First attempt at turning

[gerrybhoy70]

Hi all,

I finally decided to stop just scraping away to make firewood and plunge into making something.
Found a piece of pine lying under the workbench, and remember the Mrs had asked (nay, insisted) that once I could I should make some new candlesticks.

Nothing fancy compared with the pieces you guys produce, and a simple danish oil finish for a bit of a sheen.

Comments would be welcome (good, bad & ugly - they're all useful) on the first finished effort.

Gerry

 

[CHJ]

Nothing wrong with that for first attempts at spindle turning Gerry, now comes the task of making a couple more to match :lol:

On the safety front I would recoment you turn up some bases for them to add stability, by the time there is a candle fitted they could be a fire hazard due to the ease of falling over.
Example:

 

[gerrybhoy70]

Thanks Chas,

I'll be giving the matching pieces a go over the next few days, and I'll post how I get on with them. If I get just one to match I'll be a happy bunny. :lol:

Once I've done that I'll get a couple of bases sorted for them - as you say, best being safe.

Gerry

 

[Bodrighy]

Looks like some nice spindle work there especially as it's in pine. Not the easiest of woods to get a good finish in. Looks like we have another fast tracking newbie on the forum. I look forward to seeing what comes next when you have some better wood to work with. When doing the second one, measure the distances of the different beads etc and cut the wood back to the same diameter with your parting tool in the appropriate places then work towards them, you will find it easier to get a match that way.

Pete

 

[gerrybhoy70]

Cheers Pete. Hopefully I'll be confident enough to try something other than spindles in the not-too-distant future (and again, I'll look to you guys for comments/advice).

For some reason I've been finding pine not too difficult to turn, compared with other woods (I've so far managed to waste teak, oak and beech!!).

Would be grateful for some advice on the best woods to use.

Gerry

 

[Bodrighy]

A lot of people whom start turning go straight into bowls but I reckon spindle work is a much better way of getting good tool control. Don't rush into bowls, there's plenty of those around. Unless you want to do things like George and Mark.

Pete

 

[gerrybhoy70]

I decided to avoid bowls to start with through previous metal turning experience (I was an engineer in earlier life), and remembered from that to always keep it simple til you're sure you can take it further.

Using that, spindles seemed like the right road to 'turn' into. :?

Looking ahead (a loooong way ahead), I'd rather look at making bowls on an as-and-when basis, rather than as a rule.
But, knowing myself and how the rest of my 'forward planning' has gone I'll leave it to the test of time to see where I go from here, but the plan for now is to learn the tooling & then get inventive.

Spindles may be my thing in the end-up, but with the endless options available for design who it may not be a bad choice.

The work George & Mark do is (IMHO) stunning.
Maybe one day I'll attempt something vaguely similar (at least it'll look good in my mind!!). :lol: :lol:

Gerry

 

[skeetoids]

Hi Gerry,

Nice to meet another newbie, I'm 3 months into this turning business and I find it magical TBH. The possibilities are endless and they're all covered by the top dogs here.

I've started turning bowls, not from choice but from intuition. Everyone is so helpful here and clearly very talented.

It will be nice to see how we both get on over the coming months.

Lovely patterns in the wood you've used and a good finish from what I can tell. Perhaps you could try and make more curves in your piece next time, or maybe you where going for the straight, angular look?

Good luck with your turning, Lee.

 

[gerrybhoy70]

Hi Lee,

Pleased to meet you mate. Good luck right back at you.
Cheers for the comments.
Totally agree with you - the guys on here are (as we Glaswegians say) 'brand new'!! :lol:

Everyone's been helpful and constructive, so can only be positive.

As for the spindle, it was intended to have 'soft' angles so came out kinda as planned - but watch this space for more curves etc in future.

My story is boring in detail, but the short version is I used to be a mechanical craft engineer, so did a LOT of metal turning.
Time passed, life changed yada yada.....
Took up carpentry, went to college, got qualified and decided to put the carpentry and engineering together (otherwise a lot of tools never gonna get used again!!).
Next thing I have a lathe and there's scrapings all over the place. Luv it.

Another piece I posted the other day (not turning though) is here:
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/gett ... 41596.html

Might try and combine the two ideas and see what I come up with - could be interesting, could be firewood. :lol:

Gerry

 

[Ad de Crom]

Hi Gerry, nice spindle work, nothing wrong with pine, but not the most popular wood for turnings. But as others told you, keep an eye on the safety matters, by turning always a sturdy foot on candlesticks.
Keep em up!!
Ad

 

[Paul.J]

Good looking piece for a first attempt Gerry

 

[johnny.t.]

Gerry, good first attempt at turning something. You will be surprised at how quickly you will improve if you keep turning regularly.

JT

 

[loz]

Great start !!!

( Nice bandsaw box also !! )

 

[gerrybhoy70]

Ad, Paul, JT, Loz - Thanks guys.
All comments appreciated.

Gerry