First for indoors

[Tazmaniandevil]

After finally getting my hands on a lathe, I have been practicing on scrap wood to get my hand in. This is pretty much the first time I have done any turning since leaving school over 30 years ago...
So.... after all the mushrooms, honey dippers, tea-light holders and spinning tops I have rendered from the scrap bin, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and try turning something I wouldn't be ashamed to display indoors.

[rolf harris voice]"Can you guess what it is yet?[/rolf harris voice]
The top part is the outside of a birch log I picked up in the woods, and the bottom is some iroko off-cuts glued up. Iroko doesn't half dull the tools though.....

 

[gus3049]

Pretty good for a first!!

However, as an vastly experienced wood turner of now, ooh almost a year I have the odd observation.

Although its nicely turned and finished, it looks pretty much like most people's early attempts ie. a practice piece for doing beads and stuff like that.

I remember being quite hurt when I received a similar comment when I started but he was dead right. Now that you've got that out of the way, you can start to concentrate on shape and form rather than just how do I do that, so that the piece flows and any decoration compliments the design rather than being the design.

I keep several early bits to remind me of where I was but most have met the flame on the wood burner.

Welcome to the forum. I look forward to seeing the next and the next and the...........

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

Absolutely right Gordon. I'm not very good at the art side of things, so tend to stick with what I feel comfortable with - hence the mushrooms, honey dippers et al.
Any suggestions on developing the art?

 

[gus3049]

Absolutely right Gordon. I'm not very good at the art side of things, so tend to stick with what I feel comfortable with - hence the mushrooms, honey dippers et al.
Any suggestions on developing the art?

Good grief, I'm the last person you should be asking. I am still seeking the path!!

However, all I can suggest is that you do what I do. Trawl the net, browse this forum and if you see something you like - get inspiration from it (i.e. copy it). I have read several people on here say they have all the artistic talent of a house brick but they still manage to turn out some pretty impressive stuff so I guess its practice practice practice and the eye will develop. There are also quite a few really talented 'artistic' turners on this forum so there is lots of inspiration to find. I started a thread about copying recently and all I got was confirmation that copying is how we all learn stuff. Go for it.

It really depends what you want to do. If you feel you don't have to artistic bit then what do you want? Practical stuff?

I have to do mostly practical things as that is the market I have to sell into around here. 'What's it for' is the first question I get if I try 'art'. I do that for me and hope I can find a customer.

So just keep turning.

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

Loving the bird candlestick! Also your Audrey2 candlestick. I see I have lots of examples to look through already.

 

[vmvseoa]

Hi Taz,

I too have recently had a go at turning, though my "lathe" was a bit of a Heath Robinson, old drill and a vice contraption! You could always try the woodturners favourite of chess pieces, or even better, I'm not sure if the forum rules allow this (I'm sure I'll be told off if they don't), have a look at this site...

http://woodturningvideos.co.uk/turning- ... n-a-lathe/

if the link is dissallowed by the mods, google "flowers on a lathe video". I had a go at this because the fella in the video (Stuart King) made it look ridiculously easy, and it is once you get the hang of it, just make sure that your chisels are incredibly sharp. Try it, make the wife some flowers, she'll love em.

vmvseoa

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

That looks really cool. I have a nice beech branch asking for some of that treatment.

 

[JonF]

Taz,

I like it! Chunky, real and solid. It's the sort of thing i remember from my childhood and one of those items that will last. Most definitely it's a better candlestick than my recent first bowl which contrived to be of greater diameter on the inside than the outside.