New Members – We are pleased to have these new members join the turning club.
Jim Armstrong, Joe Wiczko and John Thibodeau from Memphis. John’s brother Larry has also been a member for a couple of years.Upcoming Meetings – On March 9 ^th , the visiting turner will be Gary Smith from the Detroit Club. He will give a demonstration on segmented work whereby different woods are glued together into a pattern and then the piece is turned on the lathe. Gary will bring his own Delta lathe for this demonstration. For those of you interested, you can come early to the meeting and see how Gary sets up his equipment and see the types of tools that he will be using. The official meeting will start at 1:30 pm.
April 13 ^th Meeting – A demonstration will be given by Kenneth Riedel and his topic will be "Beyond the Average Bowl" . Other Events – Visiting professional woodworker, teacher and woodturner David Hout will be at the Royal Oak Senior Center on Saturday May 3, 2008 to give an all day seminar. This is sponsored by the Detroit Club. The cost will be $40.00 and includes lunch. Look for more information at our March meeting.
Australian Jack de Vos will give an all day seminar on Sunday May 24, 2008 at the London, Ontario Thames Valley Woodturners Guild.
These seminars are very informative and a good place to make connections. You won’t be disappointed. Contact George Ferber who plans on going to this event.

Using Shellac as a finishing polish for your work – By Steve Sharp
Shellac flakes are a natural resin secreted by the Lac bug. This secretion is then harvested from the branches of trees, cleaned and shipped from India. When using shellac flakes it is best to use the dewaxed variety because the wax actually reduces the finishes water resistance. It also is important to use a fresh mixture of shellac because as it ages, the water resistance of the polish decreases.
The mixing – Shellac flakes are mixed with denatured alcohol in different concentrations
called cuts. For example, if 1 pound of shellac is mixed with one gallon of denatured alcohol, that would be a 1 pound cut. I use a 6 lb cut for my woodturnings and also add some boiled linseed oil to the mixture which brings out the grain of the wood and helps the shellac go on easier without streaking. This finish can be applied easily with a small rag or paper napkin while the piece is still spinning on the lathe. Make sure your work is sanded to a smooth surface before you begin the polishing step. You can also wipe on the finish when the piece is off the lathe. Shellac dries fast and is hard and durable.
If you are interested in trying my special mix contact me or see me at the next meeting.
For more information you can go on your computer and Google "Shellac Flakes".

Presentation by Ruby Cler – For those of you who missed the February meeting, here is a review of the show. Ruby explained how finials by definition are the decorative items on the top of a part. Example is top of a post, or top of a lid.
The first item Ruby made was red cedar finial for a bed post. It was about 3 inches in diameter and 5 inches long. This was a nice piece of soft wood from Canada and gave off the typical cedar aroma.
Important notes: -To see if your piece of wood is round you can lay your tool handle on the turning piece and check for roundness. No need to stop the lathe.
- If you need to move the tool rest, always stop the lathe.
- Look your piece of wood over carefully before turning and look for cracks or even imbedded debris like nails or stones.
- If using the Bedan tool, remove the burr on top edge after sharpening.
- After sanding, stop the lathe and sand by hand in the direction of the grain to remove circular pattern visible from speed sanding while lathe is turning.

The second item Ruby made was a long thin finial suitable for a lid on a box. After rounding off the piece of wood (maple) with the roughing gouge, a Bedan was used to shape the finial. Ruby suggested that you learn to turn left and right handed. Most finials are black, but you don’t have to use the expensive black woods from Africa. You can make your finials from any kind of wood and color them with fabric dye, ink or leather dye.Wood – Two soft woods that you can find around here are Yew and Junipers. Yews are decorative evergreen trees that people plant in front of their houses. When they get overgrown, they are cut down. The wood is yellow orange with some black lines and has a very white cambium. It is easy to turn and can make beautiful items. Logs can be up to 6 inches in diameter. Keep an eye on this wood in your neighborhood.
Junipers are also ornamental evergreen landscaping trees. They are actually the aromatic red cedar that everyone loves. This wood turns easily and can be polished. During turning and sanding a lot of aroma is given off and to some people will cause respiratory discomfort. Use masks and dust collection when working with this wood.

Board of Directors BAW
President – Del Krueger
Vice President – George Ferber
Secretary – Larry Respondek
Treasurer – Steve Sharp
First VP – Bill Youngblood
Library – Bernie Daum
Meeting place is at the Richmond Community Center 69300 Bebee St. Every second Sunday of the month starting at 1:30 -3:30 pm