Meeting Information: Saturday, May 22 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Brad Stave: Surface Decoration

$15 fee for this meeting:

This will include lunch and a hands-on-workshop using various tools!

At Levi Mize Woodcraftsman’s Shop

Over 30 people attended the April meeting at our new venue.  Thanks to Levi Mize for making his shop available, we now have room to expand for better demonstrations and to properly display all of the new pieces of work we have done each month.  We welcome two new members, Alan Irwin and Paul Acker; this brings our total to 37.  For a relatively small group we are very active with lots happening as illustrated in the photos below.  A big thanks to our Program Chair Joel Oksner for putting together the grinder, stand and sharpening jigs that now sit near Levi’s lathe.

John Bailey collected, and Al Geller and Jim Rinde arranged the pieces now displayed in the Thousand Oaks Library during May.  In July our work will be on display at the Camarillo Library.  From August 4-15 we will be at the Ventura County Fair with a display, plus entries to be judged, and will again have a lathe with live demonstrations in the booth we share with the Channel Islands Woodcarvers.  Sam Turner will have more information about the Fair at the May meeting.

The list of members (7 so far) who are willing to act as mentors was handed out at the meeting and several of our less experienced members have already participated in the program.  Contact one of the officers or send an email to mentor@channelislandswoodturners.org if you have questions.

President Jim Rinde reported that the Avocado Bowls we made for Mission Produce were very well received and they would like more if we want to continue this project (see the last two month’s newsletters for details).   Bring the new bowls to Jim and he will save them until we have a batch ready to go.

We held our April meeting at Levi Mize’s shop in Camarillo.  I want to thank Levi on behalf of the Channel Islands Woodturners for allowing us to meet in his shop.  It was a great place to  meet with plenty of room for the 30+ people in attendance.

The monthly challenge was a “Talking Stick” and we had about six sticks show up.  Thanks to David Frank’s web search on talking sticks the challenge become something more than the lathe exercise I had planned.  If I remember right 4 of the sticks had feathers, two were from green wood and three were off center turnings.  Very innovative work.  Next month the challenge is a Lidded Box.  If anyone wants to web search lidded boxes I hope there aren’t any hidden meaning with them.  A lidded box with feathers?  Also thanks to Russ Babbitt for his demonstration on how to turn a box.

Since I will be on vacation in May, I will remind you now that the monthly challenge for June will be a hollow form turning.  Also you can see some fine examples of this form, by Ron Lindsay, in the Thousand Oaks library display during the month of May.

Lastly, I also want to thank Warren Brown for taking the lead on the writing of the article  on the Avocado Bowl Project.  The article is written and nearly ready to be sent to the editor of the AAW Journal. —- Jim Rinde

Jim has also circulated an email to our members with information about posting photos of your work on the AAW web site’s forum/gallery.  You will need to re-register as an AAW member to post to this updated gallery and chat forum.

Joel reports on the topic for the May 22nd meeting:  Brad Stave is president of the Antelope Valley Woodturners Association and will demonstrate what can be done to decorate the surfaces of our turning work.  Brad will explain painting, wood burning, piercing and texturing techniques.  This will be a hands-on demonstration with workstations set up so we can  all try the different techniques.  So that we can all practice as many decoration techniques as possible, we should each bring some projects:  they can be rejects or “keepers” you want to enhance but bring something.  We will be providing lunch at Levi’s shop.  Plan to attend, this sounds like a great program!  Note there is a $15 special fee to cover costs of the all day event and lunch.

Jim leading the meeting at Levi's Shop

Jim leading the meeting at Levi’s Shop

The grinder stand that Joel built.

The grinder stand that Joel built.

May Display at Thousand Oaks Libray

May Display at Thousand Oaks Libray

Spalted (maple?) bowl by Levi Mize: 8"dia.

Spalted (maple?) bowl by Levi Mize: 8″dia.

Show N Tell table

Show N Tell table

Show N Tell table

Show N Tell table

The "Talking Sticks" made for April's challenge

The “Talking Sticks” made for April’s challenge

More photos of the Show N Tell are at the end of this newsletter.

Club member, Russ Babbitt, Jr., was the featured demonstrator for April’s meeting.  The photos tell the story of his expertise with making precision boxes of all sizes and shapes:

Russ holding a sample box of the type he is about to make.

Russ holding a sample box of the type he is about to make.

Separating the top from the box blank.

Separating the top from the box blank.

Hollowing out the top as next step.

Hollowing out the top as next step.

With the inside of the top fininshed, he is now final sanding the inside of the bottom.

With the inside of the top fininshed, he is now final sanding the inside of the bottom.

The top has been mounted on the bottom for final outside shaping and finishing.

The top has been mounted on the bottom for final outside shaping and finishing.

With the tenon removed the top is ready to be fininshed.

With the tenon removed the top is ready to be fininshed.

A collection of boxes showing the range of Russ's work.

A collection of boxes showing the range of Russ’s work.

A selection of photos from the Show-N-Tell:

Les holding bowl with silver inlay.

Les holding bowl with silver inlay.

Al with redwood bowl featuring carved rim.

Al with redwood bowl featuring carved rim.

Close up of Al's Bowl.

Close up of Al’s Bowl.

Paulo holding 3-axis scoop he made with help of mentor Sam.

Paulo holding 3-axis scoop he made with help of mentor Sam.

Paulo's and Sam's ecentric scoops as taught to us by Soren Berger in July 2003 demonstration.

Paulo’s and Sam’s ecentric scoops as taught to us by Soren Berger in July 2003 demonstration.

Russ holding a bowl with sheet of brass laminated between two halves of exotic wood blank.

Russ holding a bowl with sheet of brass laminated between two halves of exotic wood blank.

Close up of Russ's bowl showing the brass lamination.

Close up of Russ’s bowl showing the brass lamination.

Al holding the top to the large box he made.

Al holding the top to the large box he made.

Martha with the thin stemmed goblet she made for March Challenge.

Martha with the thin stemmed goblet she made for March Challenge.

Sam with a thin avocado bowl, turned green and then returned.

Sam with a thin avocado bowl, turned green and then returned.

Warren with his Talking Stick.

Warren with his Talking Stick.

Seth with his Talking Stick.

Seth with his Talking Stick.

Barbara with her Talking Stick.

Barbara with her Talking Stick.

Jim with his large avocado bowl which had been soaked in acetic acid then boiled to try and preserve the natural red color.

Jim with his large avocado bowl which had been soaked in acetic acid then boiled to try and preserve the natural red color.