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What’s on your lathe?
- Thread starter Rusty Nesmith
- Start date
Today didn't go as I saw in my head. I will keep the stand and try again. I shouldn't have hollowed the piece from the top! Hole was to big to get the curve I wanted. Live and learn. Was a nice piece of maple wasted.
Which knurling tool(s) are you using?
Today was walnut bowl day. I needed to get some green bowl turning out of my system so I could get back on hollow form training
. Ran into a little bark inclusion on one blank and then heard the hard knot sound when leveling off for the tenon. Turned out to be a hole and when trying to turn it out it just kept getting bigger. Reduce the depth of the bowl several inches and finally was able to get a solid tenon with just a little bark inclusion. The other five turned out good, all 13-1/2” to 15” diameter.
. Ran into a little bark inclusion on one blank and then heard the hard knot sound when leveling off for the tenon. Turned out to be a hole and when trying to turn it out it just kept getting bigger. Reduce the depth of the bowl several inches and finally was able to get a solid tenon with just a little bark inclusion. The other five turned out good, all 13-1/2” to 15” diameter. 
Playing with hollow form shapes - this is a piece of cherry from a tree we took down a year or so ago.
My wife gave me this blank last Christmas. I think it’s California Cotonwood but not sure. 12x5 bowl. Will be her 47th anniversary present.
Well…been hesitant to post anything here. I’m not up to everyone else’s caliber. I found a board of cherry in the scrap bin at the lumber yard and rescued it. Got about 5 box blanks and one small bowl blank. This is about 2” tall and 4.5” wide.
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2021
- Messages
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- Location
- Roulette, PA
- Website
- www.reallyruralwoodworks.com
We're all our own worst critics. Most of what I see on this thread is going to be rough outs and unfinished work anyways..? Looks good to me - as good as if not better than my own work..
How did you do that? I assume you have some kind of jig attached to the tailstock?
I've been rather saddened lately. There used to be some WONDERFUL tools on the market to help do decorative turning like this. I think there were five or six different options for decorative woodworking jigs and systems on the market. I don't know if it was just the pandemic, or if maybe the creators of these tools just reached an age where continuing their businesses was not really viable (I know that Beall retired at the end of 2022...thankfully his patents were bought up by Lee and I think a UK company, and most are still being made, but...the Pen Wizard, as far as I know, has not been remanufactured yet....I felt lucky to grab one of the last before I think they were gone from the market, and its another one of those unique decorative turning tools!)
I really like this kind of decorative turning, though...and have been trying to figure out how to make something myself. I don't have the skills, particularly with metal working, to really create anything I think might actually work, and I also don't really have the knowledge that some of the guys who came up with the previous systems had from an engineering/design standpoint either... Anyway, its quite sad, the loss of skill, knowledge, and tooling in this area...
Soft maple. 3/4 inch opening. Have to finish the bottom. Sanded to 1200 grit. 
I started working on this year's Christmas ornament. Any guesses what animal it is (the 3rd pic is my mock up so far)? I also had a helper in the shop recently.
Not wasted, it was a learning experience. I hate that type of learning
Screwed up a beautiful piece of iron bark eucalyptus. Forgot “the enemy of good is better” and tried to smooth out a little interior bump and went through the side. Put some oil on a piece just to see it. Bummer!
I received a commision to make a 24" diameter lazy susan for use on a dinning table so I needed to make a perimeter ring for the outer rim.
The first problem was that I did not have any way to mount a tool rest so I went through the scrap iron stock and made the setup as shown. The next step is to glue up the 3 layers of 24 segment maple and turn them down to a 1" ring at 24" OD and 22" ID with a rabbit like cut on the under side of 23" OD by about 1.25" deep to accept the .5" thick maple Appleply and hide the bearing.
The first problem was that I did not have any way to mount a tool rest so I went through the scrap iron stock and made the setup as shown. The next step is to glue up the 3 layers of 24 segment maple and turn them down to a 1" ring at 24" OD and 22" ID with a rabbit like cut on the under side of 23" OD by about 1.25" deep to accept the .5" thick maple Appleply and hide the bearing.
I bought the dvd from Jeff Salter and built it close to his plan. There are several versions out there, but this one looked easiest to set up. Beware it took about 3 days to build it and there's a learning curve as there is with anything. I agree with your statement about tools no longer being made due to retirements. I liked Beall's quality.
Attachments
Sheep, of course!
Yes! They are sheep. I'm glad they're recognizable.
Alan, How sure are about the species? The picture looks quite different from the soft maple we have in North Carolina.
I’m a novice—the turner who gave me the wood, an old and experienced guy, had it labeled soft maple. Finished it today.
