March 2007: Inside This Issue

Welcome to all of our new U.S. and International subscribers! This is the fourth edition of Lathe Talk, a free monthly newsletter (e-zine) for subscribers of Steve Russell’s “Woodturning Videos Plus” woodturning website. The newsletter will be delivered on or about the first of each month to the email address you indicated on your sign-up form. Back issues of this newsletter are available to subscribers.

If you like this e-zine, please do a friend and me a favor by forwarding it to them. If a friend DID forward this to you and you like what you read, please subscribe by visiting our subscription page. Lathe Talk will offer tips and tricks to make your woodturning easier and more productive. I’ll also show you ways to save money in your studio so you can stretch your hard earned money. In addition, we will periodically offer subscribers only specials on our videos and e-books.

We have added several new articles to our education library recently. If you haven't stopped in lately, here are the latest additions with hot links to the specific articles for your convenience:

1. Turning Elegant European Style Writing Pens - This article shows you how to turn what many turners feel is the most elegant style of writing pen available, the European.
2. Turning Inlaid Bottle Stoppers - This article shows you how to turn cabochon-stone inlaid bottle stoppers. Inlaying of gemstones with presets is also covered.
3. Paper Bag Drying of Roughouts for Woodturners - This article shows you a simple way to use ordinary paper bags to dry your green wood roughouts.
4. Air Drying Green Wood With Wax Emulsions - This article shows you how to use cold wax emulsions to effectively dry green wood roughouts, turning squares and bowl blanks in the open air.
5. How To Find Very Low Cost, Or Free Wood - This article shows you how to locate a continuing source of free, or low cost green wood for you woodturning projects.

We have lots more articles that we will be adding to the library over the next several months. Drop into the educational library from time to time to see the latest additions.

Woodturning Videos Plus Blog: For our new subscribers, we have a free Blog/RSS feed on our website. You can keep up with any changes made to the website including new product releases, new additions or updates to the education library, e-zine mail out dates, special news and much more. It's easy to subscribe to our blog. For additional information on what a Blog is and how it operates, check out What is RSS?

$10.00 discount off my Volume #2 Turning Elegant Writing Pens DVD Video. For the month of March 2007, you can save $10.00 off the regular price of $35.00 on any Volume #2 DVD Video order. With your special discount, a copy of my pen turning DVD will only cost $25.00, plus postage (and taxes only if you live in Texas). That's a savings of $10.00 off the regular price of $35.00.

To access this special offer, enter the coupon code 745 on the shopping cart page in the coupon box area. Click the "recalculate" button and your discount will show on the screen. Offer ends March 31, 2007 at 12:01 midnight, CST. Additional subscriber only discounts and specials will be offered in future editions of Lathe Talk.

This is a new section in Lathe Talk and will feature questions from subscribers about woodturning in general, the website, my studio, research and development testing in my studio and more. If you have questions, please email me. Question: Steve, I'm having trouble with sharpening my woodturning tools and your blog stated that you were starting to film your sharpening videos with wet and dry grinders. You also said that the dry grinding video would cover the top three jig systems, in addition to setting up a dry grinder for sharpening. What three jig systems are you going to cover? Thanks, JT.

Answer: Hello JT. We have indeed begun production work on latest DVD videos. We changed the format slightly from my initial announcement. Originally I had planned to offer a two disk DVD video on sharpening that would include setting up a dry grinder sharpening station on the first volume and using the top three sharpening jigs on the second disk. The Tormek system would be covered separately in a different video. When I began to storyboard the videos, I felt that a separate video for each jig would be more beneficial. Therefore, the sharpening videos will be available separately in the following four sets:

1. Setting up a dry grinder and using the Kelton Sharpening Jig System
2. Setting up and using the Tormek Wet Grinder System
3. Setting up a dry grinder and using the Woodcut Tru-Grind Sharpening System
4. Setting up a dry grinder and using the Oneway Wolverine Sharpening System

With this new line up, you will be able to purchase a sharpening video specific to the jig system you wish to use. All of the videos will offer lots of tips for using each of the jig systems and shortcuts I use in my studio to make sharpening easier and faster. Trust me, you can master sharpening! I will show you how to tame the beast, so you can concentrate on your woodturning.

Learn how to use and store super glue. Includes tips and tricks for applying super glue, storing, and preventing tip clogging. To view the full article, click the link below.

Learn how to find the right kind of artistic inspiration for your woodturnings and overcome the creative wall and keep your work fresh. To view the full article, click the link below.

The continuing positive response to my Lathe Talk newsletter/e-zine has been tremendous to say the least. Thanks to all of our subscribers! If you have any suggestions for topics for Lathe Talk, or other comments, please let me know. Also, please let your woodturning friends know about my newsletter and encourage them to subscribe. Working together, we can make Lathe Talk a valuable educational resource for woodturners around the world. Take care.

Steve