Wire wheel

[James McCall]

Has anyone had luck using a wire wheel in a drill for scoring a bowl instead of using a spiralizer? I've not seen any examples of someone using one.

 

[Steve Tiedman]

Here is a small walnut box I'd turned (thread link below), then while it spun on the lathe, I used a wire wheel in a hand drill to texture it.

I'd suggest some practice pieces to play with different species of wood, shapes, sizes, RPMs, wire wheel parallel and perpendicular to grain, etc. Have fun with it.

Post in thread 'What kind of texturing tool to buy?' https://www.aawforum.org/community/threads/what-kind-of-texturing-tool-to-buy.23156/post-250700

 

[Michael Nathal]

I think I remember the late John Jordan use a wire wheel, held in his hands, while the piece was rotating on the lathe. It was in his live remote demo for the AAW during COVID.

 

[Jim Reynolds]

I took a green wood turning class from Mark Gardener at Arrowmont and he said that the late John Jordan would use the technique that Michael describes above. Mark demoed the technique and I used this on a still green bowl. I then applied a couple of coats of green milk paint and then sanded back to expose bare wood on some of the higher spots. I wouldn't describe my result as "fancy", but I like the effect on a utilitarian bowl.

 

[hughie]

I have 2 or 3 wire wheels, one in brass used in giving the weathered look, especially of wood like Douglas Fir very effective, powered in a pistol drill.

 

[robo hippy]

I made a picture frame years ago and made "feathers" for it. I used Wenge for the feather and maple, I think, for the quill. I took a wire wheel on my 6 inch grinder to eat away the grain so the wenge looked like an actual feather. Like Hughie says, some of the woods that have hard and soft grain with different hardness will look weathered after being hit with a wire wheel. I like the in line ones, not the rotary ones.

robo hippy

 

[john lucas]

Yes I've done it a lot. I buy cheap wire wheels whenever I can find them. Some cut better than others. I often use them in my headstock in a drill chuck. If you do that you need to install a drawbar to keep the chuck from coming loose. I like this method because I can use two hands to hold the piece against tge wheel fir better control.
John J showed me how to sharpen them. Put the grinding wheel in a hand drill. Run the drill I. Reverse and hold the wheel against a grind stone. Only takes a light touch. It raises a burr on each wire similar to raising a burr on a scraper.
The wire wheel cuts differently when running parallel to the grain vs across the grain.

 

[John K Jordan]

I remember the late John Jordan use a wire wheel,

I watched him do this. He had a variety of wheels and passed them out to anyone who wanted one.

JKJ

 

[James McCall]

Here is a small walnut box I'd turned (thread link below), then while it spun on the lathe, I used a wire wheel in a hand drill to texture it.

I'd suggest some practice pieces to play with different species of wood, shapes, sizes, RPMs, wire wheel parallel and perpendicular to grain, etc. Have fun with it.

Post in thread 'What kind of texturing tool to buy?' https://www.aawforum.org/community/threads/what-kind-of-texturing-tool-to-buy.23156/post-250700

Steve, I've seen the pictures you shared before and really liked the effect. In interim I must have forgotten that post l. Thanks.

 

[James McCall]

Yes I've done it a lot. I buy cheap wire wheels whenever I can find them. Some cut better than others. I often use them in my headstock in a drill chuck. If you do that you need to install a drawbar to keep the chuck from coming loose. I like this method because I can use two hands to hold the piece against tge wheel fir better control.
John J showed me how to sharpen them. Put the grinding wheel in a hand drill. Run the drill I. Reverse and hold the wheel against a grind stone. Only takes a light touch. It raises a burr on each wire similar to raising a burr on a scraper.
The wire wheel cuts differently when running parallel to the grain vs across the grain.

I'm guessing that across the grain it wears evenly and with the grain it wears the early and late growth at different rates? Thanks

 

[John K Jordan]

I'm guessing that across the grain it wears evenly and with the grain it wears the early and late growth at different rates? Thanks

Different types of wood may behave differently. I don't know of any good substitute for experimenting!

JKJ