Thanks Ted, trying to get my inventory of finished bowls stocked back up so I can get back on hollow forms. I have four HF’s completed just trying to decided how I want to finish them.
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What’s on your lathe?
- Thread starter Rusty Nesmith
- Start date
@David Wyke , I LOVE the shape of your rim, inside and out. I wonder why... Although I don't turn many bowls I've used similar shapes a time or two. One reason I do some rims like this is I think undercut rim and the outer flare make the piece easier to pick up and hold securely.
I made this one about three years ago just to make sure I could still turn a bowl. A friend wanted to turn his first bowl and it had been years since I turned one so I did three in a row with various shapes, both to show him some options but more importantly, so I'd be able to explain the steps to him without saying something really stupid. (Well, that's never stopped me from saying dumb things before but it sometimes helps.
I used a sloped flat on the top of the rim for this one. I liked the walnut. Gave it to a guy in the club.
This was the second turning of a dry roughed out blank. I always say if either coring or shaping a green blank for twice turning make the wall plenty thick to give lots of design options after the wood shrinks and warps while drying.
JKJ
I like large sloped rims with an undercut rim, just need to do more of them. This one actually had a wider rim and curved down slightly on the outside. While turning the inside I had to remove more material than I wanted to because of warp and clean up so ended up trimming it down. I actually like this better.@David Wyke , I LOVE the shape of your rim, inside and out. I wonder why... Although I don't turn many bowls I've used similar shapes a time or two. One reason I do some rims like this is I think undercut rim and the outer flare make the piece easier to pick up and hold securely.
I made this one about three years ago just to make sure I could still turn a bowl. A friend wanted to turn his first bowl and it had been years since I turned one so I did three in a row with various shapes, both to show him some options but more importantly, so I'd be able to explain the steps to him without saying something really stupid. (Well, that's never stopped me from saying dumb things before but it sometimes helps.
I used a sloped flat on the top of the rim for this one. I liked the walnut. Gave it to a guy in the club.
View attachment 86758
This was the second turning of a dry roughed out blank. I always say if either coring or shaping a green blank for twice turning make the wall plenty thick to give lots of design options after the wood shrinks and warps while drying.
JKJ
Given the season, I thought I would try a thin wall egg shaped box. I had only done one before and that was two years ago, so it was time. I rarely use any patterns for my turning projects, but this is an eggception. Once it was completed, I figured the pattern size I chose was big for a chicken egg so according to a posting from Mr. Jordan, let's call this a Peacock egg. No finish on it yet, but the figure on this maple is pretty nice even before I use some wipe-on Poly on it. I was very pleased with the even wall thickness of about 1/8" all the way around I was able to achieve with the help of my patterns.
Once it was completed, I figured the pattern size I chose was big for a chicken egg so according to a posting from Mr. Jordan, let's call this a Peacock egg. No finish on it yet, but the figure on this maple is pretty nice even before I use some wipe-on Poly on it. I was very pleased with the even wall thickness of about 1/8" all the way around I was able to achieve with the help of my patterns.Attachments
It's a dish/platter until you call it a bowl.
It's a dish when it holds your peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
It's a plate when you add potato chips to go with your sandwich.
It's a bowl when you can add milk to your Cheerios without sloshing over the side.
OR...
Just because you say so...
I’ve just about had enough of this Persimmon wood
. I’ve turned 9 natural edge, 6 regular bowls, 1 hollow form, and gave away several pieces and have enough left for 8-10 bowls. I turned these two today and now my wife has me taking a short vacation. Anyone be in Pigeon Forge this week?
. I’ve turned 9 natural edge, 6 regular bowls, 1 hollow form, and gave away several pieces and have enough left for 8-10 bowls. I turned these two today and now my wife has me taking a short vacation. Anyone be in Pigeon Forge this week?
Yikes, my condolences.
Living close, I've been in and through Pigeon Forge so many times my wish is to never go again. 30 years ago it was reasonable. Now it gets so crowded at times I go only when strong-armed by family or if I need to get to Arrowmont. Good starting point for getting up in the Smokys though!JKJ
Thank you, what finish did you use?
Hard maple box with the lid off center turned. Finished with walnut oil.
Buffed with carnauba wax
Odie
Panning for Montana gold, with Betsy, the mule!
The last two bowls I worked on needed to return to the lathe for a major re-do.
This cottonwood burl bowl was returned to the lathe after the DO had been applied. There was a small tool mark under the undercut rim that was unacceptable. I tried just sanding it out, but the DO clogged the sandpaper terribly......I ended up going all the way back to using lathe tools.
The little flaw that caused all the trouble was very faint, and probably few people would have even noticed.....but, I could not have sold this bowl as it was.
Now that it has been redone, I'm glad I did it......but, it was a hard decision to initially make....
=o=
This cottonwood burl bowl was returned to the lathe after the DO had been applied. There was a small tool mark under the undercut rim that was unacceptable. I tried just sanding it out, but the DO clogged the sandpaper terribly......I ended up going all the way back to using lathe tools.
The little flaw that caused all the trouble was very faint, and probably few people would have even noticed.....but, I could not have sold this bowl as it was.
Now that it has been redone, I'm glad I did it......but, it was a hard decision to initially make....
=o=
There were Aspen, Maple, and Peruvian Walnut wood chips on my lathe tonight. Worked out that there were also some magic wands there too. The Maple and Walnut got a rubbed in wipe-on poly shortly after this. The three Aspen wands will not receive finish so they can be decorated with pyrography. 
I DO really like that
Not sure if this will work or not. I noticed when my lathe came in that the pallet was all made from plywood bits.
Going to try and make something..might be to crappy of stuff though!
Going to try and make something..might be to crappy of stuff though!
I love sassafras. Yesterday I was using the excavator to clean up some fallen trees that had been down a long time - one was sassafras about 12" dia and in good condition. It's hard to get sassafras to rot on the ground. And it's quite stable.
Anyone interested in sassafras wood come visit with a truck or trailer - I have a couple of "largish" trees that need to come down. Probably enough small limbs for 18,000 mushrooms.
Wish I was able to. I've only turned one small piece of it that I bought online but I really liked it.
Sassafras.
Do you prefer green or dry?
I have a few dry blanks and plan to remove a live tree sometime in the next few months. I also have a bunch of standing dead sassafras trees in various states - sometime some of that wood is good.
Do you ever get over to the Chattanooga club? Or the TAW symposium?
Send me a private message and maybe we could figure out how to get some useful pieces to you.
JKJ
Rough shaped and hole filler applied.
Added some cedar and walnut. Lid is not on all the way. Waiting for shellac to cure.
Not on the lathe cut some silver maple cut up and sealed the end grain
To be on the lathe in the near future
To be on the lathe in the near future
Another enjoyable evening at the lathe making four more Magic Wands. These are all Maple, with one of them Birdseye Maple. Longest one is a little more than 14" They were all finished with wipe-on poly before I left the shop tonight. Just love seeing the figure in the Maple pop when the finish is applied.
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Sassafras should be everywhere around you. I have plenty. Maybe I'll drive down to see you one of these days.
Our woodturning club has a Take Back Challenge each month. Someone brings in a piece of wood and they ask a member to turn something, bring it back to the next meeting, and it is auctioned off and the end of the year for charity.
They asked me to do the Take Back Challenge today and since it was maple and I don’t get to turn a lot of maple, I agreed. So, I went ahead and knocked it out when I got home. Should finish up around 13-1/2 x 3-3/4.
They asked me to do the Take Back Challenge today and since it was maple and I don’t get to turn a lot of maple
, I agreed. So, I went ahead and knocked it out when I got home. Should finish up around 13-1/2 x 3-3/4.
This WAS on my lathe, then it wasn't, a brief moment of stupidity knocked it off the bed as I was between projects. 
CA glue???
CA glue???
This WAS on my lathe, then it wasn't, a brief moment of stupidity knocked it off the bed as I was between projects.
View attachment 87139
Oh no, I HATE it when that happens. I have lots of moments of stupidity, some not brief.
CA maybe, if all the pieces are there but the glue lines might be hard to hide and sometimes tight joins are difficult. I'd be inclined to start over with a new piece of wood if available.
JKJ
It may be. Having narcolepsy, I just unfortunately don't have the ability to get out and hunt for it.
You're welcome to stop by anytime Kent. It'd be awesome to get to spend some time with a fellow woodturner. No other woodturners around here close that I'm aware of and I'm not able to get out to meetings.
Been trying to get some coring done here lately before the weather starts to get too hot. Cherry, Maple & Walnut.
This is what's on my lathe... I haven't decided what the final shape will be. Oak and morado, with jatoba and pecan inside.
I had this design sort of forming in my mind, so I sat down at the computer to do the geometry. The center square is pecan, and that check only runs a quarter inch deep or so. The gaps aren't really gaps. Those are the ends where I tested for accuracy before ripping, so it's only a tiny gap at the end of the triangle.
Just checking the fit. I used hose clamps and a strap clamp for the glue-up.
And these are outside of my shop, slowly getting processed - pecan from my yard, taken down by Helene; red cedar from my church, also Helene damage; two large trunk pieces of sycamore that a friend just gave me... with more to come.
I had this design sort of forming in my mind, so I sat down at the computer to do the geometry. The center square is pecan, and that check only runs a quarter inch deep or so. The gaps aren't really gaps. Those are the ends where I tested for accuracy before ripping, so it's only a tiny gap at the end of the triangle.
Just checking the fit. I used hose clamps and a strap clamp for the glue-up.
And these are outside of my shop, slowly getting processed - pecan from my yard, taken down by Helene; red cedar from my church, also Helene damage; two large trunk pieces of sycamore that a friend just gave me... with more to come.
Been working on my spindle turning with magic Wands lately. The more practice, the more exotic materials, the more components, and the more elaborate finishing processes start happening. I completed two wands tonight. One with Curly Maple and Jatoba and the other of Bacote, Acrylic, Curly Maple, and select items inside the Wand's Magical Core. CA finish on the one with Bacote... Because it is an oily wood, I wiped the surface with acetone, let it dry, and then did my CA application. Then Micro-Mesh and buffed it out to match the sheen on the acrylic. If I used my usual wipe-on oil poly directly on the Bacote, it would have taken weeks (or months) for it to dry because of those oils within the wood.
Thuya 100%. It smells very pungent....
Ouch! I came home yesterday and my dog had decided to taste test a small ring bowl I had on the counter. I had put it out to give to my friend and forgot to bring it....This WAS on my lathe, then it wasn't, a brief moment of stupidity knocked it off the bed as I was between projects.
View attachment 87139
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Maybe put the pieces on the table at a craft fair with a card "All items are inspected for quality by [dog's name]. This is how he lets me know when not happy with one."
JKJ
Curt,
You're zipping right along like magic! Those look fantastic.
When I give one to someone I like to say "Hey, watch where you point that!!"
I use a variety of finishes, depending on the wood. For example, with eastern red cedar I like the look of several applications of "danish" oil.
The top one is cedar with oil, distressed texturing and some friction-burned lines. (The bottom one is ebony, stippled, no finish - just buffed)
Cedar wand I made and took to a surgeon who repaired my face - a true wizard!
His wand, on the lathe, sanded, then with oil finish.
He (and his wife) were so excited. As were the staff and even the people in the waiting room who came up to see.
For some reason, almost everyone likes wands! (One of most requested demo, disguised as a "thin spindle" demo.
Hey, if you decide to make a display stand, this has worked well for me for years - take it to demos, symposium instant galleries.. Two wedges of wood. I drilled holes with Forstner bits along one edge of both, smaller on one side to accommodate the thinner diameters of the shafts. Can display it in either low or upright positions.
JKJ
Howdy John, hope your day is magical!
Use your Magic only for good.
Remember, the Magic is within you!
Please don't turn anyone into a Newt. They may not get better.
For those that don't know, you are missing out!
Use your Magic only for good.
Remember, the Magic is within you!
Please don't turn anyone into a Newt. They may not get better.
For those that don't know, you are missing out!