I started turning throw-tops a couple of years ago. If hollowed out, think of them as a pointy-tipped box. Kids really seem to love the big ones.
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New Items Turning On The Lathe
- Thread starter Mike Johnson
- Start date
I have been a little slow to get around to attempting this. I have a huge Moose antler. Wanted to turn some items with it. Years ago, I turned some white tail antler, but used a slow turning metal lathe, mill file and chain saw files to do the shaping. White tail antler can be made to look like nicely aged ivory. Also turned a powder horn plug from a piece of solid horn tip. Antler and horn buff up very nice and shiny.. On a census record one of my ancestors was listed as a bone turner. Haven't tried that yet either. When i lived in Miami, I saw urn style planters made from coral Not sure if they were turned or not.
Growing up in The Netherlands, as kids we had the game of throwing tops, it was to trying to hit one of the other tops, or a spot that was marked out, I have turned a few of these tops.
Here’s a picture of one here and also how we would wind the cord around the top and hold it before throwing the top, it takes a bit of practice to get good at this.
Here’s a picture of one here and also how we would wind the cord around the top and hold it before throwing the top, it takes a bit of practice to get good at this.
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Another type of turning where one can use their imagination to make one of a kind every time, I show a few I made here, and I have actually made a few hundred of these, and every one is different from the others.
My wife was less than impressed the week after I moved from my nova comet ii, because it was too small, to a Nova Saturn and then spent a week turning miniature birdhouses. They are a fun little project to make.
Just remembered, Every March we have a community consignment auction to raise money for the volunteer fire company. Called a "Mud Sale" because the ground is so muddy that time of year. Two years ago, a person donated some full size turned bird houses. Just like the little ornaments but 8 or 10 inches in diameter and meant to really be used.
Turned a few spheres and drilled a recessed hole for a time piece and sanded a flat on the surface for the sphere to sit on. The wood is some Coffee Tree I harvested several years ago.
I was turning a large diameter piece that used a large piece of birch plywood for the base, I had extra material to work with and turned a large diameter Chakram, I was thinking of giving this to one of my grandsons until I went out and gave it a toss, wow this thing will cover long distances quickly and has just enough mass to be lethal. Now I see why India used these as weapons back in the day.
