Greetings, new aspiring woodturner here, so lots to learn. Got myself a starter lathe from Wen with 12" swing, starter set of tools from Wen, some new bowl gouges and parting tools from Carter & sons, a Nova 2 chuck, some Fostner bits, polishing mandrel, plus safety gear. Slow speed grinder and jigs.
I have a lot of Coastal live oak wood in yard (Quercus agrifolia) and want to use it. Made "my first bowl", some honey drippers, some coasters, in addition to a lot of mistakes with that wood. Also a first lidded box from a scrap piece of white oak from a bannister. A few incense burners from cross sections of live oak with bark and lichen still on, stabilized in cactus juice. A bunch of big manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.) branches made nice incense burners when cut long way (yes, not turned, but anyway). I also have a bunch of ipe scraps from a deck job, but will wait with working on that until the Trend Airshield arrives. I know the dust of ipe is rather nasty.
I want to use what's available for free in terms of wood, even it it is not "desirable" wood. I like more "natural" look, with live edges. Eventually will also want to get a bit into resin casting and filling cracks with colored resins. Pressure pot is on order. May want to try segmented work with the live oak, as it splits very easily. Not interested in pen turning, goblets, or furniture spindle work.
Got a few books, but have some questions about technique, for instance what a "feathering cut" is, and when "riding the bevel", is the contact line parallel to tool rest, or at right angle, or does it change. I have not been able to figure that out from any book or video. So I just try all the different ways, make lots of mistakes, and learn rapidly. Unfortunately, I don't know anybody else in the area who could show me, and currently social gatherings are anyway not advised. So I do the best I can.
This is pure hobby. By day, I am a natural history museum curator working on systematics and evolution of marine snails and orchids, including lots of electron microscopy.
I have a lot of Coastal live oak wood in yard (Quercus agrifolia) and want to use it. Made "my first bowl", some honey drippers, some coasters, in addition to a lot of mistakes with that wood. Also a first lidded box from a scrap piece of white oak from a bannister. A few incense burners from cross sections of live oak with bark and lichen still on, stabilized in cactus juice. A bunch of big manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.) branches made nice incense burners when cut long way (yes, not turned, but anyway). I also have a bunch of ipe scraps from a deck job, but will wait with working on that until the Trend Airshield arrives. I know the dust of ipe is rather nasty.
I want to use what's available for free in terms of wood, even it it is not "desirable" wood. I like more "natural" look, with live edges. Eventually will also want to get a bit into resin casting and filling cracks with colored resins. Pressure pot is on order. May want to try segmented work with the live oak, as it splits very easily. Not interested in pen turning, goblets, or furniture spindle work.
Got a few books, but have some questions about technique, for instance what a "feathering cut" is, and when "riding the bevel", is the contact line parallel to tool rest, or at right angle, or does it change. I have not been able to figure that out from any book or video. So I just try all the different ways, make lots of mistakes, and learn rapidly. Unfortunately, I don't know anybody else in the area who could show me, and currently social gatherings are anyway not advised. So I do the best I can.
This is pure hobby. By day, I am a natural history museum curator working on systematics and evolution of marine snails and orchids, including lots of electron microscopy.