Bert Bleckwenn looks on as Mark Sfirri begins his demo. Note the black cloth behind the lathe (from Mark) that he uses as a visual background to help him see the "shadow" better.
Mark does not like spur centers. He does not use them because they are not safe and not necessary. He prefers cup centers with spring-loaded center points.
He is a big fan of Robust tool rests. They come with a stainless steel rod welded to the top. (Unfortunately, they do not fit all lathes, like mine.)
Mark uses only three tools -- a spindle roughing gouge, a bowl gouge, and a spindle gouge.
Here Mark shows the profiles of a spindle roughing gouge.
And here are the profiles of a bowl gouge.
Mark begins by marking multiple "centers" on opposite sides of the blank...
...and mounts it crosswise, diagonally for making his classic candlestick. The center marks will eventually be turned away. Waste blocks will go in the holes when needed.
Mark describes in detail what he is trying to accomplish. Note the shadows.
Here is the model that provides the various orientations to come.
After a bit of turning...
Referring back to the model...
Marking lines to demark critical dimensions.
Continuing turning the center section, with a lot of shadow on both ends...
...and comparing, and showing the audience what he is doing.
A little work with the bowl gouge...
Feeling to see if this section is truly round.
Discussing this particular section...
...and doing some sanding on the just-completed section. You have to do it as you go -- you can't go back later.
Done with that axis and time to move to another.
Adding the plug into that pre-drilled hole. Thist will be a jam chuck in what will become the mouth of the candle holder.
On a new axis now... note the jam chuck plug.
Heavy duty wood removal on the still-square end that will become the actual candle holding section.
Turning a nub on the base to define the actual bottom of the candle stick.
Contemplating the result -- the turning part is now done...
Now to finish up with a little sanding on that final cut.
Sawing off the nub. Note that Mark did not try to make it overly small. That can lead to disaster. Don't ask me how I know.
And carving off the remainder with a hand chisel.
Phil Brown examines the completed candlestick. Mark was very generous in leaving it with us, and Clif Poodry won it in the raffle at the October meeting.
Moving on now to a "form", i.e., a stylized human form. Mark turns these on many centers to achieve the shapes he desires (and is famous for).
Here are some partially turned ones. Dimensions are critical, in that they should reflect the proportions of the typical human body.
Pointing out more details
Here's what we are trying to accomplish... Unfortunately Mark ran out of time, but we could see where he was going. Thanks, Mark, for a very enlightening and challenging demo.
