Gulf Coast Woodturners Association

January 2009 Meeting Gallery

Pictures of Bill Tilson's demo on creating flower petals (part 1)
and other meeting pictures are at the bottom of this page

Advanced Category (Items made from one piece of wood by advanced turners)

1st Place Tom Hamilton Elm Bowl 10"W x 4"H

2nd Place Doug Olesen Cedar Elm Bowl  Hollow Form 9"W x 2-1/2"H

3rd Place Bill Pottorf Ebonized Sycamore Box 12"W x 5-1/2"H

Segmented Category (Items made from more than one piece of wood by turners of all levels)

1st Place Andy Chen Mixed Wood Box 3"W x 6"H

2nd Place Sam Canatella Multi-Wood Bowl 12"W x 9"H

3rd Place John Gay Mixed Wood Bowl 12"W x 7"H

Enhanced Category (Items that incorporate embellishment of the item by turners of all levels)

1st Place Bill Tilson Maple Clock 4"W x 1-3/4"H

2nd Place Bob Tabor Mesquite Hollow   Form 4"W x 4-1/2"H

3rd Place Bill Tilson Ash & Paint Hollow   Form 7-1/2"W x 5"H

Honorable Mention Kendall Westbrook Maple & Mesquite Ornament 1-1/2W x 4-1/2"H

Intermediate Category (Items made by intermediate turners)

1st Place Martha Lawrence Walnut Box 3-1/2"W x 4-1/2"H

2nd Place Martha Lawrence Zebrawood &   Ebony Cane 1"W x 37"H

Beginner Category (Items made by beginning turners)

1st Place Ed Peine Oak Burl Hollow   Form 6"W x 7-1/2"H

2nd Place Steve Wiggins Magnolia Bowl 8-3/4"W x 6"H

3rd Place Ed Peine Mesquite Hollow Form 6"W x 7-3/4"H

Honorable Mention Derek Hansen Quina Bottle Stoppers 1-1/2"W x 4"H (each)

President's Challenge: Custom Turned Door Knob (A monthly member challenge to promote turning)

1st Place Jerry Harmsen Cedar & Tulip  Wood Door Knob

2nd Place Paula Haymond Osage Orange Door   Knob

3rd Place Frank Campbell Mixed Door Knobs

gallery photography by Paul Millo

Judges

John Van Domelen (left) and Doug Grissom (right) judged January's Show & Tell entries.

Demonstration: Flower Petals--Part 1, by Bill Tilson

No, that's not Bill Tilson--that's Lane Bradford, the club's Vice President, who introduced Bill.

Bill Tilson is one of GCWA's premier turners and works in a wide range of forms.  Lately, he's been using veneers to create lovely flower forms.

Bill has developed the art form to such high degree  that he's been invited to demonstrate at the 2009 AAW Symposium in Albuquerque, NM.

Bill began by explaining the natural tendency of veneer to curve when moistened.

As always, when Bill demonstrates, the audience pays close attention...or decides to the the opportunity to grab a nap J

Bill uses a pre-marked cone-shaped form to layout the petal pieces.  He only has to make one and then transfer it, shown next

Here he transfers the petal shape to a layer of veneer. By doing this, he has to only draw one to get eight pieces when he makes the cut.

Bill then colors each petal using an airbrush.

Here he adds a second color to create the gradient effect on the petals..

In addition to dyes, Bill uses a product known as Super-Soft, which is a veneer conditioner that helps in the blending process.  He also uses Heat Lock glue, which is heat activated--see below.

Bill uses a template (not shown here) to determine where the petals overlap and uses a fabric marker to mark the location.

He then applies the glue, lets it dry and then uses an iron to activate the Heat Lock glue.

The process proceeds one petal at a time until all the pedals are joined.

It was a most informative presentation and Bill will make Part II (the joining of the upper "flower" to a stem) at the March meeting.

Here is a link to Bill's Presentation Notes on Flower Petals-Part I And here are several links to award-winning examples of his work with petals: March 2008 Enhanced 2A March 2008 Enhanced 2B July 2008 Best of Show September 2008 Enhanced 1st Place.

Entries By Category

BEGINNER

PRESIDENT'S CHALLENGE

ADVANCED

SEGMENTED

ENHANCED

 candid photography by Dale Barrack