What’s on your lathe?

[John K Jordan]

Just walnut hands. Apparently, I also showed him the Bosch "following" system. Phones.

I gave up completely on accessing web sites on phones - drives me insane. I have a hard enough time with text messages with fat fingers on those tiny virtual keyboards! The worst is a doctor's office that texts a link to some big form to fill in before an appointment. I ignore those.

For web sites I use a dual-screen desktop computer in the shop, a laptop in the house, and an iPad pro where convenient, all with keyboards I can operate with fingers. Amazing! After decades of computer programming I can usually type like the wind. (Maybe why my posts are so long. )

I still mess up but the cause is my brain, not the tiny pretend keyboards.

JKJ

 

[Gary T Egbert]

One of eight cherry bowls of similar size I dried in grocery bags for about eight weeks after first turning them.

 

[Ted Pelfrey]

Cherry

 

[John Kananis]

Mahogany and paduak

 

[John Kananis]

Bah, here's a better shot.

 

[Gary Beasley]

Huge lump of fresh cherry wood.

 

[Phil Hamel]

Was driving by the local wood shop today and noticed the free wood box was out in their yard. Spun around and checked it out. Brought home 13 4x4 pieces, 1 6x6 piece and a couple 2x pieces of what I believe is cedar. Not sure I will have to check it out when I work on it.

 

[David Wyke]

Dug out a cherry bowl to second turning today, too hot to cut the green logs. This cherry had warped more than any cherry I’ve turned before. I cut a least 2” off the rim to get it level. Since I lost so much height on the bowl I decided to turn what some refer to as a “thumb rim” . Ogee on the outside and undercut on the inside so when picking up your thumb wraps around and under the rim. I just call it an ogee with an undercut rim.
Also noticed when I put it on the finish shelf that I have 28 pieces of bowls and hollow forms in various stages of completion. So I need to stop turning and complete the finishing process on those….

 

[Beth Lockamy]

and the ugly duckling emerges.

That’s beautiful!

 

[David Wyke]

Up before sunrise this morning to pick some blueberries so before the sun hit the shop I cut a new maple log a friend brought me to see what it was going to look like. It has some nice ambrosia and figure, now time for a hollow form.
He called and asked if I wanted a maple log since he thought it was white oak he was cutting, he’s made several mistakes identifying trees. I took the log and sent him a picture of white oak leaves….should be getting another log soon.

 

[David D Olson]

Here’s a spalted maple bowl I turned this am. I’m in the process of learning to use my gouges. I must admit, sanding goes a lot quicker when you use traditional tools. Never too old to learn.

 

[John Kananis]

For just learning, you're doing a great job! Nice form as it doesn't distract you from that really fantastic piece of maple.

Here’s a spalted maple bowl I turned this am. I’m in the process of learning to use my gouges. I must admit, sanding goes a lot quicker when you use traditional tools. Never too old to learn.

 

[Kent Jaffrey]

I got a trailer load of 13 chunks of sweet gum, and have managed to make my largest pile of shavings to date while turning the outsides of the blanks. Today a bunch or coring and hollowing.

 

[robo hippy]

I can't remember where I saw it, maybe Wood by Wright, but he had some ambrosia maple on the bench and called it hard maple. I always thought that the ambrosia maple was a soft maple. Any one know? We don't get it here in Oregon. Also, there is almost no hard/sugar maple.

robo hippy

 

[John K Jordan]

I can't remember where I saw it, maybe Wood by Wright, but he had some ambrosia maple on the bench and called it hard maple. I always thought that the ambrosia maple was a soft maple. Any one know? We don't get it here in Oregon. Also, there is almost no hard/sugar maple.

robo hippy

I understand the ambrosia beetles are more commonly found in soft maple (silver maple, red maple) but sometimes get into hard maple. We have both soft and hard maples here but I've personally only had soft ambrosia maple.

JKJ

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

Second time I got the Cole jaws out this week. Cherry with darkly spalted sapwood.

 

[John Kananis]

I have a love/hate relationship with mine. It's awesome when/where a jamb chuck doesn't work but it never gives me a true bottom and things always look a little off (to me) when the piece is done.

Second time I got the Cole jaws out this week. Cherry with darkly spalted sapwood.
View attachment 77054

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

I have a love/hate relationship with mine. It's awesome when/where a jamb chuck doesn't work but it never gives me a true bottom and things always look a little off (to me) when the piece is done.

I'll look for that.

 

[John K Jordan]

Second time I got the Cole jaws out this week. Cherry with darkly spalted sapwood.

I have a love/hate relationship with mine. It's awesome when/where a jamb chuck doesn't work but it never gives me a true bottom and things always look a little off (to me) when the piece is done.

I've quit using the rubber pieces that came with the jaws and instead slip short lengths of clear plastic tubing over the screws. I think they compress less and maybe allow a little too much slop.

JKJ

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

I bailed on the Cole jaws. The bowl is thin and it didn't feel stable when I put a gouge to it. I went back to a jam chuck.

 

[Tom Gall]

I bailed on the Cole jaws. The bowl is thin and it didn't feel stable when I put a gouge to it. I went back to a jam chuck.

For future reference - you might want to turn your Cole jaws into a large version of Flat Jaws.
Here's a link to an old post (one of several) about this topic.
Cole jaws to Flat jaws

 

[Ted Pelfrey]

Second time I got the Cole jaws out this week. Cherry with darkly spalted sapwood.
View attachment 77054

Absolutely beautiful!

 

[Ted Pelfrey]

Up before sunrise this morning to pick some blueberries so before the sun hit the shop I cut a new maple log a friend brought me to see what it was going to look like. It has some nice ambrosia and figure, now time for a hollow form.
He called and asked if I wanted a maple log since he thought it was white oak he was cutting, he’s made several mistakes identifying trees. I took the log and sent him a picture of white oak leaves….should be getting another log soon.


View attachment 77035
View attachment 77034
View attachment 77033

Incredible piece of timber!

 

[John Kananis]

Thanks for linking that - I hadn't thought of doing this and seems like a great idea.

For future reference - you might want to turn your Cole jaws into a large version of Flat Jaws.
Here's a link to an old post (one of several) about this topic.
Cole jaws to Flat jaws

 

[Russell Nugent]

I have a love/hate relationship with mine. It's awesome when/where a jamb chuck doesn't work but it never gives me a true bottom and things always look a little off (to me) when the piece is done.

A little blue tape for shimming can be used sometimes under the rim if the bottom being perfect is critical

 

[Joel Daniels]

I think this is ash - not sure. 6 3/4” x ~3”.

 

[Phil Hamel]

This is the chunk of desert iron wood I started with.

 

[Webb Willmott]

This is the chunk of desert iron wood I started with.
View attachment 77097

Can’t wait to see the finished piece.

 

[John Kananis]

I agree with Webb, the curiosity is killing me. That looks like a super cool piece to turn.

This is the chunk of desert iron wood I started with.
View attachment 77097

 

[Phil Hamel]

Posted in the photo gallery.

 

[Steve Gray]

Cracked log? Perfect opportunity to attempt my first pair of small Raffan-style handled bowls.

 

[Sam Fleisher]

I'll be glad when I run out of these. (3 more to go)

 

[Richard Grossman]

Question regarding Natural Edges with bark - are there better species of wood that make better natural edge items?
Oak vs Maple vs Ash etc.......

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Natural edges have several things which will help but no guarantee.
1. Best to cut the tree while sap is down
2. pick a species which does not move a lot. good: cherry,elm, pecan (maybe). Bad IMHO oak, sycamore,
3. apply CA to the bark edge
4. save those pieces of bark on the floor from rough out and use them to patch in mistakes
Axiom is the bark may not come off today or tomorrow but eventually it will loosen

 

[Kent Jaffrey]

From my load of sweet gum lumber I got about 69 bowls roughed out. Now they are coated with glue, in my drying bin (covered with a loose tarp) in my shop and we will see how they dry. When I do a new species I’m always a little concerned about how they will dry, so fingers crossed.

 

[John K Jordan]

From my load of sweet gum lumber I got about 69 bowls roughed out.

Do you sell these, give away/donate to charities, or eat a lot of soup and cereal?

JKJ

 

[John K Jordan]

I bailed on the Cole jaws. The bowl is thin and it didn't feel stable when I put a gouge to it. I went back to a jam chuck.

FWIW, I never use the Cole jaws (or a jam chuck) without securely taping the work to the mount. I simply don't trust them.
If interested, this is the tape I use for a lot around the shop, for example to hold a piece in a jam chuck to turn the base with no chance of it coming loose. I tape around the turned jam chuck and around the scroll chuck or Cole jaws. Doesn't leave a residue unless you don't remove it for a week or two! Sticks well to finished or unfinished wood, even damp wood.



Scotch 2060. Strong paper. I keep a variety of sizes on hand.

Amazon.com

This is sold as a "rough surface" painter's tape, good for concrete block, pressure treated wood, etc. Very good adhesive - it's NOT the green painter's tape you find at Home depot.

I use it in the shop to hold things on the lathe, hold wood pieces together securely, as labels on boxes and plastic containers, to hold down protective coverings when I'm making a mess on my workbench. My wife uses it to write labels with a Sharpie for things that go in the fridge, freezer, pantry, laundry, garage (and the tops of pill bottles). She lets me know when her roll is getting low and I bring up a new one from my stash in the shop!

Another good tape is gaffer's tape. Extremely strong cloth tape made for film and video work for gaffers to temporarily hold wires and things in place. Holds well and won't leave a residue or damage sensitive surfaces. I've used it for setting up for a church production to fasten covers to windows, wires to floors so they won't be tripping hazard. Also great to mark positions on the floor where people are supposed to stand!

JKJ

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

Question regarding Natural Edges with bark - are there better species of wood that make better natural edge items?
Oak vs Maple vs Ash etc.......

The basic rules that I have had the most success are
1. live healthy wood.
2. Cut the tree when the sap is not running for my location that means late fall to about the end of February.
3. Completely turn the piece to final size before any drying can happen and you may have to wet it with clean water if you work to slow.
4. Turn as thin as possible which will allow the wood to dry rapidly and not affect the natural bond between the wood and the bark.
There are things that I have tried but do not bother with anymore:
1. CA to strengthen the bark.
2. Patching the bark or trying to glue a piece of bark back in place.
Species that I have found to work best or to avoid"
1. Black cherry if turned very thin as in goblets 2. Red oak if sound without any checking around the pith and if turned thin enough the pith can be included.
3. Walnut with rules similar to the red oak and note that the sap wood has a greater chance of maintaining it's creamy color.
4. Ash the bark seems to have a tendency to crumble.
5. Paper birch the bark usually comes loose because the wood shrinks much more than the bark but I have had success with thin walled goblets at between 1/16 & 1/32" wall thickness or 1.6mm to 0.79mm.
The bottom line is experiment with with what is available in your location and hone your turning skills to eliminate tear out because the thinner you turn the wood the more it will distort which makes the sanding that much more difficult.

 

[Isaac Litster]

Thread chasing. I got some 20 tpi chasers and had another go at using them. The first picture is Persian ironwood, the second is pacific crabapple. Both are cross grain. The Persian ironwood was much easier to thread than the crabapple. I should have used CA on the crabapple.