WOODezine - Volume II - Issue III - MARCH 2004

TURNING TIDBITS

British site for Beginning Woodturners
This is a UK-based Web site with a wonderful essay by Peter Hemsley which covers all the basics - safety, tooling, machinery, techniques, the lot. It's very well illustrated and although Mr. Helmsley starts out trying to tout chisels, he quickly sheds his merchant persona and reveals his true nature - an avid turner and an insightful teacher. Well worth a read by any skill level, this is almost essential reading for the novice.

The main page on Helmsley's site offers a gallery of woodturning and woodworking from the UK, Europe, Australia and even a few American sites. Some of the work is magnificent, like the Lidded Urn by Stuart Mortimer shown at right (Acacia with Amarillo base, and lid with four-start open twist: 10" tall x 4-1/2" diameter.

Peter Lowe
Fine Wood Sculptor and Woodturner

Peter Lowe is a fine wood artist who created carved woodturnings from indigenous Western Australian timbers. The dust finally got to him and he's temporarily retired. Since he stopped turning, he tells us that he has enjoyed remarkably good health.

The link below shows examples of his work.
Pictured here are his Kingfisher at left, and Spine Bill at right. Both are turned and carved in Allocasuarina fraseriana (Sheoak). Click on either for a larger image.

For more info, visit Peter online.

A Brief History of
WOODTURNING
by Michael Hofius

"The earliest hints of the Art of Woodturning probably lie in the ancient Egyptian heiroglyphs, to be found in the tombs of the pharoahs. There, pictographs depicting a primitive bow-driven hand drill can be seen. Though this is not actually a lathe, it is the first indication of the use of the bow as a means of spinning a tool. The bow became, as far as we can tell, the earliest form of lathe engine. Still, today, in some Arabic countries, this form of bow-driven lathe can be found in use. It is, by its nature, a difficult machine to use..."

To read Michael's article, visit him online.

Oak and Osage Orange Clock
Ellis Hein

"This turning grew from the joining of a couple of ideas I was working on. I wanted to make use of negative space, wherein I would leave the portion of the turning that I usually would remove - and would take away the round part. I also wanted an element of off axis turning."

Materials:
Osage orange in the center to hold the brass clock insert. Oak on the sides to form the legs.

Size:
3-3/8" x 3-3/8", 4-1/2" from the bottom of the longest leg to the clock bezel. The footprint is 4-3/8" x 4-7/8" and 3-1/2" tall.
.
Send an eMail to Ellis

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