How do you demo that? Isn’t just a matter of mixing the turquoise with epoxy, filling the hole, and sanding to smoothness? Is there more to it than that? I’ve used copper and other metal powders, turquoise only once.
-
December Turning Challenge: Tree! (click here for details) -
Congratulations to José Esteban Cruz"Rocking Horse" being selected as Turning of the Week for December 16, 2024 (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.
What’s on your lathe?
- Thread starter Rusty Nesmith
- Start date
Another piece of sugarberry. This one is twice-turned. 8" x 2", Tried and True Original.
14" Fiddleback Maple last night:
(Click on images to get closer view of the details.)
-o-
(Click on images to get closer view of the details.)
-o-
Raining like crazy here in Western NC so keeping it simple today. Maple with bark inclusion, 13-1/2” x 4-1/2”. I had bought some turquoise to fill a couple voids in bowls for practice. This one has some nice grain and I think turquoise looks better in darker wood. So I’ll think on this a while before deciding. I do have several walnut bowls drying, some with cracks so may try with one of those.
I love the Ambrosia Maple vase! Where do you get your wood?
I did turquoise fill on a couple of knot holes on a small maple bowl. I think it turned out great.
After cleaning up from the storm I had a little time to turn this piece of water oak.
Just oiled with Danish oil, sea grape, about 12 1/2 inches tall 
Nice! What is sea grape?
Thanks Alan…..Sea grape is a coastal tree native to Florida. Grows every along the beaches here. I’ve only turned it a few times, works nicely on the lathe but hard to find big pieces as the trees don’t get real big.
I have one piece of sea grape, and it is pink. Picked it up from a 2 time president of the International Wood Collector's Society while he was having a 'retirement' sale. Picked up all sorts of unusual things. Most I will never be able to find again....
robo hippy
robo hippy
Yup, I’ve not turned a lot of it but pink is not unusual. Nice wood to work. Turns and polishes nicely
A redwood burl bowl about 5 and 1/2 inch diameter. Was supposed to be a live edge bowl, but CA failed to fill the huge rotten wood section and the edge went flying. Still looks nice. Just not what the artist originally envisioned.
Brazilian Blackheart, aka: Pao Santo
12"dia
One of the most difficult woods to turn. Very dense and hard. Turning block started at 20% MC and took about 2 years to stabilize after roughing. It warped badly during the seasoning process and had numerous cracks which have been filled with Titebond. I've been working on it for the past four days.....very slow and tedious turning with lots of sharpening because it tended to dull the tool edges more quickly than usual.....but do-able.
-o-
12"dia
One of the most difficult woods to turn. Very dense and hard. Turning block started at 20% MC and took about 2 years to stabilize after roughing. It warped badly during the seasoning process and had numerous cracks which have been filled with Titebond. I've been working on it for the past four days.....very slow and tedious turning with lots of sharpening because it tended to dull the tool edges more quickly than usual.....but do-able.
-o-
Last edited:
Great work. Question—I’ve filled w CA and epoxy, also Titebond with sawdust. Do you fill just with Titebond? Do you dye it or have some material with it? Does it ever crack or change shape? Thanks. @odie
Normally I'd use epoxy mixed with sanding dust, but these cracks were small and were caught early and filled with Titebond during the seasoning process. This worked because the grain pattern and contrasting colors are so extreme. You can see them but have to look closely. I don't think whoever ends up with this bowl will ever notice them.
-o-
Small cross grain box, approximately 1-1/2” x 1-1/2”, from unknown wood. Very wide grain with variable density. Could be sumac? Finial is East Indian rosewood
Isaac, is your post missing a picture?
Attachments
The center of the tree, in this otherwise clear cherry end grain bowl, was rotten so I am trying an idea to use a 5 ply piece of home made ply wood to fill in the center. The plywood is turned to about 3 3/4" diameter with a slight taper on the fit. The blank is held against a sandpaper faced friction drive mounted in the chuck and the reverse cone in the livecenter.
The first picture shows the plug after being hammered in place. The second picture is beginning to true up the inside. The third shows the fallacy of hammering the plug in place since I obviously did not get it set evenly. The plug was made from 5 ply's just under 1/8" thick, which should prevent any problems with the side grain / end grain joints.So on the next one I will have to try pressing it in place and have a flat bottom in the bowl or an extra thick outer ply.
magnolia. Needed 10 pewa. Now it’s epoxy time and sand, sand, sand. Some tear out near the outer rim but otherwise ok. I really like magnolia and the wenge pewa are pretty. These are 1.1 inch, bigger than my usual 0.9 inch.
Last edited:
Not seeing a pic Alan.
Working with left over maple bits.
Working with left over maple bits.
Currently off line but at a restaurant with WiFi. Hurricane has made most of western NC a disaster area. I do finally have power back on, no damage to house or shop, so I was lucky.
Got on the lathe to relieve some stress and turned an ambrosia maple and walnut hollow form. Now back to cutting up 40 pine trees and removing down 3 acre fence.
Got on the lathe to relieve some stress and turned an ambrosia maple and walnut hollow form. Now back to cutting up 40 pine trees and removing down 3 acre fence.
So what is your tool of choice for the artistry on the magnolia and the wenge bowties?
I would love to see the Calabash when finished. I really like your work.
Thanks again for sharing.
I would love to see the Calabash when finished. I really like your work.
Thanks again for sharing.
I bought the recommended Porter Cable router that Big Island recommended and use their templates. Ruined a couple learning but system works well.
Turning a bowling ball to make a yarn bowl.
Here it is finished.
Made another regular bowl today.
Tom Gall
TOTW Team
Neat! But now you have to clean up that mess. 😬
Yes and they do make a mess. I have to demo one at the club next year.
3mm quebracho and mountain mahogany hollow form with lid, also some ebony finials.
Another view with the lid removed
Live oak platter. My dad planted the tree, and a few years back, my mom had the tree taken down.
I cut down this walnut tree in April. Other than a couple of pieces from 30' up the tree, I haven't turned any of it. This weekend I got inspired to cut some bowl blanks out of the base of the tree. Here's a live edge bowl in progress. I did soak the bark with CA, but it looked like it was going to stay on pretty well regardless. This section has odd grain and color for walnut.
And one I rough-turned. Today I'll probably rough-turn another one, and do one more live edge.
12 inch tray from the cherry I got a few weeks ago.
