A beautiful piece of wood.......but

[odie]

.......but, sometimes woodturners just get a little too crazy with the bidding!

click:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290631885818

I was going to bid on this, but it got too rich for me!

ooc

 

[Greg Keddy]

Its interesting that they chose to rough it out as much as they did, takes away a few options for the final form.

 

[odie]

Its interesting that they chose to rough it out as much as they did, takes away a few options for the final form.

Ya.......I've bought a few "pre-roughed" bowl blanks in the past, and you really have to inspect them carefully before bidding. What I've found is, many times these bowl blanks have flaws that have to be dealt with.....further reducing the possibilities. Many of these are offered by other turners, and for whatever reasons, are rejected for personal use, and subsequently offered up for auction. Sometimes they have major flaws, and at other times I suspect it's just that they weren't as spectacular as they thought they would otherwise have turned out to be.

The particular Box Elder burl in question looked pretty good to me all the way around......and, who knows why it was offered for sale? If it were mine, I'd have been very anxious to see how well I could have finished it off, and never would have sold it.

Anyway, pre-roughed bowl blanks do present the opportunity to acquire a nice piece of wood that doesn't need to be seasoned to stabilize the MC......that's already done. Usually, I pass up on these for all the reasons why they are offered for sale in the first place......but, occasionally do buy a dry pre-roughed bowl blank. 99% of the bowl blanks I do purchase are raw unseasoned solid blocks of wood......and, all the possibilities are still left up to the individual.

ooc

 

[odie]

Here's a piece of figured Maple that I did win just this evening. It is 10 1/2" x 5 1/2" solid circular block, and I paid $42 to get this in my inventory. I suspect it will turn out to be a very spectacular bowl when finished, but I won't know that for sure for about another year from now!

click:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390363886667

It looks like there were at least six other turners who bid on it.......

ooc

 

[John Torchick]

odie, I can see what you mean about crazy bidding. My wife keeps asking when I'm going to get a cheap hobby. Is there such a thing?

 

[Greg Keddy]

John,

Maybe there is, but it doesn't involve the toys we all like to play with. When my wife mentions how expensive my hobby is, I helpfully point out that she has 10,000 sheets of scrapbooking paper at $1 each and the conversation gets much shorter. So the solution may not be a cheaper hobby, but to convince your wife to get a more expensive one.

 

[Gary Chapman]

turning wod

Odie,
It's too bad you livwe near me. I have friends all the time that stop by my house , knowing that I turn wood, and leave me logs and pieces of different woods.
Last month a friend of mine left me two of the most beautiful blocks of black oak. Another friend dropped me off a figured chunk of cherry.
I have one friend who just cut a one hundred year old box elder , he has been after me to come over and cut all I want of it. Another has a large ash tree ( 8 foot across) that was blown down by our last storm that we are going to cut up.
In a small town everyone helps you out.Gary

 

[Bill Boehme]

.... and the conversation gets much shorter.....

I presume that your shop is heated and has plenty of room for a cot.

 

[odie]

I presume that your shop is heated and has plenty of room for a cot.

Ha, ha, ha, ha!........ A doghouse might be more appropriate!

ooc

 

[Thomas Stegall]

Greg's strategy is a good one, but I have one even better. I got my wife to buy me my first lathe for Christmas. :cool2: Which is the equivalent of having a blank check to buy tools for turning. I also remind her that a good lathe and many of the tools can last 40+ years.

 

[Greg Keddy]

I presume that your shop is heated and has plenty of room for a cot.

Its in our basement. Soon we will finish the half that I dont use for my shop and then there'll be a bedroom and a bathroom down there...I'll never need to leave!

 

[odie]

Odie,
It's too bad you livwe near me. I have friends all the time that stop by my house , knowing that I turn wood, and leave me logs and pieces of different woods.
Last month a friend of mine left me two of the most beautiful blocks of black oak. Another friend dropped me off a figured chunk of cherry.
I have one friend who just cut a one hundred year old box elder , he has been after me to come over and cut all I want of it. Another has a large ash tree ( 8 foot across) that was blown down by our last storm that we are going to cut up.
In a small town everyone helps you out.Gary

Hello Gary......

Yep.....good turning hardwoods are a bit scarce around these parts.... Regardless, I'm very satisfied with the wood I've been able to purchase, even if it isn't free! One great advantage about purchasing turning wood, is it gives you the ability to see most every piece, pick and choose......instead of relying on what's available on the cheap. This isn't to suggest that some of the free stuff won't turn out to be outstanding blocks of wood.....but, hopefully you get the slant of what I'm saying........

I guess you'd have to know my "mind set" about this, to understand my reasoning, but basically, my turning has nothing to do with money as a major consideration. For me, it's strictly about my artistic interests......but, once I retire, the money will be a more important factor. For the time being, I don't pay much attention to what the wood costs, but I do have some limitations. The time I invest isn't that important either......there are greater things......like a continuing outreach for self-improvement, self satisfaction, satisfying my life-long desire to have a meaningful artistic outlet.....things like that......if you know what I mean.

thanks

ooc

 

[john lucas]

Yea I guess money is why I turn what I do with local woods. When an insurance payment or land taxes are due spending $40 on wood just doesn't work. Which reminds me I think I saw some box elder laying in a brush pile while running errands at work. Need to run by and see if it's still there.
When I go to symposiums there's always so much good wood you can't help yourself. I think I made a guy mad at the last AAW symposium. He had really large big leaf maple burls at $14 lb. I asked for 2 pounds and he went to wait on someone else. It was just a joke, sheesh. I bought Banksia pods instead.
I just went to Ohio and told myself I was only going to buy a few small pieces from BigMonk lumber. I always buy from Pete because he and his wife are such good people. Well there was this guy selling all his wood stock because he moving back to California and he had unbelievable prices. Well there went all my cash. Barely had enough to drive back home.

 

[odie]

Yea I guess money is why I turn what I do with local woods. When an insurance payment or land taxes are due spending $40 on wood just doesn't work. Which reminds me I think I saw some box elder laying in a brush pile while running errands at work. Need to run by and see if it's still there.
When I go to symposiums there's always so much good wood you can't help yourself. I think I made a guy mad at the last AAW symposium. He had really large big leaf maple burls at $14 lb. I asked for 2 pounds and he went to wait on someone else. It was just a joke, sheesh. I bought Banksia pods instead.
I just went to Ohio and told myself I was only going to buy a few small pieces from BigMonk lumber. I always buy from Pete because he and his wife are such good people. Well there was this guy selling all his wood stock because he moving back to California and he had unbelievable prices. Well there went all my cash. Barely had enough to drive back home.

Well, seriously, you did make me laugh, John!

I hope you, or anyone else don't get the idea that I'm trying to convince anyone to purchase wood, or any aspect of lathe turning as I do them. We all have our character, beliefs, needs, wants, priorities....etc.......and, it's all good! if we are getting what we want out of life, it doesn't matter if we travel the same paths......what matters is we are feeding, and not denying our aspirations.......!

ooc



edit: I must comment that over and over again, I've been influenced by other turners who've participated on this forum......sometimes, after my doubting mind denied that I was getting useful information. Occasionally that information turned out to facilitate improvements in my understanding and techniques. This includes you, John.....among many others. I am grateful to have had this interaction with other turners, so that I'm exposed to alternative points of view, and methods. I am a person who is very secluded.....never been to any other turners shop, a class, symposium, all of those things AAW members do to exchange ideas and learn........so this forum is where I interact. In a way, being the "lone wolf" has had it's benefits, because I have developed some very unique ways of doing things........and, it's my opinion that the alternative is that some turners just can't help "follow the herd", because they are so influenced by the "group think" mentality. But, it's unquestionable that there are aspects of my experiences that have been a hindrance to progress.......and, that is where this forum has been such a great benefit to me.

ooc