Details on the DVD
Making a Peppermill - Focus on Design
Running Time: 1 Hour 50 Minutes
I have come to the conclusion that most woodturners learn the basics of turning quickly (within about a year). So rather than focusing attention on subjects (e.g. sharpening or “how to cut” etc.) that have been thoroughly covered by other great DVD’s and books, I have focused my instruction on the finer elements of design and and the tool control necessary to achieve the subtleties of design. I hope, through my observations, to help you better “see” what makes up good form and elegant lines so that you can apply that to your own work and grow from there. The “platform” I’m using for this instruction is the simple peppermill because it affords many graceful lines that can be studied. But even if you never make a peppermill, what you will learn from this DVD will help increase your knowledge of tool control so that you can apply graceful contours to all of your work and it will help you understand the thought processes necessary to capture the finer aspects of design. Apply these techniques and your work will ultimately improve.
Chapter 1
Parts of the Peppermill
Learn about the parts that make up a peppermill and how they differ in size. A cutaway view helps you to visualize the assembly of parts and how they work together to grind pepper. The parts of the peppermill and their names are covered in detail so that you can follow all the steps of the project without getting lost.
Chapter 2
Design your Peppermill
Learn about the subtleties of design and what to look for when designing your own peppermill. Knowing that a line doesn’t work well is easy to see when pointed out, but I open up a dialogue as to why it doesn’t work and how to avoid it before getting into the sketching stages. Sketching will save you hours in refining your designs. I show you in detail with clear and crisp videography these steps and how easy it is to create accurate templates that really work. This can make a big difference in consistency and replication of your designs from peppermill to peppermill.
Chapter 3
Find Visual Interest
Learn about design and placement from within the blank. Don’t just cut an arbitrary section for your blank. There’s some thought that should go into this aspect of preparation. It may mean the difference between an average piece or an outstanding one!
Chapter 4
Prepare the Blank
From roughing the blank to using calipers the right way, learn about the steps necessary to make mills that are stable for everyday use.
Chapter 5
Bore the Cavities
Drilling accurately on the lathe can sometimes be a challenge with bits wandering about the centerline. Learn a few tricks that can make all your drilling go smoother and easier with results that will help your peppermill operate the way it’s supposed to….. plumb, level and true.
Chapter 6
Make a Jam Chuck
You’ve probably made these before, but it’s integral in making this peppermill, so I needed to include this in the DVD. You’ll learn a few tips in keeping your tooling consistent.
Chapter 7
Shape Your Peppermill
The most challenging chapter is the control of your design transferred to the actual peppermill. Rather than talking too much about tool work and which chisel to use, I’ve concentrated on the how and why of the contours, lines, weight, structure and balance of capturing your design correctly from paper to blank. I’ve been an artist my whole life. Illustration was my career for 16 years. I’ve taken all I learned from that and applied it to woodturning. If you want to create art on a lathe you need to think like an artist. There are design elements that I’ve formulated over the years and have put them down onto paper so that the average person will understand. This chapter helps you to “see” form in a different light. So pay close attention. And not to disappoint those who love tools, I’ll show you a chisel you may not have in your arsenal used in an unorthodox way that will give you more control over the fluid quality of your contours.
Chapter 8
Sand & finish
Learn about another frequently overlooked tool that is taken for granted but can make all the difference in the world when it comes to form and its control…. Sandpaper. Not a very difficult subject but again, it’s the subtleties that make or break the final outcome. Finishes are very subjective. I’ll show you what I like to use on my peppermills and how I control the application.
Chapter 9
Assemble the Peppermill
Assembly is straight forward, but the DVD would not be complete without this chapter.
Chapter 10
Make a Matching Salt Shaker
This chapter takes you through the entire process of making a matching salt shaker and gives you ideas about alternate designs just by the types of hardware that are available. Although the video moves quickly between edits because it’s almost like making a peppermill, it’s a good review of the entire process and I point out the key steps involved in making a matching salt shaker. Design ideas that may have slipped you by in previous chapters will be re-enforced in this chapter.
Tips you will learn along the way...
Safety….Learn why I turn my tenons to two inches.
Catches….we all get them. They don’t ever go away! Learn what I do to limit them and their severity to keep from ruining your work.
A mechanical drawing of the mechanism in PDF format is included on the DVD that will help get you started in the right direction of design. I use the Chef Specialties mechanism as an example for this DVD but you can apply the same techniques using a different mechanism altogether.
Learn a quick way to mirror an image on a copy machine.
Learn an easy way to consistently keep your blanks centered when remounting the tenon in your scroll chuck.
Ted’s Goody Box includes supportive clips that re-affirm the techniques and procedures throughout the video in a more detailed closer look that would otherwise break the flow of the main DVD. I’ve included these clips in the menu under the title of Goody Box. You can view these after watching the video to help you better understand the concepts of design in a more concrete way. Clips include: The Bandsaw Jig, Making an Alternate Salt Mill instead of a salt shaker, The Underhand Grip, The Rule of Thirds and Parallelism.
Order your DVD Today!
Making a Peppermill
Focus on Design
To order by phone:
(570) 937-9400
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PA residents add 6% sales tax.
To order by mail, send $29.99 + $5.00 S&H to:
Sokolowski Studios
111 Mid Valley Rd.
Lake Ariel, PA 18436 USA