What’s on your lathe?

[David Wyke]

The good and bad of Saturday turnings.
The good: After the hurricane some one brought me a piece of maple and chestnut and ask if I could turn four bowls to auction off and give the money to artist that lost everything in western NC. I agreed and did the second turning Saturday morning on two of them. I hated turning the green chestnut on the first turn, the sticky sap stuck to everything including me! The dry chestnut turned great. I left the hole in the maple to represent the hole left in communities from the hurricane. I’ll turn the other two later.
Also, had some small maple pieces and turned a couple of natural edge to try second turning them in a few months, usually just once turn natural edge bowls.
The bad:
My wife reminded me we were going to Piegon Forge TN for a few days. If anyone is in Piegan Forge next week I’ll be the guy sitting on the bench outside the stores looking dazed and confused. She did agree to let me go hiking one morning.
Put a fresh piece of a new maple log on the see what this log would look like and to see just how thin I could turn it. Practicing for a cowboy hat in the near future. Had a light behind it, was paper thin, loosened the chuck, didn’t get it open enough before I tried to take the piece out, edge of the tenon caught on the chuck and two fingers went through the side of the bowl, then it was hammer time. Can’t remember the last time I went through the side or bottom of a bowl but at least it wasn’t with the gouge!
Immediately grabbed a smaller dry walnut bowl to second turn a closed rim bowl. Was looking good and making the final transition near the bottom. I usually turn my air compressor off when concentrating on certain turnings but forgot. Right as I touched the gouge to the transition area the air compressor kicked on, I jerked and messed up the transition, could fix it to my satisfaction, so finished the bowl and will give away and not sign. Wife couldn’t see it but I could feel it and will not sell something that doesn’t pass my inspection.
So, maybe a few days away will do me some good!

 

[John K Jordan]

usually turn my air compressor off when concentrating on certain turnings but forgot. Right as I touched the gouge to the transition area the air compressor kicked on,

The noise from my big compressor and cyclone DC is the reason I built a sound-insulated closet in the shop.
Hey, any day at the lathe is a good day - think of the valuable skill-building, tool control practice, opportunities for flexibility in design mods!

Practicing for a cowboy hat in the near future.

Be sure to show come cowboy hat photos when you get to that point. We enjoyed having Chris Ramsey here for a demo about 10 years ago - amazing!
(He brought his own Oneway lathe in a trailer for the demo)



BTW, I found this interesting: he grinds his gouge by hand with a well-rounded clearance bevel, then grinds a very narrow cutting edge.
I took this photo of his grind and highlighted the narrow cutting bevel in red:



A friend here turns hats. I had no idea until I visited - he had a bunch of them! I call him when I get big wood!

JKJ

 

[David Wyke]

The noise from my big compressor and cyclone DC is the reason I built a sound-insulated closet in the shop.
Hey, any day at the lathe is a good day - think of the valuable skill-building, tool control practice, opportunities for flexibility in design mods!



Be sure to show come cowboy hat photos when you get to that point. We enjoyed having Chris Ramsey here for a demo about 10 years ago - amazing!
(He brought his own Oneway lathe in a trailer for the demo)

View attachment 74736 View attachment 74737

BTW, I found this interesting: he grinds his gouge by hand with a well-rounded clearance bevel, then grinds a very narrow cutting edge.
I took this photo of his grind and highlighted the narrow cutting bevel in red:

View attachment 74738

A friend here turns hats. I had no idea until I visited - he had a bunch of them! I call him when I get big wood!

JKJ

I tried a small hat a couple years ago just to get the process down. Never had the right wood to try a large one but thinking about the ambrosia maple log I haven’t cut into yet.

 

[John K Jordan]

I tried a small hat a couple years ago just to get the process down.

Is that oak? (the rays are so long)
My friend got some big red oak blanks from one tree that came down (we cut them to size then I can set them gently in his truck with the excavator and no physical effort!), and more recently some big maple. He said bending not only the brim but to fit comfortably on the head, is sometimes difficult. When he makes a hat for someone specific he uses a flexible drawing curve on their head then traces the shape on a piece of cardboard.

Where you live I'm sure you have access to an abundance of good hardwoods, like we do here!

JKJ

 

[David Wyke]

Is that oak? (the rays are so long)
My friend got some big red oak blanks from one tree that came down (we cut them to size then I can set them gently in his truck with the excavator and no physical effort!), and more recently some big maple. He said bending not only the brim but to fit comfortably on the head, is sometimes difficult. When he makes a hat for someone specific he uses a flexible drawing curve on their head then traces the shape on a piece of cardboard.

Where you live I'm sure you have access to an abundance of good hardwoods, like we do here!

JKJ

Yes, this is red oak. I have several red oak trees down from the hurricane but I just don’t like turning red oak. Since I have six red oaks down right near the house and shop I may have to start turning it again.
I have plenty of hardwood in this area.

 

[Bob Vaughan]

Judging from the length of the mudullary rays, that well may be from a tree in the white oak family. Red oaks have points on the leaves. White oaks don't.

 

[David Wyke]

Judging from the length of the mudullary rays, that well may be from a tree in the white oak family. Red oaks have points on the leaves. White oaks don't.

I do remember having some chestnut oak a couple years ago.
I’ve turned a lot of white oak but I don’t think this is white oak, but I could be wrong.

 

[Kevin Weir]

This is the second turning for a walnut hollow vessel. The outside has been turned and sanded. Will be using a 2.5 inch diameter threaded brass insert for the lid. About 6 inches in diameter.

 

[Bob Vaughan]

I do remember having some chestnut oak a couple years ago.
I’ve turned a lot of white oak but I don’t think this is white oak, but I could be wrong.

Red oaks have medullary rays about an inch long.
Whatever it is, the tree grew very slowly when I look at how tight those annular rings are.
Beautiful work.

 

[David Wyke]

Red oaks have medullary rays about an inch long.
Whatever it is, the tree grew very slowly when I look at how tight those annular rings are.
Beautiful work.

Makes sense then since chestnut oak is more related to white oak than red oak.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

Finished turning a little cherry dish that my FiL started 20 years ago. He had it in his shop holding washers and nuts. It turned out well.

 

[Russell Nugent]

... but I just don’t like turning red oak.

The stuff dreams are made of. I'm happy when I get balsam poplar up here in the land of spruce and poplar.

 

[Paul DuBose]

Finally decided to turn a red oak log that came down during a storm about a year ago. Not sure I'm going to be able to hollow it to the bottom, the deepest I've gone is about 22" and this is going to be about 30" when I'm done. The log is starting out at 14" x 34" and about 165 lbs. I had to make a long extension for my Forstner bit so that I could drill out the center. Wish me luck!

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

Yes, this is red oak. I have several red oak trees down from the hurricane but I just don’t like turning red oak. Since I have six red oaks down right near the house and shop I may have to start turning it again.

The hat you posted has the color of red oak and all of the red oak I have seen the medullary rays start at the pith and extend all the way to the bark.
I believe not to long ago you were posting natural edge bowls and red oak could be an excellent species for NE bowls. The photo below illustrates the length of the rays from the 2 piths in this crotch bowl as well as the great look of the wood.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

The noise from my big compressor and cyclone DC is the reason I built a sound-insulated closet in the shop.
Hey, any day at the lathe is a good day - think of the valuable skill-building, tool control practice, opportunities for flexibility in design mods!



Be sure to show come cowboy hat photos when you get to that point. We enjoyed having Chris Ramsey here for a demo about 10 years ago - amazing!
(He brought his own Oneway lathe in a trailer for the demo)

View attachment 74736 View attachment 74737

BTW, I found this interesting: he grinds his gouge by hand with a well-rounded clearance bevel, then grinds a very narrow cutting edge.
I took this photo of his grind and highlighted the narrow cutting bevel in red:

View attachment 74738

A friend here turns hats. I had no idea until I visited - he had a bunch of them! I call him when I get big wood!

JKJ

We have a member in our club who does hats. Has demoed twice for us. He had class with Michelsen and he uses a hand turned grind and Steve showed me how he does it. Really amazing grind.