From the storms of June

It has been really stormy here for the month of June. While not good for some and devastating for the family down the road where a large maple tree turned their new SUV into 2 compact cars — it is a treasure trove for a wood scavenger like me. While we are waiting for me to ignore my paying gig for a day and scavenge some suitable logs for the stool project, I though this might be a good time to go over the tools we wiil need besides the usual lathe and chisels.

Key to achieving authenticity and critical to green woodworking is the ability to get straight grained stock for turning the component of the stool. This minimizes the distortion normally associated with drying green wood.

An Antique Froe

To render the stock components we will use a froe. I have had the froe I use for over 20 years and was an antique when I bought it at an estate auction. A froe is a tool for riving wood by splitting it along the grain. It is used by hammering its blade into the end of a piece of wood in the direction of the grain, then twisting the blade in the wood by rotating the haft (handle). Th woodworker uses the haft as a lever to multiply the force upon the blade, such that it possible for wood to be torn apart by even a small froe with remarkably little force applied to the haft. There are several sources of froes available on line and well worth the investment if green wood working is in your future.

The next couple of tools you can and should make yourself. The first is a simple V-block. We use the V-block to firmly stabilize the turned legs when drilling the first set of holes for the tenons on the rungs. The V-block is an 11″ length of 2×4 with a v-channel cut using a table saw.

Basic Project Supplies

The next tool is a dibble stick. Usually associated with gardening we will use our dibble stick when weaving the seat of our stool. My dibble stick was turned from a scrap piece of teak I had in my “I can’t seem to throw this wood away” box. Approximately 4 inches along pointed on one end and rounded on the other. The last tool you will need is a story stick. A story stick is a simple device that allows you to repeat measurements and markings without the variations of measurement. Our story stick is a 1/2″ wide by 1/4″ thick piece of handy scrap stock. I transferred the key point of the stool leg and then use it to begin each stool. I also have a 1/2″ hole drilled in one end to permit hanging the story stick near my lathe and of yes it is the size of the tenon on each end of the rungs.

Also appearing in the above picture are two examples of materials that can be used to weave the stool’s seat. As in our previous post, the walnut stool has a seat woven from fiber rush. The poplar stool in the first post has a seat woven from danish sea grass braided into a cord. All of these materials come in several diameters and there are several good online or look in the yellow pages in your town for seat caning supplies. Aone pound hank of this material will do one seat of the style and size I am presenting in this blog and generally should be less than $5.00 in cost.

Well here we are - start gathering and making the special tools you will need to begin working with green timber turning. While you are doing that I will be searching the roadside and yards for some new logs for our stool project. In the next installment I will go over stool dimensions and riving the components from the green log and preparing to turn our stool pieces.

Cheers
Mike
www.thewoodenquill.com

One Man’s Treasure - Turned Stool Project - #1 Setting The Stage

Over a series of blog entries I’d like to present a project that builds turning skills, has very low materials cost, is fun to do, and the kids and grandkids will love it too The project is a wood stool with turned frame components and a woven rush seat. The basic materials for the turned frame components are likely to be free and might even be in your firewood pile at this moment.

Turned Walnut Stool

But first a little background. I learned this technique from Temple Blackwood an awesome turner and a great teacher. Temple is also a member of the Chesapeake Woodturners a chapter of the American Association of Woodturners. He is by far a master of spindle turning and the skew chisel - one of the least appreciated tools in the woodturner’s toolbox. The first stool I made - pictured here - was as a student in an intermediate woodturning class where Temple was one of the instructors. As an aside no matter your skill level join a local chapter of the AAW near you. I have learned more in a short time from this giving community than is possible from years of trail and error on my own. Back to the project at hand. The turned frame components for the stool uses basic wood turning techniques and only 3 or 4 different turning tools. Preparing the stock for the turned components will draw on techniques that have been in use since the 17th Century. So as a final tease here is another example of the turned wood stool that I made from a poplar log I found laying on the side of the road after the electric company trimmed some trees near my house. Total material costs for this stool was $4.00 for the one pound of sea grass I used for the seat.

Turned Poplar Stool

So enough tease for now I’m off to the shop to work on the next segment. Coming up - “A look at the tools not usually associated with woodturning” Cheers Mike “The Wooden Quill”