Page 62 - Wood Review Dec 202 Full issue

WOODTURNING
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14. A 3mm recess was cut leaving a border of about 8mm.
15. A burl ironbark off- cut was marked to a circle using calipers. Once cut on the bandsaw it was attached to a carrier with heat sensitive glue.
16. The diameter of the insert is matched to the recess so it can be glued into the lid.
17. The excess was trimmed from the insert and a few voids filled.
place. Providing you do this correctly, the lid should run truly and you can then dome the top of the lid (photo 13). The lid could be sanded smooth and the box’s shaping complete, ready for a finish; however, I opted to add an inlay for added interest.
A recess of about 3mm depth was cut leaving a border of about 8mm using a ‘granny tooth scraper’ (photo 14). A fairly level surface within the recess was achieved with a scraper shaped to a slightly curved profile.
From my stash of off-cuts I selected some burl ironbark which was marked to a circle using calipers. Once cut on
a bandsaw it was attached to a carrier with heat sensitive glue (photo 15) pressed into place with the tailstock using the caliper centre point to align it as the glue cooled and hardened, which only takes a matter of minutes, after which shaping can continue.
Vernier calipers ensure the diameter of the insert matches that of the recess (photo 16) so it could be glued into the lid, excess material trimmed away and a few voids filled with a suitably coloured filler (photo 17), ready for sanding and a wipe-on, wipe-off polyurethane applied to all outside surfaces. Note that the insert was left a fraction proud of the lid, a small detail that helps create definition between materials and elements of the form.
No matter what style of work you create, the key is in making sure there is clean definition between elements of the form, while ensuring intersections between materials are equally crisp. Making each element stand out creates a feast for the eye, and lets be honest, if the eye isn’t drawn to an object, the hand will not be enticed to explore the tactile qualities that are equally important in appreciating a well made object.
Photos: Andrew Potocnik
Andrew Potocnik is a wood artist and woodwork teacher who lives in Melbourne. Email andrewpotocnik@telstra.com
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