Welcome to Staffordshire and South Cheshire Woodturners

September - November 2002

Thanks to everybody who came forward with articles for our newsletter.

This quarter we feature topics on safety by David Craig and uses of wood by Alan Hewitt. Whilst under torture Alan kindly agreed to follow on with several similar articles, compiled from his database of 1000 types of wood.

We are now in the happy position of having three
different articles for the next few publications, but we are still looking for more!

Please speak to, ring or E-mail Frank
Simpson (01782 784011, frank@act1.swinternet.co.uk)

June welcomed Mick Hanbury, who showed us how to use texturing tools. The club has decided to buy one of these tools for club members, as they are probably too expensive for occasional use.

Mick also showed us how to use Plastic Padding body filler as a cheap and easy way to inlay boxes, etc.

At the July meeting, the club was elevated to an ecclesiastical level by David Hanlon, who demonstrated how to make very tall altar candles. Once again, the importance of design was emphasised, with David explaining how the proportions looked better by having the base narrower than the top. David also had a sale of bits and pieces. Unfortunately, several members were killed in the stampede!

The Show & Tell again proved popular. The inimitable Doug Hancock showed us how to make a Longworth chuck. To buy a similar item would be dear, but Doug showed a cheap alternative, complete with drawings. The drawings and article will be reproduced in the December newsletter.

John Haigh came up with several toys that were ideal as stocking fillers. Again, we hope to publish his drawings and construction methods for December.

Nigel proudly produced what appeared to be a WW1 hand grenade, but on closer inspection proved to be home-made jig for holding fruit. Nigel then gave a demonstration on turning a pear using the said jig.

John Benn showed an unusual technique for routing a recess into a platter, using a home-made jig. Perhaps John could be persuaded to provide some drawings for club members.
Tonight we welcome our own Allan Calder who will be demonstrating how to turn square edge goblets. Look out for an article by Allan in the latest edition of Woodturner.
As Alan Batty has unfortunately suffered a heart attack, Steve Heeley has stepped in for the meeting on Monday, 7th October.

December sees a new face at the club; Guy Ravine, who is a member of the Worshipful Company of Turners and will be demonstrating turning thin, natural edge bowls.

The Craft Supplies Show at Lady Manners School, Bakewell saw success for Nigel Rickards who won 1st prize in the hollow form section with a square topped and gilded chestnut hollow form. In the bowl section, Nigel won with a rhomboid shaped bubinga bowl with a routed rim, but received a second prize as it is against the rules to win two first prizes!
Arthur Hickson entered the Prestige class (former 1st prize
winners) with a thin open natural edge vase in holly

The Social Evening and Annual Competition takes place in November. It will be a good night with plenty of food and a guest speaker. Please bring your partner or a friend and let's have a good turnout.
The competition is divided into Experienced and Non-Winners. The theme is open for both classes, i.e. anything from a thimble to a chair.

Experienced - anyone who has won a monthly or annual competition

Non-Winners - anyone who has not won anything

Don't forget to book up for the annual trip to the Axminster Show on the 26th October. The cost is £15, including the coach and entrance fee. It is the final day so there should be some bargains to be had.

Could all the members who use E-mail, mail Nigel on nigelanne@lineone.net so that he can compile a mailing list.

He has promised not to sell your addresses to double glazing companies!

The last hands-on evening went well, with two lathes running and a good turnout.
The next evening is Monday, 16th September, so sign up tonight if you wish to come along.

More on the Social Evening and Annual competition - there will be Kraft Kabin vouchers for the three winners in each class.
The judge will be the incorruptible Alan Hewitt!

Support Kraft Kabin who support us. They are the official Record dealers in the area and can be found in London Road, Stoke.

A useful website address is www.recordpower.co.uk/hints_list.asp which gives hints on adjusting lathe bearings, etc. Thanks to Ernie for the info.

One of the most feared weapons of war was made from a piece of wood! The English longbow wrought destruction on the opposition and decimated the French at the Battle of Agincourt. European Yew was used, with a piece being used that included both heartwood and sapwood. This gave both compression and expansion. This basic weapon could kill at over 300 yards. The rate of fire was phenomenal - an archer being capable of shooting 30 arrows per minute. 5000 archers would shoot 25,000 arrows in the first ten seconds of battle! In the 14th century, all men of fighting age were compelled by law to train with the longbow. In the 1980s, when the Tudor Rose was raised, many bows were found to be perfectly preserved and needed 180 lbs. of pull to operate at maximum efficiency. Why did the muzzle loading musket replace the longbow, as the musket was not as accurate, had a slower rate of fire and failed under damp conditions. Answers to Frank.

Due to the fact that our hobby is 'woodturning' - in reality we are all carrying out various forms of woodwork and the lathe is not the only machine or power driven tool we use. Therefore I do not think a résumé of health and safety matters would go amiss, bearing in mind that more accidents occur at home than in industry.
After tripping over an extension lead in my garage, I decided to draw up a plan of action to try and avoid further mishaps. The following list is not in any particular order nor does it cover every eventuality:
Check the layout of the workshop - are my machines in a reasonable position bearing in mind there is limited space available?

Is there sufficient room to reach storage locations, covering both hand tools and materials?

Have I got adequate lighting or should the existing be rearranged?

Ensure there are sufficient electrical power points to avoid the use of extension leads. Is the electrical safety protection equipment adequate? I.e. fuses, miniature circuit breakers, residual current circuit breakers. What form of protection is provided in the main electrical distribution board?

Avoid a water supply in the vicinity of electrical equipment.

When using extension leads for long periods of time, or on portable tools taking more than 5 amps ensure the leads are not in the coiled state - this leads to overheating of the extension lead.

Leaving rechargeable tools/batteries connected to the power supply longer than the required charging time may create a fire risk because of the over heating of the charging unit.

Is there adequate ventilation in the workshop?

What form of respiratory protective equipment is used, does it adequately control one's health risk with respect to wood dust?

Do we operate tools, machines and equipment at suitable heights?

Is there adequate and adjustable guards provided, grinding machines, band saws, planing machines and don't forget the use of portable tools?

Whilst there is a first aid kit in my workshop, I keep a separate box Elastoplasts handy, I wonder why? Installing a small fire extinguisher might also be worth considering.

The majority of woods we work with can be classed as 'Toxic Woods' and can effect people in different ways, but this depends upon the species involved, the concentration and the extent of exposure, as well as the sensitivity of the user to the wood. I attach a guidance list of some of the more common toxic woods and their reported adverse health effects. This report has been provided, printed and published by the Health and Safety Executive.

Specific subjects relative to health and safety matters can be included in the newsletter at a future date.

"I trust this short item will give food for thought" - David Craig

Following a conversation at the beginners hands on session, it has been decided to start a series on timbers and their properties. A list intended for beginners (and perhaps the more experienced), to give them some idea of their properties and suitability for certain uses.

As I am in the process of compiling a data base of timbers for my own use, I have been volunteered this task. I have at the moment close on 1000 timbers both Gymnosperm(softwood) and Angiosperm(Hardwood) in my data base

This brings me to the first point I have been asked to clarify. One of the class was confused as to why Balsawood was called a hard wood when it is so soft.

I have found that the term 'hardwood' and 'softwood' confuses a lot of wood turners both beginners and more experienced.

Try to think of the two expressions as names and forget the connotation as to texture. A similar example springs to mind with cheese. Cheddar cheese does not have to be made in Cheddar to carry the name. It has to be made to the specialised cheese recipe. Similarly "Hardwoods" do not have to be 'hard', to carry the name but have to fall in a certain botanical category.

How the trees are classified, will determine whether they are "Hardwoods" or "Softwoods".
What is a tree?- a tree for our purposes is a woody plant. It can be of any size. We make no demarcation between size, as do botanists, between trees and shrubs.
For our purpose so long as the timber is of a size to turn, its a tree!

2. Subdivision or class. - Gymnospermae And Angiospermae

These two broad classes are the areas we are interested in. They are subdivided as follows;
CLASS ORDER. PLANTS
Gymnospermae (Exposed seeds) Cycadales Cycas, like a tree-fern.
(Softwood Timber) Ginkgoales Ginko one species of tree.
Taxales Group small coniferous trees Coniferales Coniferous trees & shrubs

Angiospermae (Encapsulated seed) Dicotyledons (Two seed leaves) Shrubs and trees.(All hardwoods)
(Hardwood Timber) Monocotyledons (Single seed leaf) Bamboo, Palm etc.

You can perhaps see that the two sub-divisions instead of being called, hardwoods & softwoods could be called; naked seed woods and covered seed woods.
These Orders or groups are further sub-divided into; families, genera, species and sometimes variants and cultivars.

"English Oak". Its Scientific Name is Fagaceae Quercus robur L.
The scientific naming is always put in italics, the species having only a lower case first letter. The trailing Roman letters, in this case 'L'. Is the namer (The latinised 'Linnaeus', for Carl von Linné).

This nomenclature and taxonomy (A fancy way of saying botanical naming). Uniquely identifies every timber to everyone throughout the world. The name only changes if an earlier unambiguous documented naming is found, when the tree takes on the earlier name. Any subsequent naming is put in brackets after it. A change can also be made if a plant is re classified, as was the case with Norway spruce. This was originally called Pinus abies L. It has since been reclassified as Picea abies (L) Karsten. The bracketed L. Indicating that it takes von Linné name but that it has been reclassified after his death by a botanist named Karsten. This naming is important when there is ambiguity in common names.
In America the "Plane tree" (Platanus spp), is sometimes known as-Sycamore. In Scotland the "Sycamore" (Acer psudoplatanus) is known as Plane. This could be very confusing without the scientific names. There are also numerous common names given to timbers which don't fit the correct classification e.g. She-Oak (Casuarina spp.), an Australian timber is not an oak(Quercus). Mexican rosewood (Cordia gerascanthus), is not a true rosewood (Dalbergia).

I was recently asked by my next door neighbour, Bill Phillips, what a certain wood was. He thought it might be a "softwood". I looked at it and thought it to be too hard. (Not forgetting that Yew is hard).
Looking at its structure led me to change this opinion, and I told Bill so. But as my database did not include all the softwoods at that stage I was stumped.
Whilst checking that some entries I had recently put in to the data base were correct I came across;
Drimys winteri Forst, Winters bark. A white to creamy white timber. Of the magnolia family. One of the few "Hardwoods" which resemble the "Softwoods" in timber structure. Origin,- from South America to Tierra del Fuego, and north to beyond the equator, but only in this country in gardens in the far south and west, rare except Cornwall. Discovered by William Winter one of Francis Drakes captains. He saw the natives chewing the leaves and using the bark as food flavouring. Bill found the timber dumped so could have come from anywhere.

Fraxinus excelsior L.	European Ash	White to creamy white darker 'olive' grain often in the heart. Growth rings prominent. Turns easily, finishes well. Used for tool shafts because of its resilience. Bends well.
Grevilla striata	Beefwood	Mid to dark brown, often with a more pinky brown centre, when first cut. Resembling cut meat. Very hard, often finishes better with scraper type tools. Used extensively for cutlery handles. Good for small detailed work.(Lace bobbins). Takes a good finish.
Guibourtia spp. (syn.Copaifera spp) (syn.Brachystegia spp)	Bubinga sometimes African Rosewood	Light to medium pinkish brown, well figured stripy grain, with darker lines. Hard straight grained. Has interlocked grain which reflects light as light and dark grain. Moderately difficult to turn, finishes well. A good furniture wood .
Juglans regia L.	Walnut, English/ European	Dark brown with darker almost black streaks. Medium hard texture. Nice to turn, takes a good finish. A traditional cabinet timber. Used for rifle butts. Other walnuts may not be as figured. African walnut q.v. not a true walnut.
Lovoa spp.	Africa Walnut	Light to mid brown with dark almost black lines. Not a true walnut. Only slightly resembling the colour, closer to African mahogany in its texture. Turns well, to a good finish. Dusty. Has been available in large sizes. Used as a furniture wood.
Malus spp.	Apple	Cream to creamy brown. Tight close grain. Growth rings visible. Turns easily finishes well. Nice carving wood.
Milicia excelsa(Welw) C.C.Berg (Syn.Chlorophora excelsa Benth.)	Iroko also African Teak	Darkish to medium brown, with darker lines. Hard textured Not too difficult to turn. Has a peppery dust causing allergies in many. Often as a substitute for teak. Good for external use.
Ochroma pyramidale	Balsa	Model making. Not suitable for turning.
Prunus spp.	Cherry	Light pinkish green(European), to a darker pinkish red (American). Well figured grain. Nice to turn and finish. Pronounced scent when being worked. A useful cabinet wood.
Prunus institia	Damson	Pinkish brown to mid brown often with stripes of other colours, from pink through purple to black. Very nice to turn, finishes well. May only be available in small sections as older trees tend to suffer with heart rot.
Tectona grandis L.	Teak	Mid to darker brown, has darker streaks. Although a resilient timber has a softish texture. Often used externally or under water. Contains an oil. Difficult to get finishes other than oil to stick. Has a leathery smell when being worked. In very short supply.
Tilia spp.	Basswood American Whitewood	Light weight, white coloured. Turns easily for such a light wood. Devoid of any grain pattern. Was used, stained, for utility furniture. Used where a lightweight relatively strong timber is needed.
Ulmus procera Salisb. Ulmus spp	Common Elm	Light to mid brown, good grain figuring sometimes with a green streak, Wych elm,(Ulmus glabra Huds). Can be difficult to turn to a good finish. One of my favourite woods especially with knots, or complete burrs. Has a pronounced 'horsey' smell when being worked. Timber has been found from the roman times where it was used to line drainage channels'. It was still sound. Traditionally used for Windsor chair seats, due to its interlocked grain. The one drawback is that it is always "on the move" even when fully seasoned. This often made the chairs stand unevenly one day and not the next.
Salix spp	Willow	White or creamy white light weight almost featureless timber. Difficult to turn, difficult to finish. Useful only in its traditional uses e.g. Cricket bats & artificial limbs.