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What’s on your lathe?

Michael Anderson said:
A while back, @Jaramiah Severns gifted me a chunk of Masur Birch. I now know the appeal. Not only is it extremely beautiful, but it turns very well. This piece is bone dry, but turns like green wood (almost). Buttery smooth. So nice. Thank you, Jaramiah.

View attachment 73265

@Gabriel Hoff I know you’re a big fan of this timber, so I’m turning it now to have an example piece made from it for the demo. 😉
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Beautiful Michael!! I really want to see this next weekend. I have a lot of this wood, it is one of my favorites.
 
Michael Anderson said:
But on a more serious note, I really enjoy demonstrating. It's just another excuse to turn, and I love meeting new folks.
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I'm certainly looking forward to you coming to Knoxville. (missed it the last time) I heard good things about it!
I agree - half the fun is meeting and chatting with people.

To me, doing a demo, even though I've made the thing many times, is a chance to carefully think things through from another's perspective.
And demoing forces me to (try to) be more organized!

I sometimes write a new document as a handout for the demo subject.
A good document might help people after THAT demo then hopefully help a larger audience.

I'm gearing up to write another one for my on handbell ornaments for a Knoxville demo in Sept (scheduled to give plenty of time for people to make some before Christmas.) This has been well-received in the past but I never took the time to photograph and write it up properly.
These are somewhat unusual for ornaments.
bells_PC244161es.jpg bells_cutaway_IMG_5169_c.jpg
BTW, if anyone is interested, these are easy to turn and don't need a big chunk of wood! Small pieces of fine-grained exotics are perfect.
I hollow with a parting tool, then shear scrape the inside with a spindle gouge.
bells1_comp.jpg hollowing_IMG_0426.jpg

JKJ
 
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rkriet said:
That’s a beauty, Odie. I hope you don’t mind if I ask where you source your maple burl blanks.
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Other turners ask me where my sources are all the time.

You know that's like asking a successful fisherman where his favorite places to fish are at, don't you?

Almost every bowl blank I use for my bowls are available through searches on the internet, and I have one source who won't sell to anyone who isn't invited. Most of my sources are professional wood dealers, and they are in the business of making a profit......so, what I have to pay for bowl blanks I want are accordingly priced. I get quite a few bowl blanks from Cook Woods.....very expensive but a nice selection of exotics. Also, I get some of my Big Leaf Maple blanks from Cascadia.

Please don't ask again..... :)

=o=
 
I vote to cancel the "What's on your lathe?" thread. To me, sometimes it makes it nearly impossible to go back and find a subject you'd like to check out. Yes, I know there's a search function.

Another forum I frequent that is unrelated to woodworking has a rule prohibiting threads without specific searchable titles. The moderators on that forum are hard nosed about this and it works very well.
 
Doug Rasmussen said:
I vote to cancel the "What's on your lathe?" thread. To me, sometimes it makes it nearly impossible to go back and find a subject you'd like to check out. Yes, I know there's a search function.

Another forum I frequent that is unrelated to woodworking has a rule prohibiting threads without specific searchable titles. The moderators on that forum are hard nosed about this and it works very well.
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I'd rather "What's on your lathe" remain exactly as it is.

I don't think I'm the only one here who finds this thread extremely interesting, and I look forward to seeing what other turners are up to every day.

=o=
 
Oops.....Last night, I had a minor "catch", and the Pau Santo bowl went flying!

On inspection, I see a weak spot in the waste block right at the pith.....so, it didn't take much pressure to break at that point. I was bringing it to round after warp during seasoning, and I figure I was a little too aggressive with a round nose scraper when the catch happened.

I guess the best thing to do is chisel the bulk of the old waste block away, reverse mount it and turn away the rest. Then install a new waste block......

=o=
20250308_001113.jpg
 
Odie said:
Other turners ask me where my sources are all the time.

You know that's like asking a successful fisherman where his favorite places to fish are at, don't you?

Almost every bowl blank I use for my bowls are available through searches on the internet, and I have one source who won't sell to anyone who isn't invited. Most of my sources are professional wood dealers, and they are in the business of making a profit......so, what I have to pay for bowl blanks I want are accordingly priced. I get quite a few bowl blanks from Cook Woods.....very expensive but a nice selection of exotics. Also, I get some of my Big Leaf Maple blanks from Cascadia.

Please don't ask again..... :)

=o=
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I don't want to say because they may buy them before I get to them!
 
Alan Weinberg said:
Even a pro of pros like you gets an occasional catch. How’s that wood to turn? I’ve never seen it.
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Yeah, so it goes......xxxx happens! :(

Pau Santo is also known as Brazilian Blackheart. It's not an easy wood to turn, and it has difficulty seasoning without cracks springing up! It's a good looking wood when finished, but the effort it takes to bring it to a finished product makes it a questionable proposition.

Pau Santo | The Wood Database (Hardwood)

www.wood-database.com www.wood-database.com

=o=
 
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