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I made my neighbor cry today

Webb Willmott

Webb Willmott

Joined
Feb 25, 2025
Messages
358
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Location
Jackson, MS
I was practicing gouge and skew work today and decided to make an end grain box for practice. I managed to blow out the bottom lip twice and worked on finishing cuts. I had just finished watching Richard Raffan turn a box and did my best to emulate him except I wasn’t ready to lose my hair. Although half the size I originally planned, it turned into a very presentable piece. Made from rock hard dry walnut and burnished with bees wax.

My neighbor is an invalid and her daughter lives with her so she can care for her. Several weeks ago, I made the elderly lady a cherry platter with a spalted ash rim and you would have thought I walked on water. Today walked next door and gave the daughter a keepsake box and told her I didn’t want her to feel left out and then the tears rolled down her face.

Normally I don’t like to make a lady cry but it felt good this time.
 
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I know it’s down on the scale but some of what I have is soft and some is much harder. Go figure. Maybe because what I have is kiln dried.
 
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Nice work, Webb. A keepsake to be treasured by her.
 
Kent Reisdorph said:
Just FYI, "crocodile tears" refers to fake crying to elicit a response.
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Thanks for the correction. Shall I say the wave of emotion brought forth a flood of tears? Even though I’m 150, I learn something new every day. Thanks Kent.

Note: original post corrected.
 
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Richard Coers said:
I have never heard of rock hard walnut. Maybe you are talking about talc as the rock. Walnut is WAY down the Janka scale, walnut is 1010, Osage is 2760.
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Occasionally black walnut will contain a large amount of silica and will dull tools almost instantly. The first time I encountered this was while taking a skew turned class with Alan Lacer. At first he said my skew wasn’t properly sharpened. Then he said my skew had bad steel. Next he tried his skew. In all three cases the tools went from razor sharp to totally dull in a couple of seconds. One of the other students had access to a scanning electron microscope where he worked. The next day he brought in some photomicrographs that clearly showed the wood was full of silica crystals.
 
Webb Willmott said:
I was practicing gouge and skew work today and decided to make an end grain box for practice. I managed to blow out the bottom lip twice and worked on finishing cuts. I had just finished watching Richard Raffan turn a box and did my best to emulate him except I wasn’t ready to lose my hair. Although half the size I originally planned, it turned into a very presentable piece. Made from rock hard dry walnut and burnished with bees wax.

My neighbor is an invalid and her daughter lives with her so she can care for her. Several weeks ago, I made the elderly lady a cherry platter with a spalted ash rim and you would have thought I walked on water. Today walked next door and gave the daughter a keepsake box and told her I didn’t want her to feel left out and then the tears rolled down her face.

Normally I don’t like to make a lady cry but it felt good this time.
Click to expand...

Attaboy. Class and kindness. I may weep a little myself.
 
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