I am working on a vase for my wife. It is cherry and measures around 5.5” by 12”. I think the pictures have too much light. I will try to get some better ones.
-
It's time to cast your votes in the July 2025 Turning Challenge. (click here for details) -
Congratulations to Michael Foster for "Costa II" being selected as Turning of the Week for July 28th, 2025 (click here for details) -
Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.
Vase
- Thread starter Rusty Nesmith
- Start date
Very nice wood AND shape Rusty.
I got it finished.
Nice shape. And the wood grain in this piece is especially nice.
Thanks Tim. I also made a cylinder to fit inside so my wife can add water and fresh flowers.
My pleasure! The cylinder is a great Idea. How did you make it?
I bought a two foot piece of tubing in plumbing and a couple of caps to plug up the end. It is 1.5 inch inside diameter. 
Tom Gall
TOTW Team
Nice vase, Rusty ... pretty piece of cherry. You can mount that tube in a chuck - take light cuts to round and smooth that edge, sand to fine grits, use plastic polish to an almost glass finish. If necessary, you can add a bumper to the bottom to raise the level of the rim. Just my 2¢. 
Great idea Rusty! there is a turner who posts a lot on Facebook - named David Swaim that showed how he used brass floor drains or sink drains to make threaded lids and urns.
I would think you may get lucky with that pipe being 1-1/2" diameter as that is a fairly common plumbing size. Just a thought......
I would think you may get lucky with that pipe being 1-1/2" diameter as that is a fairly common plumbing size. Just a thought......
Thanks. The tubing and ends were also cheaper than I thought. I was going to use the plastic tubes that go over a fluorescent lamp but I couldn’t find anything to plug the end.
Nice vase and like the tubing addition. I'll give it a try. Have considered adding test tubes to some of my smaller ones but haven't yet. Due to ice storms and neighbors I have a lot of cherry still to work through. I assume you used your new hollowing rig? If so how did it work as you got near the bottom 1/3 of the form? Still considering getting something different myself. I have the DWay rig but it's limits, depending on wood, are about 5" or so. My homemade captured bar system can go much deeper but it's not ideal.
Yes I did use my new hollowing rig. It worked very well. I also have a 16” bar so was able to reach that deep very easy. I had to slow the cut down and use a lighter touch in the bottom 1/3 because of vibration on a heavier cut. I haven’t used it enough to experiment with tool angle adjustments to see if that makes a difference. The hollowing system comes with a 1/2” tool holder but their tools are 5/8” ground down on the end to fit the 1/2” holder. They also sell a 5/8” holder that you can swap out to use other brand tools. I don’t see myself going any deeper than this.
Rusty, is your 16" bar the one that comes with the kit they sell?
Yes. I bought the large kit. It came with a 12” gooseneck bar, a 12” straight shear scraper, a 16” straight shear scraper and the laser.
