Overview:

Bonnie is from Renton, Washington. She specializes in small-scale turnings, especially threaded boxes. At the AAW Symposium in Louisville, Kentucky in 2006 one of her spin top boxes which was a collaborative work with Jacques Vesery sold at auction for an astounding $11,100.00. She is generally recognized for re-inventing the present-day mini-lathe. She introduced her Klein mini-lathe in 1986 and followed up with the Klein Threading jig in 1992. To complement her small scale turnings Bonnie introduced her own turning tools. She has also produced five videos/DVDs. To quote Dale Nish: “Bonnie has as good a reputation around the world as any demonstrator. One reason is her personality. There is no pretext, no hidden agenda. Just a solid person. She doesn’t rock any boats or antagonize anyone. She’s just being Bonnie.”

She has donated much of her time to teaching children. She is also a regular contributor to the del Mano Gallery’s “Small Treasures” exhibit. Bonnie has heard and seen much that woodturning has to offer. One example was a young boy who could not grasp the concept of pulling the chatter tool at the 7:30 position to decorate the top of a box – the boy reported that he had always had a digital watch – time to update the message.

In spite of the fact that Bonnie is a proficient woodturner, her interests have branched out. She has also turned Corian, aluminum, cow horn, cow bone, elk and deer antlers, plastics, Tagua nuts, and ivory. She has even completed a couple of metal spinning classes. Bonnie admits that she will try to turn “anything you can stick on a lathe.”

Bonnie has demonstrated and taught around the world. In the near future she has a three-week teaching trip in South Africa.

In 2003 she was awarded with an Honorary Lifetime Membership in the AAW.

Morning Session:

Bonnie began her demo with the turning of a spin top. She uses a glue block attached to her 2-inch faceplate with double-sided stick tape (Permacel Tape from Craft Supplies). Before the demo, several faceplates were prepared by applying the double-sided tape to the faceplate, attaching the glue block and clamping for at least 15 minutes. The work piece is then attached to the glue block with CA glue. Bonnie uses hard maple for her demonstration pieces because it turns well and is a light colored wood - making it easy to see what is happening. The tailstock is not usually used. The base of the top was turned first. Once turned it was colored green for St. Patrick’s Day. It was then chattered. (Chattering will be detailed later in the demo.) Further color was added to the high points on the chatter. Black lines were used to enhance the color effect. Then the handle of the top was turned. It was turned after the chattering so that there was enough support. Additional color was added to the area where the handle meets the top’s base. Bonnie uses Tombow pens for coloring. When turning Bonnie uses the A-B-C rule: Anchor – Bevel – Cut. You are at risk for a catch whenever the ABC rule is broken. The top was parted off. A polishing wheel was placed on the headstock and the top polished with Carnauba Wax which protects the colors from staining and adds a nice easy, quick finish to the piece.

The chatter tool was then discussed. A piece of spring steel is mounted into the chatter tool’s handle. The steel needs to be bounced on the wood in order to produce the varied chatter patterns. When chattering, the tool is held in the 7:30 position. The path of the tool needs to be on a line from the center of the piece outward to the 7:30 position. The angle between the tool and the wood needs to be closed to permit the chattering process. It is generally done on end-grain. The wood needs to be evenly dense but soft woods can be chattered. When chatterwork is produced from the center outward it is necessary to progressively increase the pressure of the tool against the wood. On the 7:30 line chattering can be done towards or away from center. When going toward the center, pressure needs to be decreased as the center is approached. The chatter blade has an ideal length. Once this is fixed in the handle only the speed of the lathe and the pressure of the chattertool against the workpiece are used to create different patterns. The faster the lathe the larger the pattern. When going slower, less pressure is used. A burr on the chatter blade is not wanted because it will tear the wood as the pattern is created.

Bonnie placed another piece on the headstock. The sides were trued up in preparation for chattering to be done on the side-grain. The tool is held way below center and rolled on its side somewhat. This produces smoother chatterwork and less tear-out. It was colored to highlight the pattern. Stainless steel wire can be used to burn lines between chattered areas.

Next Bonnie demonstrated chatterwork when the workpiece does the moving. Earlier we saw the tool producing the chatter. For demonstration purposes an egg shape was turned with a narrow neck between the egg and the headstock end of the piece. Bonnie uses this technique to demonstrate tool control and to demonstrate what happens when too much bevel pressure is used. A spindle gouge was used to make a cut on the workpiece – using a lot of pressure, but a very light cut – the wood moves and a “spiral bump” is created on the surface of the shape. The thinness of the neck between the egg and the headstock and the speed of the lathe can change the appearance of the ”chatter” spiral produced by the gouge. The pattern was removed by using bevel contact (not bevel pressure) and repeated at different speeds. This technique demonstrates the consequences of too much bevel pressure on objects such as spindles, bowls or anytime a bevel rubbing tool is used. The egg was colored, parted off and waxed.

The Threaded Spin Top box was then started. A piece for the bottom of the spin top box was attached to a glue block and trued up. The piece was shaped and then hollowed with a round-nosed scraper. Bonnie cut a straight wall for several rows of threads. The inside was then finished. The threading jig was placed on the mini Jet lathe with a riser block on the ways. The work piece was placed on the jig and the cutter placed on the headstock. The work piece was moved into place so that it just touched the cutter. The depth of thread cut was then adjusted. Several rows of threads were cut. The threads need to be peaked and not flat on top. The work piece was removed from the jig and placed back on the headstock. The threaded area was lightly sanded. The exterior of the box was shaped, sanded, colored, and chattered. It was removed from the headstock.

A piece of wood for the upper (handle) part of the spin top box was placed on the headstock and trued up. This would be continued in the afternoon session. This concluded the morning demonstration.

Afternoon Session:

Bonnie began her afternoon session with a power point presentation of her work turning boxes out of bone as a substitute for ivory. She showed the process of preparing bone for turning – first, boiling in water, then submersing in hydrogen peroxide for 4-5 days. This removes meat fragments and oils from the bone and then bleaches it. This process can be circumvented by buying bone in pet stores. Once prepared the bones are cut into sections suitable in size to turn lidded boxes. The bones can be cut on a band saw. Jam chuck wood plugs can be turned that fit into the bone segment’s marrow cavity. This permits turning the bottom of the bone segments to accept pre-turned bone plugs. These plugs will be the bottom of the box and the top of the lid. The plugs are cut with a band saw and turned to fit the lid and bottom. Rose-engine patterns are cut into the top and bottom plugs. (See current issue of the AAW Journal.) The bone surfaces have pores that can fill with dirt detracting from the ivory-white appearance. This can be prevented by filling the pores with thin CA glue. When turning the bone lathe speed should be about 2000 rpm. She calls this “Bovine Ivory”.

Bonnie continued the afternoon demonstration with the finishing of the spin top box. The bottom or base had been turned, hollowed, and threaded during the morning session. The earlier turned base was measured across the threaded portion. Three sixty-fourths of an inch was added to this dimension. This dimension was scribed onto the lid and a tenon turned to that diameter and about one-quarter inch long with a bevel at the edge. The interior was slightly hollowed. This created a little more capacity in the spin top box. Finishing is always done before cutting the threads. The work piece was removed from the headstock and placed on the threading jig. The cutter was placed on the headstock. The workpiece was placed in position to cut the exterior of the tenon to form the male threads of the lid. The threads were then cut.

The top’s base was then screwed onto these threads and the point of the spin top was finished and then the base removed from the handle piece. A small knob was shaped on the handle for a place to grab when unscrewing the top and bottom portions of the spin top box. The handle was then turned to completion, colored and chattered. This completed the spin top box. Bonnie signed it with an engraver.

John Hill auctioned the box. Jack Hastings was very generous, winning the top with an $800.00 bid – WOW!

Next Bonnie turned a transparent red cast acrylic threaded box. (source: Delviesplastics.com). Cast acrylic is what you look for, not extruded. For a two inch diameter cylinder, six inches long the cost is about $6.00 to $24.00 depending on whether it is colored or clear. The top and bottom were mounted on glue blocks with CA glue. A negative rake scraper was used for turning because it eliminates “dig-ins”. The lid was shaped first, hollowed, and then threaded. The interior of the lid was chattered after the surface was sprayed with WD-40. The acrylic was polished with color-coded 3M Trizact abrasive – green, blue, orange and white going from coarse to fine. These are used as wet abrasives. Novus #3 plastic polish was used to give the final finish.

Threads were then cut on the lid as described earlier with the spin top box. WD-40 was applied as the threads were cut. The bottom of the box was then turned, hollowed, chattered, sanded, and threaded. The lid and base were threaded together and the fit was excellent. The exterior of the lid was finished. A small bevel was cut on the lid and base at the joint. This defined the line between the top and bottom. The box was sanded and polished. The base was reverse chucked, turned, sanded, and polished. This completed the acrylic threaded box. It also completed a most interesting and informative demonstration. Fun too!

Much more can be learned by referring to the DVD which will be available in the club library in April 2007. For information about Bonnie’s products go to her website: www.bonnieklein.com or contact her by e-mail: blklein96@aol.com

Bob Gunther