• Beware of Counterfeit Woodturning Tools (click here for details)
  • Johnathan Silwones is starting a new AAW chapter, Southern Alleghenies Woodturners, in Johnstown, PA. (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Tom Hale & Rebecca DeGroot for "Walking Mushroom" being selected as Turning of the Week for September 30, 2024 (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to 2024 AAW Member Exhibition Common Roots forum member finalists (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?

Joined
Feb 18, 2023
Messages
873
Likes
2,124
Location
Orange, CA
Will be doing an inlay demo for my club in November.
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.
 
Joined
Nov 22, 2023
Messages
222
Likes
2,196
Location
Morganton, NC
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.

1727375220708.jpeg
1727375180783.jpeg
 
Joined
Sep 21, 2024
Messages
2
Likes
0
Location
Fairmont, WV
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.

View attachment 67042
View attachment 67041
I did turquoise fill on a couple of knot holes on a small maple bowl. I think it turned out great.
 
Joined
Jan 20, 2021
Messages
64
Likes
328
Location
Stuart, FL
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.
 
Joined
Aug 14, 2007
Messages
5,656
Likes
3,004
Location
Eugene, OR
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
 
Joined
Jan 20, 2021
Messages
64
Likes
328
Location
Stuart, FL
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
Yup, I’ve not turned a lot of it but pink is not unusual. Nice wood to work. Turns and polishes nicely
 

odie

TOTW Team
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
7,234
Likes
11,085
Location
Panning for Montana gold, with Betsy, the mule!
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-
20240930_011653.jpg 20240930_011741.jpg
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 18, 2023
Messages
873
Likes
2,124
Location
Orange, CA
Brazilian Blackheart, aka: Pao Santo

12"dia

One of the most difficult woods to turn. Very dense and hard, block started at 20% MC and took about 2 years to stabilize after roughing, in which it warped badly 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-
View attachment 67145 View attachment 67146
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
 

odie

TOTW Team
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
7,234
Likes
11,085
Location
Panning for Montana gold, with Betsy, the mule!
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-
 
Joined
Jul 19, 2018
Messages
1,795
Likes
2,408
Location
Ponsford, MN
IMG_1058.jpgIMG_1059.jpgIMG_1060.jpgThe 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.
 
Joined
Jul 19, 2018
Messages
1,795
Likes
2,408
Location
Ponsford, MN
IMG_1061.jpgIMG_1062.jpgIMG_1063.jpg 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.
 
Joined
Nov 22, 2023
Messages
222
Likes
2,196
Location
Morganton, NC
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.

1728088475096.jpeg
1728088430830.jpeg
1728088369240.jpeg
 
Joined
Feb 18, 2023
Messages
873
Likes
2,124
Location
Orange, CA
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 bought the recommended Porter Cable router that Big Island recommended and use their templates. Ruined a couple learning but system works well.
 
Back
Top