woodturning

[pyro]

looks good buddy

 

just started on christmas presents

 

 

square cheese board for my grandad, does have a knife but not done it yet. red elm, finished in tung oil.

 

 

and an ornamental birdhouse for grandma, sycamore finished in pastewax

 

unfortunatly ive got flu at the moment so not much is getting done

 

Ben

[flames]

Hello fellow turners! Some nice work and interesting discussions going here, I can't believe I've only just found this thread, doh!

 

-my thoughts on kit priory- a few good tools first, a reasonable machine to suit your needs next then chucking (scroll chuck) next, if like me your funds are some what limited... Also don't dismiss building something yourself- I turn big stuff, and can not afford the commercial machines of that capacity, so I built my own, with very good results!

 

-a good alternative to a scroll chuck (to avoid leaving screw holes in the base etc.) is a cradle chuck (you can make it yourself), as you can mount it on the lathe's face plate... I'll post pics if anyone is interested. -or for small things, like boxes, try a 'jam chuck'...

 

Here's a few pics of a recent yew bowl, about 400mm in diameter. I rough turned this at the start of the year... It's taking to long to finish, as the acrylic lacquer has 'orange peeled' as my shed was too cold... nearly finished sanding it back. Just the base to do - with the cradle chuck. oh, the lamp was to help warm the inside for the lacquer application/drying, it helped a bit.

 

(pyrp - hope you get over the flu soon)

 

Cheers all, any comments questions welcomed!

[robbo 110]

nice work from both flames & pyro!!

what chuck did you use to mount the cheese board to achieve the 'angled bit'??

flames, more pics would be great, ive recently bought a lathe & tools, done some simple stuff!! its good to see more wood turners on here!!

[pyro]

that yew bowl is awesome!!

 

the finishes is on thing im struggling on at the moment, need to keep practicing!

unfortunatly is -10 in the shed at the moment

 

i mounted the blank on a waste block using a hot melt glue gun, whicn went into a chuck (a fox fx 4000)

 

the 3/8" bowl gouge (and ebay find for £2!) just swept down to the lower corner, nearest the chuck. if that makes sense! ill be making anothe at some point so ill take some pictures if wanted

 

 

flames: ive used jam chucks before with little success, but the lathe i have at the moment isnt that good to be honest, the bed flexes as does the tool post when cutting (which would probably account for the finshes im getting)

and what the gibbly gibblets is a cradle chuck??

 

cheers!

 

Ben

[flames]

Thanks pyro & robbo! More pics to follow, though I'm away at the moment... in the new year.

 

Pyro finishes- what's your process? Typically I will get as good a finish from the tool as I can, which of course will vary greatly depending on shape and material, and limited by my skill (machine flex won't help). Then 120 grit power sanding - you can just see the 3" heads on my top pic (last post), next to the scissors. Work up though the grits to 400 at least. 50/50 - 60/40 sanding sealer/thinners, a couple of coats. Then Danish oil 2-3 coats. This will nearly always give a good sheen finish. I used acrylic lacquer on yew as it seals it, stopping it from discolouring - it will tend to darken if air can get to it.

 

The sanding sealer will still work OK in the cold, but other finishes will not - waxes, acrylic lacquers... :-( Danish oil can be applied from your sofa...

 

Cradle chuck - you can just see some of the ply discs in my pics, basically it's a large face plate and a 'doughnut' that you cradle a bowl, typically, so the screw fixing holes or chucking point can be turned off/finished - reverse chucking. I'm sure that's as clear as mud, but I'll put up some pics when I can. This holding method is particularly good for large natural edge things, and if you don't have a tailstock (which I don't).

 

Which lathe do you have Pyro? is it the one with the 3" tube for the bed?

Edited December 22, 2010 by flames
can only see errors after posting, sure there are more

[pyro]

the lathe i have is this - Clarke CWL1000 Wood Turning Lathe - Machine Mart

 

had it a year and its been back to clarke about 3 times.

 

 

i go to about 600 grit, its more the irregular shaped stuff i have issues with, like the cheese plate. i use abranet, which is fantastic. i do the best i can with the tool then go from 180 - 600 grit.

 

ive got some melamine laquer which is pretty good, and paste wax, beeswax and now some tung oil.

 

Ben

[flames]

I can see how rigidity would be a problem. -second hand Vickery lathes are good, as they don't have the name of a Graduate so can be found cheap!

 

However you are managing to make some good stuff, that cheese board is great, the finish looks good! -but those narrow gullies are where I always find it difficult to get a good finish.

 

Arbanet - is good, but expensive. -do you get it for a good price? I'm using some Canadian stuff (sorry can't remember the name) which is really good, it has velcro (loop) on the back... also the 600, 800 grit is foam backed. 1500, 2000 grit I have some 'brillo pad' like mats, again the names escape me this is good too. I'll find out the names when I return.

 

I too like maline lacquer, it dries fast and makes a tough finish. Do you use Chestnut's? The problem I have is it doesn't last long on bigger things.

 

Cheers.

[pyro]

I believe most of my stuff is chestnut, ive picked up most of the abranet ive got from from shows and ebay, snainton woodturning seems to be the cheapest ive found.

 

im looking at getting an axminster or a jet lathe as recommended by Ian Leach.

 

I also have some brillo pad sorta things i picked up from wilkinsons! work well at low speeds, they melt at high speeds though!

 

also turns out i have swine flu, which sucks big time.

 

Ben

Edited December 22, 2010 by pyro
spelling fail.

[the crafty weasel]

Some great looking work there guys, loving that yew bowl flames.

Thought I'd add my two pence worth and show off some of my work;

 

Yew bowl

Ash bowl

 

Crabapple tealight holders

 

Rowan wine bottle stopper- normally make them from hazel, beech or sycamore though. it's a great use for tiny diameter wood. to hold them I just cut a tapered pegat the end of them, unscrew the faceplate of the lathe and hammer the peg into the hole, then put a bit of pressure on with the centre to maintain drive.

 

Check out the facebook page below to see more of my work.

[pyro]

looks nice matey

 

felt a bit better today so did soem more in the shed and got some other bits done.

 

 

still got my sisters box to make now

 

Ben