Good design, good form. The value of planning

[TimberNut]

Not sure how many subscribe to The Australian Wood Review, but the latest edition (number 55) has 2 excellent articles relevant to us turners.

Andrew Potocnik created 300mm wide a segmented bowl (from 150mm wide Myrtle) standing on curved legs (page 70).

In my opinion (for what that's worth :wink: ) one of the best examples I've seen of inspired woodturning demonstrating the benefits of planning a piece before just 'chucking something on the lathe'.

With careful preplanning, you can achieve some awesome results. Not to mention the fact that when sketching potential pieces, form can be refined till you get it nice and balanced and free flowing, long before you take to the timber with a chisel, and remove too much in the wrong spot (haven't we all done that....

If you can get your hands on a copy, have a look. Tell me if you like it.

There is also a review of 10 danish oils. Very good info for turners looking for the 'perfect' finish that is easy to apply. For those devotees of Danish Oil, the comparison of different brands may be useful to you.

Just thought it might be of interest to those who can beg/borrow/steal (not) one for a quick look.

[OGYT]

It all sounds interesting to me... especially the part about preplanning and the Danish Oil reviews. Can't buy Danish in this small town anymore... and the owner of the lumber yard (now Ace Hardware) says he can't even order it anymore, since they went Ace.
I'm currently trying to get some 100% pure tung oil (can't buy it here, either), so I can make my own home brew rub-on finish. Using Russ Fairfield's formula of equal parts Tung/SparVarnish/VM&PNaptha. The Tung Oil is supposed to be a harder finish than Danish.
Wish we could get the articles online.
Thanks for posting.

[rsser]

Google for the Woodworks in Sydney Al; they used to stock pure tung oil and may ship to Texas.

'Danish oil' covers a multitude of formulas. I read the review with interest. Organoil DO rated well and their stuff is made here in Oz but sold in other countries.

Yes, Andrew's work is impressive TN. This piece is a bit too busy for my taste. I love his carved sandblasted 'starfish' with a passion though.

[reeves]

Yes i have been thinking more about such things, planing, form, design etc

From what I read of most really 'good' turners, it is something that comes with experience and becoming dissatisfied with just 'chucking it on the lathe'.

I really think you need a full tub of skills to plan measure and execute well tho. Hard work etc

Andrew Pototnik is one of the top turners in the country with over 20 years turning experience including teaching. For us less experienced mortals its back to the lathe, have a bit of an idea and try not to F~*! it up ;-)

Its also possible that good planing and design is about winning the endless battle between man and wood, take that you gnarly peice of redgum...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggg!

[rsser]

It's also about educating your eye and your 'taste' as Hughie has posted on several times. Find the forms you like and work from there.

I had the privilege of taking lessons from Andrew. Top bloke. He's really pushing the boundaries.

[OGYT]

Google for the Woodworks in Sydney Al; they used to stock pure tung oil and may ship to Texas.
Organoil DO rated well and their stuff is made here in Oz but sold in other countries.

I'll try the Google route, thanks.
I've heard of Organoil for years, but never have located any of it yet. I went to Lubbock, TX Thurs for heart checkup, and finally located one can of 100% Tung Oil, after checking 5 other places for it. :oo:
I made 500ml of the home brew, and think I put a little too much Spar into it, so I'm going to make another mixture with about half as much Spar varnish, and finish out the amount with extra turps.:doh:
Tung oil is notorious for gelling after opening the can, so when I got the amount I needed out of the can, I filled it up with marbles to get the air out of it. I tightened the lid so it'll take a pipe wrench to reopen it. If it gels, it'll surprise me. :o
I put the brew into an "Enternal" feeding bag, and got all the air out of it... maybe it'll stay liquid for a while... hopefully, it won't eat through the plastic bag... :?

[rsser]

Thanks for the update Al. I'm keen to hear how the homebrew performs.

PS For Aussies, pure Tung oil is still on the woodworks site.

And the AWR review suggested the Organoil DO would be less likely to go off than the others.

[cedar n silky]

It's also about educating your eye and your 'taste' as Hughie has posted on several times. Find the forms you like and work from there.

I had the privilege of taking lessons from Andrew. Top bloke. He's really pushing the boundaries.

I think I am at that stage of, well, not just chucking a block on and seeing what develops (as I have done for a few years!)! I guess there has to be a bit of that becuase I chuck on half logs mostly, and untill you turn off the crap you don't quite know what your up for:) . I think that's the beuty of wood turning, it's that unpredictability. But as Richard Raffin (and many before him I imagine) once said, once the colour and finish are gone, many years down the track, it's the design that keeps it apealing. (Or something like that):B
So I am trying to take my turning up a notch, and really enjoy appreciating other turners designs and input on the forum, in books, and at galleries.

[rsser]

Way to go.

I'm an advocate of making scale drawings - well, playing around with sketches on graph paper really - of possible forms in cross section. You soon see poor ratios of width to depth eg. or a foot that's out of proportion.

(The blank dimensions are drawn in pen and sketches in pencil so the also rans can be erased and rough measurements off the front runner transfered or checked against the piece in process with calipers. I always do this with a good piece of wood; with not-so-good I'm happy to play with the real thing. And with the umpteenth pencil jar there's no need or room for either.)

[Frank&Earnest]

Not to mention that for some people (:- ) planning and problem solving is the best part of the fun. I almost enjoy more finding the right way of chucking a piece and extracting every mm of usable timber to get the right design from the shape of the log than actually turning it...:doh: When creativity is taken out, all that remains is manual labour, is it not?

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Planning? :? Isn't that when, after rotating your drying stacks for the month, all the dry stuff that's ready to turn is at the top of the pile?

And problem solving doesn't kick in until the planning goes wrong and you need to get the dry stuff out of the bottom of the pile without it falling over...

:p:D

[rsser]

Nah, it's when you've done a tenon or recess, dismounted the bowl, and find that it won't fit any of your jaws or chucks .... ptui!

[cedar n silky]

Nah, it's when you've done a tenon or recess, dismounted the bowl, and find that it won't fit any of your jaws or chucks .... ptui!

Does that happen to you too?:B Yesterday I hit the switch and (luckily it was on slow) the Alan key T handle thingy ma jiggy, flew out of the chuck and bounced offf the floor!:B More bad planning! Usualy happens when I'm on a creative run and things get a bit "cluttered" around the lathe and tool station!:doh: :D

[TTIT]

Nah, it's when you've done a tenon or recess, dismounted the bowl, and find that it won't fit any of your jaws or chucks .... ptui!....or the tenon was fine when you roughed it out green but has now shrunk so much you can't grab it!!!:~

[OGYT]

Well, Ern, the bag held... hose didn't clog... works a treat. The Home Brew is a little too varnishey... is that a word?... It seems to get tacky a little to quick, so I'm going to make some more with a little bit less Spar, and a little more turps.
TTIT: ....or the tenon was fine when you roughed it out green but has now shrunk so much you can't grab it!!!:~
That happened this morning... only it wouldn't fit the 100mm jaws, so I cut the spigot down to fit the 47mm jaws. Hate turning a large bowl with a small spigot, but ya gotta do whatcha gotta do.
Cheers,<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

[Frank&Earnest]

TTIT: ....or the tenon was fine when you roughed it out green but has now shrunk so much you can't grab it!!!:~
That happened this morning... only it wouldn't fit the 100mm jaws, so I cut the spigot down to fit the 47mm jaws. Hate turning a large bowl with a small spigot, but ya gotta do whatcha gotta do.
Cheers,<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

I would have tried putting a 2mm aluminium band around the spigot. Couldn't have shrunk more than that, could it?