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nova ornamental turner

Joined
Aug 22, 2021
Messages
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Location
Melbourne, FL
hello all,
does anyone here use the nova ornamental turner?, just looking for educational resources on it.
thanks
ed
 

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By adapting some standard parts (boring head, cross slide table and rotary index head) that could be put together to do everything the JaHo device can do. Even large bowl turning could be done in addition to embellishments.
 
rotary index head
I haven't done anything similar but I can say a decent rotary table is a useful tool. I use mine mostly on the milling machine when I want to mill to certain angles.

Off the original thread topic (of course): the rotary table was also was the easiest way I found to help lay out patterns for chip carving on turnings.

JKJ
 
Ed,

I’ve not seen much published about this system. In the end, I think it becomes more of a gateway towards getting a rose engine.

Rich
 
I looked at these type of things a couple of years back. I ended up cobbling this together.

IMG_8354.jpeg

It’s a small standard X Y Table from eBay for which I machined a custom Router mount. I reduced the speed on the router and I’ve made some of my own cutters using small HSS tool bits.

The overall setup obviously moves the cutter from the lathe headstock to the router and the workpiece to the headstock compared to that in the original post above. The setup worked well in tests but I’ve not got round to using it yet apart from that. These type of things work best with dense timbers which aren’t always easy to source at a good price.
 
These type of things work best with dense timbers which aren’t always easy to source at a good price.

I had the impression that Boxwood was common in the UK.
Or is it available but expensive in usable sizes?

Some years ago some turner friends joined forces to source and import a quantity of boxwood to the US, I got a few pieces from that deal, sections of branches (trunks?) 4" or less in diameter. Very tight piths, no cracking. Nice white color. That stuff sure is dense. Haven't turned any yet.

JKJ
 
I had the impression that Boxwood was common in the UK.
Or is it available but expensive in usable sizes?

Some years ago some turner friends joined forces to source and import a quantity of boxwood to the US, I got a few pieces from that deal, sections of branches (trunks?) 4" or less in diameter. Very tight piths, no cracking. Nice white color. That stuff sure is dense. Haven't turned any yet.

JKJ
It is available in the UK but not that common as it is slow growing and expensive as a result. France seems to be the place where it is most abundent so contacts in that country would be useful.
 
Boxwood is very nice and ideal for ornamental turning. As Colin says though it’s not cheap and not often available much over 3” diameter.
I bought some 4” diameter pieces a while ago but by the time I’d turned off the bark and trued it up it was obviously quite a bit smaller.
 
Boxwood is very nice and ideal for ornamental turning. As Colin says though it’s not cheap and not often available much over 3” diameter.
I bought some 4” diameter pieces a while ago but by the time I’d turned off the bark and trued it up it was obviously quite a bit smaller.

I guess the closest thing we have to boxwood is Flowering Dogwood - fine grain, hard, dense (but not as dense as Boxwood). Also slow-growing and generally small diameters, especially if it grows in the woods. Occasionally a yard tree with lots of sun and in good soil will get large. A neighbor cut one down - I got a lot of blanks from 2x2 up to about 6x6. Dogwood can warp like crazy as it drys and if a blank contains some of the dark heartwood, expect cracks. Can be white or have color.

Dogwood turns beautifully, though. This little finger top needed no sanding.

top_dogwood_nosanding_IMG_4.jpg

Makes me want to cut into the Boxwood now!

A friend who did ornamental turning often used Holly and some fine-grained tropical woods.

JKJ
 
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