Stateline Woodturners
April 11, 2026 Club Meeting
Visitors: None.
Show-N-Tell, Novice: Entrants were:
· Buzz Peine with a walnut saltshaker.
· Jerry Owens with a spalted maple 8” platter finished with two coats of shellac and then an oil and wax.
· Ken Larkin with a spalted oak 5” bowl finished with Danish oil and Poly.
· Carl Hoffman with a spalted pecan 8” deep segmented bowl which was hollowed and then a maple/walnut bottom and rim added, finished with Tried and True.
· Patrick McMahon with a walnut bowl (his first) mostly completed at the previous 4th Saturday at NWAC, though he had to do some finishing work at home where he ran into issues dealing with a different chuck.
Patrick won best in this category with his first bowl.
Show-N-Tell, Advanced: Entrants were:
· Mike Skiba with a walnut egg-shaped box made for the March president’s challenge finished with oil and wax, and a small oak bowl scratched with a wire brush and finished with oil.
· Frank Emeterio with a pen and a large cherry bowl (the blank for which Frank tried to use a McNaughton Coring jig hoping to get several blanks out of it, but failed).
· Ben Johnson with a large maple bowl that he had roughed out in March 2025 and then had sat on his lathe for a year before he was able to get back to it.
· Thurman Hatch meeting the president’s challenge with a bowl on a stem made from a limb (cut the day before) with the bowl at the top made where the limb forked.
· Mike Elkins (not present) sent his president’s challenge via Thurman, a vase with three dogwood flowers on stems – made from a limb he cut Thursday (it still felt wet).
Ben Johnson won in the advanced category for his maple bowl, judged as having uniform thinness in the sides and a simple design that accentuated the wood.
May President’s Challenge: Be captivating, make something that is captured (like rings on the stem of a goblet).
ESSA Hands On: This annual event was a big success with attendees granted 15 minutes at a lathe to experience turning. The club volunteers stated that this was the busiest they had ever been at this event, and that it would be better if attendees were granted more time – maybe 30 minutes each.
Ray Bradford: It was announced that Ray has been absent due to complications he has been experiencing with a knee replacement, which has now had to be repeated for the 6th time.
Rogers Historical Museum: Debe Krogman will be changing out the club’s display at the museum in the upcoming week, and will be returning the items that have been displayed for the prior quarter.
Veteran Pen Turning: This new outreach will start in late April or early May, where Vets from the Fayetteville VA Home will be driven up to the club house for the opportunity to turn pens. Club pen turners are encouraged to volunteer to help. Contact John Adams if interested.
Social Events? Ben Johnson, club president, asked everyone to consider whether they would like to see the club sponsor social events that would be held in addition to our current activities.
Woodturning Symposiums: Ben talked about, and encouraged participation in, the upcoming woodturning symposiums: AAW June 4-7 Raleigh, SWAT August 28-30 Waco, and Rocky Mountain September 18-20 Loveland, Co.
Rick Wilson Deceased: We have lost another member, and Rick’s wife would like assistance in liquidating his shop equipment. Further details will follow.
Ron East: Ron appreciated the club’s assistance in the sale of much of his equipment prior to his move to Iowa. Paul Moore reported that some equipment remains, including a One Way chuck. He also said that Ron ‘s phone number has been updated on the club’s website while his email remains the same.
Rogers Historical Museum Family Day: This event will be June 6th and the club will be demonstrating wood turning as in years past. Volunteers are needed to man lathes and turn tops for the public. Randy Wright recommends the club invest in some 8/4 maple stock for this purpose.
Defibrillator Battery: The club has a defibrillator, but the battery has died. A vote was taken and passed to approve the purchase of a new battery.
Tree Party: Ray Taylor announced this Crystal Bridges event to celebrate Arbor Day. It will take place April 25th 11-3 in the North Forest – no tickets required.
Safety Tips: Buzz Peine had his thumb print removed by a sander and reminded everyone to stop and think before trying something you feel might be unsafe.
Wood Giveaway: Ben announced that the pile of lumber near the back door is free to anyone that wants any. Wood left after the meeting will be hauled off.
Bring Back Raffle: There were 14 items raffled off, with the first winner being Frank Emeterio who chose an adhesive accelerator.
Fourth Saturday: The clubhouse will be open 9-12 April 25th though no specific activity has been identified, so bring what you would like to work on or for which you like to receive advice.
Presentation by Mike Skiba, Work Holding on the Lathe
Mike started turning in 2012 with a Harbor Freight lathe. He quickly became proficient, upgraded his equipment, and became a high-volume professional turner selling his work wherever possible.
He started his presentation by talking about turning between centers. Regarding drive centers, he discussed spur centers (2 and 4 spurs) and Stebcenters. He also talked about making your own wooden cone center in any desired shape with an imbedded steel nut for threading it to the drive shaft. He also recommended using a brass brush occasionally to clean out your Morse taper to remove unseen debris.
He then talked about pen turning, the use of mandrels, and issues that might arise with these.
Next he discussed homemade jam chucks, recommending that they have a slight taper so the piece will slide on and rest on the shoulder of the jam chuck. The front of the chuck can also be hollowed (drilled out) with a slit in the side to provide some slight compression. He said vibration was the enemy, and to reduce vibration he uses lots of blue tape to help secure the piece to the chuck. He highly recommends watching the Richard Raffan YouTube videos available on this topic. And for specific challenging projects like spheres, Mike mentioned the use of homemade cup chucks which use a Morse taper arbor.
Regarding face plates, he said they are very strong but need a flat surface for mounting. He doesn’t use them much.
Glue blocks can also be used, with the work piece held to a block with wood glue, CA glue or hot glue. Double sided tape is even a solution for small pieces, after being held under pressure for at least 10 minutes.
Metal chucks are available with many jaw options. He recommends avoiding jaws held in place with only one screw. Some jaw options include stepped, dovetail, serrated, and deep or shallow. They can clamp on round or square tenons. You want a flush fit between the piece and the shoulder of the jaws. With round tenons, a perfect fit is strongest and less likely to leave any marks. He said to never bottom out the tenon. You can make your own gauge to mark the tenon size needed for your jaws – a U shaped piece slipped over the live center with a place for a pencil to mark the tenon. To prevent run-out if remounting is required, mark the location of the #1 jaw. Mike also had suggestions for when and how to use a second jaw on the live center end of the lathe.
Mike showed custom wood chucks for special mounting requirements, held to the drive with metal nuts glued into the back of the chuck. Collets are yet another option, especially for specific diameter stock.
Lastly, Mike demonstrated his PVC vacuum chuck where he held a large bowl which could not be pulled off the chuck. The lip of the chuck must have a good seal where it contacts the work piece, and you want to maximize the contact surface area. He pointed out that you want a filter on the vacuum. and if air is seeping through the work piece you can fill those holes with sawdust. He stated that his vacuum chuck has saved himself lots of time.
Attendance: Approximately 27.
Please send omissions and corrections to David Wimberly (wdw@uark.edu) so that this record can be updated on the website.