I wasn't quite sure where to put this topic (Teaching sub-forum?)

[Randy Simmons]

Hey, everyone.

I'm a high school senior this year, taking an introductory shop class. As a professional woodworker for nearly five years (geez, that long?) this class has little to offer me, excepting the JET JWL-1015 wood lathe.

My instructor and I drew up a compromise; I would be allowed to do all the lathe work that I wanted, as long as I taught the unit on woodturning to the class.

I drew up a slideshow to present (as well as having a physical piece of classwork to turn in) covering the basics of the lathe, general safety information, and specifics of pen turning.

Bear in mind that I will be explaining many of these points in person, and reviewing most of the techniques hands-on.

I wanted to put this information before the group, to get any criticisms, and ideas that are relevant to include.

Here's the link to google slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1TSKS17Z1n8KQxko-rcWdF5EA0CriFBNHcw2qG96zVrI/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks a bunch,

Randy

 

[Swagopenturner]

Randy;
That teacher's guide looks great! On the slide titled "Finishing", you mentioned "Do not use sandpaper on non-wood pieces". What do you use if not sand paper? You also may want to mention carbide cutting tools since they are becoming more and more prevalent.

 

[Randy Simmons]

Randy;
That teacher's guide looks great! On the slide titled "Finishing", you mentioned "Do not use sandpaper on non-wood pieces". What do you use if not sand paper? You also may want to mention carbide cutting tools since they are becoming more and more prevalent.

I'll change the wording, here. I meant plastic pieces, such as acrylic or PR (which don't need a CA finish applied, so I skip straight to the MM)

I thought about mentioning carbide tools, but they aren't available in class, so I didn't think it would be relevant information to share.

Thanks!

 

[studioseven]

Randy,
I am impressed. You're a high school senior but already have five years experience as a proffessional woodworker. Cudos to you. Keep it up.

Seven

 

[KenV]

Randy - The American Association of Woodturners has materials for teaching wood turning in a structured format. As the leading authority in the United States, it would be good to assure you are incorporating all the safety guidelines in your module.

While you can go it alone, drawing on published materials adds to the presentations.

The Teaching Guide is downloadable and you should assure that your class instructor reads it and knows you are using it. Makes a difference in case something ugly were to happen.

Teaching Resources - American Association of Woodturners

Let Go For A Spin by Alan Leland is very good in my opinion, and your class should have access to such materials.

LET'S GO FOR A SPIN - American Association of Woodturners

Downloads are free to members --


Keep turning safely and have fun

 

[TimS124]

Your slides feature a Nova lathe, but your initial post said the classroom offers a JET JWL-1015. I suggest using images (and specs, etc) for the lathe(s) used in the classroom.

Slide 3 mentions that all lathes are different and that students should know theirs...so unless the classroom also has a Nova lathe, the use of Nova images directly undermines the goal of teaching the students about "their" lathe.

Slide 17's second bullet should start with a capital letter...

Good luck getting general agreement on Slide 19's claim about which tools are best for pen turning. Especially given that you're likely targeting beginning turners who will find the skew harder to learn than a spindle gouge (which works fine for pen turning).

I'd like to hear more about how you're using a round-nosed scraper in your pen turning. That's not meant as an argument, it's truly something I'd like to hear more about from you. I found some info way down at Slide 26 where the round nosed scraper is used to rough in the pen blank. Are there no spindle roughing gouges in the classroom? For pieces as small as pen blanks, even a normal spindle gouge works just fine for roughing in (I use a 1/2" spindle gouge routinely for pens - for everything from roughing in to final detailing...no tool changing required and only one tool to sharpen). Scrapers are normally intended for taking very light shavings, right? Using one for roughing in seems unnatural.

Slide 22..for small objects like pen blanks, I would not recommend/teach beginners to use a chop saw. While your image shows using the saw's hold down, the pieces are still pretty small for that tool. A sliding jig for the bandsaw seems safer/saner. Since you mention using the bandsaw, please consider replacing that slide's image with one that shows using a bandsaw to cut the blank...

You mentioned not having carbide tools tooling so you were planning to bring them up...but you show one in Slide 26...

Slide 30 dives into finishing...does the class use Boiled Linseed Oil before applying CA finish? I don't see that on the slide but it's been my experience that BLO really brings up the color and figure in wood. CA can be applied right on top of the fresh BLO (wipe off excess BLO then hit it with CA).

Overall, it's very solid start. Good luck with it and thanks for sharing.

 

[Randy Simmons]

Your slides feature a Nova lathe, but your initial post said the classroom offers a JET JWL-1015. I suggest using images (and specs, etc) for the lathe(s) used in the classroom.

Slide 3 mentions that all lathes are different and that students should know theirs...so unless the classroom also has a Nova lathe, the use of Nova images directly undermines the goal of teaching the students about "their" lathe

You're right. The NOVA 1624 is the lathe that I own personally, and there is one in the class (I was so thrilled!) I've been using the JET that we have available because it's quieter (the NOVA we have needs a new belt, it's pretty squeaky.) Additionally, we have a Delta and a Powermatic. I picked the one I was most familiar with, and went from there.

Slide 17's second bullet should start with a capital letter...

Good catch! Fixed.

I'd like to hear more about how you're using a round-nosed scraper in your pen turning. That's not meant as an argument, it's truly something I'd like to hear more about from you. I found some info way down at Slide 26 where the round nosed scraper is used to rough in the pen blank. Are there no spindle roughing gouges in the classroom? For pieces as small as pen blanks, even a normal spindle gouge works just fine for roughing in (I use a 1/2" spindle gouge routinely for pens - for everything from roughing in to final detailing...no tool changing required and only one tool to sharpen). Scrapers are normally intended for taking very light shavings, right? Using one for roughing in seems unnatural.

I'll see if I can make a video of my tooling technique! I am mostly self taught, so I understand that my methods are often off the beaten path.

In answer to your question, there are roughing gouges available, most of which are over ¾" wide. The skews and round nose scrapers we have in abundance, most of which are higher quality than the gouges. The scrapers are also more universal, while the gouges are highly varied in their shape.

Being that I will be doing the majority of the teaching, I'm relaying the techniques that I'm familiar with and can most effectively teach. Yes, there are other tools available, but these are the ones I'll be able to instruct most effectively.

And hey, to me, using a gouge for fine detail work seems pretty weird :biggrin:

Slide 22..for small objects like pen blanks, I would not recommend/teach beginners to use a chop saw. While your image shows using the saw's hold down, the pieces are still pretty small for that tool. A sliding jig for the bandsaw seems safer/saner. Since you mention using the bandsaw, please consider replacing that slide's image with one that shows using a bandsaw to cut the blank...

Good point. I changed the image (found one perfectly matching what you described!)

You mentioned not having carbide tools tooling so you were planning to bring them up...but you show one in Slide 26...

Slide 26 is turning and rough cuts. Was it slide 28?

Yes, it is a carbide tool. However, I wouldn't expect anyone outside of the pen turning community to be able to identify it. I picked this image because I liked the way it showed the tooling towards the end of the barrel, next to the bushings.

Slide 30 dives into finishing...does the class use Boiled Linseed Oil before applying CA finish?

Regrettably, I have no experience with BLO finishes. In many of the photographs that I have seen, BLO looks just as good (if not better) than CA. However, I do not own any BLO nor the supplies to use it in a finish. If I could teach it, I would!

Thanks for your edits!

Randy

 

[TimS124]

<snip>

You mentioned not having carbide tools tooling so you were planning to bring them up...but you show one in Slide 26...

Slide 26 is turning and rough cuts. Was it slide 28?

</snip>

Randy

Yes, sorry, slide 28.


On a related note, if any of the images in your slides were not created by you, then you likely need to cite the sources. This is especially important since you're turning this in for class credit.

Thanks,
Tim S.

 

[Monty]

In slide 6 about the spindle, you might want to explain that the taper is measured as an MT1 or MT2 and that larger lathes may use an MT3 or MT4.
In slide 24 on gluing, even though you use CA to glue in the tubes, you might want to mention that epoxy and polyurethane glue can also be used.
I don't know if you turn between centers, but you could also mention that the mandrel is not required to turn a pen.
All this is just food for thought.

 

[Randy Simmons]

In slide 6 about the spindle, you might want to explain that the taper is measured as an MT1 or MT2 and that larger lathes may use an MT3 or MT4.
In slide 24 on gluing, even though you use CA to glue in the tubes, you might want to mention that epoxy and polyurethane glue can also be used.
I don't know if you turn between centers, but you could also mention that the mandrel is not required to turn a pen.
All this is just food for thought.

All good points!

I added in MT measurements.

I considered mentioning alternative gluing methods, but I stuck (ba-dum-tss) with CA because that's what we'll be using in class.

I, personally, prefer turning between centers over mandrel turning. However, we'll be using mandrels in class because we don't have the resources to buy TBC bushings. Additionally, turning TBC (with multi-tube pens) takes exponentially longer, so turning on a mandrel will save time.

There are a few students who are keenly interested in wood turning, so I may go into greater detail with them on an individual basis. This presentation, however, is for the entire class, many of whom are somewhat apathetic. I don't want to spend a lot of time going into technical detail in front of everyone, and lose their interest.

Thanks for your input!

Randy

 

[flyitfast]

Randy, there have been a lot of very valid suggestions above along with good comments. Listen to them because they are backed by many years of experience
I'd just like to compliment your effort in compiling these slides. Very organized.
Also, if you are not a member of American Assoc. of Woodturners now is the time to do so. They have a huge selection of resources, including the teaching aids mentioned.
Good luck in your teaching experience and in your future profession.
Gordon
By the way if you have a woodturning club where you live, they can be of great help and inspiration. Joining IAP was also a good decision.

 

[KBs Pensnmore]

Randy, another couple of things to mention is that CA MAY cause Sinus Irritations/ allergies and certain woods also may cause allergies. Just noting these as a caution.
Kryn

 

[79spitfire]

Good call on being careful to not bog the students down on too many technicalities. Students who loose interest tend to drag the class down. Getting their interest going and then hitting them with more technical aspects is the way to go. I use similar strategies teaching auto repair at the local community college.

 

[Monty]

Overall it looks like a great presentation. :good:
Good luck with the assignment. Be sure to let us know how it goes.