Started this one this afternoon - an 11” wide piece of bug eaten, spalted maple that was given to me.
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What’s on your lathe?
- Thread starter Rusty Nesmith
- Start date
Nice maple!
I decided to go with the sycamore. Turned to 13 ish round by 6 deep so far. Managed to get a 11 by 4 core out of it.
I decided to go with the sycamore. Turned to 13 ish round by 6 deep so far. Managed to get a 11 by 4 core out of it.
Just a tiny one. Piece of rose bush root. 2” wide, 1” tall. Sorry - took it off the lathe before grabbing a picture.
Have most of the stems done on the Christmas ornaments. Will be moving on to the tops soon. The colours will light up after the spray-on shellac is applied at the last step. The 2 darkest stems are not walnut, but Pau Ferro. What a delight to turn. Went from spindle gouge to 600 grit. 
Looking good, John. Great spalting, nice form.
Spalted sycamore. Mother and daughter. 13 x 6 and 10 x 4.
I think I'm going to be happy when October rolls around so I can slow down (a lot) making these.
11 x 2 ash
Are those brown marks (1st pic) that kind of look like scratches but they aren't at 5 and 6 o'clock the beginnings of worm trail and would be bigger if I'd went thinner?
edit----- sister is possessed.
11 x 2 ash
Are those brown marks (1st pic) that kind of look like scratches but they aren't at 5 and 6 o'clock the beginnings of worm trail and would be bigger if I'd went thinner?
edit----- sister is possessed.
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I started this one on my friend Tim Tucker's new Magma Titan lathe a few weeks ago, turning it thin(ish) to dry. Another black walnut piece from my Hurricane Helene stash. It was supposed to be a regular 13" salad bowl, but a deep bark inclusion that would have made it inches smaller (and an upcoming art show) made me decide to go a different, I guess more "artistic" route. Here it is after erasing the tool-marks from the interrupted cuts with my 80-grit gouge; wiped down with mineral spirits. Coming along.
I came home this afternoon and cut a piece of walnut for a hollow form and a maple for a couple of bowls to turn. Then saw the hollow birch log I have been looking at for close to a year wondering if it could be safely turned and if I could actually turn it.
So, what the heck, let’s give it a try. It was a little intimidating and I couldn’t get it but about 650 rpm’s. I was limited on the shape due to the hollow part and decided to stop at this point, wrap it up, and think about it before proceeding.
I had thought about leveling the inside bottom and turning another hollow form to fit inside or seeing if I could actually hollow it out to remove the rot.
I have removed most of the rotten and soft part out of the inside with a small grinding tool, following the ridges to keep it as natural as possible and considering leaving it as is after I drill the hole in the top and just using the my hollowing tool to hollow the inside top…still thinking on this. Currently measures 13” x 10-1/2”.
If someone has a suggestion, I’m all ears. I also have the hammer close by if everything goes south on me
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So, what the heck, let’s give it a try. It was a little intimidating and I couldn’t get it but about 650 rpm’s. I was limited on the shape due to the hollow part and decided to stop at this point, wrap it up, and think about it before proceeding.
I had thought about leveling the inside bottom and turning another hollow form to fit inside or seeing if I could actually hollow it out to remove the rot.
I have removed most of the rotten and soft part out of the inside with a small grinding tool, following the ridges to keep it as natural as possible and considering leaving it as is after I drill the hole in the top and just using the my hollowing tool to hollow the inside top…still thinking on this. Currently measures 13” x 10-1/2”.
If someone has a suggestion, I’m all ears. I also have the hammer close by if everything goes south on me
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Amazing. Very cool. Looks like you turned a hollow form and then shot it with your 12 gauge shotgun. Jaramiah may have an idea but I don’t.I came home this afternoon and cut a piece of walnut for a hollow form and a maple for a couple of bowls to turn. Then saw the hollow birch log I have been looking at for close to a year wondering if it could be safely turned and if I could actually turn it.
So, what the heck, let’s give it a try. It was a little intimidating and I couldn’t get it but about 650 rpm’s. I was limited on the shape due to the hollow part and decided to stop at this point, wrap it up, and think about it before proceeding.
I had thought about leveling the inside bottom and turning another hollow form to fit inside or seeing if I could actually hollow it out to remove the rot.
I have removed most of the rotten and soft part out of the inside with a small grinding tool, following the ridges to keep it as natural as possible and considering leaving it as is after I drill the hole in the top and just using the my hollowing tool to hollow the inside top…still thinking on this. Currently measures 13” x 10-1/2”.
If someone has a suggestion, I’m all ears. I also have the hammer close by if everything goes south on me
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I almost want to say "It looks done as it is"... Very nice. A high school friend of mine is a chainsaw artist (Scott Dow) and has also been known to just take broken off tree stum wood and paint amazing "cityscape" or "alien landscape" illusions to it, and your "Landscape vase" reminds me a lot of his work...
Pau Ferro is one of my favorites, especially for small things. I like the turning and the colors.
Hey, do you make the ornaments for sale, gifts? I've made a bunch but this year I'm turning some finials in collaboration with a friend who especially loves to hollow globes! Our club makes ornaments for a big local event to support a children's hospital. I have a bag full of globes waiting for be matched up with wood from my stash when the summer overload is over...
This is the pith section of a green shagbark hickory log. This is my first go at this style of turning. I didn't plan on a bowl that small, but that's where I ended up. I soaked the bark with CA, but it blew off anyway. The pieces ended up intact, though.
I have two questions I'd like your opinion on.
I have two questions I'd like your opinion on.
- Since the piece is too wide for the bowl, should I trim off most of the sapwood?
- If not, should I glue the bark back on?
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IMO, I would not glue the bark back on. I like the irregular contour of a natural edge even if the bark is off.
Is it too late to turn the bowl wider?
Is it too late to turn the bowl wider?
I'm not sure. I can go wider on top, but the vision is pretty small.
Tough call, I kinda like it better without the bark but think it looks good either way.
Can’t see the bottom or how big the actual piece is. Is it balanced when sitting on the bottom?
I haven't finished the bottom yet, but it should be centered.
Hi John. Yes, I sell them at Christmas craft shows. People are always amazed at how light they are, many don’t realize the globe is hollow.
Ha! Just hand them two globes the same size from Osage Orange, one hollowed, one solid! Watch their faces...
Maybe have one just for show for education, hollowed then cut in half. I cut one handbell ornament in half to show at demos how I vary the thickness from rim to center. These bells are are easier to make than hollowing the traditional globe! - I take out the inside with a parting tool. The bell shape lets me smooth and finish the inside, something I can't do (and is of course not needed) with a globe.
I have also made some light-weight ornaments by cheating - turned from lightweight basswood so I could chip carve the outside.
Or make with sea urchin shells - very light!
They are fragile, though - best to fill them with window/door foam sealer and connect the top to the bottom with a dowel. This also helps align both, a little bit off on this one. (some shells are not perfect and need a bit of carving)
JKJ
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Beautiful!!!
I vote don’t trim sap wood and leave bark off!
How about making the bowl larger by adding a 1/2 inch deep step on the outer rim? Not sure I'm explaining it correctly. I vote no cut and no bark.
Crude pic attached.
Crude pic attached.
