One Small Step for....

[MikeW]

...Snip...
Heres one from this evening, started life in your neck of the woods no doubt.
...
Judging by the growth rings these things certainly get a move on in the summer, I should think you can here them growing.

Yet again. I should be out in the shop instead of seeing what it is you've made today!

Yep, they grow in the town I live in. The neighbor down the street has a couple about 7-8 feet in diameter. I have largish oaks and maples on my lot. But main growth is a couple hundred miles from me.

This Link will show what does grow in abundance locally, though. The ones in question are the cedars. Note that there isn't any sapwood nor heartwood in these vertical grain timbers. Also, the porch columns (I have yet to remake) are a little over 9' long and 8" in diameter for size comparison to the timbers. Do also note the close up of the early/late growth...

My wife keeps eying them and asking when I am going to build something from them...she wants the offcuts. After showing her your new work, she wants 'em real bad.

So I don't know whether to actually congratulate you or not :lol:

Take care, Mike

 

[CHJ]

..snip..My wife keeps eying them and asking when I am going to build something from them...she wants the offcuts. After showing her your new work, she wants 'em real bad.

So I don't know whether to actually congratulate you or not :lol:

Take care, Mike

Well just tell her that the Cedar is probably to soft for anything that would have to take a few knocks, and it would be a shame to spend the effort on something that might get spoilt .

If it is anything like the hardness of the summer growth of the Wellingtonia, it marks with a fingernail, but the winter growth is as hard as oak, a real challenge to sand.

Mind you I would not say no to a couple of billets like those.

 

[CHJ]

Chas,

You have been practising haven't you?

Practice :?: Don't have time to practice, Just don't let the purist turners see which tool I use and how.

Very nice wood made into a very nice piece.

Looks pretty but not very practical, the summer growth is very soft and will mark easily, one for leaving on the shelf rather than every day use.

..snip..there is not enough time for the toys I currently have let alone any new ones.

For some strange reason I am having the same problem, there are several weeks worth of unfinished projects in garage workshop.

 

[CHJ]

This mornings challenge, 17mm thick blank (handsawn offcut),

No cole jaws or vacuum chuck available.
Requirement, no visible means of support on finished article.
Resultant finished thickness 15mm with base thickness of 3mm.

Sycamore 300 X 15mm

 

[Les Mahon]

No cole jaws or vacuum chuck available.
Requirement, no visible means of support on finished article.
Resultant finished thickness 15mm with base thickness of 3mm.

Well don't just leave it at that! pray tell how did you hold it?

Another super piece. I have refrained from commenting up to now on this thread, because reading it just makes me want to retire so I can turn all week! Could you do us working soles a favour and post all of the weeks work on tursday or friday when workshop time i smore than a dream :lol:

The pieces you have posted are brilliant - makes me want to keep going as I only took up turning earlier this year as well, and am finding it completly addictive too!

Les

 

[CHJ]

Well don't just leave it at that! pray tell how did you hold it?

Well a jamb chuck for the top reccess to finish the base was out because I needed to measure how thin the base was getting, so I turned and sanded the flat base first.

If you can envision how I held the blank for that with a standard Super Nova chuck kit then you have the answer. (hint the base was the last to be completely polished)

PS, Re: delaying pictures, I'm in the Garage workshop for a couple of days rationalizing the setup in before I start on a new door and associated frame for Lathe shed. Need to organise some timber for that and some supplies for a bit of bricklaying etc. in a move to increase the security in there, so you have a clear run to the weekend.

 

[CHJ]

The Results of 'Pottering' around in the shed this morning.

S/Beech, Ash, Poplar/Bubinga

 

[dedee]

Is that an egg cup in the middle - for an ostrich :lol:

Very nice work? Are there any trees left in the Cotswolds? You work rate is amazing and a pleasure to see the results.

Andy

 

[CHJ]

Is that an egg cup in the middle - for an ostrich :lol:

Just trying to beat the shops in preparing for easter. :lol:

Very nice work? Are there any trees left in the Cotswolds? You work rate is amazing and a pleasure to see the results.
Andy

Thank you, and yes there are plenty of trees around here, I have managed to acquire a few sections recently but it will be some time before I get to see if any is salvageable for turning, in the mean time it's my wallet thats somewhat depleted with wood purchases, but we usually get a good day out combined with the rout around the stockists racks.

 

[CHJ]

No. Four (and last) of a requested group, this time in Ash, and the end of a battle with an oddment of Lime that had some rather persistent outer shakes that kept chasing me toward the centre.

Ash (300mm)

Lime (200mm)

 

[CHJ]

Could not resist this piece of Ash before I set about sorting the wood stocks.

 

[CHJ]

Bowl Gouge and I are finally coming to an understanding with the grinder and bits of spinning wood.

Beech (250mm)

 

[CHJ]

Been tidying some of the offcuts:

Cherry (100mm)

And another piece of Sycamore that was in the way.

 

[CHJ]

Just managing the withdrawl symptoms whilst trying to catch up on other tasks.

Birch (210mm)

 

[MikeW]

...And another piece of Sycamore that was in the way.

This is just a lovely piece and done very well!

Thank you. Mike

 

[MikeW]

OK, Ok. Still can't convince you know who to post, so here's one of two I gave my mom for mother's day this year.

The other is a little vase from some Swiss Pear. But I didn't get a picture. I'll try to remember to take the camera this weekend.

This is a piece of wood from the firewood pile. Hard as rock and was split pretty good. I stopped when it started to vibrate too much.

I liked it if for nothing other than the connective tissues still intact in some of the cracks.

 

[CHJ]

Mike, I can still feel the tension created every time you approached that for 'just a bit more' out of the middle. I have a couple of pieces of Laburnum and a lot of Yew with similar character that I am trying to work up enough courage to tackle.

 

[trevtheturner]

Amazing what you can find in the firewood pile! I must have a scavenge in mine.

Lovely job, Mike, and I can understand why you didn't want to put that piece of wood on the fire. :wink:

I'm sure you can use your persuasive powers to convince you know who to post. I certainly would like to see pics of some of her work.

Cheers,

Trev.

 

[MikeW]

Hi Chas,

In the upper picture the crack that radiates from the heart and goes up over the rim to the upper left can also be seen in the lower picture at the upp right and you can see it goes down inside.

It was that crack, owing the the heavily undercut rim (can't see it in the pictures, though you can sorta in the upper pic) that was causing the wobble. It was trying to come apart there. I could actually see it separating. So I slowed the lathe down to its lowest rpm and finished it then.

This is a piece of Walnut from a tree we took down several years ago. Most of the rest of it is spalted, some very light in color. Hard to imagine it was from the same tree.

Dina says she's going to have me show her how to post, so she'll likely have something up here tonight or tomorrow.

Mike

 

[CHJ]

Repeat performance, "can you do one like that for ..." you know the rest.

Birch (220mm dia)