessel. Again, he often stopped to sharpen tools and remove
shavings from the piece and the general area he was working on. Being careful
not to remove the tool while the piece was still turning, John suggested having
a switch nearby so that you could safely stop the lathe to clear shavings. The
piece was progressively hollowed always removing from the center all the way
through. This method prevented the piece from beginning to dry unevenly,
provided constant support and made the final cuts smoother. At the time of the
final interior cuts, John finished the first two or three inches from the lip
and then left a small shoulder. He was able to progressively, using a series of
small cuts, remove wood below the shoulder and blend the sides. This allowed him
to have a good idea of the wall thickness consistency. While the demo piece was
turned to approximately ¼” wall thickness, most of his pieces are left somewhat
thicker (approximately ½”) to allow for the deep carving that he will do after
the piece is completely dry.
At this point in the demonstration the piece was removed from
the lathe. A jam chuck was made to turn the piece and complete the bottom. John
had the lathe turned very slow (approx. 500-600 rpm to allow the tool to follow
the slightly off round shape of the base. This slight oval was due to the rapid
drying of the piece. The bottom was turned following the outside curve of the
vessel with a very small flat so the piece appeared to just lightly sit on the
table.
Before beginning a demonstration of carving and texturing
techniques, John discussed the nature of shrinkage in wood. He did several
drawings showing how a piece of wood would lend itself to the final shape of a
vessel. For example, a bowl cut side grain with its bottom at the pith of the
wood will dry with a concave opening edge, a bowl with the opening at the pith
will have a double peaked edge, and a tall vase turned parallel to the pith (end
grain) and off center will develop a final egg shape. Knowing the woods tendency
in the drying process will allow turners to make design choices and avoid having
to try to correct less-than-pleasing final shapes.
The final portion of the demonstration dealt with the various
carving and texturing techniques that Mr. Jordan uses. His first was the layout
of a basic grid on a piece to plan the flutes or spirals. At the lip John marked
off 8 lines. This could have been precisely measured out but, as John put it,
that would not have allowed for that human feel of a piece that he desires.
Using an AutoMach reciprocating carver fitted with a V gouge, John followed the
spirals that he had drawn on the piece. He them followed with a carbide spiral
burr using an air-driven die grinder with rear exhaust to soften the cut sides.
This technique gave the resulting closed petals that seemed to spiral up from
the base. (Again, see the pictures as words cannot clearly relate the flowing
spiral and soft roundness of the sections of the pieces.) John Jordan uses a
wide variety of tools to achieve his desired effects (Dremel rotary tools, steel
and brass wire hand brushes, wire wheels in held in a jacobs chuck on the lathe
with the piece held by hand, French files and small hand saws). He emphasizes
experimentation with a tools and textures to enhance your work. His suggestion
is to turn a number of small, quick pieces and practice, practice, practice.
This practice not only gives insight to what a tool can produce as a texture but
it gives the turner the practice with the tools so that they are comfortable,
when we are comfortable with the tools we can concentrate on the creativity that
produces amazing objects.
In conclusion, the day was 7 hours that could not possibly be
covered in 3+ pages. There was so much presented and so many ideas. Special
thanks to Russell Babbitt for video taping the demo (if you missed the demo,
please check out the video from the Channel Islands Woodturner’s library), and
to Doug Eaton for arranging lunch; Ron Lindsay and David Frank for the still
photos that accompany this article; and David Frank for putting it on our
website. Especially we are thankful to John Jordan for sharing his expertise and
skill during this educational event.
Photos are
on page 2 Back to August 2006
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