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I made my neighbor cry today

Webb Willmott

Webb Willmott

Joined
Feb 25, 2025
Messages
413
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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 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.
 
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.
 
Very nice Webb. I like the lid a lot
 
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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Webb Willmott said:
Made from rock hard dry walnut and burnished with bees wax.
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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 turning 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.
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Attaboy. Class and kindness. I may weep a little myself.
 
Bill Boehme said:
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 turning 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.
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Sure, there is always an exception. But the OP only mentions hardness or basically the density. He says nothing about abrasiveness nor short tool life. You are comparing apples to oranges.
 
Guys, lighten up. A 50 year old piece of kiln dried walnut is rock hard compared to a piece of green wood yet soft compared to a chunk of Beloke. The post was about the joy instead of a technical discussion.

I think discussing differences in hardness in the same type of wood warrants its own thread so I will start one and maybe it will rival what bevel angle is maximal. The title will be “Is Janka always right?”.

But for now, I would like to hear from others enlightening stories on how they touched others.
 
Webb Willmott said:
But for now, I would like to hear from others enlightening stories on how they touched others.
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Oh, I didn't see that request earlier.

I have a 150 happy stories related to woodturning, one for each year you have been alive, but I'll tell just one. Don't know if it's enlightening or not.

This little girl and the rest of her family were left homeless when the father abandoned them. I already knew them from when the girl (the oldest child) was in my kindergarten SS class the year before. I helped them move to gov housing then took care of the kids every day for a couple of years, things like taking the older kids to and from school every day while mama was going to school herself so she could get a job, had meetings with the kids' teachers about progress and such, bringing the youngest to the farm every day until he was old enough to go to school. In the summer the kids helped with the farm, collected eggs, helped in the garden, brushed the mini donkeys. We camped in a big tent in the yard, did lots of artwork and music and legos and games, hikes in the woods, often stayed in our spare room, took them to the movies and mountains, sang happy songs in the truck. We had SO much fun! (I was retired so I had plenty of time :)) They were honorary grandkids.

She wanted to make a Christmas present for her mother and decided on a "french style" rolling pin since mama loved to bake. She picked out the wood and helped make it by measuring, marking, a bit of hand sanding, applying finish. She was SO excited! Took her home with a wrapped present. (I forgot to take a picture.) Her smile says everything.

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The younger brothers weren't much interested in wood but the little one sure liked machines!
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Happy ending: all is now well with the family.

JKJ
 
I made a small lidded box to give to my cousin after my aunt's funeral. Just a little round walnut box with a note in it. I used walnut because I regard it as the unofficial wood of our family, since most all the men on my dad's side were avid shotgun shooters and my dad made gun stocks and taught me about woodworking. I thought it would be a nice gesture to my favorite cousin, but she was thrilled and touched by the symbolism, and still mentions it whenever we talk. I never sell the stuff I make, so to get a big reaction to something I made is reward enough.
 
Now I’ve gone and done it and looks like I’m going to make my best friend boohoo. He had to put his dog Sophie (15 year old Yorkie) down and I made a shadowbox to put her collar in. I’ve have to pick up the glass for it and his girlfriend has the collar to put inside.

The back is a bowl with straight sides and pops out so the glass will be inserted and held in place by the back.

With all the pet pictures I see, it’s a good project when the day comes. For my bud, it will be a surprise.
 

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