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Sunday, September 27, 2009

Latest From the Shop

Just so you don’t think I was goofing off all day:

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I spent the afternoon on the big Delta industrial lathe.

This is a turned lidded box. It’s large and heavy and the colors are just spectacular. It’s made from Alaskan Birch Heartwood and Brazilian Rosewood and finished in Mylands Friction Wax*.

I also turned a number of spindles, some chess pieces, two birch bowls to rough, and a plate.


For you turners out there, the finial in the picture above was spindle turned using my new Crown Beechum skewchigouge. Seriously, if you do spindle turning, you probably want to check this tool out. It is easily the best damned skew I’ve ever used. I bought the thing on a whim, and after a day with it I can’t visualize spindle turning without it. You want one, trust me on this.

14 comments:

  1. Don't know much about the tools but damn, that's a beautiful piece.

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  2. Never tried turning, perhaps I should.

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  3. You can't turn sausage, NTSC.

    Well, hang on, maybe if you froze it first...mmm. Back in a minute.

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  4. So I looked for the other asterisk -- the one explaining your use of friction wax. O.o

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  5. Seriously gorgeous. I am wondering about the 'birch bowels' however.

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  6. birch bowels to rough

    I'm guessing this is after the hash browns for breakfast... ;)

    Very nice, Jim - and I'm a little envious of those cuts across the heartwood - I can never get a dried piece to stay together or a green-roughed piece to stay together after drying. I think I'm catching them too late in the decay process - they shrink like crazy.

    I kinda sorta made my own skewchispindlewhatsit after seeing the spindlemaster - it's a cool tool, for sure - this smaller version is the one I'd use if I did more spindle work.

    Um, so can you turn sausage?

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  7. Pam, that's what you get when you inhale too much sawdust (or drink beer while posting, doh). I'll fix it.

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  8. I love that it's photographed with raw wood as the background. Great contrast.

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  9. Suzy, the flash on my camera died, so I set the box on the woodpile in the sun...er, I mean, of course it's a great pictue, I'm an artist ;)

    Karl, I'll send an email with some advice for green turning birch.

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  10. Oh, I have stacks of green turned blanks that never check - it's the ones where the heart has started to change/decay that don't seem to stabilize for me and my usual processes. But, thanks! Guess I need to check my mail now...

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  11. Oooh, pretty!

    That is a stunning piece of work, Jim. I especially love the colors.

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