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What’s on your lathe?

Man that stuff is beautiful! Loved the niece you gave me!!!
I had a 20" limb break off a massive sugarberry a couple of months ago. I'm keeping an eye on the spalting. I'll have a lot of this stuff in a couple of months. You and friends can come over and get some when it's ready. Eric can stand around and crack jokes. 😂
 
Persimmon is in the ebony family, and used to be used for golf driver heads before they got the fancy metal ones. As for spalting, check out Seri Robinson, aka Dr. Spalt. Mostly it takes about 6 months, and some moisture in the wood. Not sure if it is possible for dried wood to be wet up again to the point where it can spalt or not. Much more than 6 months and it gets too soft since spalting is the first step in rotting. Some woods spalt more easily than others.

robo hippy
Went and checked out her bio and links at Northern spalt, some interesting info, a bit more scientific, i actually have one of her books in kindle format on my ipad, good stuff, hate to leave too many things to chance when it comes to resources like wood, yea it grows on trees, 🤪 but hey, waste not want not plus im kinda a tech nerd when it comes to this stuff, love the details and data.
 
2.5 x 5.75 walnut

You ever make something for a little thank you gift then you think "kinda pretty to just put paper clips or coins in?" This is for my buddy that welded the eBay knurler handle on for me.

Oh well. practice makes better. (never be perfect with wood. I noticed should have spent some more time sanding. lots of scratches)
 

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Cherry Burl bowl. Bowl blank received from Don Franks. (Post #6,242) We exchanged blanks and this is the first of the two blanks that I have turned. The last photo is of the piece after finishing with Watco Danish Oil. Technically still on the lathe as it is sitting on the bed. Love the grain in this piece. However, turning the bowl was a real challenge. Thanks Don!

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Looks like it could have been an interesting piece. An old fellow back in the 1970s showed me how he took those, cut them in half, added a 90 degree piece of wood to the bottom with a keyhole in the back and made little shelves for his wife’s knick-knacks.


I was working on this black walnut platter, but not liking the pith came through and had to "fix" it. Going to the trash can.

View attachment 86061
 
2.5 x 5.75 walnut

You ever make something for a little thank you gift then you think "kinda pretty to just put paper clips or coins in?" This is for my buddy that welded the eBay knurler handle on for me.

Oh well. practice makes better. (never be perfect with wood. I noticed should have spent some more time sanding. lots of scratches)
That band is amazing. How’d you do it?
 
Just off the lathe - Purpleheart and Acrylic.

Grandson wanted to "make" a wand - his older brother had a wand-making session some years back.
We went through the entire process starting with picking a blank and making a full-scale sketch. The design changed, of course, as he came up with more ideas! ("Can we do this?", "...ahhh, well, sure!")

This was his first time interested in the shop so he did nothing with the lathe spinning. As attention span allows, we'll do some lessons in the future. Gotta start somewhere!

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He had seen some of my other wands and went crazy with the design. The piece of transparent purple acrylic in the middle has a 1/4" dia tenon on each end epoxied into holes in the handle and shaft.

The turning was easy. But I don't particularly recommend the "in process" design evolution method! We started with the blank he picked out, partially turned it, then as the "specs" changed, cut it apart and mounted the pieces separately for shaping and drilling. This required some creative ideas to hold the pieces and maintain precision!. There are better and easier and quicker ways. (After getting the idea of adding a "crystal" in the middle he probably looked through the colors on hand for an hour.) But spending quality time was the important thing.

Since the result is not the strongest design for an active kid, I told him this one was for show, not to be used in battle with the Forces of Evil. Next time we'll make sturdier one-piece wand he can go crazy with - already picked out and have a Honduran Mahogany blank ready to go - will be far quicker and easier. Now he's getting ideas for details with texturing, friction-burned lines.

JKJ
 
Just off the lathe - Purpleheart and Acrylic.

Grandson wanted to "make" a wand - his older brother had a wand-making session some years back.
We went through the entire process starting with picking a blank and making a full-scale sketch. The design changed, of course, as he came up with more ideas! ("Can we do this?", "...ahhh, well, sure!")

This was his first time interested in the shop so he did nothing with the lathe spinning. As attention span allows, we'll do some lessons in the future. Gotta start somewhere!

View attachment 86172
He had seen some of my other wands and went crazy with the design. The piece of transparent purple acrylic in the middle has a 1/4" dia tenon on each end epoxied into holes in the handle and shaft.

The turning was easy. But I don't particularly recommend the "in process" design evolution method! We started with the blank he picked out, partially turned it, then as the "specs" changed, cut it apart and mounted the pieces separately for shaping and drilling. This required some creative ideas to hold the pieces and maintain precision!. There are better and easier and quicker ways. (After getting the idea of adding a "crystal" in the middle he probably looked through the colors on hand for an hour.) But spending quality time was the important thing.

Since the result is not the strongest design for an active kid, I told him this one was for show, not to be used in battle with the Forces of Evil. Next time we'll make sturdier one-piece wand he can go crazy with - already picked out and have a Honduran Mahogany blank ready to go - will be far quicker and easier. Now he's getting ideas for details with texturing, friction-burned lines.

JKJ

Nothing better than doing projects like that with your family.

Bob
 
Getting there. I’ll stop turning here and move to the most fun part, finishing!

I am still just making basic moves.

I do need to go back to some nice, inexpensive wood, where my tears over mistakes are fewer 😀😀

A bit more expensive these castings!
Ps I dang sure should get smarter, and make a cardboard template outline, for once in my life!!
And mark it with the tool(s) that are applicable, and need more proper practice.

I only work on these for a short period of time. Some because of energy levels, but I like to stop and take time to think about the next steps.
I left enough “waste” to make a 2nd something 🙃
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Getting there. I’ll stop turning here and move to the most fun part, finishing!
I am still just making basic moves.
I do need to go back to some nice, inexpensive wood, where my tears over mistakes are fewer 😀😀
A bit more expensive these castings!
George, that call blank looks fantastic! It will be a stunner when you get it all sanded and polished up!
 
Thank you for the complement, Curt. Just luck of the draw! Hope I can find the paper on which I wrote down the "formula" !

Interestingly, there were quit a lot of what I think were or looked maybe like micro bubbles! I am thinking to myself, was this the pour where the temp did get up to about 95 just before pouring into the mold. during the final finishing, I was able to fill them for a good surface. or.. was it one the Mica's that caused it ? I do have to find that paper. There is a gold looking part, that has some sparkle.

The final polish, and finish are typical. some of course I learned here :)
after the last Micromesh, 16000. - I did skip a few. I used Maguires 208 and Swirl remover 2. Then it was Mylands time. A decent coat of sealer, rubbed in, stationary. spin it a few seconds, paper towel. let dry. then oh, 5 coats of friction polish at approx 2krpm. Got it good and warm, somewhat hot. I recall getting it hotter way back when, on wood.
Then mix a small amount of Myland and a Hobby Lobby brand of Med. CA. The CA they carry is quite good. I stocked up on it! In the fridge. then about 3 or 4 coats of the CA alone.
this is what I learned back in the earlier days of you tube and Game call forums. I don't see that method so much much anymore.
Raking light and feel tells me it is filled. or close enough! haha.

Now the other scary part will begin. The inside boring, etc. Anything and every thing could happen, as we all know!
I will be using a new to me 7mm drill bit, Fisch Parabolic. A type I saw Zak using.

The design of these closed reed types often start being turned on a Pen Mandrel of 1/4" or 7mm. Followed by a 19/32 9/32! that fits a steel reed holder.
From the sound out end of the reed/holder, the back pressure comes into play. So in quite a few cases, if not the majority, that diameter is kept for a ways ,until the maker decides to open up the sound out end.
I know if I open it up too soon, the call will become "picky"about what type of Reed is used. Or worse, the call just will not sound right.

As one can see, this started in a chuck :) lol. These are the Jaws I decided to spend $$ on, following a recommendation here. :) This call I purposely made shorter. giving me some left over material for a separate Mouth end part to incorporate in a future call.


finalfinish-1_DSCF8306_DxO.jpg
 
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During all this typing - which takes me forever, I opened a duplicate tab,and found where we discussed the mixtures/formula. You guys are great!
This is your formula!

BTW I have an admission...making the mouth end was supposed to look different, a bit longer. oops. :) Am still as always have, doing everything freehand/thought. No template on cardboard. I need to stop that! Good news... it is already sold. ! Profit: ooohhh about Minus 2,000$

I am trying my best to see it as the scene, in the Movie, "The Jerk", where Steve Martin is told how the profit works.... but nooo.
 
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