International Wood Collectors Society

A Dedicated Group of Wood Collectors and Crafters

Northwest Chapter Meeting at Snohomish, WA on July 19, 2008.

The IWCS Northwest Chapter meeting was held at the home of Fred and Mildred Holder on July 19, 2008. Twelve people attended including one guest, Michael Nehl from Duvall, Washington. Fred Holder gave wood turning demonstrations where he made a stick pen using a BIC Insert, a spinner top, hand thread chasing, and turning of a round ball using the new Berger Sphere Caliper which makes turning round balls easier to turn freehand.

The pen was turned from one of the Lesser Known Species woods, finished with Kerf's Wood Crème, and when finished was put into the group of items to be given to the "Friends of the Carpenter" who had furnished the wood for us this year.

The spinner top was made from a blank made of a 3/8" dowel and a piece of maple. Fred turned the top, finished it with Kerf's Wood Crème and gave it a spin. It was also put into the group to be given to the "Friends of the Carpenter".

The second demonstration was thread chasing using some cork bark elm that was mounted with the wood at 90 degrees to the axis of rotation of the lathe. With this orientation, Fred noted that he had been able to cut decent threads in pine. The chaser used was 16 threads per inch. Fred made both inside and outside threads, but did not take the time to make threads that match.

The round ball demonstration used Eastern hard maple that had been turned into a cylinder measuring 2-1/2 inches in diameter. The caliper was then set to the diameter and used to establish the width of the blank to be the same as the diameter. A parting tool was used to cut the blank width to size. Another part of the caliper was then used to make marks in from each side of the cylinder and from the top down on each end. A cut was made with the spindle gouge between each of the lines on each end of the cylinder. An even smaller portion of the caliper was then used to make marks either side of the break points on the blank. The material was then turned away between lines producing a near spherical surface. Fred then took the spindle gouge and rounded over the ridges. Then took a tool made from a one-inch hole saw with the teeth ground off and finish turned the ball.

After the demonstration, Allan Schwindt conducted the review of the Lesser Known Species woods provided by "Friends of the Carpenter". I believe there were six people providing reports on each of the woods. The woods evaluated were: African Canarium (Canarium schweinfurhii); Mkanati (Erthrophleum guineense); Berlinia (Berlinia acuminata); Australian Cypress (Callitris intratropica); Copaifera (Copaifera mildbraedii); Baillonella; and White Dhup (Canarium euphyllum). Everyone was in agreement that the Australian Cypress was the most pleasant to work of all of the woods. I believe, we would all be willing to pay for more Australian Cypress.

We then had lunch consisting of Subway Sandwiches, salad, and drinks. The meeting was called to order by Fred Holder who was serving for Chairman Alan Curtis. The meeting adjourned at 1:40 pm. A few people went to the shop for a demonstration of the Holder's rose engine lathe after the meeting and before departing for home.