Tiny Turnings

[John K Jordan]

I know some here, including me, like to turn small things. Does anyone else make "tiny" turnings?

Good fun, I have a set of micro tools (gouges, skew, etc) but sometimes have to make special tools.
Smoothing surfaces can be challenging. Here are some I did a while back but just got around to photographing them.

Can't see it without a strong magnifier, but I did engrave "JKJ" and "EBONY" around a ring inside the foot of the bowl.
I did this under my low-power stereo microscope using a needle tool, both handy in the shop!

Amazon.com

Ebony, cocobolo, and holly. And US penny.


I had more, but someone dropped them in my shop office and I never saw them again! 😆

Several visitors who saw mine pointed out that people with fancy doll houses will pay big $$$ for things like this.
Might be a good money-maker for someone who likes to do that.

If you make tiny things, I'd like to see them!

JKJ

 

[Alan Weinberg]

Posted this in the wrong thread but saw this piece at Ellsworth’s in April. Someone had gifted him. It’s a goblet with a captured ring—teeny tiny.

 

[John K Jordan]

Nice!

John Lucas once showed some tiny goblets. He apparently got into a friendly competition with another turner about who could make the smallest goblet. Some of the smallest could only be seen with a magnifier. He said when they get very small, even a single pore in the stem could cause it to break! I can ask him about the tools he used - I think I remember he made some from sewing needles.

Seems like a very fine grained wood like mature-growth dogwood, sugar maple, boxwood, or guatambu (pau marfim) would be good. Or even ivory for those who still have some. I have a necklace a missionary from India gave my mother that has some extremely tiny carved elephants and a tiny threaded clasp - all apparently hand-carved.

JKJ

 

[john lucas]

Yes I turn tiny. My smallest goblet is .023" tall. I have also turned very small captured ring goblets. The smallest has a ring that us the same size as the zero on the date of a penny.

 

[Michael Anderson]

I’ve turned quite a few smalls/miniatures, but not too many tinies. A few though. Here is a tiny Black Cherry calabash on a dime.

 

[Alan Weinberg]

At least you guys don’t have to worry about running out of wood.

 

[John K Jordan]

At least you guys don’t have to worry about running out of wood.

Ha! That’s been mentioned! Now we just have to find a bunch of people who would like stuff that disappears with a sneeze or by dropping on the floor!

I don’t think I could run out in my lifetime even if I turned fairly big things every day. And, worse, my personal weakness is creating new dry blanks from logs. I pity the person who has to deal with all this when I’m gone!

But years ago I did a demo I called “The Top Ten Reasons to Tun Small” (not tiny things, but reasonably sized desirable and useful things)

I carried in a huge block of wood imported from Peru and told how I could make one big bowl or hollow form from it, then described some of the many smaller things that could be from the same wood, as well as some of the expense and safety issues. (There is also the little-discussed design danger of letting a given chunk of wood dictate the turning!) I think I ended with how many people you could make happy with more smaller things than with one big thing.

Maybe I could find my list - it might be entertaining.

JKJ

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

I’ve turned quite a few smalls/miniatures, but not too many tinies. A few though. Here is a tiny Black Cherry calabash on a dime.

View attachment 67989

I guess it turned on a dime! That's a mighty small bowl.

 

[Tom Gall]

@John K Jordan @john lucas @Michael Anderson
Geez, you guys. I have trouble just focusing on the coins. Definitely above (below???) my pay grade.

 

[john lucas]

Here are a few more photos

 

[John K Jordan]

Wonderful display! Doesn’t take up too much storage space, eh?

Do the hand mirrors have reflecting mirrors in them?

JKJ

 

[john lucas]

Wonderful display! Doesn’t take up too much storage space, eh?

Do the hand mirrors have reflecting mirrors in them?

JKJ

Yes. I used Chrome tape. I turned a metal stamp to cut out the mirror shapes from the tape. It's not perfect but looks pretty good.

 

[John K Jordan]

Yes. I used Chrome tape. I turned a metal stamp to cut out the mirror shapes from the tape. It's not perfect but looks pretty good.

Somewhere i’ve got some stiff aluminized mylar that has a mirror-like surface. I’ll look for it

 

[Wally Turbeville]

Post some of the small tools you use. I have made a few small items but not the quality that all of you do.

 

[john lucas]

here are my tools. I started with jewelers screwdrivers. Most of them look like skews or skewchigouge. What I call a skewchigouge has a bevel like a bowl gouge but did flat on top. The smallest tools are .008" piano wire inserted in steel shafts and those go into aluminum handles. I grid and sharpen them by hand under a 20x stereo microscope. I use a 1200 grit diamond hone to shape and sharpen. Under the microscopic looks like your sharpening on your gravel driveway. The other photo is my micro tool rest. I adapted it to a 1" post so it fits on my powermatic.