Turned Decorations

A little late on posting this one but I thought I'd share with you some gifts I made as Christmas presents this year.

These are some little wooden Christmas tree decorations I turned on the lathe out of some beautiful pear wood from a friends stack of wood (it had been drying at his for years). 

I haven't been on the lathe much since moving here except for occasional repair jobs on chairs and the like, I just haven't had the time to turn much for pleasure lately. It used to be something that I really enjoyed doing, I had two years worth of regular lessons (where I was the youngest by about 30 years) and a great teacher, I was really pleased that I hadn't forgotten it all! 

I gave out the decorations in sets of two or three and made six sets - you'd be surprised at how long these little blighters took to turn! 

Finished with some boiled linseed oil for a simple finish. 

Off Centre Turning

Had my last wood turning lesson for whats going to be a while the other night. I'd been learning how to turn off centre on the new variable speed Axminster lathe that the guild house have bought. The AW1416VS lathe is great for this type of work as it turns at any speed you want, meaning when I was turning off centre I could turn the speed right up to just before it starts to shake! The turning was done with a special chuck of Chris's (my tutor) and although I was only turning with pine I learnt the basic principles even if what I produced didn't look that great! ( I didn't bother sanding to too higher grit as its only a test piece) The speed has to be kept low but still fast enough to produce a good finish, not easy for me as I like to turn everything at a fast speed!and when you adjust the chuck to bring it back on centre parting off is a little more tricky than it would be with a normal piece.

Anyone else tried off centre turning?

Iron Oxide Finish

I've been experimenting again with different finishes and I read in a book that you can make your own finish for oak by mixing vinegar with iron of some sort (I used iron wool and a jam jar full of malt vinegar).

I put this mixture together three weeks ago and I decided it was time to test it out. On a piece of oak I arboteched out I could see the oak change colour slowly in front of my eyes, it ends up almost being a petroleum blue - a really amazing colour.

I then experimented further by turning a strip of oak and leaving the middle its natural colour (finished with shellac) and texturing the rest, then adding the stain and rubbing on a light covering of liming wax, this gave it a nice contrast. In the end I textured it again after I added the liming wax and applied more of the stain as it only reacts with the bare oak and could fill in the gaps.

Does anyone else have recipes for stains and finishes I can try? I've really enjoyed this experiment and I can see me using it in my future work.

Woodturning Tote

Anyone who reads this blog knows how fussy I am about my tools and this extends to all my tools.
For my woodturning lessons it's advised that we bring our own tools in to use (so we can do the same thing when we get home), last term I used an old tool bag I had to take them in each week. Nothing makes me cringe more than to see my tools in this bag with the sharpened ends touching or coming near to touching - to me that's like dragging your fingernails down a chalk board.
So with some scraps of MDF and a length of oak I set about making myself a tote to carry my woodturning tools in before this term begins. I decided roughly on the shape and cut out the sides. I then laid out some of the tools I wanted to take to make sure they'd fit, with space to add more in the future. I turned a chunky handle out of oak and assembled with glue and screws (well it is only MDF!). I also made a tray in the bottom to carry my sandpaper, oils and other bits.
The only MDF I had big enough was 18mm so this does make it quite heavy but this will stop it tipping over in the van when I take it anywhere. I did cut a hole on each side to lighten it a bit.
When I was happy with it I sealed it with PVA and water and filled the screw holes. I then painted it black to try and hide the fact its MDF.

It should be a better way to take my chisels to lessons and make them easier to use and find when I'm there.

Woodturners Bash

I had an email from my friend and tutor Chris Eagles about the Woodturners Bash the other day asking if I wanted to come along. As It was for UK workshop Forum members I was a bit worried as I hadn't joined, so the night before I quickly joined up and asked if it was OK if I came, I had plenty of replies and decided that it sounded like fun.

It was hosted at Peter Seftons Furniture School in what can only be described as an amazing workshop. Split into different sections (machine room, wood store, hand bench room, etc) I think that this is pretty much the ultimate workshop (Its going to make mine feel pretty small when I get back in there) and in a lovely setting - anyone thinking of doing a furniture course should check out his website http://www.peterseftonfurnitureschool.com/.

Everyone was dead friendly, sharing workshop stories and ideas. Really nice to be in an environment where you can talk about woodwork all day and have no one groan!

Chris did some great demos, I never seem to get bored of watching him work and I always end up learning something new. His skew chisel demo is always good and its made me want to go make a jig so I can sharpen mine properly tomorrow. He also showed a new method of work holding to finish the underside of box lids as well as how to turn whilst pulling the work under tension - really interesting.

I think everyone was completly stuffed at the BBQ as well as being a group of men we'd all brought meat and bread- not a green leaf in site - and there was far too much! I dont think I was the only one to loosen my belt during the afternoon!

A great day in all (I'm afraid the pictures are a bit poor as I forgot to take any and when I did Chris had to pose- should do a caption competition for the first pic).

Tool Auction & Tool Making

Another busy weekend.
Yesterday I got up early and went to Ledbury Tool and Timber Auction with a pocket full of cash (and an uneasy wife left at home). In the end I didn't buy much just 4 large pieces of very twisted Apple, quite thick though so it should be alright for turning (probably as tough as old boots). There was a few things I should have bid higher on but you always think that on the drive home!
Today has been productive, as well as tackling the weeds at the allotment I've started to have a bit of a tidy up in the shed and I've come to the conclusion that I need to build an extension before I build my big extension. This is because I have nowhere to store any timber, but more on that in another post.
I also started to use my High Speed Steel (HSS) that I order from china (and some from Yandles) to make some more tools.
One I made using a square section of steel, ground so it forms a point. Before I could grind it I made a simple jig (in the picture above) to make sure it always went on the grinder the same way.
The other was made using round HHS bar and is basically a spindle gouge without the flute (called a "form tool" or somethimes a "cove tool" I think). I made beech handle for them both and although not identical handles they're starting to look like a set! I've got quite a few more bits of HSS so I'll be making some more woodturning tools over the next few months. anyone got any good ideas on what I can make?

Tulipwood platter

After all my experimenting last week I thought I'd just turn something a little more traditional this week. I brought a nice big plank of "tulipwood" (sounds so much nicer than poplar) as I know it's quite soft and would be good for me to practice on.
It's quite easy to turn although it does have a habit of tearing the grain if your tools aren't really sharp, the whole piece has a greenish tinge to it (my wife thought I'd added it) but I think its a good low cost wood to practice my skills on and make some quite nice pieces with in the process.
I finished the platter with a few coats of walnut oil but it will have a few more before I find it a new home.
You here so many people tell you poplar its good for nothing I'd love to hear what other people use it for as I think its quite an attractive wood.

Spirit Stains And Liming Wax

Although my wood turning classes have finished for this term I couldn't help but email Chris (my tutor) a question or two the other day, I thought he might be missing my thousand questions a lesson. He emailed back that he'd rather come and show me than write it down, so on Tuesday night he came over. This caused a bit of confusion with me as I thought he said for me to go to his and I was over half way there when my wife phoned to tell me my mistake!

We had a good few hours for Chris to show me new techniques involving texturing, painting then liming to give different layers of colour. Using the arbotech and a metal cutting disc in the grinder to give texture and interest. He was quite annoyed at himself when he forgot the blow pipes to show me with spirit stain, but I think we still created an interesting piece. I didn't mind not using the blow pipes as he'd already gone out of his way to teach me all these things, so I was surprised when he phone me up the next night to say we'd have a another crack at it to cover all the techniques. this time though not on oak (as it was too hard for the texturing) so to bring something else to try it on.

I brought round some beech I had left over and we set about making something different, still doing a bit of texturing and liming (the liming was difficult to get right) but working more with the spirit stains on an area that we roughly textured. We used the blow pipes this time and it gives a more airbrushed effect.

Again I know these pieces aren't to every ones taste (Gorges!) but I like them and had a really enjoyable couple of evenings making them in good company. I think I'm very lucky to be friends with someone who's such a good tutor.

Thanks again Chris.

Reclaimed Pine Bowl

A few months ago when taking down the extension on the Park Keepers cottage I sawed through some big old pine purlins. As I sawed I was greeted with the most amazing pine smell and the grain looked beautiful. I put both 4m lumps of timber to one side not quite sure what I'd do with them.
Knocking off from work on Friday night I decided to saw a bit off one and see what I could make from it over the weekend. I pulled out the nails and cut a blank to have a play with.
Considering it's softwood it didn't cut that easily, with the grain tearing if my bowl gouge wasn't sharp enough. I decided to hide nothing on the timber, leaving all the nail holes and any of the white paint that would stay on. I did treat it for wood worm though.
I had a small incident when turning the back away and got a little bit too confident with the lathe running too fast. They say sometimes something happens so fast you don't know what hit you - I certainly knew what hit me square on the nose! I'll keep my face mask on till the end next time - live and learn!

I finished the bowl with finishing oil and then a coat of wax. It's not perfect but I like the feel of the finished piece.

I've got plenty of this wood to play with so I might try and make a few more that I could maybe sell, although I don't know if people would buy a pine bowl - even if the piece of pine is over 200 years old.

Something A Little Different..

At my last woodturning lesson on Thursday I was challenged by Chris to do something that I don't normally do. "Don't think square and don't think centred".

Easier said than done with my mind! I went a completely different route cutting a piece of beech, leaving the bark on then having a play on the lathe. I even got out the acrylic paints and the blow torch. I know their not to everyone's taste but it was interesting making them and quite addictive once I got going. It's the first time I've used any paints for pleasure in about 15 years! And a blow torch is always good fun to use, although I'm extra careful with all the shavings in my workshop.

I finished the backs off by leaving a tooled edge with my new Arbotech type grinder disc, which leaves a surprisingly clean finish, and fixing a small mirror hook to mount it with. Like I said I don't think these are every one's cup of tea (especially people who read this blog) but it's interesting to try out new techniques and styles.

I've also made a couple of work holding devices for the lath, both to help finish off work and remove evidence of how the wood was held on the lathe. The first is a floor polishing mop trimmed up and mounted to some MDF. This will allow me to press the piece being worked into backing and turn away the waste without damaging the inside, idea for platters and shallow bowls.

The second is for the same purpose but different shaped pieces, This is just MDF glued, clamped up and then turned down to the right shape. With the addition of a sponge between the MDF and the bowl it should work great holding the piece firm.

Anyone else make up bits and bobs like this for work holding on the lathe?

First Try At A Hollow Form

At wood turning on Thursday night Chris brought in some different tools for me to try, all to do with hollowing as I've not tried this yet.

I tried them out on some green Alder (wet wood is always good fun to turn) and after a few test pieces to get the feel of the tools I made this little wooden vase/pot. It only took about 30 minutes to make but I'm sure it will crack as it dries, although the walls are all about the same thickness. I might leave it in oil and then sand it up in a few weeks if it survives!

I always enjoy trying out new tools but its made so much better with instruction! I think I'll probably sign on for my 7th term of wood turning classes but I could do with a good (difficult) project to keep me asking questions and learning, any ideas?

Sycamore Bowl

At the weekend I made a sycamore bowl from a blank I brought at Yandles a while back. Its the first time I've worked with this wood and it turns really nicely and takes a good finish.

As for work I've been having problems on Summerfield Park. Last Thursday night we got broken into (through the roof) and someone took about half the copper pipework that had been installed. I then spent Friday boarding it up and trying to make it secure, over the weekend they made another hole in the roof and had the rest of the copper away. This cost the firm I'm working for money and delays the project even further.

Then to top it all off my computer got a virus and I had to completely wipe and reinstall everything (not how I like spending my time!).

Still the sun was shinning today and who knows what the rest of the week will bring.

To the Grind Stone

Last Thursday I committed a sin.

I lent my labourer a chisel (I'm sure you can see where this is going...)

It came back lighter than it went out. Still a little time on the grinder and its as good as new (a little shorter maybe, but as good as new), this is why carpenters don't lend tools (I know he didn't mean to do it though)

At woodturning I have been grinding some HSS bar that I brought at Yandles to make some new woodturning tools. The first of these tools is a three point tool, it seems a good tool to work with (when I've borrowed Chris's) with loads of uses and good for fine detail, as well as forming beads on bowls.

The raw materials used (Beech blank is a bit big but its all I had)

I made the handle out of beech and fitted a brass ferrule onto it. The steel took a long time to grind but it was quite easy to do as I used a triangle piece of MDF as a jig, this was to make sure all three sides were even so they met in the middle.

I'm quite please with it and I know I'll enjoy using it.

Anyone else been making their own tools lately?