Eli Avisera Sphere Template The Pen Turners Corner Johannes ...

Volume XIV, Number 3 March-April 2009 Price—$4.00
Sweazey gouges to continue in production--these are two of the new
gouges fitted with aluminum handles with pvc coatings.
Eli Avisera is known to your
editor for pieces such as you see
in this column. His precision
lamination is fantastic.
If you haven’t met the Hat
Man, Johannes Michelsen it is
time that you did in the article
in this issue.
This is one of the pieces
created during the Feilding
Collaboration 2009 in New
Zealand. We have shared a few
others in this issue, but you can
see all of them at the web site
listed in the article.
In This Issue:
Eli Avisera
Sphere Template
The Pen Turners Corner
Johannes Michelsen
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 1

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Page 2 More Woodturning March-April 2009

Contents
Eli Avisera: A Different Approach.
......................................................4
Sweazey Gouges to Continue in Production..........................................9
Sphere Template.........................11
PenTurner’s Corner...................14
Letter to Editor...........................17
Feilding Collaboration 2009.....18
Questions and Answers from the Internet...........................................19
Using a Depth Drill....................19
Spinner Tops..............................19
A Spigot Chuck You Can Make.21
Johannes Michelsen-The Hat Man
....................................................24
More About Through Chucks ..29
Coming Events..........................30
Making the Ball for a Chinese Ball
....................................................32
Insurance Coverage for AAW Members.............................................34
More On Rolling Pins & a Couple
New Tricks...........................36
A Collaborative Group Project..38
The Market Place......................39
About the Cover:
The photos on the cover of
this issue were taken from stories
found in the issue. If you
were familiar with the Sweazey
Gouges your will be pleased to see
that production will continue even
though an accident ended the life
of Bob Sweazey this last summer.
The new version is illustrated on
the cover.
EDITORAL
This issue is being put together a bit earlier than usual, because Mildred
and I will be attending the Desert Woodturning Roundup in Mesa,
Arizona and then flying to Florida for the International Wood Collector’s
Society meeting and also doing a couple of Chinese Ball demonstrations
for clubs in Northern Florida. I expect that we’ll be doing stories on both
of these events in a future issue.
Our writers are continuing to produce new stories to help fill the
pages of More Woodturning with some stories not written by your editor.
If you have an item or project that you feel would be worth sharing
with our readers, please contact me by mail or by e-mail. E-mail is the
preferred method, because it is so easy to answer. My e-mail address is:
fred@morewoodturning.net. You can also submit your stories by e-mail
if the photos are not too many or too large. If your story has a number of
photographs, I would prefer that you submit the story on a CD-ROM to
our Post Office Box: PO. Box 2168, Snohomish, WA 98291.
We actually have two stories in this issue on making spheres. One
by David Reed Smith in which he uses a Sphere Template that he has developed
and one by your editor in which the Vermec Sphere Turning Rig
is used to shape the sphere. This is my preferred method if I am trying to
make precision sphere as required for making the Chinese Ball.
Our question and answer column has dropped off a bit this issue,
partially because I was a bit sick and did not monitor the newsgroups for
questions that I thought would be pertinent for our publication. I answer
many questions that I feel have too limited an interest to publish in More
Woodturning. If you have questions, Lyle and I will attempt to answer
them. Since each of us takes different approaches to turning wood you
generally get different views on the same question.
I again urge you to renew your subscription as it expires, note we
send you a post card telling you that your subscription is about to expire.
I also urge you to tell your friends about More Woodturning. We still
wish to increase our circulation enough that we can go back to full color
on every page.
Remember, More Woodturning is not a big money maker for me. It
was designed to give me something to do that would benefit the woodturning
community and would make it worthwhile for me to keep staying
active for many years to come. It costs money to publish the magazine
and I either have to contribute the funds from my savings or get the funds
required from my subscribers and advertisers. So, I ask you to help me
keep the magazine going for many years into the future by renewing your
subscriptions and by getting others to subscribe.
I hope you all had a great holiday season at the end of last year and
the beginning of this year and wish you great success with your turning
in 2009 and many years beyond.
Fred Holder, Editor and Publisher
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 3

Eli Avisera: A Different Approach
by Gary C. Dickey
Even before spending a week
at Arrowmont taking a course with
Israeli woodturner Eli Avisera, I was
hooked on the idea that tool design
and sharpening techniques, were
a vital key to successful turning.
Virtually every teacher I ever had
except for the first two had preached
that “sharp tools are the essential
difference between good and bad
woodturning.”
The first lathe I ever saw
was a table top model from Sears in
a back corner of a neighbor’s barn
circa 1966. The neighbor’s grandson,
Willie, who was about my age
would spend summers at the farm
More Woodturning is published monthly
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More Woodtunring uses materials from
many sources and many authors, the views
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Page 4 More Woodturning March-April 2009
just up the road from our house, so
we became fast friends.
One day, while plundering
in the barn, I saw a piece of machinery
sitting on a table in the corner
and asked my friend about it. At
that moment I met my first turning
teacher and had my introductory
lesson in woodturning.
“You gotta see this--it’s the
coolest thing ever,” Willie said.
Without further explanation, he
grabbed a piece of oak stove wood
from the pile nearby and chucked it
between centers. Then, holding a
(barely) sharpened large screwdriver
from off the table, he hit the switch
and started scraping. It wasn’t the
smoothest turning in the world, but
when the splinters stopped flying
he had a rough replica of a round
bladed medieval dagger and I was
hooked on woodturning.
For the rest of the summer
we scraped out daggers and
swords until Willie’s grandmother
noticed that the stove wood pile
was disappearing faster than she
was burning it. But by then it was
time to go back to school and I was
just old enough to sign up for shop
class where I discovered they had
a school lathe. That’s where I met
my second woodturning teacher.
Sam Hill took great pains
to introduce us to each and every
tool in the shop...except for the
lathe. When I pointed out that he
had omitted showing us the lathe,
Sam said sternly, “Boys, that is the
most dangerous tool in the shop.
I don’t want to catch any of you
messin’ with it. I don’t even use it
myself.”
Needless to say, I was disappointed.
So disappointed, in fact,
that I went whining home to mama,
complaining to anyone who would
listen that the only reason I signed
up for shop class was to work on the
lathe. After mama could no longer
stand the whining, she piled me in
the car and drove off for the school
to talk to the principal. When the
principal could no longer stand the
whining, she ushered us down the
hall to the school shop where we
confronted Sam Hill.
As I recall, it took about
another half hour of whining to subdue
Sam Hill, but he finally gave in,
with one parting shot as we retreated
down the hall. “Well, I’m not going
to be responsible if he kills himself
on that damn thing,” he shouted.
Before the semester was
over, Sam Hill had sawed his thumb
off on the bandsaw. Poetic justice
I’d say. We tried to get the biology
teacher to add it to the collection of
snakes, birds, and lizards preserved
in formaldehyde that lined the
shelves in the lab.
Sam left the teaching profession
the following semester, replaced
by a lady wrestler, who once
pinned a slightly effeminate classmate
to the workbench and sewed
lace on the back of his jeans.
It was no wonder that Eli
Avisera (and a host of my later
teachers) questioned my early
woodturning education. I thought I
had fooled Ray Key into thinking I
was a competent woodturner, until
his critique of our work on the last
day of his class.
“So you turned this, huh”
he asked looking over my best effort.
“Yes sir,” I said swelling
with pride.

Eli’s Combination Tool above was the result of trying to develop a safe turning tool for his son
who, at an early age, wanted to be able to turn in his father’s shop even when unsupervised. It has
characteristics of the gouge without the danger of getting a catch. Note the double bevel which has
become a standard for many Avisera Tools. Both the beading tool and the skew are ground straight
across at the cutting edge. Since there are no sharp changes between the bevel and the rest of the tool
(a rolled edge), both are easily sharpened by hand without a need for a jig. (Photos courtesy Hamlet
Tools)
“Hummm,” he said still examining
it. Wincing slightly , he put it
back on the table and moved along,
while muttering almost imperceptibly
under his breath, “I suppose it
was a pretty good piece of wood till
you got hold of it.”
So the reason I bring up this
whole dreary episode is to properly
set the backdrop for that day that
Eli Avisera stepped into my shop
for a week long visit and a series
of demonstrations leading up to
the AAW symposium in Richmond
this summer. It would be an understatement
to say that his visit was
a woodturning epiphany--a sudden
manifestation of the essence
or meaning of what tool design and
sharpening is all about.
With a new line of his signature
tools now being produced by Hamlet
Tools of Sheffield, England, Eli has
brought reality to his theories of what
turning tools should be. At the heart
[Text Continued on Page 6]
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 5

Eli Avisera Continued from
Page 5
of these theories, is the idea that
tools should be surgically sharp and
at the same time easily kept that
way. For this reason, his tools, for
the most part incorporate double
bevels. By grinding a small 2 mm
“cutting bevel” at the tip of the tool,
with a secondary bevel just behind
it, one can quickly sharpen the tool
to suit any curve.
“It really doesn’t matter what
angle is ground on the secondary
bevel as long as it is ground back
further than the cutting bevel,” Eli
explained.
His “shear cutter”—what I
always referred to as a scraper—is
sharpened upside down. Instead of
lowering the rear part of the rest on
the grinder, Eli raises the rear part
of the rest to an angle of about 75
degrees, then flips the tool over with
the cutting edge flat against the rest,
hanging over slightly to grind a new
edge.
“You always do things upside
down and backwards,” I told him.
“That’s because I come from
the opposite side of the world.
Would you like to see me turn while
standing on my head” he asked.
One thing I really like about
his skews, parting tools and beading
tools is the ease with which he
sharpens them. Instead of having
sharp angles at the point where the
bevel begins, all of them have a
convex grind, so it becomes a simple
matter to rock the tool back and
forth on the grind stone for a few
seconds to renew the sharpness.
Avisera’s unique tools have
been developed based on over 30
years of experience in woodturning.
All of his children, including his
son, Aviad and daughters, Lital and
Eli’s talents as a fine woodworker as well as a woodturner are
displayed in his segmented turning blocks which resulted in several
of his signature pieces featuring the distinctive purple heart star
which takes on different characteristics in his candlesticks.
Ravit, as well as his wife, Riki, have
found their way into his shop and
are all accomplished woodturners
in their own right. His son showed
interest at the early age of seven.
Fearing that the youngster might
be injured with traditional turning
tools, Avisera designed and built his
Combination Tool.
“I needed a tool that was virtually
‘catch proof’ yet could be used
like a gouge and, as always, would
be easy to sharpen. And it needed
to be safe enough for a seven-yearold.”
The answer was the Combination
Tool. The design incorporates
a rounded double bevel
without a flute with a subtle negative
rake. The end is ground much
like a fingernail gouge, but there’s
no flute. Not only is it safe, but it
can be used very much like a gouge
by turning the cutting edge in the
direction of the cut. Since there
are no swept back sharpened wings
like the modern bowl gouge, it can
also be used like a spindle gouge
for making beads and coves.
“With this tool, there was
little danger of catches and it proved
to be a very versatile tool even for
Although once striving in the
“bigger is better” school of
woodturning, Eli has since
devoted his efforts to smaller, yet
more intricate, turned objects.
the more experienced woodturners.”
he said. Later Avisera applied
the same principle to his gouges,
grinding them with two bevels. The
cutting edge is a very small bevel
similar to his combination tool. All
of his chisels including the beading,
parting and skew tools are ground
in convex shapes, exactly opposite
from traditional chisels.
“Not only does the tool provide
better control and cut easier, but
it becomes much easier to sharpen,”
he explained.
Page 6 More Woodturning March-April 2009

This sequence shows the Avisera Jig being used to incorporate vertical inlays on a bowl. By routing
90 degree grooves at indexed points around the bowl, pieces of contrasting wood can be glued into the
grooves then turned down to reveal a nice pattern both inside and outside the bowl.
Recognizing that, as with
any new approach to tool design,
there would be a learning curve,
Eli has begun releasing his Masters
Course Woodturning series of
DVDs produced by the English firm
of Karl Tickle Media Productions
(KTMP).
With a special emphasis on
classical woodturning, the series is
divided into three sections: Beginner,
Intermediate and Advanced.
Aside from a thorough grounding
in tool sharpening, Eli explains
the why and how of his departure
from traditional tools and carries
the viewer from the very basics of
turning through the most complex.
In introducing his unique range of
tools he explains the unusual grinds
and how they can benefit the turner
in getting the best finish with almost
no sanding. The videos
feature a series of well planned
and executed projects including:
a unique variation on the Rude
Osolnik candlestick design; segmented,
textured and inlaid boxes
and bowls; goblets turned from his
signature segmented “star” blanks
and many other projects that build
upon steadily increasing skills.
As I look back on my own
woodturning education--made up
mostly of fits and starts and a great
pile of mistakes in the fireplace-- I
can only wish that I had had this series
of videos and Eli’s tools when
[Continued on Page 8]
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More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 7

Continued from Page 7.
Next to his love of woodturning, is Eli’s passion for teaching. Here
he explains a texturing technique which results in his unique finish
called “Jerusalem Stone,” based upon a stone found in the Holy
City near his home.
Texturing, painting and carving
have become integral parts of
Eli’s work as shown by these two
photos.
I started turning 40 years ago.
My advice: Try them; you’ll
like them.
“THE ELIMINATOR”
Hollowing Tool
ELIMINATES:
CATCHES,
TEAR OUT,
SHARPENING
Available in three sizes: 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 inch cutters. Tool shafts are
milled with flats for both right and left hand cutting.
Available from: Packard Woodworks and Craft Supplies USA
www.jewelwood.com
Page 8 More Woodturning March-April 2009

Sweazey Gouges
to Continue in
Production
Due to the loss of our friend
and fellow woodturner Bob
Sweazey, producer of the Sweazey
gouge, there have been questions
raised regarding the future of the
Sweazey gouge. Since Bob and
Dave Schweitzer, a well-known
Pacific Northwest woodturner,
originally collaborated on the design
and manufacturing of the Sweazey
tools, Dave has decided to continue
with the tool production.
The tools will be produced
under the name D-WAY TOOLS.
He will continue with the 1/2” bowl
gouge along with developing a full
line of bowl gouges, spindle gouges
and beading tools. He has also
The Sweazey Gouges as being conntinued by Dave Schweitzer.
These gouges come with solid alumnuim handles with PVC over the
aluminum to make them more comfortable to hold.
The business end of the gouge
illustrated above.
designed and is producing a new
aluminum handle. The tools will
be manufactured using the same
high speed steel and heat treat lab
that Bob Sweazey used.
The bowl gouges are produced
from premium M42 cobalt highspeed
steel, chosen because of its
superior wear resistance and edgeholding
qualities compared to the
more common M2 steel. The heat
treating process is accomplished in
a vacuum chamber (to prevent contamination)
followed by quenching
in nitrogen. The steel is then tem-
[Continued on Next Page]
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 9

Sweazey Gouges Continued
from Previous Page.
pered at 1000 degrees F in a nitrogen
atmosphere to achieve a hardness of
66rc yielding a very hard (but not
too hard) material. The result is an
exceedingly durable edge able to
retain its sharpness for a long period
of time. Any questions regarding
D-Way Tools can be e-mailed to.
dwaytools@hctc.com
The web-site for D-Way Tools
is not finished at this time but will
be available soon. You can also
contact Dave Schweitzer at 360-
432-9509.
Web Site Descriptions for the
tools:
Aluminum Handle is milled
from 6061 aluminum round bar
and comes in 3/8”, 1/2” or 5/8”
and is 16” in length. It has a PVC
comfortable grip and has a drilled
Dave is also bringing out a hollowing tool shown here. This is a
stabalized tool designed to turn on the far side of the vessel. A spring
provides wall thickness determination. Looks like a nice tool.
& threaded knob which can be removed
to load ballast if you feel you
need the extra weight. The handle
is milled out of solid aluminum bar
which ads to balance and strength of
handle instead of aluminum tubing
. Hollowing Tool is made from
5/8’s cold rolled steel and comes
with an adjustable tangtung G cutter
which allows for rotation of the
cutter depending on which part of
the hollow form you are working,
it also comes with an outrigger and
adjustable thickness gauge. It is
designed to be used for reverse rotation
on your lathe and if you have
never hollowed in reverse you are
in for a great experience. It allows
for a more comfortable position at
the lathe.
Page 10 More Woodturning March-April 2009

Sphere Template
cardboard, etc. I used aluminum
flashing as it’s sturdy but can be cut
out with scissors. If you used label
stock, just attach the label to the
substrate. If you use plain paper, use
spray adhesive to attach the label.
Cover the whole front surface of the
template with clear tape (2” packing
tape for instance). Then cut out the
template.
Begin by turning a
cylinder that is the diameter
of the sphere
that you want.
by David Reed Smith
At a symposium several years
ago I watched a demo by Myron
Curtis on turning spheres. Myron
started by turning a cylinder exactly
as long as its diameter-the cylinder
would have a square cross-section.
Then he consulted a table to find a
distance, which he measured from
each corner and marked on the cylinder.
He then removed the corner,
cutting from line to line-yielding an
octagonal cross-section . Then he
consulted the table again for a new
distance to be measured each way
from the resulting corners. These
corners were then cut away from
line to line, yielding a hexadecagon
(16 sided) cross-section.
Drawing1: The Template
I don’t like consulting tables.
Or particularly doing math all the
time if I don’t have to, so sometime
after I got home I used my CAD program
to draw up a template where
the proper measurements can be
read off a scale. After making the
cylinder one simply measures the
diameter. The larger scale is used
(it reads from both ends) to directly
mark the proper distance. The corners
are removed. Then the smaller
scale is used to mark the proper
distance from the new corners.
Making the Template
The template is Drawing1.
Even if what you’re reading has a
copy of the template I suggest you
download the pdf file from my web
site (http://www.davidreedsmith.
com/Articles/ScoopOrnament/
SphereTemplate/SphereTemplate.
pdf) and print out the pdf, as it will
be more accurate that way. You
can print the template out onto
large label stock, or plain paper.
Find a suitable substrate to fasten
the template to. You can use very
thin wood, or plywood, cereal box
Using the Template
Begin by turning a cylinder
that is the diameter of the sphere
that you want. You can turn between
centers or hold the work in
a chuck-there’s no difference to the
procedure other than having two or
one nub to deal with. Measure the
diameter of the cylinder with calipers
and use the calipers to transfer
the measurement to the cylinder as
in Figure 1. Make parting tool cuts
just outside each mark, then clean
up the parting tool cuts with skew
or spindle gouge, ending up right
on the lines. This procedure is very
sensitive to starting conditions-the
cylinder has to have a square crosssection
so be sure that your end cuts
are perpendicular to the lathe axis.
You’ll need to taper the nubs holding
the future sphere to gain access
so you can measure and mark on
the ends.
[Continued on Next Page]
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 11

Sphere Template continued
from Page 11
Figure 1. After turning a
cylinder and marking out a
length that is exactly the same as
the diameter.
Thinking of the work as half a
cross-section, you have two corners,
one at each end. Use the larger scale
of the template to measure in both directions
from each corner of the cylinder
as in Figure 2. If you haven’t
cut the nubs thin enough, then go back
and cut them smaller, don’t guess at
this stage. Next use a spindle gouge
or other tool to cut away the corners
from line to line. Don’t try to hog it
all off at once, instead make a series
of parallel cuts, adjusting as you go
to end up with a straight, not curved,
cut from line to line as in Figure 3.
Figure 3. After turning away
the corners between the lines.
This yields an octagonal, or
8 sided cross-section. You can
double check your work by using
the more acute end of the template
to check the angle at each corner.
Thinking of the work as half
a cross section, you now have 4
corners. Using the smaller scale,
measure in both directions from
each corner as in Figure 4. Now
turn away the corners from line to
line, as in Figure 5. The result in
cross section will be a hexadecagon,
or 16 sided polygon. You can
double check your work using the
more obtuse angle on the end of
the template to check the angle at
each corner.
Figure 4. Measuring from each
corner of the octagon with the
smaller scale.
Figure 5. After cutting away the
corners of the octagon between
the lines.
Round over each remaining
corner as in Figure 6. Then complete
the shaping and finish the sphere by
sanding with progressively finer
abrasives, as in Figure 7.
Where Turners Turn First
Figure 2. Using the larger scale
to measure away from edge of the
cylinder.
INFORMATION AND RESOURCES FOR
WOODTURNERS WORLDWIDE
Find articles, projects, new products, vendors, club listings,
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books and videos and much more!
WWW.WOODTURNINGONLINE.COM
Page 12 More Woodturning March-April 2009

Figure 6. After rounding over
the corners of the hexadecagon.
Figure 7. After the final
shaping with abrasives.
The Geometry
For those of you who like a bit
of a theoretical frame to hang rote
procedures on, I’ve done up a few
drawings to illustrate what’s happening
in cross-section. Drawing
2 shows the cross-section of the
beginning cylinder with the future
sphere shown in blue. Drawing 3
shows what the larger scale does (it’s
0.29:1), measuring 0.29 of the sphere
diameter from the corners of the
square locates the corners of the octagon
that contains the same sphere.
of the hexadecagon (16 sided) that
contains the sphere.
Drawing 4. Measuring a
distance equal to 0.11 times the
diameter from the corner of the
octagon locates the corners of
the hexadecagon.
About the Author: David
Reed Smith is a basement woodturner
who lives, turns, tinkers and
writes in Hampstead, Maryland. He
welcomes comments, complaints
and suggestions via email at David@DavidReedSmith.com.
Drawing 2. The starting cylinder,
in cross-section, containing the
sphere in blue.
Drawing 3. Measuring a distance
equal to 0.29 times the diameter
from the corner of the square
cross-section locates the corners
of the octagon.
Drawing 4 shows what the
smaller scale does, measuring 0.11 of
the sphere diameter from each corner
of the octagon locates the corners
Chinese Ball
Tools
I have recently become a dealer
for the Crown Chinese Ball Tools and
have an inventory of sets and extra
handles on hand for immediate shipment.
A set includes one handle, four
cutters, a tool to make a tapered
hole, and a pamplet written by David
Springett. These are priced at $125.00
for each set.
The handles include a wooden
handle and a metal piece to attach the
cutters and ride on the ball. These are
priced at $36.20 each. I recommend
three additional handles.
Fred Holder
PO Box 2168
Snohomish, WA 98291
360-668-0976
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 13

PenTurner’s Corner
by Don Ward
Penturning News
I hope the resources from last
month’s article were useful. We can
never have too many places from
which to purchase penturning stuff
nor can we have too many resources
for penturning inspiration and instruction.
Several, if not most, of the
internet places, books, videos, and
suppliers have been useful to me and
my penturning journey.
The Desert Woodturning
Roundup is now history. I had a
great time meeting several who regularly
read More Woodturning and
the Penturner’s Corner. Thanks for
you words of encouragement. The
penturner’s meeting on Friday night
was successful, informative, and
fun. Thanks to Anthony Turchetta
for his hard work in making the
penturner’s meeting a great event.
Thanks Tony!
Two more symposiums and
penturner’s meetings loom in the
near future. First, the Utah Woodturning
Symposium in May and the
AAW at the end of June. Both will
have penturning activities and the
Utah Woodturning Symposium will
have several penturning rotations
once again this year. The 7th Annual
Penturners Rendevous will be held
on Wednesday evening, May 13th
in Provo UT. This year, as in recent
years, it will be held at 7PM after the
CSUSA Super Wednesday. The Rendezvous
gathering will be in the Mc-
Kay Event Center again. Plan time
to park and find the room for a 7PM
start. We will have the pen display,
pen related vendors and authors, and
demonstrations. At 9PM, we’ll start
the door prize drawings.
For those who haven’t attended
the event, it goes a bit like this.
The Wednesday before the Utah
Woodturners Symposium is the
Craft Supplies USA Open House.
There is a huge clearance sale at
CSUSA beginning at 8am. There
are demos all day long from 10 to 4
featuring many of the national and
international turners in town for the
Symposium. There will be a room
with penturning demos as well. The
CSUSA event winds down after
4pm. The Penturners Rendezvous
begins at 7pm. From 7 PM onward
are displays, demos, sales, and mingling.
At 9 PM, the drawings for the
door prizes begin. They continue
until everything is gone. Not long
afterwards, the Rendezvous winds
down as most attendees are going
to be up early to attend the Symposium.
The details of the 2009
Penturners Rendezvous are available
at http://penmakersguild.com/
provo09.htm
The key dates to remember are:
Online Rendezvous Registrations -
Thursday, April 30th Pen Display
Submissions - Saturday, May 2nd
Any penturner may send pens
to be in the pen display. The display
will be shown at the Rendezvous
and then taken to the instant gallery
for the duration of the symposium.
The display will be taken to the
AAW symposium in June and then
the pens will be returned to the
rightful owners. You can find more
information about the Pen Display
by emailing to: display@penmakersguild.com
You can see pictures of past
events at: http://penmakersguild.
com/provo08.htm http://penmakersguild.com/provo07.htm
http://
penmakersguild.com/provo06/provo06.htm
http://penmakersguild.
com/provo05/provo05.htm http://
penmakersguild.com/provo04/provo04.htm
http://penmakersguild.
com/provo03.htm
Unique and Beautiful Laser
Cut Pen Kits
Would you like to try something
new Would you like to make
a pen that will surely turn heads and
wow your fellow club members If
so, then continue reading.
Ken Nelsen, owner of Kallenshaan
Woods in Las Vagas, NV,
makes some incredible laser cut pen
inlay kits. You may have seen the
“stars and stripes” laser inlay kit in
the latest Craft Supplies USA catalog.
This inlay kit is one of Ken’s
creations. CSUSA sells the “stars
and stripes” inlay kit for a couple
of their kits and Ken sells the “stars
and strips” laser inlay kits for several
other pen kits. Figure 1 shows
a completed “stars and stripes” pen
and Figure 2 shows the inlay parts
unassembled.
As you can see from the pictures
there are actually 50 stars
which must be glued into 50 laser
cut star pockets on a preturned blue
dyed curly maple blank. Also, there
are laser cut red and white stripes
laser cut from red dyed curly maple
and natural curly maple. The white
stripes will be glued into the red
stripe section. Then the glued up
blanks are put on the mandrel and
turned to final dimensions then
sanded and finished as usual. Sounds
like a daunting task, doesn’t it But
Ken has excellent instructions and if
they are followed exactly then you
will have a beautiful pen to sell or
add to your collection.
Page 14 More Woodturning March-April 2009

Kallenshaan Woods sells several
other laser cut inlay kits. I have
made several of them and they make
excellent pens that are not only
beautiful but sell well also. One of
my favorites is the piano inlay kit.
Figure 3 shows the piano inlay kit
made onto the baron pen kit. The
grand piano inlay kit is also available
for the sierra and the majestic
pen kits. Laser engraved pen boxes
are also available for most of Ken’s
laser inlay kits. The engraved boxes
are theme specific to each laser kit.
Are there any jig saw puzzle
fans out there
Need a puzzle to do when the
weather is too cold in the shop to
turn a pen Kallenshaan Woods also
has a jigsaw puzzle laser inlay kit.
Yes, I said jigsaw puzzle. Puzzle
pieces are cut from preturned blanks
and the pieces must be assembled
and glued together. Each piece is
made from different woods and is
numbered for accurate assembling.
Assemble the puzzle pieces, glue
them together, and turn the newly
made blank. Figure 4 shows some
completed jigsaw puzzle pens.
Remember, Ken supplies excellent
instructions for making his inlay
kits. The puzzle inlay pen will be
quite the conversation at your next
woodturning club meeting.
[Continued on page 16]
Holland 4 Wheel Steady
100% improvement over 3 wheel
steadies
25% larger swing capacity, fits lathe
sizes, 12,14,16,18,20,24
Easy to build of plywood
Plans for sale $20.00 + $2.00 s/h
Custom Built $275.00 + s/h
email: wmhollan@optonline.net
phone 631-281-0302
Call or Write for your FREE Copy of our
156 Page Color Catalog!
Featuring:
• Pen Kits and Supplies
• Project Kits
• Full Range of Lathes
• All Major Brands of Chucks
• Turning Squares
• Dymondwood
• Henry Taylor, Hamlet and Sorby Tools
all at the best prices!
Order Your Free Woodturners Catalog Today
Craft Supplies USA
1287 E. 1120 S.
Provo, Utah 84606 USA
TEL: 800-551-8876
Overseas Telephone: 001-801-373-0919
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 15

Continued from Previous
Page
Kallenshaan Woods also has
the following inlay kits: the California
flag, the Canadian flag, the Texas
flag, the flag of Israel, the Hawaiian
flag, the Australian flag, the Christian
fish, and the Arizona flag just
to mention a few. Several others are
available and new designs are added
often. Also, seasonal inlay kits are
sometimes available. Check out all
of the laser inlay kit Kallenshaan
Woods has by going to http://www.
kallenshaanwoods.com . You will
find some really cool laser inlay kits
and really nice folks that take care
of their customers.
Bullet Case or Cartridge Pens
Revisited
If you are one of the several
who enjoyed the articles on cartridge
pen but don’t have them time
or inclination to make the cartridge
parts needed for these pens, then this
is for you. Little River Crafts, owned
by Eric Rasmussen, does all of the
hard work and offers several choices
of cartridge pen parts. Eric offers
shell cases with the actual lead bullet
installed along with the transmission.
He also has the split cartridge
ready to go. All parts are powdered
coated for lasting beauty.
Currently Little River Crafts
had 308 and 30-06 shell cases in
both brass and chrome. Eric also
offers a shell parts for the cigar pen
as well as the 7mm slimline and
Euro. Check out the excellent cartridge
pen kits and parts sold by Eric
at http://supplies.littlerivercrafts.
com/ . Eric makes the orders as he
receives them so a week or so lead
time in necessary. Eric sells excellent
products.
Figure 1. Stars and Strips pen from Kallenshaan Woods
Figure 2. Stars and Strips parts
unassembled.
Others often sell similar items
on both http://www.penturners.org
(IAP) and http://www.thepenshop.
net . Check in the classifieds and
see who is selling. The only current
cartridge items offered, other that
Little River Crafts, can be seen at
this link to a post on The Pen Shop:
http://www.thepenshop.net/forum/
viewtopic.phpf=19&t=52 and the
post was back on Dec 29th. Several
guys make batches of these parts and
advertise and when they sell out they
take a couple of weeks and make
more and post another ad.
IAP Local Chapters The International
Association of Penturners,
aka IAP, an online penmaking forum
to discuss discus all things pens can
be found at http://www.penturners.
org . The IAP is in the process of
organizing local chapters. One purpose
of these local chapeters is to
meet with others who enjoy penturning.
Another purpose is to futher the
art of penturning by sharing ideas,
tools, and techniques. The North
Texas chapter met back in November
and we had our second meeting
in mid January. These meetings are
fun, informative, and offer a great
experience to learn from some really
talented penturners. Log onto http://
Figure 3: Grand Piano Laser Inlay Kit from Kallenshaan Woods.
Page 16 More Woodturning March-April 2009

corner coffee store. Dried before use
they will work but I prefer the natural
wood sawdust. An alternative for
cracks is to make firewood out of the
turning, which I do too often.
Bill Tarleton Lafayette CA
Fighre 4: Jigsaw Puzzle Inlay Kit from Kallenshaan Woods.
Reviewed in the February
2006 issue of More Woodturning.
www.penturners.org/forum/forumdisplay.phpf=73
and see if there
is a local chapter in your area and
make plans to attend the next meeting.
If there isn’t a local chapter
in your area, consider joining and
starting one. We even had a member
from Missouri visit the last meeting
of the North Texas chapter.
I hope to meet some of you at
the upcoming symposiums in either
Utah or New Mexico. Remember,
comments about this column are
welcome and can be emailed to me
at don@RedRiverPens.com
Do a good turn daily! Don
Chinese Ball
Tools
I have recently become a dealer
for the Crown Chinese Ball Tools and
have an inventory of sets and extra
handles on hand for immediate shipment.
A set includes one handle, four
cutters, a tool to make a tapered
hole, and a pamplet written by David
Springett. These are priced at $125.00
for each set.
The handles include a wooden
handle and a metal piece to attach the
cutters and ride on the ball. These are
priced at $36.20 each. I recommend
three additional handles.
Fred Holder
PO Box 2168
Snohomish, WA 98291
360-668-0976
Letter to Editor
Fred,
Some months ago I told you I was not thrilled with thin
CA glue. Well in recent months I have made friends with it.
Several of my Valley Oak bowls had narrow long obvious
cracks after a year of drying. The cracks ran with the grain.
These were easily filled with oak sawdust then followed by
thin CA glue. The results looked beautiful and natural. The
bowls were finished with wipe on poly for a long lasting protective
finish. I have had similar success with Black Walnut
and some other woods using the sawdust from the same wood.
Although the CA glue/sawdust does make a darkened line
compared with the rest of the turning, for those cracks that
run with the grain it looks like a natural feature in the wood.
Now cracks across the grain can also be filled this way but
I prefer to make them stand out in a decorative way with a
colored epoxy. They can almost never be made to look natural.
Some of my turning friends use coffee grounds and CA glue.
Coffee grounds can be obtained in different shades from your
New Video:
“Relief Carved
Embellishments for Wood
Projects”
Available in:
DVD for $30.00 plus $3.00 S/H
VHS for $20.00 plus $3.00 S/H
Order from: Tony Cortese
20850 NW 13th Street, Dunnellon, FL 34431
PH: 352-489-5652
E-Mail: romeowoodturner@msn.com
Web Site: www.tonycortese.org
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 17

Feilding Collaboration 2009
For the fourth year in succession, the Feilding
Turning Collaboration in New Zewaland began on
January 07, 2009. To see all of the results of this six
day event, go to the following web site:
http://www.naw.org.nz/galleries/feilding%20
collab%202009/index.html.
We are providing a few of the pieces here in for
your enjoyment.
Planetarium (Set Team Piece)--Made by Graeme
McIntyre, Ron Muir, and Roy Miers from Rimu,
Red Beech, and Black Maire and using paint
gold and glitter, this piece is 290mm in diameter.
Holey Holly--Made by Jim Lowe, Graeme
McIntyre, Maurice Watt, and Jan Ottow from
Holly, pierced and painted, this piece is 140mm
high.
Rocking--Made by Heather Vivian, Geoff
Addison, Dick Veitch, Jan Ottow, Jim Lowe,
Jill Mabey, Robbie Graham, and Phil Quinn
from Macrocarpa and decorated with gold leaf,
pyrography and paint, this piece is 250mm wide.
Butterfly Dish--Made by Jill and Roger Mabey
from Ash and paints, this piece is 280mm in
diameter.
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 18

Questions and
Answers from the
Internet
Using a Depth Drill
Question: I have just completed
one of my larger projects
that seems to take over the shop. It
is a large segmented form which I
posted pics of on both WOW and
AAW. Won’t bore you all with that.
I took a day to clean up the shop and
make the tools find their homes. In
the process I decided to make some
tweaks to jigs, and do a little more
organizing. One of the things I did
is sharpen a 3/8 drill that I use for a
depth gauge. Even after sharpening
I find that drilling into endgrain,
it still wants to wander off of true
and winds up wobbling pretty significantly,
and the hole winds up far
from true center of the stock. I have
a “D” drill that I made from drill
rod and it does tend to seek the true
center but requires a start with the
tailstock. It also takes longer and
gets hotter. I have seen some of the
pros use a drill with a handle for this
function and thought I would make
a handle for my drill, but with it
wandering so much, not sure I want
to. How do they do it What is your
experience with the hand held drills
used as a depth gauge
—M. Foster
Fred’s Answer: I’m not sure
that I can really add anything to
what has been said already. As
many have noted, it is common for
the drill bit to wander when drilling
into end grain. Here is what I do,
and it normally works well, I lay
the skew chisel on its side and find
the rotating center of the wood. I
push the skew in until it is centered
and is cutting a nice “V” like recess
that is large enough to accept my
3/8” drill that I use to mark depth.
It has a handle like a file handle on
the drill and the drill is super glued
into the handle. I then turn the lathe
on at somewhere between 500 and
1000 rpm, align the drill shaft with
the ways of the lathe bed and press
the drill into the pre-cut recess. Most
of the time it drills straight. All of
the BIC pens I make are drilled freehand
with a 9/64” drill bit mounted
in a wooden handle. Again I simply
align the shaft of the drill bit with
the lathe bed. The freehand method
works for me, but I do not make
large hollow forms.
—Fred Holder
Lyle’s Response: I also do the
recess to start the drill even when I
use the tailstock. And even when
I use a Forestner bit I cut a shoulder
to make sure the drills start on
center. But any drill will want to
take a path of least resistance and
wander from true center. But in
the hollowing process that is only
a little distraction as you start each
cut in hollowing, no big deal. The
key word to me here is depth gauge.
The starting hole in hollowing, in
my opinion, should be for easy hollowing
not a depth gauge. I will not
know the exact bottom depth of my
hollow form until I get the outside
shape finished. I can not do the entire
outside shape in a small footed
vessel until I have the top portion
of the vessel completed. If I make
a small foot at the base and try to
go out and hollow the top/mouth of
the vessel I will have vibration...not
a good plan. So I estimate where
the inside of the bottom shape will
be and drill a entry hole at least
1/2 inch short of the bottom. The
laser will help me get the bottom
depth and bottom shape accurately.
Even with hand held blind turning
the drill should not be used as the
depth gauge. I have made some
ugly shaped hollow forms because
my drill hole was too deep.
—Lyle Jamieson
Spinner Tops
Question: I recently started
turning bowls and I end of with
these wooden cones as scrap. I
have made a few into “tops” for the
grandkids and they work great. Any
thoughts on bowl turning as being
the ORIGINAL source of this toy.
Note: I just clean up the pointy
end of the piece (where it has been
parted off or broken off) and drill
a hole in the fat end for a dowel
a couple of inches long. One can
simply spin the top by hand to get
it going or: I also found it handy to
make a little handle that has a hole
to fit the dowel. This acts as a bearing
when we wrap string around the
dowel and pull to get the top going
a lot faster than we can by spinning
by hand.
—Pete Stanaitis
Fred’s Answer: I have not
been able to find anything that might
date the origin of the spinning top.
In his book “The Top” copyrighted
1973, D. W. Gould was unable to
find anything to date the origin of
tops. He did find mentions of the top
as early as 1461, but I suspect that
it was developed much earlier than
that. I recently reviewed a book,
“Tops the Universal Toy” by Michael
Cullen. It is an excellent book
on a wide range of tops, but doesn’t
even try to define the origin of these
neat childrens toys. I guess over the
[Continued on Page 29.]
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 19

Editor’s Books for Sale
Books Written by the Editor of More Woodturning
Making the Chinese
Ball
Revised 2008, by Fred
Holder.
This revised booklet outlines Fred’s
trials and tribulations in conquering
this project. Tells how to make
the tools needed to use the Crown
Chinese Ball Tools. Booklet now
contains 64 pages of information.
Price is $10.00 including shipping.
Order from: Fred Holder, PO Box
2168, Snohomish, WA 98291.
Telephone 360-668-0976.
Price: $28.00, plus $5.00s/h
Price: $27.00, plus $5.00 s/h
I have purchased 25 copies of
The Woodturner’s FAQ Book and
have them available as signed
copies for $19.95 plus $5.00
for shipping by Priority Mail
(Washington State residents
please add 8% for sales tax.)
We accept cash, check, or
MasterCard and Visa credit
book, which is “required reading
for all new turners” directly
from the author:
Fred Holder
More Woodturning
PO Box 2168
Snohomish, WA 98296 USA
“Two Books in One”
a CD-ROM
This CD-ROM contains Fred’s
newest book, “The Turning Process”
and the above book “Making
the Chinese Ball” on one CD-ROM.
Both books are in PDF format and
require Adobe Acrobat Reader to
read them on your computer. The
Turning Process is a 105 page
booklet designed for beginner to
intermediate woodturners. It might
even have something worthwhile for
experienced woodturners.
Available by 9/10/2008
Price for this CD-ROM
is just $14.95 including postage
within the United States.
Order from: Fred Holder, PO Box
2168, Snohomish, WA 98291.
Telephone: 360-668-0976
These books seemed
to be missing from most US
Sources. So I have purchased
25 of each book for resale. If
you haven’t had an opportunity
to purchase one, this is
an opportunity to get a signed
copy. Books will be shipped
by Priority Mail.
Fred Holder
More Woodturning
PO Box 2168
Snohomish, WA 98291 USA
TEL: 360-668-0976
Back Issues of More Woodturning
Available on CD-ROM
Anyone who owns a computer and likes to read More Woodturning
on their computer or to archive it onto their computer, will
be pleased to learn that we now have all issues of More Woodturning
ever published in PDF format. While we offer individual years
on a CD-ROM for $25.00, we have come up with a special price
which includes all issues published from October 1996 to the date
that the order is placed on a single CD-ROM for just $95.00. This
More Woodturning, PO Box 2168, Snohomish, WA 98291 USA.
Page 20 More Woodturning March-April 2009

A Spigot Chuck You Can Make
by Fred Holder
It was common practice to
make spigot chucks out of wood
before the invention and proliferation
of the modern scroll chuck.
These generally had a hole turned
to the specified diameter, a turned
down section which had been sawed
through to cut it into eight or more
segments, and a clamping device
such as a ring to compress the segments
onto the item it was designed
to hold. These served turners for
many years and still can be used
quite effectively. They are not as
handy as the modern scroll chuck;
i.e., the Nova, Stronghold, Carlson,
etc., nor do they have the holding
power of these modern chucks. They
are however, inexpensive.
Several years ago (note this
article was written in 1996), I had
need for a spigot chuck to hold
something, I’ve long since forgotten
what, for finished turning. I
made that first one by mounting a
block of hard maple on a faceplate,
turning the necessary hole, turning
down the area over the hole, sawing
it into eight segments, and then in
place of a ring, I used a hose clamp
that was handy in my tool box. The
hose clamp served as a compressible
ring. A ring is smooth, but the hose
clamp can do some knuckle knocking
if you don’t exert care. Anyway,
it worked quite well. I suspect I had
seen an article showing this somewhere,
but, if so, I don’t remember
it. Anyway, I’m not taking credit for
inventing the idea.
The main problem with this
approach was that you tied up a
faceplate. You take to chuck off of
the faceplate and you can never get
it back so it fits exactly. It was time
consuming to have to make a new
spigot chuck each time I needed
one. So, I purchased some 3/4-16
TPI nuts to fit my lathe headstock
(at the time this was written, all of
my lathes had 3/4” x 16 tpi spindles)
turned a recess in one end of a piece
of wood to fit the outside diameter
of the nut (actually, I left it sort of
a press fit so that the corners of the
nut cut shallow grooves down the
side of the hole as it was pressed in).
I pressed this nut into place using
my bench vise and applied epoxy
to fill in the gaps between the flats
of the nut and the hole. Once the
epoxy had set up (about 24 hours), I
drilled a hole for the spigot to enter,
turned down the area over the hole,
sawed it into eight segments with
a small dovetail saw, and applied a
hose clamp to squeeze the segments
down onto the spigot. It worked real
well and I no longer had a faceplate
tied up. The whole rig cost about
$2.00 plus the cost of the wood and
since the wood came out of a firewood
pile it didn’t cost much.
I subsequently purchased a
couple of Nova chucks and discontinued
use of these home-made
spigot chucks. However, I made
one for use on my foot powered
lathe to hold one inch dowel stock.
It worked well enough that I decided
to make others to hold several
smaller sized spigots; i.e., 5/8”, 1/2”,
3/8”. These four chucks are pictured
in Figure 1. They work quite well
on the foot-powered lathe and look
just right for it. They also work quite
well on regular lathes, you just have
to exert care to avoid the spinning
hose clamp.
If you don’t have a scroll chuck
that will fit the job at hand, you can
always make up a home made spigot
chuck from a scrap of firewood, a
nut that fits your headstock, and a
hose clamp. There is not really any
size limitation to this, except that
as you go larger and more weight
is applied to the bond between the
wood and the nut, it would be a good
idea to shift to a faceplate to have
[Continued on Page 22.]
Make 2-3 Bowls from 1 Blank
with My New BowlSaw
Turn Nested Bowls from 6” or 8” bowl blanks with a $39.95
hand-held tool I call the Bowlsaw.
See my website bowlsaw.com for details.
Steussy Creations
415-897-1457 334 Atherton Ave., Novato, CA 94945
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 21

Spigot Chuck Continued
from Page 21
greater holding power. You can
always make up a special faceplate
for your chuck that has a metal plate
welded to the nut. If you have a
friend with a welder the cost should
be minimal.
I’ve included a sequence of
photographs with captions that
pretty well describe the sequence of
events necessary to make up one of
these spigot chucks. Have fun! Oh,
incidentally, if you come up with an
interesting variation on this device,
please let us know so that we can
advise our readers.
Figure 1. Homemade Spigot
Chuck made from a 1” x 8 tpi
nut, a scrap of wood, and a hose
clamp.
Note: I have taken
new photographs for
use with this story
because the original
photos were very
poor.
Figure 2. Begin by drilling a
suitable size piece of wood with a
1-5/8” Forstner Bit. You can drill
on the lathe or on a drill press as
shown here.
The piece shown in Figure 2 is
about a two and 1/2 inch hexagon
piece from the scrap bin. The chunk
of wood was about 3-1/2 inches
long.
I’ve drilled it on
the drill press, but
is could have been
mounted in my Nova
chuck with the 50mm
jaws.
Here, I’ve drilled it on the
drill press, but it could have been
mounted in my Nova chuck with the
50mm jaws and could just as easily
been mounted to a faceplate or
on a screw chuck. As shown here, I
begin by drilling a one and 5/8 inch
diameter hole to a depth equal to the
thickness of the nut. One could also
drill the hole deeper with a 1” drill
to make sure the chuck will clear the
threaded portion of the lathe head
stock spindle.
Figure 3. This shows the hole
drilled to accept a 1” x 8tpi nut.
I simply used the bench vise
to press the nut into the recess and
then applied medium thick super
glue to fill in the gaps between the
round hole and the square side of
the nut.
Figure 4. Here the nut has been
pressed into the wood and thick
super glue applied to the cracks.
I used a bench vise, but a press
or hammer and block of wood can
do the job as well. Now, apply medium
thick super glue or epoxy to
the gaps between the flats on the nut
and the curved surface of the recess.
Allow it to set up properly, generally
Page 22 More Woodturning March-April 2009

overnight is sufficient and 24 hours
is more than adequate.
Figure 5. Again mount the block
on the lathe, using the nut to
screw onto the lathe headstock
nose. If your lathe has a step
as most of my lathes do, use
washers to shim away from the
step. You don’t want to damage
that step by screwing a nut up
tightly against it.
Now, turn the block round and
drill the spigot hole in the end of
the piece of wood. Drill through
until you hit the hole drilled from
the other side.
Make it too thin and the chuck
will be weak at this point, too thick
and the chuck won’t compress properly.
I generally turn about three
decorative grooves on my chucks.
Not necessary, but it makes them
look better.
Figure 7. Make sure you have
turned the stepped down part
small enough to fit the clamp
you have available while the
chuck is still on the lathe.
I either use a dovetail saw or
the bandsaw and finish the depth
with the dovetail saw. Either way
you want the cuts made down to
the shoulder of the stepped down
part. At this point, I generally oil
my new chuck. It simply makes it
look better.
Editor’s Note: We are
reprinting this article here
in response to a number of
people requesting more information
as a result of the
Q&A question concerning
a “Through Chuck.” I have
forwarded a copy of this
article as it was originally
printed to at least two people
and feel that there were likely
others who wondered about
this chuck idea, but didn’t
bother to ask. I hope it will
be of use to our readers, especially
those who have just reciently
started to turn wood.
For what it is worth, these
little chucks perform very
well at a minimual cost.
Incidentally, I did take
new color photos to include
with the reprinted article.
Unfortunately, they have
wound up on a black and
white page. The PDF version
will have them in color. The
1996 original photos have
long since been lost and the
black and white pictures in
the original article were not
up to the standards we are
trying to maintain in More
Woodturning.
Figure 6. Turn down an inch or
so of the piece to give about 1/8
to 3/16 inch wall thickness over
the spigot area. Saw the stepped
down spigot area into eight
equal pieces as shown.
Figure 8. Here the 3/8” spigot
chuck is being used to hold a
spinner top blank for turning.
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 23

Johannes Michelsen-The Hat Man
by Fred Holder
The first time I saw Johannes
Michelsen demonstrate the making
of a hat was several years ago at
Bonnie Klein’s shop. I’ve never aspired
to make a hat, but I’ve always
been impressed with Johannes’ skill
at turning wood so thin to make a
beautiful hat. I did have an opportunity
to interview Johannes in 2001
and published that interview in the
July 2001 issue of More Woodturning.
During that interview, Johannes
described how he got into hat making
hats and I’m going to briefly
quote that here:
“Before I made wood hats,
I wore felt hats...cowboy hats.
They’re rare and not readily available
in Vermont so when it came
time for a new hat, because my Datsun
pickup truck was small enough
that my head...my hat rubbed on
the headliner and wore the hat out.
I couldn’t go buy one because the
stores didn’t have them anymore.
There wasn’t enough demand for
cowboy hats in Vermont to sustain
the sales. So I always say if I had
lived in Arizona I probably wouldn’t
be turning wood hats today because
I would’ve been able to buy a new
hat when I needed it.
“So not being able to get a hat,
I said well I’ll just turn a wooden
one that won’t wear out. So I made
that a joke and that joke went for ten
years and I used to put the bowls and
vases on my head that I turned and
joke about the hat that I would make
one day. And then in November of
1990 Albert McCoff was getting
married. Albert ...marrying sent me
an invitation...please come to our
western wedding...come dressed
appropriately.
Page 24 More Woodturning March-April 2009
“So I said to myself if it’s not
time to turn that wood hat now, it
never will be. So I made the first
hat and went to Albert’s wedding...
hat number one and I gave it to him
and started the collection and that’s
what started it all.”
The hat he showed us during
the demonstration at Jack McDaniel’s
shop in November 2008 was
numbered 1667. So in 18 years he
has made a significant number of
hats, all because he bought a Datsun
pickup truck and lived in Vermont.
As I understand it, the hats that
he makes during demonstrations
are not included in that count. He
numbers only the one’s that he is
making to sell.
During the demonstration, I
took over 130 photographs, but
have eliminated a lot of them for
this story. Basically, I’m going to let
the photos and their captions tell the
story of how Johannes Michelsen
makes a wooden cowboy hat.
Figure 1. Johannes the Hat Man
is ready for action and leaning
on the block of wood that will
become two hats-a large one
and a small one cored from the
crown.
Figure 2. Johannes started the
demonstration by showing us his
bending frame for shaping the
brim of the hat while it dries.
Figure 3. Here Johannes is
beginning to turn the hat from a
block of wood mounted between
centers.

Figure 4. Johannes passed
around the hat he was wearing.
This photo shows the signature
that he puts in each hat he makes
for sale.
Figure 7. About this time it was
time to sharpen his chisel and I
got a close up shot of the bevel
and cutting edge. The overall
bevel is pretty much rounded.
Figure 10. Satisfied that he
has a fair start on shaping the
underside of the brim, Johannes
cut a recess in the bottom of the
hat blank to fit on a chuck. He
could then reverse the blank on
the lathe and start shaping the
outside of the hat.
Figure 5. Here is an overall view
of the hat being passed around.
Figure 8. Here Johannes is
beginning to shape the bottom of
the brim.
Figure 11. The blank has been
mounted in a chuck, but the
faceplate remains on the blank.
[Continued on Next Page]
Figure 6. The wood has been
partially shaped between centers
and now Johannes is attaching
a faceplate on the part that will
become the crown of the hat.
Figure 9. Johannes stopped at this point and drew pictures of the
two basic styles of western style hat that he turns-the range rider
(left) and the trail boss.
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 25

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The Hat Man Continued
from Pervious page
Figure 12. Using a McNaughton
parting tool, Johannes cuts
groove in the hat blank parallel
to the crown of the hat.
Figure 13. He now cuts a groove
with the parting tool that is
parallel to the brim of the hat
that will intercept the other
groove cut parallel to the crown.
Pay shipping of $4.25 for the first book plus $1.00 for each additional book.
Priority Mail is $6.50 for the first book and $1.00 for each additonal book.
Foreign Customers please request a quote for shipping costs.
Order three books and take a 10 percent discount on the order.
Note: Discount does not apply to postage.
Master Card and Visa Charge Cards Accepted
Send Orders to:
More Woodturning
P. O. Box 2168
Snohomish, WA 98291-2168
Telephone: 360-668-0976
Fax: 360-668-1798
Figure 14. This photos shows the
ring of wood that was removed
with the two parting cuts.
Page 26 More Woodturning March-April 2009

Figure 15. With the excess wood
out of the way, Johannes could
begin shaping the crown of the
hat.
Figure 18. At this point, a coring
tool comes into play to remove a
cone out of the crown of the hat.
This cuts down on the amount
of wood that must be removed
with the gouge and also provides
a blank to use in making a small
hat.
Figure 20. This view shows how
the light is used to determine the
consistency of the wall thickness.
Figure 16. This photo shows the
tiny step that was made in the
crown to define the headband.
Figure 19. Starting to refine the
inside of the crown now that the
core of wood has been removed.
In all cases, light is used to help
define the thickness of the wood;
however, he did check the wall
thickness from time to time with
a pair of calipers.
Figure 21. This is the final
mounting fixture for the hat.
At this point the brim has been
final turned to the appropriate
thickness and only the crown
needs to be refined.
Figure 17. The blank has been
reversed to have the faceplate
mounted on the lathe spindle.
He is now able to start refining
the thickness of the brim.
[Continued on Next Page]
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 27

The Hat Man Continued
from Pervious page
Figure 24. The hat is finished
and ready to remove from the
lathe.
demonstration for the day. Perhaps
in some other issue, I’ll bring a story
on turning a small cowboy hat with
Johannes Michelsen.
I must again thank Jack Mc-
Daniel for making his wonderful
shop available for these demonstrations
and Johannes Michelsen for
doing such a wonderful demonstration.
If you’ve never seen Johannes
make a hat, please try to catch one
of his demonstrations when he is in
your area or at a symposium that you
are attending.
Figure 22. The hat has been
mounted on the fixture to final
turn the crown of the hat. At
this point the faceplate has been
removed and the excess wood
will be turned away.
Figure 23. At this point,
Johannes burned the surface
of the hat band by pressing a
piece of hardwood against the
hatband as the wood spun. It
does a nice job of evenly burning
the color required for the
hatband.
Figure 25. Johannes is applying
tape to the brim to help protect
it while it is being formed in the
bending fixture.
Although I’m not going to cover
it in this article, Johannes took the
core that he had removed from the
crown of the hat and turned a smaller
version of the hat to complete his
“THE ELIMINATOR”
Figure 26. The hat has been
fitted into the bending frame
where it will remain until it is
dry.
Hollowing Tool
ELIMINATES:
CATCHES,
TEAR OUT,
SHARPENING
Available in three sizes: 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 inch cutters. Tool shafts are
milled with flats for both right and left hand cutting.
Available from: Packard Woodworks and Craft Supplies USA
www.jewelwood.com
Page 28 More Woodturning March-April 2009

Q&A Continued from Page
19
last 20 years that I’ve made well
over a thousand tops. Originally,
from a solid blank, and then using
a scrap of wood with a hard maple
3/8” dowel added from which to
turn the stem.
When I first started turning
wood it would sometimes be two to
three weeks between opportunities
to get in the shop and turn wood. I
found that my tool control had decreased
from the last opportunity.
I found that turning two or three
spinner tops before trying to turn
anything else helped me regain my
tool control and I always recommend
that new turners give this
technique a try. The core of a bowl
often makes a good basic spinner
top when you add a stem.
—Fred Holder
More About Through
Chucks
Question: I really like the
magazine. I am a novice turner with
a Delta midi-lathe. I get a great deal
of USEFUL information from your
publication. More than other “fancy,
slick-looking” magazines. Keep up
the good work! Now the question:
In the current issue (January 2009)
you talk about “Through chucks”.
Is there somewhere I can get more
detail on how to make these The
article didn’t go into any detail. Are
these made of wood What are the
1x8 tpi nuts for, or better, how are
they used with the chuck Thanks
again!
—Joe Scheffer
Fred’s Response: The article
from the December 1996 issue describes
how to make those chucks in
detail. (PS: I e-mailed Joe a copy of
that article.) The article will explain
the purpose of the 1” x 8 tpi nuts,
I used them in place of tying up a
faceplate with the chuck. The article
tells and shows how to use the nuts
to make the chuck fit your lathe
spindle. These were called several
different names: Spring Chucks,
Spigot Chuck, etc. They were
mostly used to hold a spigot of some
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Check out our range of woodworking
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length and of a specific size; i.e., the
size of the hole drilled through the
chuck. If the article doesn’t answer
you questions, get back to me with
specific questions and I’ll try to
answer more fully.
Maybe it is time to re-run that
article on the Spigot Chuck. It has
been 12 years since that was published.
I’ve done so in this issue,
see Page 21.
—Fred Holder
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 29

Coming Events
The Central Indiana Chapter
of the American Association of
Woodturners (CICAAW) is hosting
a weekend seminar with Clay
Foster on March 7th and 8th. It will
be an all-day affair with a potluck
lunch. Cost is $25 for a single day or
$45 for both days. It will be held at
a state-of-the-art woodshop, located
on Gasoline Alley and owned by
Donald Skiles, a local Indianapolis
businessman. For more information,
check www.cicaaw.org.
* * *
2009 Southern States Symposium
IX will be held at the Georgia
Mountains Center, Gainesville,
GA on April 24 through 26, 2009.
Featured demonstrators are: Soren
Berger from New Zealand, John
Jordan from Tennessee, Dennis
Liggett from Colorado, and Chris
Ramsey from Kentucky. For more
information go to their Web Site:
http://www.southernstatessymposium.org/.
* * *
Utah Woodturning Symposium
2009 to be held May 14
through 16, 2009 will mark the
30th year that this symposium has
been held. Mike Mahoney is again
the symposium director and the
location, I asume, is the same as
for the 2008 symposium. For more
information on this event, keep in
touch with their web site: www.
utahwoodturning.com.
* * *
The AAW 23rd Annual Symposium
will be held June 26 through
28, 2009 at the Albuquerque Convention
Center, Albuquerque, New
Mexico. The complete schedule will
feature more than 120 rotations,
plus many more events. Featured
demonstratiors include: Nick Cook,
Emmet Kane, Virginia Dotson, Peter
Hromek, Mike Mahoney, Rolly
Munroe, David Nittmann, David
Springett, and John Wessels.
AAW local chapter, New
Mexico Woodturners, who will
be hosting the 2009 Symposium,
have selected the Holland’s Rose
organization as recipient of Return
To The Community gifts this year.
Holland’s Rose is an all-volunteer
organization dedicated to providing
affordable housing and other
services to patients and families
who must travel to Albuquerque
for medical care. For more information
on the symposium go to: www.
woodturner.org.
* * *
North Carolina Woodturning
Symposium will be held October
23-25, 2009 in the Greensboro
Coliseum Special Events Center,
Greensboro, NC. It will feature 63
rotations by International, National
and Local area demonstrators. The
demonstrator list includes: Allen
Batty, Stewart Batty, Jimmy Clews,
Ray Key, Stewart Mortimer, Chris
Ramsey, and Nick Cook. For more
details go to http://northcarolinawoodturning.com/
and visit frequently
to keep up to date
•••
The Woodturners of Olympia
2009 “Creativity in Woodturning”
Manufacturer’s of the Worlds Largest Range of Fine
Woodworking Handtools
CROWN HAND TOOLS LTD.
332-334 Coleford Road, Darnall
Sheffield, S9 5PH England
Symposium will be held Saturday,
July 25, 2009. Eric Lofstrom will
begin the day with a demonstration
on woodturning basics. Eric will be
followed by Jimmy Clewes. Jimmy
is a well-known teacher and demonstrator
in his native England as well
as here in the USA. He will be performing
demonstrations covering:
• Design, shape, form & aesthetics
• Oriental Boxes
• Turning a twist and long stem
goblet, and
• Colorings
The cost for the full day is $70
for early payment. After June 1,
2009 the cost is $80. Children under
the age of 18 can register for $10 if
attending with a paying adult.
Lunch is included in the cost
if payment is received before July
12.
Demonstrations will start
promptly at 8 a.m. and end by 4:30
p.m. Door prize drawings will be
made after the final presentation.
Location is the Komachin
Middle School located at 3650 College
St. SE, Lacey, WA. 98503.
For more information or to
register see http://www.woodturnersofolympia.org/
or send payment
directly to Al Price at 4112 Teakwood
Ct. SE, Lacey, WA. 98503.
Questions may also be directed to
Al on 360-791-0396.
TEL: England 114 272 3366 FAX: 114 272 5252
E-Mail: info@crowntools.ltd.uk Web Site: www.crownhandtools.ltd.uk
Page 30 More Woodturning March-April 2009

Note, we will also be offering
either two one day classes or a two
day class from Jimmy on the 26-27
of July, but we don’t have the details
nailed down yet to include in the
announcement. They will send an
update to include in a later issue as
soon as finalized.
* * *
Ohio Valley Woodturners
Guild will sponsor its 6th biennial
symposium “Turning 2009 on Oct
16-18, 2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Featuring: David Ellsworth, Jean-
François Escoulen, Bonnie Klein,
Alan Lacer, Jon Magill, Stuart Mortimer,
Jennifer Shirley & Jacques
Vesery. For more information check
their Web Site: http://www.ovwg.
org/.
* * *
Editor’s Note: If you have an
event coming up such as the ones
listed here, please let us know in time
to let our readers know that it is coming.
Send information about your
forthcoming symposium or event to
fred@morewoodturning.net or to
More Woodturning, PO Box 2168,
Snohomish, WA 98291 USA.
T h i s s p a c e
could have reported
on your
clubs coming
event had we recieved
information
about it.
Send us your Symposium information
so that we may share it
with our readers.
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Foreign Customers please request a quote for shipping costs.
Order three books and take a 10 percent discount on the order.
Master Card and Visa Charge Cards Accepted
Send Orders to:
More Woodturning
P. O. Box 2168
Snohomish, WA 98291-2168
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 31

Making the Ball for a Chinese Ball
by Fred Holder
Making the ball to be used in
making a Chinese Ball requires a bit
of precision because the spacing of
the holes must be precise and this
requires a round ball that measures
2-1/2” in diameter. Over the 10
years since I started making the
Chinese Ball, I’ve use a number of
different methods to make the ball.
The series of photographs taken for
this story were done during a production
run of six or seven balls. I
used the Vermec Sphere Turning Rig
for actually making the balls round
and a Sizing Rig that I purchased
from Craft Supplies Ltd. in the UK
several years ago. It was supposedly
designed to hold a 3/8” Bedan, but
I found that it held my Ashley Iles
parting tool very well. The balls that
I made during this run were of hard
maple, white ash, madrone, and elm.
The elm had been soaked in Cedar
Shield and turned very nicely. Hopefully,
this series of photos with captions
will explain the process that I
go through in making balls for my
Chinese Balls.
The actual dimension of the
blank can be a low as 2-3/4” square
by about three inches long. I mount
this block between centers using
Morse Taper Extensions on both the
headstock and tailstock.
Figure 2. Using a 1-3/8 inch
spindle roughing gouge, I turn
the block round and to some
dimension larger than the final
dimension of 2-1/2 inches. This
doesn’t have to be perfectly
smooth at this point, but it does
need to have all of the flat areas
turned away.
Figure 4. Using the sizing tool to
make a number of grooves along
the cylinder to make it easy to
turn to final size. I generally use
the roughing gouge to turn away
most of the excess wood and
then a 3/4 inch skew chisel to
make the final cuts, thus leaving
a fairly smooth surface.
Figure 3. This is the tool that
I use to set the diameter of the
cylinder. It is called a sizing tool
and is sold by Craft Supplies
Ltd. in the UK. I’ve had it for
years, but had never before used
it with my Ashley Iles parting
tool. It worked great.
Figure 5. Here I am using the
Soren Berger sphere caliper to
check the size of the cylinder.
When I’ve final turned to 2-1/2
inches, the caliper will just slip
over the center of the cylinder.
Figure 1. I generally start with a
three inch near square piece of
wood as shown here.
Editor’s Note: The method of making a ball shown here is
only one of several methods detailed in my book, “Making the
Chinese Ball or Five Concentric Spheres” which is available for
$10.00 as a printed version or for $8.00 as a downloaded PDF
file from our web site. In that book, I describe all of the various
methods that I know of for making a ball.
Page 32 More Woodturning March-April 2009

Figure 6. The next measurement
is to set the width of the cylinder
to match the diameter of the
cylinder. Here I’m marking the
length with the Berger Sphere
caliper.
Figure 7. I then use a parting
tool to make cuts on each end
to create a cylinder that is the
same length as it is in diameter.
I generally leave about a 3/4
inch diameter tenon on each end
of the cylinder to give a good
hold with the drive and tail
centers.
Figure 9. For this bunch of
spheres, I’m using the Vermec
Sphere Turing Rig shown here.
Of the three rigs I have, this is
the best made and most rugged,
it also cost the most. You can
actually use a home made
swinging jig to perform the
following operations, but I find
this best. And it uses a carbide
cutter similar to the Hunter
Tool and the Eliminator Tool. It
would cut cleaner, if one could
rotate the cutter for a 45 degree
angle cut for each sweep across
the ball surface.
Figure 11. I began by setting the
cutter in a bit and making cuts
on either side of the cylinder. I
continue this operation: crank
the cutter in a bit and make cuts
on both sides of the cylinder.
Figure 12. As I near the size of
the ball, I began to make smaller
depths of cut and move the tool
slower over the surface of the
sphere. This allows the cutter to
produce a smoother surface.
Figure 8. It is a good idea to
check the length of the cylinder
after making the parting cuts.
Figure 10. There may be better
ways, but I’ve found that
eyeballing the rig to as near
center as possible and then
checking the cutter against
the corner of each side of the
cylinder works about as good as
anything to precisely center the
pivot point of the rig under the
cylinder.
Figure 13. I have a special
Chinese Ball chuck that has a
fairly large hole in the bottom
of the spherical recess to allow
the tenon on the end of the ball
to pass through and allow the
spherical portion of the ball to
fit snugly into the chuck.
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 33

Making a Ball Continued
from Previous Page
Figure 14. When mounting the
ball into the chuck, I use the
tail center to help align the ball
properly.
Figure 15. Once the ball is
properly situated in the chuck, I
tighten the top and use a spindle
gouge to turn away the tenon.
I then reverse the ball in the
chuck and turn away the other
tenon.
Figure 16. When I feel that I’ve
turned away the tenon properly,
I use my little cardboard
template to check the surface as
shown in this photo.
Figure 17. The finished ball is
now ready to be made into a
Chinese Ball. You may be able
to note on the upper right hand
side of the sphere at about 2:00
pm the small area that was
turned with the gouge.
The process just described is
the process that I go through when
making balls to be used in making
the Chinese Ball. I generally accumulate
six to 10 cubes for a ball
making operation. I turn each cube
into a cylinder that is as long as it
is in diameter before setting up the
swinging jig to turn the cylinders
into a spherical shape. This is much
more efficient than doing one ball
at a time.
Remember in this example,
I’m turning balls for use in making
the Chinese Ball and the balls are
2-1/2 inches in diameter. Should
you choose to make larger balls,
the process is similar, you simply
need to make a larger chuck to use
in removing the tenons after turning
the ball. Incidentally, before I started
making the Chinese Ball in 1998, I
made a lot of balls for sale at craft
fairs and called them “worry balls.”
They were in various sizes from 2
inches to three inches.
Insurance Coverage
for AAW Members
After many years of searching,
the AAW has reached an agreement
with a well-respected national company
that specializes in providing
health and other insurance to associations
such as the AAW. We
can now offer most of our U.S.
resident members and their families
medical insurance policies at very
competitive rates through Association
Health Programs (AHP) from
Overland Park, Kansas.
AHP administers the health
insurance needs of over 180 national
associations, representing
2.5 million people. This huge block
of buyers allows AHP to negotiate
the lowest premiums available. On
average, AHP expects to save AAW
members substantial amounts on
premiums. This may be the biggest
benefit of your AAW membership.
We talked with many associations
that already do business
with AHP, and without exception
they were all delighted with the
service and premiums. Complaints
were minimal and always handled
promptly to members’ satisfaction.
AHP offers a 100% guarantee.
If you are insurable, they will always
be able to give you the lowest
costs, compared to any other source.
If you have any existing medical
conditions, AHP guarantees that
their liberal underwriting will allow
you to pay less. They further guarantee
that upon annual renewal, they
will obtain for you the lowest rates
on health insurance and analyze
your coverage to keep premiums
in line with alternative insurance
suppliers.
AHP will place our AAW
members and their families in with
Page 34 More Woodturning March-April 2009

a large block of buyers in each state,
with members from all the other associations
that they represent. They
will only use “A” rated insurers
such as Humana, Blue Cross, Aetna,
United Health Care, Healthnet, or
Assurant. In all of these, policy
rates and renewals will be based
on age and not your future medical
conditions. Once a policy is issued,
our members cannot be cancelled
due to any change in your medical
condition.
AHP cannot offer medical
insurance coverage in the states
of Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, or Vermont due to state
health insurance laws. Due to state
mandates, there are limited health
insurance opportunities in New
York and New Jersey. Alaska and
Hawaii have limited policies available
as well.
In general, you can expect $5
to $8 million of lifetime maximum
benefits per person, comprehensive
full-coverage major medical insurance,
unlimited routine care, unlimited
prescriptions, PPO options
or the ability to see any doctor or
hospital of your choice, and coverage
that is good anywhere in the
United States.
AHP can also offer group
policies for any business of three or
more employees or officers. They
can also provide policies to cover
Health Savings Accounts, Medicare
Supplements, and Medicare
Part D coverage, dental, disability
income, critical illness, and international
travel insurance. Through
their large-block purchasing power,
AHP can also provide the lowest
premium rates on life insurance for
term, whole life, second to die, key
man, or universal life.
If one of the insurance policies
you need is long-term care insurance,
through AHP you can save a
substantial discount off of premiums
that provide for home care, assisted
living care, adult living care, and
nursing home care. AHP offers policies
that provide for 100% coverage
for any services that you may need
in any care. Insurance companies
providing this coverage include
MetLife, John Hancock, Principal,
Guardian, Medical Mutual, Physicians
Mutual, and Genworth.
AHP can also help save you on
the costs of premiums for your auto
and home insurance.
Here are some frequently asked
questions:
1. Can the AHP brokered insurance
be used anywhere I travel in the
United States Yes.
2. Will all doctors and hospitals
accept this coverage Yes.
3. Does the health insurance
program cover pre-existing conditions
Yes, on insurable conditions
like asthma, high blood pressure,
cholesterol, or broken limbs, for
individual policies. On group policies,
there are never pre-existing
condition exceptions. Individual
policies will not cover pre-existing
conditions such as heart problems,
malignant cancers, strokes, Crohn’s
disease, diabetes, seizures or severe
chronic ailments. For members with
these chronic pre-existing conditions,
AHP has the availability to
help members in 32 states with the
state health insurance guaranteed
risk pools. This service will be done
at no cost to our members.
4. Are pre-existing conditions
an issue on acceptance to a plan or
the premium rates Yes, each case
will be individually evaluated, and
appropriate recommendations will
be made.
5. Does AHP require a health
examination No.
6. Do I need to be a current
AAW member to get the benefits of
these policies Yes.
If someone you know who
is not an AAW member wants to
pursue this opportunity to purchase
insurance through our large buying
block, represented by AHP, they can
either contact AHP at 1-888-450-
3040 or go to www.associationpros.
com/assoc/aaw and submit an application.
Be sure to ask for the AAW
rates. If they are pleased with the
quoted rates, they can join the AAW
by going to www.woodturner.org.
To get an application to receive
a quote, either call 1-888-450-3040
or go to www.associationpros.com/
assoc/aaw, fill it out, and click submit.
John Hill, Chair AAW Insurance
Advisory Committee
828-645-6633
Editor’s Note: Here is another
reason to join the AAW, if
you are not already a member.
This is especially true if you do
not have a job that provides health
insurance for you and your family.
It appears that this company that
AAW has connected with can also
save members money on home
insurance and auto insurance as
well as health insurance.
I personally have been taking
advantage of the AAW insurance
set up for our shops and small
businesses such as my More
Woodturning business and my
woodworking shop neither of
which are covered by our regular
home owner’s insurance. If
you have a shop and sell some of
your work, I recommend that you
check into the AAW insurance for
your shop.
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 35

More On Rolling Pins & a Couple New Tricks
by Bob Heltman, CMW, AAW
Copyright 12-2008
This is kind of like the OLD
story of the fellow who was blacking
his stove (actually an ANCIENT
story - in the days of wood stoves).
He spilled some of that black stove
paint on the floor, so he painted
it too. Then he slopped some on
the threshold, so that got painted
as well. This kept on until he also
painted the back porch, walkway
to the garage, and one garage wall
before he ran out of paint.
In like manner, once I got started
making rolling pins, it seemed
necessary to make more than a few
more. And it became interesting to
learn something about types of rolling
pins and maybe their history.
Way back before recorded history,
mankind found grains could be
crushed, mixed with water, allowed
to ferment (sourdough bread), and
then baked into something edible.
At first these were round lumps
and then somebody discovered that
if you pounded the lumps flatter
they baked quicker, and you could
even put meat between the flattened
dough, and that was the first, unrecorded
sandwich. It was probably
described something like, “Ugh,
Tastem GOOD, want MORE!”
The Etruscans (around 850 BC
on the Italian peninsula) are credited
with being the first known users
of rolling pins. They were nothing
more than smooth tree limb sections,
debarked, maybe smoothed more
with stones used as sandpaper. I
wasn’t there so can’t say for sure.
Ever since then rolling pins of a
great variety have been crafted of
many materials, including stone,
clay-ceramic, metal, and plastic.
Page 36 More Woodturning March-April 2009
These days they are commercially
made at the rate of around 700,000
per year. Handles at each end were
an invented addition by African-
American J. W. Reed in the late
19th century.
Figure 1. Small knots were
encountered but easily fixed.
Well sir, being mentally fortified
with all this history, as clearly I
was participating in an ancient
and honorable tradition, the next
project was a French rolling pin.
This one I made of a 2 foot length
of seasoned Sourwood from a limb
standing in my shop studio for
several years awaiting its purpose.
A few small knots were encountered.
These I filled with sanding
dust and a drop of superglue. The
shape of this 22” long “Frenchie”
was 2 1/4” diameter at the center,
with gently curved tapering toward
both ends of 1 1/2” dia. While I
could have made a perfect parabolic
template, shaping by eye and feel
was more fun and challenging. After
sanding through the grits down
to 400 I put on a Nitrileglove
and massaged thin superglue all
over the surface. I’ve been told that
when superglue cures it is a rugged
Lexan type plastic surface, and
food safe too. After curing I sanded
from 320 to 400 grit, and then used
Scotch- Britetype pads from an
auto supply store (used for car refinishing),
going through their “grits”
from black to maroon to white, as
shown below.
Figure 2. Sanding materials
used.
Figure 3. French Pastry rolling
pin wouldn’t fit in rack.
This long rolling pin would not
fit in my rolling pin display rack, so
I inserted a screw eye in one end and
hung it on a side cabinet. It is ready
for action in case anybody knows
how to make thin French pastry, or
even wants to. “Be prepared!” as
the Boy Scouts say. It also looks
a lot better than an old debarked

tree limb. Neat conversation starter
too.
My next project was a “regular”
rolling pin. I wanted the rolling part
to be a foot wide. Given the size of
log sections on hand it was quickly
determined that this time I’d have to
make separate handles. So, oak was
the main rolling part and the handles
I made out of a chunk of honey locust
that had been sitting around in
want of a suitable project.
and taking light cuts I brought the
final diameter to proper size.
Figure 5. Using a C-Clamp as a
guide when turning.
The next step was to remove
any tool marks and smooth the oak
surface. The trick for doing that was
to use my belt sander, held at about
a 45 degree angle, with the belt
moving in the direction opposite of
the surface rotation of the rolling
pin. This process worked very well
and rather quickly. If the sander is
constantly moved back and forth the
diameter is kept constant. Turning
tool marks become quickly evident,
and disappear soon thereafter.
pin, and twisted off the ends. These
two surfaces were sanded smooth,
and the centers carefully found and
marked for Forstner bit drilling of
holes 3/4” diameter by about an
inch deep.
Figure 7. Drilling ends for
handles.
Figure 4. Wood borer hole
looked as if it would turn away.
After starting to turn the quarter
log section I noticed a wood borer
hole. It was near the sapwood area
and I guessed it would disappear
as turning decreased the diameter
toward the 2 1/2” dia. goal. True
enough, that happened. However,
if not, I could use sanding dust
and superglue to plug the hole; no
problem.
As the end diameter approached
I wanted to obtain a rather accurate
and consistent diameter, so I screwed
a C-clamp onto my roughing gouge,
set so it would glide along the tool
rest which was fixed parallel to the
lathe bed. By holding the C-clamp
Figure 6. Using a belt sander to
smooth the rolling pin.
After belt sanding, a quick
back and forth sanding with 220 and
then 320 grit sandpaper was done,
and then thin superglue applied all
over the rolling pin surface. When
cured, 320 then 400 grit sandpaper
was followed by the 3 “grits” of
the ScotchBrite pads and a VERY
smooth, sealed, and beautiful surface
resulted.
Using a thin parting tool I
brought each cutoff end to about
1/8” diameter, removed the rolling
Figure 8. Turning handles.
Figure 9. The full rack.
The drilling was done on a
floor length drill press. I brought the
[Continued on Next Page]
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 37

Rolling Pin Continued from
Previous Page.
drill bit tip into the center marked
small awl hole, made sure the rolling
pin was vertical, turned on the
drill press, grabbed the rolling pin
FIRMLY, and smoothly brought
the drill bit into the wood to about
one inch depth. This was a bit tricky
and took coordination, but worked
out just fine.
The table was cleared of chips,
ends reversed, and the second end
hole was drilled in the same manner.
Next came cutting the locust
blanks to size, about 1 1/2” square
by 5” long. One end was chucked
and the tailstock brought up to pin
the other end in place. The end to be
inserted into the body of the rolling
pin was made next to the tailstock,
so the tailstock could be slid back
and the rolling pin’s hole brought
up to the handle to check for a light
press fit. A snug fit, with a collar
that presses against the side body
of the pin, glued, would give sturdy
results.
A slight chamfer was made
where the handle would enter
the hole, and a slight recess cut
next to the collar on the handle.
This allowed space for glue, and
stray wood fibers. A spindle gouge
brought the outer ends to smaller
size. Each handle was sanded, superglue
surfaced, and sanded again
like the main body of the rolling pin.
After removing the handles with a
cutoff tool, the nibs were sanded off
and the remaining ends coated with
thin superglue.
Eyeballing was used to make
the handles pretty much the same.
The locust was very hard and wire
burning small grooves did not work,
so I used the fine tip of a felt tipped
Page 38 More Woodturning March-April 2009
marker. This worked well and the
superglue sealed all in place.
Since the drilled holes were
the same in diameter and depth, and
each handle pre-fitted for the proper
tight fit, the final step of attaching
the handles was approached with
confidence soon justified.
The holes were deeper than the
tenon on the handles to allow for
air compression and to assure no
bottoming out as the handles were
driven home. Medium superglue
was squeezed around the inside
top of each hole, and the handles
inserted and tapped home with a
wood mallet.
N e x t I w e n t t o m y
Burnmasterwoodburner and on
one end marked in my name, date,
and “oak + locust” for all posterity.
Creating heirlooms is fun.
With hand in Nitrile glove,
more medium superglue was applied
to the ends of the main roller
body, and stroked into place with a
finger, assuring a good seal around
the handle of each collar.
The result is 2nd from the top,
my rack is now full, and I plan to
make a few more slightly different
rolling pins for relatives and friends.
It is generally held that clear rock
maple is the best wood to use, but
with my superglue coating method
most any wood will work.
Furthermore, it is more interesting
to used “troubled” wood as
the results are quite attractive and
just as functional. It is also somewhat
nicer to NOT make everything
with engineering precision, and
allow for little artistic touches and
variations. People who constantly
worry about precision are the types
who silently feel floor markings for
elevators should at least be shown to
3 decimal places; floor 7.000 instead
of plain 7, for example. That’s called
over-engineering!
Considerable precision is fine if
you are production turning 100 balusters
for a railing project. In those
cases use calipers and a “preacher,”
which is a stick positioned above
the turning that is marked with
every dimension location and size.
In the last picture, imagine if all the
rolling pins were exactly the same;
how boring.
With variations the pastry chef
can choose a rolling pin for the day
and have a little more fun in life.
A Collaborative
Group Project
Shape that I photographed when
we were in downtown Cancun,
Mexico.

Our collaborative group project
for January was to be made from
a piece of wood about 3” in diameter
and 6” long. I photographed
this neat shape while we were in
Cancun, Mexico in December. I felt
it would be a good project for the
January Collaborative meeting. Unfortunately,
penemonia somewhat
limited my time to work on it and I
was unable to finish the project. My
partial effort is shown below. The
wood wasn’t quite long enough for
the project, but it was fun.
Unfinished project, hopefully,
I’ll get it completed by the
March meeting.
Big Tree Tools, Inc.
Innovative tools for
woodturners
See our web site featuring our Sharpening
System including the NEW
Versa-Jig - sharpen all your tools on
our system.
bigtreetools.com
1-888-turning (887-6464)
PayPal accepted
The Market Place
The first 10 words of classified advertisements
are free to subscribers, additional
words are 20-cents per word, no minimum.
On non-subscriber advertisements, price is
20-cents per word with a minimum billing
of $4.00.
Beginning and advanced woodturning
classes. Call Ted Bartholomew 253-927-6855,
Tacoma, WA.
Sharpening Machine for all Woodworkers
- The Big Tree Tools machine is a flat
platen belt and buff machine for woodworkers,
which allows a wide range of belt grits to be
used, and belt changes take only a few seconds.
Now our Versa-Jig is included with every machine
allowing you to sharpen all the hand tools
in your shop! The convenience and accuracy
are unequaled. Visit bigtreetools.com to view
photos, see our other tools and read articles on
turning by Jon Siegel. See ad in this issue or
call 1.888.TURNING
Super Glue 2 0z. $5.50, Thin, Medium.
Thick, Accelerator 2oz. $3.00. acwtinc@ameritech.net.
PAYPAL, VISA & MASTERCARD.
LOGLAMPS.COM ARTISTIC & CUSTOM
WOODTURNING, INC. 1-800-894-8123
Make pens using your drill press with a
Vertilathe. http://vertilathe.freeyellow.com
Woodturning on a VB36 Lathe, at
Higher Manaton Farm. SW England. Web Site:
www.turning-wood.com
Faceplates: Straight from manufacture,
heavy duty aluminum, brightly colored anodize,
most common sizes. Visit our website:
www.minkcrafts.com or call toll free (866)
956-2200.
The Burl Source. Large supply of Australian
Burl Caps, turning blanks, pen blanks,
and large jarrah burl slabs. Check us out at www.
theburlsource.com or call 801-942-2616.
Emory’s Woodturning E-Books www.
asthewoodturns.com/books.html.
Free Wet Grind/Hone Instant Change
Sharpening System Plans: http://www.DavidReedSmith.com.
Maple Turning Blanks--PRICE $6-8
PBF+S&H cut to size, call 360-942-3468 or
e-mail: john@hamptonwoodcraft.com.
Pen Finishing Kit: A must for all pen
turners! Obtain a scratch free remarkale shine on
all surfaces including stabilized woods, acrylics
and solid surface materials using the new 2”x2”
double sided foam backed sanding pads. Kit contains
instructions for use and seven color coded
pads ranging from 300 to 12,000 grit. $13.95.
BG Artforms. TEL: 888-717-4202.
Easier, Faster Segmented Vessel Design,
Web Site: www.segmentedturning.com.
TEL: (805) 489-5309.
Woodturning classes – Satisfaction
guaranteed. Call Larry Miller 360-412-1583,
Olympia, Washington”
Cabochons for woodturners at www.
yoyospin.com/cab
Woodturning Instruction: Now that I
have insurance through the AAW Craft Workers
Insurance Program, I can again offer training
in my shop. If interested in basic woodturning
instruction or specialized training such as the
Chinese Ball, contact me at: 360-668-0976.
Fred Holder.
New Video--”Relief carved Embellishments
for Wood Projects”. DVD--$30.00
plus $3.00 S/H. VHS $20.00 plus $3.00 S/H.
Contact: Tony Cortese, 20850 NW 13th Street,
Dunnellon, FL 34431. Ph 352-489-5652. E-mail:
romeowoodturner@msn.com.
NEW REDUCED PRICE: Simplified
Fluting with Al Caton. Video-$20.00 plus S&H
$3.00. DVD-$30.00 plus S&H $3.00. Insturction
and inexpensive jigs for fluted works of art.
Order from: Al Caton, PO Box 2360, Dunnellon,
FL 34430. TEL: 352-465-0562. E-Mail: alcat@
bellsouth.net.
Making the Chinese Ball, Revised 2008,
by Fred Holder. The revised booklet outlines
Fred’s trials and tribulations in attempting to
conquer this project. Tells how to make the tools
needed to use the Crown Chinese Ball Tools.
Booklet now contains 64 pages of information.
Order from Fred Holder, PO Box 2168, Snohomish,
WA 98291. Price is $10.00 including
shipping. Telephone 360-668-0976.
Bowl Coring with the McNaughton.
A DVD by Reed Gray (aka robo hippy). Everything
you need to know about how to use
this tool, from will it work on your lathe, to
the laser pointer system that is available. $30
including shipping in the US. Contact Reed
Gray 541-463-9634, or reedgray@comcast.
net. (05-09)
Limited quantities of Mountain Mahogany
(curly leaf). Flat rate postal box (12
x12 x5 1/2 inches) $50 and up depending on
what you want. Green logs sections, or green
blanks, sealed, and plastic wrapped. Contact
Reed Gray 541-463-9634, or reedgray@comcast.net.
(12-08)
Jimmy Clewes says, “The tool works
really well in a variety of situations but lends
itself particularly well to small detail work, finials
etc and miniature turning.” For perfect coves
every time, visit the Home of the Coving Tool at:
www.jonathanhess.com. Or call 703-378-8508.
Through 02-09
For Sale: 24” Powermatic woodturning
lathe, model 4224; used less than 20 hrs;
Powermatic is asking $5200 for new purchase;
I am asking $3,600. I am located in Moneta,
VA. 24121. Phone 540-420-7462.
Turn Nested Bowls from 6” or 8” bowl
blanks with a $39.95 hand-held coring tool I call
the BowlSaw. Check bowlsaw.com for details
or e-mail me at Steuss@aol.com. For questions
call 415-897-1457. Steussy Creations.
More Woodturning March-April 2009 Page 39

MANUFACTURER OF QUALITY WOODTURNING LATHES, CHUCKS AND ACCESSORIES
VM150 CHUCK
INTRODUCING A WORLD FIRST AND
A REVOLUTION IN CHUCK DESIGN
Q. Have you ever wished you
could have the operating speed of
a lever operated chuck but the
clamping power of a key chuck
A. Well look no further. This is a
world first which combines the two
and with this easy to use chuck you
will be amazed by how useful and
how extraordinary it is.
The VM150 has two actions, one to quickly open and close the chuck as though
it was lever operated (fully opens within 3 revolutions), the other to tighten
using the 'T' key as you would in a standard key operated scroll chuck.
Place the supplied 10mm Allen key in
the locating pinion, disengage by
turning anti-clockwise then rotate the
scroll like a lever operated chuck. To
engage pin, line up the dots and turn
clockwise this will engage the scroll,
then place the Allen key into one of
the other two larger pinions and rotate
the key to tighten.
Check our website for the full range of Lathes, Chucks and Accessories
For your nearest Vicmarc ® dealer please contact us:
Phone: + 61 7 3284 3103 Fax: + 61 7 3283 4656
Web: www.vicmarc.com
Email: vicmarc@vicmarc.com
Page 40 More Woodturning March-April 2009