The September meeting of the Nova Woodturners’ Guild, held at Halifax Specialty Hardwoods, focused on the sometimes elusive and often overlooked topic of Shape and Design. This was presented by Guild members Alan Hunt and Dianne Looker.

Alan spoke about the general concepts of shape and design and what we are looking to achieve as woodturners. Using both drawings and actual examples he showed us what works and what doesn’t, and why we find some pieces appealing and why we find some pieces that aren’t so appealing.

He spoke on ways to envision the desired shapes for turning by using a catenary curve, which is best described as the curve that a hanging chain assumes when it is held by its ends. He also gave an explanation of the Golden Mean, which is a “mathematical concept that expresses the relationship of two parts of a whole with each other and with the whole”.

Unfortunately there was not enough time for a thorough lecture and study on the immense subject of design, or even the Golden Mean, but Alan did cover a lot of the basics and gave us plenty of food for thought. The considerations and concepts that he raised are an integral part of creating visually appealing turnings and meant to be explored more.

Following Alan’s presentation Dianne introduced us to a new and exciting Guild project that is called “The Shape Challenge”. It is an opportunity for all of the Guild members to participate in turning an item that will challenge us on a specific design, in this case, a concave.

Continue reading 'Shape And Design At The NWG'

In the late Spring I had the opportunity to use some recently learned skills. I got to make another bunk bed. I also got to build a double bed using the same technique. Using what I learned at the Bayside bunk building marathon I was able to give my sister-in-law and her husband a hand building a well needed sleeping solution.

My brother-in-law and I spent the day building these for their lake front cottage and it couldn’t have been a better day. Though it rained a bit on and off throughout the day the bunk bed construction went slick as a whistle.

Before starting I did up a cutlist and a step-by-step plan which, amazingly, could not have worked out better. Here it is:

Continue reading 'Best Bunk Beds For The Bunky'

The first meeting for the Atlantic Woodworkers Association’s 2010-2011 season kicked off with a great presentation from member Mike Bielby on the basics of Sketchup, the popular 3D sketching software.

Mike uses the program quite extensively and therefore he is quite familiar with it, and it showed. He took us on an excellent tour through the program, showing us a variety of features, by creating a table and a chair.

While creating these items he explained the extensive menu bar. Each component was quickly created with the push/pull feature and accurately measured to plan. The table even had tapered legs and the chair had an arced back and styled seat!

Using these real-life examples it became clear to us the simplicity of using Sketchup in our woodworking design and why it could be a valuable tool in the workshop. Thanks Mike, excellent presentation!

There was also a silent auction held for a variety of tools. These tools were owned by the AWA and used for the Children’s Workshop that was held each year in conjunction with the Halifax Woodshow, which, unfortunately, is no more. The tools included 5 Ryobi scroll saws, 3 Ryobi bench-top belt sanders, 1 Ryobi 10″ drill press, 3 Ryobi disk sanders, 1 Rigid bench-top oscillating sander and 1 Craftsman scroll saw.

Continue reading 'The AWA Gets All Sketched Up!'

Here’s a trio of small Southwest style pots that I also did over the summer. They are made of Ash and they have been burned with a basket weave. They are 3 1/4″ high and 3 3/4″ in diameter.

Each of them are shaped and decorated a bit differently, though all are keeping in the Southwest style. They have also been stained and finished with wipe-on poly. They were then brushed with steel wool to give a more satin, pottery-like finish.

Here are some more photos of the individual pots:

Continue reading 'Small Southwest Pot Trio'