• January Turning Challenge: Thin-Stemmed Something! (click here for details)
  • Conversations are now Direct Messages (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to John Lucas for "Lost and Found" being selected as Turning of the Week for January 13, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Second Multi-Axis Project *PIC*

Joined
Aug 10, 2006
Messages
16
Likes
0
Location
Southern California
Last time I turned some female forms I had learned from Chris Stott inspired by an article I read about Barbara Dill. I used a few walnut pieces given to me as a gift collected from a barn which was allegedly over 100 years old. These pieces were very dry. Multi-Axis turning is exciting because they inherently have some danger. On the female forms, since they are long, you don't feel it as much, but when you tackle a Soren Berger's ladle (or scoop as he calls it), things change quite a bit.

I have turned several of these "scoops" in the past, but it has been a long time ago.. Since I had left over walnut, I decided to revisit my notes given to me by Soren on the way to the airport.

Soren Berger, is a phenomenal artist, toolmaker and woodturner from New Zealand. I know him very well and spent a considerable time with him learning some "pretty cool" stuff. I was immediately attracted to these scoops, because of the large amount of variations you can obtain. I recently found out he lost his wife. It saddened me because I know she was a tremendous supporter of his work, a great wife and mother. So, my heart goes to you Soren

The first one I turned with Soren I used Osage Orange. I won a first prize at the Ventura County Fair. It brought in a whopping $5. It no longer has that "yellow color"... it looks a lot like walnut.

On this specific piece, I went for a more "robust" look. It took about 2.5 hours to turn it.

As I mentioned before, I encourage all of you to experiment with "off-center" work. You don't need any special tools or accessories... if you would like to see Soren turning one of these, I accidentally found a video on the internet. If you will go to the woodworkingchannel.com under the Members tab click Soren Berger, and you will find the video.

You will be able to see Soren demonstrating with it.. I think it is a very cool project.

Critiques are welcome... Once again, apologies for any defects you might notice... just trying to squeeze in some turning before I forget what I have learned... My mind has been very occupied lately with beer brewing. God I love that stuff..

Honey..... look what I turned specially for you... a beautiful scoop.... Can I buy a Blichmann Fermenter... it's only $1000? :cool2:
 

Attachments

  • ladle1.jpg
    ladle1.jpg
    81.7 KB · Views: 136
  • ladle2.jpg
    ladle2.jpg
    75.5 KB · Views: 118
  • ladle3.jpg
    ladle3.jpg
    86.1 KB · Views: 116
  • ladle4.jpg
    ladle4.jpg
    82.6 KB · Views: 118
  • 1stladdle.jpg
    1stladdle.jpg
    83.5 KB · Views: 121
Paulo, the scoops are wonderful. Just to help me understand, are these constructed, ie, handle attached to bowl, or turned from one piece. I'm guessing the latter, but have not yet looked at the video. Also, what is the size?

By the way, I'm becoming more proficient with a very nice Glaser gouge that I won in the drawing on Saw Mill Creek. Very nice tool and it's got my name on the handle. Amazing!

All the best, Tom, in Douglasville, contemplating making a scoop.
 
paulo,

marvelous scoops.

I saw Soren demo these scoops maybe 10 years back.

I did one (poorly) but then began thinking about doing one with two handles and that led to a series of hollow forms.

here are few pictures. think Soren Berger scoops with two handles and a bowl not opened up very much.

The spheres in these run from 4" to 6" in diameter.

TJ,
these are turned from one piece. a handle with a ball on one end between centers and in a chuck. the ball goes in jamb chuck or vacuum chuck and hollow the bowl.


fun stuff,
Al
 

Attachments

  • Slide34001.jpg
    Slide34001.jpg
    30 KB · Views: 86
  • Slide36003.jpg
    Slide36003.jpg
    28.9 KB · Views: 77
  • Slide35002.jpg
    Slide35002.jpg
    31.9 KB · Views: 83
Last edited:
"scoops"

Al, they are beautiful!!!! Why are they called scoops as opposed to "winged" hollow forms, or something else. Can't see these as functional, but works of art. Gretch
 
Gretch,

I call them suspended spherical forms.

In one way they are an original work.
The turning mechanics is almost identical to the process Paulo and Soren use for the scoops.
in a round about way they are topologically a two handled scoop

turning a Soren Berger scoop led me to think about turning a two handled scoop and then thinking about how the bowl might stand up then to making the bowl a closed hollow form
 
Last edited:
thank you >>>>>

Thank you everybody for the positive comments about my spindle turning.
Hopefully I will find more time in my convoluted schedule to continue.
Paulo Marin😛
 
Back
Top