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Techniques

Throughout this site, I refer to various woodturning and woodworking techniques that I use to create my artwork.  Here you’ll find a short description of commonly-used processes that I use in creating my Ted’s Woodshop items.

Lamination:  In terms of my work, this term describes the process through which thin strips of wood, usually of contrasting colors, are glued together using a durable waterproof polyurethane glue.  This technique, which requires clamping the glued layers of wood together and allowing them to dry overnight, enhances the visual appeal and adds to the stability and durability of the item.  Three to five pieces of wood laminated together, as might be found in a handle for a pizza cutter, ice cream scoop, or serving set, produce a stronger product than a single piece of wood. (You’ll probably never see a karate expert breaking a stack of plywood boards.)

Stave Bowl Construction: Certain items, such as bowls, treasure boxes, candle holders, and some of the peppermills, are constructed like a barrel, with individual pieces of wood cut at a precise angle and re-assembled to form a cylindrical blank from which the piece is turned.

Stave Bowl

Stave Bowl

To make a stave bowl such as the one seen to the left, I would cut each side of each individual stave at a precise angle (in this case, 18 degrees) so that, when they are glued together, they form a perfect circle.

The angle of the cut varies depending on the number of staves used in the bowl, but regardless of the angle the measurement and execution must be precise. If there is the slightest variance in the angle cuts, the pieces will not fit tightly together.

Stave Bowl Construction

Stave Bowl Construction

In this photo to the right, numbered staves are carefully clamped to hold them in place while the glue dries.

 

 

Celtic Knot Pattern: Over the last few years, I have worked to perfect my technique in creating the Celtic Knot pattern shown below. I start by selecting square turning stock, which I cut in half at an angle. I select a contrasting wood, which I machine to precisely the same thickness as the saw kerf (the stock removed by the blade), and glue it between the cut pieces. I re-square the stock, rotate it 90 degrees, cut it again, and repeat the process three times. I then turn the pieced stock on my wood lathe, resulting in the illusion of a never-ending knot.

Celtic Knot Pattern

Celtic Knot Pattern

Fish Trivet Construction: Fish trivets are pieced together similar to a log cabin, with each piece cut half-way through so the vertical and horizontal pieces interlock.  These pieces are cut on a table saw with the help of a dado blade and a jig, in the same manner as box joints are cut.

Fish Trivet Construction

Fish Trivet Construction

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