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May 2023 Turning Challenge -- for beginners only

Bill Boehme

Bill Boehme

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The deadline has been extended two more days until midnight Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on May 29, 2023.

The turning challenge for the month of May 2023 is to turn a chicken egg and this month’s challenge is for beginners only. So, whatever yardstick you might use to judge your personal woodturning journey if you believe that you are a beginner, then you are a beginner. Everybody knows what a chicken egg looks like so challenge yourself to turn an egg that could fool a chicken. A turned wooden egg is a very simple form, so simple that it has only one side. Ending up with that just right shape that could fool an expert (a chicken hen) is just a little more challenging than it might seem at first, but as Dale Nash used to say, "making an egg is easy ... chickens do it with their eyes closed". To get you started, here’s a link to an excellent Woodturning 101 demonstration by Kirk DeHeer on turning an egg. So, let's get cracking and scramble to the shop. If you get carried away turning eggs, just remember Kirk DeHeer's admonition to not put all your eggs in one basket.

And finally, the fine print from the official AAW Forum hard-boiled legal consultants -- Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe:
  • Only one entry per person and only one photo of your egg.
  • Turn a plain wooden chicken egg that isn’t embellished or decorated (clarification: wooden egg, not wooden chicken).
  • Entries must be posted in this thread.
  • The deadline for posting entries is midnight Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on May 29, 2023.
  • As always, this is a turning contest, not a "moldy oldie" photo contest, so in fairness to everybody, make sure your work is something you have made since this challenge was issued on May 8, 2023.
  • You may not post any photos of your entry in this month’s challenge in any other thread or in the gallery until the voting has ended and a winner has been declared.
  • Voting will take place from May 330, 2023, through midnight UTC on June 2, 2023.
  • Solicitation of votes will result in disqualification.
  • The winner might have to pass a lie detector test before collecting the prizes. :rolleyes: Good luck, have fun, make shavings, and let the chips fall where they may!!
 
Charles Cadenhead said:
I think I'm more of a journeyman
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I like that classification. I suppose I’d say the same for myself. I’m going to turn an egg today or tonight and keep it in my back pocket. I have a cousin that’s asking for one, so this is a good excuse to stop procrastinating. If no one enters by the deadline tomorrow, I’m going to use the last beginner’s challenge definition as “turning fewer than two years”. I’ll let Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe decide if the loophole is valid. Haha :p
 
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I’m so new I’m not used to reading the newsletter yet. I just today learned about the new turner’s challenge . This one I would have entered as it would have been a challenge for me!
 
Michael Anderson said:
I like that classification. I suppose I’d say the same for myself. I’m going to turn an egg today or tonight and keep it in my back pocket. I have a cousin that’s asking for one, so this is a good excuse to stop procrastinating. If no one enters by the deadline tomorrow, I’m going to use the last beginner’s challenge definition as “turning fewer than two years”. I’ll let Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe decide if the loophole is valid. Haha :p
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That could be painful !!! :D ..... unless you never sit down.
 
Bill Boehme said:
Are the beginners going to "chicken" out? Well, I won't let it ruffle my feathers. No squawking here. I'm hatching a new challenge for next month.
Click to expand...

It appears as if we have the answer to the age-old question...."What came first, the chicken or the egg?"

Heh,heh,heh..... :)

-o-
 
Dave Landers said:
Why is the rooster always overlooked?
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I say boy......a rooster is also a chicken!

iu


-o-
 
Larae Palmer said:
Well, I‘m a sucker for a challenge, just couldn’t chicken out.
And since your eggzateratedly humorous posts egged me on I did my best. I’ve only used a skew to rough down pen blanksbefore, and that only recently. This was great practice though.so thanks.
Onward to the Grand Canyon!View attachment 52836
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Tool control aside (judging from the catches), I gotta say, Eggzellent form on the middle one..,. almost nailed it, and not bad at all.... Now to just master the fine art of getting a perfect final cut with the skew.... :) (I'd say my results would not have been too much better, given my un-steady hand, unless I happened to be having a really good day nerve-wise..)
 
I've been sitting here watching you tube videos so I can learn how to spindle turn. I still might run out of time! lol
 
Sam Fleisher said:
I've been sitting here watching you tube videos so I can learn how to spindle turn. I still might run out of time! lol
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Nothing special about it. You’ve made a bunch of bowls, so just pretend like you’re making an egg-shaped bowl that doesn’t have an interior. ;)
 
1. I buy jumbo eggs, that's why it looks different.
2. I ran out of time because it was getting dark.
3. Some kind of animal could have layed it. Maybe a snake because I feel the same way about them that I do that egg.
4. I think I would have done better freehand instead of measuring that real egg 17 different ways because obviously that didn't work.
5. It's not embellished but I felt it deserved a finish. So if Dewey, Chetum and Howe don't like it, so be it. No one said it had to be by itself.

Pick any one of those excuses or a combination of them all.
No actual birds nest was harmed. It was from last year and I found it mowing the other day.
The real egg was fed to the dog.

**edit** 6. I changed the pic to one with different lighting so you could see it better. Wasn't exactly optimal in the dark with a phone camera and a little cheap flashlight and one of Odie's dollar headlights.

IMG_20230526_213933053 (1).jpg
 
I procrastinated until today. Here's my grade A large egg. Real egg on top my wood egg on bottom. I painted it because Bill said it had to fool a chicken, surprisingly they are about the same weight. This is my first egg was good practice with a skew, I think I'll make more and give them to my granddaughter next year and she can paint them for Easter. My disclaimer is I've been turning for 3 years but this was quite an experience.

Grade A Large.jpg
 
So here is my egg-like entry. I will say it did not turn out exactly as I pictured, but this was egg number one in the series. I like most how the grain pattern turned out in this piece and am looking forward to collecting unique blakes and making more eggs.

I learned a lot in the process. Like growing comfortable with detail spendle gouge, making a jam chuck, and the tricks of lighting an egg shaped object for a photo. Plus, explaining to family and friends of why you would turn an egg. Thanks for the challenge and I am looking forward to participating in more.

egg-DAgee-20230528.jpg
 
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