Can anyone offer some advice please ?

[Jenx]

Hello ...
managed to find a little time at the weekend to play with the lathe a while.. and to continue learning, hopefully..

I have a question, but first, thought I'd show you my "Bowl efforts number #2 & #3", and the other 'thing', which I personally dont like at all.. but the family wanted to use it, seeing as I'd made it :?

The thing I don't like is this lamp... I liked the base, but basically detest the stem.. i guess its all 'learning' but to me, its not nice at all... never mind, some you win, some you lose, l suppose...

Then there's second and third efforts at 'Mr Bowl' ...
This one, - i liked the spalted beech timber.. the outside of it ended up with areas that reminded me of the markings of a Boa Constrictor !

Then this one ... a bit of an odd-ball shape perhaps though ! ( its sycamore, I think )

I'd really struggled with the bowl gouge on the first bowl I'd tried.. this weekend, having got some advice from some of you by PM, I tried again, and got on a little better with it. - Still find dealing with the end-grain in the two positions as the disc rotates, quite a challenge though ( sorry if my terminology isn't the best ! :wink: )... I've made a jig to make the sharpening process a bit more simple, is this difficulty down to tool sharpness, or a clumsy hand, / tool control, or a bit of both ? or perhaps something else ? The jig helped me a lot.. at least I can grind a 'constant' bevel now, which I was really struggling to do, solely by eye/hand, when i first tried it.

Anyways... I know this is perhaps jumping the gun a bit, and maybe trying to run before i can walk.. but a friend of mine asked me to have a go at making a drinking goblet for her. -- she wants a large vessel, with the 'inverted trapezoid' type of bowl to it, rather than the 'tulip' type of shape.. she's a friend from the 'biking world', and likes a decent volume of beer in her cup... Whether i'm up to the task is a seperate question in itself, but blind faith and panic will see me achieve 'something' :wink: ... however, the thing i wanted to ask is...
what wood should I attempt this out of , and what, if any, type of finish should I impart to the thing ? It will ( assuming it can be made 'after a fashion' ), get used to hold beers / ales
Any advice would be very welcome.. ( other than 'close the shed door, Son and go fishing instead ! ' )

Thanks in advance...
much appreciated !

Alun.

 

[CHJ]

Nothing wrong with those pieces for starters, maybe the lamp stem is a little busy but it looks clean cut and not sanded out.

On the Beer vessel, try Sycamore, Beech (unspalted), Ash, the biggest problem will be getting a dry piece chunky enough,most pieces, such as a log, that size will mean end grain turning which is another challenge for a new starter together with the reaching to a deeper depth.

Bowl gouges may not be the tool of choice if you are still finding them a challenge on internal cuts, I know it was some time before I found the sweet spot so to speak with the bowl gouges, mainly due to bevel angle of my initial gouge. You may have to rely on a well supported scraper for reaching that deep for the time being.

 

[Bodrighy]

As Chas said, 'nothing wrong with those pieces' Style and design are totally subjective and tyou will find things that you like others hate and vice versa. There are as many rules of design as there are designers. I would suggest that you google woodturning galleries and look at some of the wonderful (and monstrous) things that are being made by others.

Re a drinking vessel. a hard wood like beech would be OK but don't use spalted wood or wood with knots in it. Finish, just sand as much as possible and don't put any oil etc on it or it leaches into the beer. DAMHIK

Pete

 

[Paul.J]

Some nice work there Alun
I had the same problem with the bowl gouge when i first tried turning a bowl,but stuck at it and find it a great tool to use now.
Just keep at it.PRACTICE,PRACTICE,PRACTICE.
Paul.J.

 

[Jenx]

Thanks Chaps, ... that will help me in trying to sort this goblet out... do you avoid the spalted wood for reasons of traces of fungus coming into contact with the liquid and possibly contaminating it ?

I had a thought - would it be 'bad practice' to try to fabricate this in two pieces ? I have a piece of ash which is effectively a deep bowl blank, about 5 inches thick by 7 inches in diameter, and another piece about 60mm square by 300mm long .... what would your thoughts be, about doing the 'containment vessel' seperate from the stem / base and glueing them together with a stubby little tenon ? I'm guessing it may mean the vessel part could end up a little 'heavy' - but do you think its worth a try ?


Chas - you're right on the money about that lamp-shaft.. far too "busy," and every time I catch sight of it - I like it less and less.
However, its all 'practice' I suppose, but I'll know not to do that again.

Thanks again folks -
your input is absolutely invaluable to the 'greenhorn learner',
very much appreciated

 

[CHJ]

Alun, nothing wrong in doing the vessel in two or even three parts, try and get some form of grain flow between them or even a contrast wood for the stem.

Use the chucking recesses, screw chuck or glue blocks etc. to hold and locate the bowl and the base with small spigots on the stem.

A much larger project but it might help sort a method out to suit.

 

[Jenx]

Brilliant, Chas ... thats extremely informative.... thats quite a body of work, putting all that together. Most impressive !

Thanks again for taking time out to point me in the right direction.
I really like the idea of the contrasting woods, between the container part and the stem - that could work very well.

I must admit to being a little bit 'nervy' about producing something for someone, even if they are a friend, in whats 'new and uncharted media' to me.

I'll practice on some 'throw-away' scrap wood, and try a few things out.

Cheers for that... thats great ! 8) 8)