That is a nice bowl David, I would turn the rest first and choose then what was to be the payment bowl I think 
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What’s on your lathe?
- Thread starter Rusty Nesmith
- Start date
This was a big tree and all was ambrosia so most of the others look this good or better 😁. And, this is the second bowl for them as I decided to keep the first one I turned😂That is a nice bowl David, I would turn the rest first and choose then what was to be the payment bowl I think
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I have a maple bowl that is really white with no figure so I fluted it. I'm going to try water white conversion varnish thinned down on scraps first and see how it turns out then maybe put tung oil over it. I really like the bowl you made, that's my next attempt at fluting, I will probably ruin one or two learning. How thick did you leave your walls?
Vincent,
The walls (or fingers as I call them) on this one are 4.19mm (21/128”). I rarely measure, but just stop when it looks appropriate for the feel and look of the piece. The band that holds the fingers together is about half that thickness.
I am not familiar with ‘water white conversion varnish’ , but will look it up now.
The walls (or fingers as I call them) on this one are 4.19mm (21/128”). I rarely measure, but just stop when it looks appropriate for the feel and look of the piece. The band that holds the fingers together is about half that thickness.
I am not familiar with ‘water white conversion varnish’ , but will look it up now.
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David your bowls look awesome. Really interested how the original blank was cut or placed on lathe. I still struggle with determining the best angle for the blank or do you place pith up or down? Any suggestions from anyone would be appreciated.
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Pat, Thank you for the measurements and additional pictures, that clears it up a lot. The product I've used is Sherwin Williams sher-wood water white conversion varnish #V84F83 dull rubbed effect. It smells like lacquer and you can reduce it with lacquer thinner, also it's a film finish that is best to spray apply. You can read the cut sheet on their website. Attached is the bowl I am trying to preserve the white wood.
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Thank you Norm!
I usually place the pith towards the headstock with the faceplate attached to it. However if I see most of the heartwood will be cut out when hollowing the inside of the bowl I will flip it around. But that is also determined by the size of the bowl blank.
Once I cut a piece of log off I will look it over and determine the best way to cut the blanks out giving me a uniform or balanced grain pattern. Sometime the pith crack will determine this for me😁.
I like a bowl to have a continuous curve if possible, depending on the size of the blank I may have flat bottom bowls, which I like if that’s what the blank needs. Nothing wrong with flat bottom bowls, I just don’t like straight sides, I want it to look like a bowl.
I don’t sacrifice a nice grain pattern for size of the bowl. Once you start cutting the blank from the log you should see enough of the grain to determine the diameter the bowl needs to be to capture as much of it as possible in the final turning. Nature many time determins how that final turning will look😁.
I use two different jam chucks to true up a dried bowl for the second turning. The jam chuck I used is determined by the size of the bowl for stability.
i have a few videos on my page if you scroll down through it. It could help explain it a little more. Hopefully the link will work and is allowed.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066727113363 if the link doesn’t work my page is D.Wyke Designs
I still consider myself between beginner and intermediate turner but constantly trying to improve with each bowl. This forum for AAW is a great place for inspiration and has some very talented members I hope to learn from.
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Working on a new eggception project. It will be the largest one I’ve made so far. This is the pedestal, which is Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) that I salvaged from my back deck I recently tore down.
Edit: here is a link to the finished pedestal shown below.
Edit: here is a link to the finished pedestal shown below.
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8”x7” Sepelle. I’ve been wanting to experiment with a 2 piece hollow form. Made a mistake on which end the tenon was supposed to be on for one piece so the grain ended up a bit “off”. Born ignorant and had a relapse. Once the beads are inked I think I can live with it. Base and snout are dyed.
I had a crack in a platter blank I tried to fix while drying. During second turn the crack appeared to deep for my comfort so I broke it off and headed towards the burn stack. Decided I may be able to turn a piece out of it after all. I’ll make a platform for it and use a rod or two to elevate it, then decide what kind of embellishment I want to try. I’ll have to look at it a while before deciding.
Ouch! Hope the surgery goes well.
Hopefully you get some relief from the surgery back problems are the worst.
Bob
Thanks! It looks like 2 operations to fuse all of the lumbar vertebrae. Now waiting to get scheduled.
Yikes I have a L4-L5-S1 fusion . That was enough for me.good luck and a speedy recovery.
Big as in ostrich?
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Wow, coolibah is 3700 Janka hardness.
Love that walking ostrich egg haha. I actually have an ostrich egg I'm saving for the right project--it's hyperossified, so the surface topography is wild.
This egg won't be quite that big, think slightly larger than a big Cassowary egg. The whole piece should be somewhere around 16" tall when finished,
I thought while my granddaughter was taking a nap I could second turn a cherry bowl😁. She is the determinant factor with my turning schedule and why I only do two shows a year😁😁.
I tend to true up the tenon and do a partial turn on the bowl then flip it around and finish the outside. Being left handed this feels more natural and only do this for second turnings. I find it keeps the outside true since flipping after it’s finished sometimes has a little movement. The slight movement doesn’t affect anything, it just bothers me😁.
Cherry, 12-3/4” x 3-3/4” with first coat of DO.
I tend to true up the tenon and do a partial turn on the bowl then flip it around and finish the outside. Being left handed this feels more natural and only do this for second turnings. I find it keeps the outside true since flipping after it’s finished sometimes has a little movement. The slight movement doesn’t affect anything, it just bothers me😁.
Cherry, 12-3/4” x 3-3/4” with first coat of DO.
Great save!
Thank you, hopefully it will be once finished😁
More Sycamore! This is number 9 and 10. Another 7 to go, these had no defects whatsoever and turning was a bit of work but worth is in the end I hope. Maxed out the lathe on these 2. Cut with the pith at the bottom, both turned out great in the end as far as roughing goes. My wife is worried what am I going to do with this stockpile I have accumulated. (around 200 roughed out bowls!)
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Well, I am looking for a few clear cherry blanks if you have any?
Sorry Bernie, haven't got any cherry. Haven't yet come across any in the area.
Switched over to a 12-1/2” x 3-1/2” walnut today. Mist them down with water to raise the grain before final 400 grit.
And of course the final pass with the bowl gouge reveals the hidden knots🙄
And of course the final pass with the bowl gouge reveals the hidden knots🙄
Not quite on the lathe but closer. I received this small cherry in 2 pieces more than a year ago but due to family responsibilities I could not get to it until now. The piece on the mill was about 16" diameter on the butt end and 14" on the other. The other piece was longer and down to about 10" diameter on the top end so I didn't split it, but am trying end grain pieces with the pith included. The second picture is starting the cut and the 3rd is almost thru. Note the sawdust blowing around makes the picture look fuzzy. The 1st picture is the first end grain turning from the smaller diameter piece.
I really want a mill like that. So many things to buy when you live in the forest.
Amen!!
Well, I have thought about a mill, and Glenn Lucas really liked his, but after thinking about it a while, I just don't think it is the best option. For me, I don't want any knots in my bowls. That means each section of a log must be cut differently, depending on where the knots are. If you cut straight through the center of a log, you get, to me, a lot of waste wood. Yes, I am fussy like that...
robo hippy
robo hippy
Yeah, that would be a pain.
My reasons for wanting a mill are mostly unrelated to bowls. I'd like to make a live edge walnut table some day. I have also considered replacing the treated and painted wood on my deck with walnut. Another target tree is sassafras. I'd like to cut some dimensional lumber for outdoor use out of sassafras. Stuff like that. It makes more sense to hire someone than it does to buy a mill. OTOH, I saw a "new in the box" mill listed for $2,000. If I could get one used (I don't care how old) that runs for closer to $1,000 I'd probably pull the trigger. I would use up $1,000 in a hurry if I hired a portable sawmill service. For now, I'm just waiting and watching.
Finished the pedestal for the current egg project. This was the one in progress above.
Redwood salvaged from my back deck that I recently tore down. Three Bloodwood pewa. This was a somewhat challenging turn for me, as the timber was very old, brittle and soft (janka hardness 420), and there is a pretty stark difference in hardness between the early- and late-wood. I mainly used a spindle roughing gouge, but also a spindle detail gouge for the top and bottom and to chamfer the corners. I chose Bloodwood (Satine) to complement the Redwood colors; however, Bloodwood is very hard (janka 2900), so it took quite a bit of care to not have the pewa proud of the surface of the spindle. All that said, sanding was pretty minimal, but I still went through the grits up to 600. Originally, I was going to use an oil finish, but decided against considering the potential for splotchiness (I have used wood conditioner in the past, but still...). Instead, I decided to lay down a few coats of shellac, sanding with 600 after each, and then finished with two coats of paste wax. It's not totally perfect, but I'm still pretty pleased with how it turned out.
Redwood salvaged from my back deck that I recently tore down. Three Bloodwood pewa. This was a somewhat challenging turn for me, as the timber was very old, brittle and soft (janka hardness 420), and there is a pretty stark difference in hardness between the early- and late-wood. I mainly used a spindle roughing gouge, but also a spindle detail gouge for the top and bottom and to chamfer the corners. I chose Bloodwood (Satine) to complement the Redwood colors; however, Bloodwood is very hard (janka 2900), so it took quite a bit of care to not have the pewa proud of the surface of the spindle. All that said, sanding was pretty minimal, but I still went through the grits up to 600. Originally, I was going to use an oil finish, but decided against considering the potential for splotchiness (I have used wood conditioner in the past, but still...). Instead, I decided to lay down a few coats of shellac, sanding with 600 after each, and then finished with two coats of paste wax. It's not totally perfect, but I'm still pretty pleased with how it turned out.
Nice outcome. Redwood is sort of fussy to turn in its own way. Its easy to get over aggressive with that whippy and weak wood.
Not on it yet but will be. 20 lbb. Box of cutoffs for 9.99 from exotic wood zone.
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You know... a starter Woodland Mills HM122 log mill is cheaper than a new Harvey T60 ...
I had debated getting myself one (Living in firewood country it's fairly easy to get a local log truck to haul a load of poles for under a grand - Firewood logs may not be the best for quality lumber, but for $600 for a truckload of logs which might give a couple thousand board feet of lumber plus a few hundred bowl blanks and spindle blanks, it'd seem pretty cheap, if you don't factor in the backbreaking labor involved in running a HM-122 mill...
Nice Phil. I just bought several of theirs eBay lots. Good company. Do you know what’s in your box?