By Martin Groneng of the Ontario Woodturners:
Rude Osolnik was an extremely creative minded man with an “eye†for proportions, form and design. Most woodturners are familiar
with his “signature†works and his technical knowledge of form that makes every piece he made look perfect. Rude was a “masterâ€
of form and their related proportions, which are so perfectly reflected in all his creations.
I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of hours with Mr. Osolnik over lunch at an AAW Symposium just before he passed away. I
listened to “the master†in awe, because every word was spoken with historic validity and working knowledge. I told Rude that his
candlestick form intrigued me most and that I had turned a number of its variations. Once Rude knew I was from Canada, he was
very adamant that somebody from “up north†must also carry on “his†tradition, so that the “Osolnik candlesticks†would never be
lost. With Rude’s professional attitude and encouragement, I accepted his challenge and promised to try to turn variations of his masterful
creations. Rude’s candlesticks reflect proportion, flow, balance and stability which makes their overall form pleasing to the
eye.
The following is my interpretation and ideas, with his persistent blessing, for my “Rude Osolnik†candlestick form.
1) Start with two pieces of wood, I prefer hard maple or walnut, suitable to turn a pair of candlesticks approx 3†X 10 1/4â€, keeping
in mind that the 2 sticks should come from the same piece of wood, so the grain pattern is similar. Make sure you add an extra
¾†or more to the overall length of each, to facilitate chucking and minor trimming. I like to use the Sorby Steb centers for all my
“between center†turnings, as they are very accurate and easy to use. Center the 3†X 3†between centers and turn a round cylinder.
Establish the over all length of the candlestick, leaving sufficient at the “base end†for chucking and parting off later. After establishing
the candlestick length, establish 1/3 as the top and 2/3 as the bottom proportion. With a skew on it’s side and using the point,
square off the top of the piece. Using a parting tool, gently square off the bottom of the candlestick for about a ¼â€. Square off the
bottom end of the whole piece and establish a spigot sufficient to place the cylinder/candlestick into your chuck. With the parting
tool, proceed to cut into the cylinder at the 1/3 / 2/3 mark to approximately 1†in diameter. Proceed to roughly shape the candlestick,
having a gentle curved upper 1/3 and a more straight/long curve on the lower 2/3.
2) Remove the piece from between centers and insert the base in a chuck. Bring up the tailstock (Steb Center) to secure the piece
and tighten the chuck jaws. The wood should now be securely tightened into the chuck with the tailstock serving as support for a
rather extended piece of wood. Mark the chuck jaws “grab marks†with a pencil between jaws #1 and #4, so the piece can be removed
and rechucked in the same place later, when required. At the 1/3 / 2/3 mark, using the parting tool, establish the diameter of
the bead that will be located at this point, keeping in mind that this diameter should be a “little†larger than ¾†to facilitate sanding
later. Since the finished bead is to be ¾†in diameter, gently part down on each side of the bead to ½†diameter. I like to use the 1/8â€
diamond shaped parting tool. I prefer to use a detail spindle gouge to do the bead shaping, but a skew in “skilled hands†can also be
successfully used. Keep in mind that the final bead form must reflect a “round†bead and not a “flat or lazy†bead. Thus, the ¾â€
length of the bead at the point where the bead curve and the candlestick side curves meet, will have to be minutely reduced. I like to
use a thin cardboard cutout of the bead form so I can accurately establish the bead’s round shape. With the overall candlestick length
established and the bead formed, shape the flowing upper and lower curves to ensure they are gentle flowing and their “line†continues
through the bead forming a perfect continuous curve. I like to make the top diameter of the candlestick 1/8†smaller in diameter
than the bottom. If the finished candlesticks are placed touching each other at the base, there is a ¼†space at the top and if the overall
length of the 2 candlesticks are 1/64†or less different in length, it will not be noticeable. Using a small spindle gouge on its side
or 90 degrees to the tool rest, gently concave cut what will be the top of the candlestick, towards the live center. Since this cut is end
grain and “uphill against the grainâ€, the spindle gouge must be very sharp and many delicate cuts made to establish the concave top.
Don’t be aggressive. Be very careful not to apply too much pressure riding the bevel, as it will flare or crush the outer edge at the
top. For this specific cut, I use an old/short spindle gouge that has been totally ground round on the underside so no bevel exists and
thus little or no chance to damage the top edge fibers. I also use this tool, (a David Ellsworth grinding tip) to concave all my bowl
bottoms, inside the foot. Sand the outside and top to at least 400 grit. Since the outside curve of the candlestick is very plain, except
for the bead, I like to add 3 very fine “V†grooves to the outside top and bottom. These grooves are spaced at 1/8†intervals, 3/8â€
from the top and ½†from the bottom and can easily be cut with the point of the skew in a near horizontal position. After final sanding,
it is a good idea to stop the lathe and vertically sand the piece gently to ensure there are no “circle†sanding marks. With a thin
1/16†parting tool, proceed to part the top free from the live center which is accomplished by parting relatively close to the center so
when the live center is removed, the center mark remains for drill centering.
A “Rude Osolnik†Candlestick Design
by Martin Groneng
7
8
Woodturners Guild of Ontario—May 2006
A “Rude Osolnik†Candlestick Design
by Martin Groneng
Continued from page 7
3) Using a Jacobs chuck and a 13/16†Forstner or sawtooth bit, bring the bit up to the center of the top of the candlestick. Secure
the tailstock, start the lathe and feed the bit into the center top/hole ¾†deep. Note, that in this case, the wood is turning and the bit is
stationary, which is opposite to the normal procedure for drilling a hole in a piece of wood. Sand the candle hole.
4) With the live center inserted into the candle hole for support, with a very sharp parting tool, gently concave the base of the
candlestick to about 1/2†in diameter and sand. I prefer to use a machinists 45 degree live center, as it can be inserted into the candle
hole with ample clearance and only the point touches the wood, providing total support as the base is being parted and sanded. As the
½†diameter is reached, the tailstock should be backed off a wee bit as to reduce any excess pressure on the candlestick which could
cause it to prematurely “twist off†the base.
5) The candlestick is now ready for finishing. I prefer to totally
finish the candlestick while it can still be chucked. This allows
me to do this by removing the piece after each finishing coat
and rechucking as marked between #1 and #4 jaws and allows for
sanding between coats with tailstock support. If ones preferred
finishing process is to finish the piece totally in its completed
sanded state, then the piece can be cut from the base, the “nibâ€
removed and the entire concave base sanded.
6) These candlesticks can be turned as identical pairs or in
threes, of which each three heights would vary, but still have the
same 1/3 / 2/3 design ratio that Rude Osolnik so masterfully incorporated
in his turned wood creations. The 5ths ratio also
works quite well in this form, depending on the diameter of the
top and base of the candlestick. The location of the bead would
then be at the 2/5 / 3/5 horizontal mark of the candlestick and the
flowing exterior design maintained, as Rude imagined.
About the Author
Martin Groneng is a founding member of both the WGO (Woodturners
Guild of Ontario) and the KWG (Kawartha Woodturners Guild) who
now resides in Peterborough, Ontario. Martin has been woodturning for
over 18 years and has a passion for design and sharing his woodturning
knowledge and skills. His creations are sold at Whetung Gallery,
Curve Lake, Ontario and he specializes in commission pieces.
Most of all, he has fun woodturning !
E-mail:
martsarts@cogeco.ca
