Mini Hat turned at Chris Ramsey Workshop

[Mike Peace]

My chapter had Chris Ramsey do a mini hat workshop this week. What a fun time! Seven participants and no one blew up their hat. If you get a chance to have a workshop with Chris, go for it. He is a great facilitator and all round nice guy.

This hat is from Bradford Pear. The band is burned on with a scrap of padauk and ebony. It is about 7" in diameter. I made the hat stand based on the design of one by Michael Gibson, who assisted Chris. It is spalted pecan.
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[Roger Chandler]

That is just too cool Mike! I bet all of you had a great time........Chris is a really accomplished artist if you ask me! Color me just a tad green! ;)

[Greg Just]

Outstanding! I'm assuming the Bradford pear was very green?

[Eric Gourieux]

Mike, that hat looks great! Did you set it up in a jig to bend the brim, etc?

Today, my dad asked me what I had planned next for the lathe. I said, "a hat", but I don't know how to turn one.

Other than Chris' live class, does anybody know of a good resource to learn the technique? Any particular DVD you would recommend?

[Steve Mellott]

I've seen the hat at one of the local Turning meetings and it looks even better than it appears in the picture. Well done!

[Thom Sturgill]

Mike, that hat looks great! Did you set it up in a jig to bend the brim, etc?

Today, my dad asked me what I had planned next for the lathe. I said, "a hat", but I don't know how to turn one.

Other than Chris' live class, does anybody know of a good resource to learn the technique? Any particular DVD you would recommend?

Johannes Michelson has a DVD - I believe that he's the originator of the wooden hat. Two websites - Woodhat.com and HannesTool.com

[Thomas Canfield]

The hat and stand are very nice and it definitely looks like a real full size hat. What size trunk diameter and how far from pith was the blank? I will have to keep my eye out for some larger BP, but most in this area are only about 8-10" D to give that a try. I do remember seeing some miniature hats on display at Paduca Quilt Museum about 7 or 8 years back that were about 4"D and that might be something to try.

[Dick Mahany]

Mike, I really like that and it must have been a blast to make. I've only seen a few videos, but it seems like there are only a few choice woods that allow for the movement of the shape when turning. I have the ability to crack and split just about anything while turning..............and this seems like quite the feat. Great job!

[Jon Shank]

I've watched a couple you tube videos on turning hats, but it was well beyond my skill level before. And now I don't remember much in the way of details, I'll have to find those videos again. I have a bunch of bradford pear to play with, enough to annoy my wife with it piled around, so I guess I'm set there. Is the hat turned in 2 pieces, top and brim or is all of it one piece? Obviously the band is separate, but the hat itself?

Really a great piece and it looks amazing. One of those wow kind of projects. Nicely done!

Jon

[Thom Sturgill]

Mike, I meant to comment on the hat and stand too. They are beautiful! Bradford pear is a very 'clean' wood - the Gibsons use it almost exclusively for their teapots. The detailing is very clean. Thank for showing.

It would take a workshop for me to have the nerve to try one!

[Michael Gibson]

My chapter had Chris Ramsey do a mini hat workshop this week. What a fun time! Seven participants and no one blew up their hat. If you get a chance to have a workshop with Chris, go for it. He is a great facilitator and all round nice guy.

This hat is from Bradford Pear. The band is burned on with a scrap of padauk and ebony. It is about 7" in diameter. I made the hat stand based on the design of one by Michael Gibson, who assisted Chris. It is spalted pecan.
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Mike, much as l would like to take credit for the stand, that is also Chris Ramseys design. Having helped him all week in demos and workshops l could not agree more with Mike, if you have the opportunity to have a workshop with Chris take it you will not regret it.

[Paul Gilbert]

I have Johannes Michelsen's DVD on making a woodhat. If you really want to make one, I would highly recommend this DVD. It shows how to make all of the jugs to bend the rim and step by step instructions on turning and bending. Highly recommended.

[Mike Peace]

Greg - it was slinging water green.
Eric - Yes, Chris provided the jigs and completed the bending for us as it takes a half day+.
Thomas - 8" -10" branch or trunck is big enough for a 7" diameter hat.
Dick - I gather from Chris that a lot of woods work when they are turned thin, perhaps 3/32". The Gibson's introduced Chris to the joys of Bradford Pear since that is what Cynthia uses for her pyrography projects.
Jon - all one piece. The band is "painted" on with a sharpened piece of oily exotic wood. In this case, padauk and ebony.
Chris is about to produce a DVD so stay tuned.

I turned two more since the workshop before I had time for too many senior moments to forget what I learned. One of Bradfor Pear went well. The next one I turned from sycamore cracked because the blank had an existing crack. I knew that it would crack but turned it anyway for the practice. Here it is cut in half. I still need to trust the light when gauging thickness and push myself to not stop before it is really thin uniformly. Clearly this one shows my need for more practice.
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[Jon Shank]

Mike, the cut in half hat is a great illustration of the technique, thanks for that! I'm probably just being dense but how does the "painting" with the exotics work? Just rubbing on the project to transfer the oils? Maybe a solvent involved to help the process? Haven't heard of that as far as I can recall. I'll definitely keep an eye out for Chris' DVD, these hats look like a really fun project. Thanks again.

Jon

[Mike Peace]

Yes, the oily exotics transfer color based on the friction.