Category Archives: Woodturning Tech Talk

This catagory is dedicated to discussions about woodturning techniques, wood, finishing, woodturning tools and woodturning lathes. I will post items that come to mind in any random order and at any random time. Comments and questions on these posts are welcomed and encouraged.

Colouring class in my shop

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Ed Pretty

A while ago a friend in the Greater Vancouver Woodturners Guild asked if I would tutor him in some of my techniques. David was specifically interested in my use of dyes and other colour mediums but was also interested in woodturning … Continue reading →

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Gilding

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Ed Pretty

Well this was a first for me. I have always admired gilding on various pieces that others have done. Enough that I knew I would get around to doing something myself one day but never finding any pieces that were suitable. I’ll … Continue reading →

Posted in Colouring wood, Finishing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Skews: oval? flat?

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Ed Pretty

As I proof read my last post it occurred to me that one point of interest (confusion?) to new turners is the option of flat versus oval skews. Here is my opinion on the topic, and as they say, that and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Woodturning Tech Talk | 3 Comments

The dreaded skew is not so dreaded. Trust me.

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Ed Pretty

Like most turners, my first experiences with the skew were tense sessions sometimes ending successfully and sometimes not. Of course we all have known the agony of defeat, experiencing at least one “catch” in our career. And even if you … Continue reading →

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Stop the presses! Big assist for a vacuum chuck.

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Ed Pretty

Maybe the title is a little over the top but I’m pretty pumped about a stupid-easy fix that I tripped onto for a common problem when using vacuum chucks. Yesterday I was vacuum chucking a hollow form to finish the foot … Continue reading →

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A little bit about dyes

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Ed Pretty

I was queried by a few turners at the West Coast Roundup about the materials I use when colouring wood, so promised I would put something up. My plans for the future include posting something on coloring wood so I already … Continue reading →

Posted in Colouring wood, Finishing | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

A few quick pointers on using a chuck

Posted on September 18, 2010 by Ed Pretty

Today I was working on a hollow form when the lathe started to growl – first when I was cutting the end grain then getting progressively worse. I checked the chuck to make sure it was tight on the lathe and … Continue reading →

Posted in Lathe Safety, Lathes and Tools, Woodturning Tech Talk | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Dust collector trick

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Ed Pretty

In the picture in the previous post about cup centers you will note that the dust collector pick-up has a shroud or frame around the opening. When I upgraded from my dust distributor system to an actual dust collector system I purchased … Continue reading →

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Using a cup-center drive

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Ed Pretty

Recently I had the opportunity to participate in a workshop led by Mark Sfirri. Mark is well known for his  multi centered turning resulting in some very unique shapes. Probably the most well known are his “Rejects from the Bat Factory” series. … Continue reading →

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