Turning Projects

  While cleaning up I found some projects that were set aside and forgotten, a couple of those things were turning projects.  Wood turning makes a huge mess, even when using dust collection. Also turning requires standing to work, at different times my back has stopped me from standing long enough to complete even small turning projects.   

  Now the shop is in great shape and my back and I found a workable compromise. So here are a couple of the  latest jobs.   

poplar?

  I began with some collected wood.  I think this is poplar from behind our house.  

stylist door knob

  Our down stairs bathroom door needed  door knobs. We have managed for a couple of years without, but the new found space and time meant that is was time to get 'er done. 

  The wood was very dry, it had lived in out basement for at least two seasons.  I had no idea what the wood was going to look like when turned.  My expectation was that it would have no visual interest, so my plan was to turn the knobs and paint them white. The grain turned out to be much more fun and so I waxed the final products. They may get painted white to mtach the door one day, but not today.

  When it comes to turning I am pretty much self taught and am  confident that I have nothing useful to share by way of technique, so I don't include that type of information in my blog.  If you type 'wood turning' into any search line you will get access to a vast number of 'experts', it is for you to decide who and what to believe.  My 1st rule for wood turning is safety first, I wear a dust mask and safety glasses while working, artistic production comes 2nd.

 I talked about finding a turned handle recently.  If I'd not already made a square mallet from oak and elm I would have glued this maple together, and attached the found handle.

oak/elm mallet

box tops, mortise chisel, awl
and maple carvers mallet.

  Instead I turned the maple into a carver's mallet.  The maple is off cuts from stair treads which  really strong and straight grained.  I now have a lovely mallet, I just don't know if I need it.

  In the photo you can see the handle for my mortise chisel, and a scratch awl. Two small turnings I made while everything was set up and easily at hand.  The awl was just a curiosity, I made with my four jaw chuck, something I'd not tried before.  In the past all my turnings were either face plate or between two centres.  I now have a four jaw chuck and can try some new things.

                            

Finished Projects and the Lessons Learned.

  The first of the finished projects is a prototype  soap dish. I wanted a thing for the bar soap in our bathroom to sit to dry on.  We are trying to reduce plastic and so bar soap is replacing soft soap in plastic bottles. This was a fussy little project with the pieces joined with half lap joints.  As you can see this is a first effort that has room for improvement. What did I learn for next time:

a: elm is a terrible wood for a project like this, it is stringy and splits easily.  I will use something with a fine, straight grain, maybe maple or bass wood next time.

b: material preparation has to be 100% accurate, close is not good enough for the small, tight tolerances of the joints.

c: draw the piece out full size and use it as a template for marking the cuts.

d: only work in very good light.

e: make it smaller

  This a project like carving a spoon, something basic and quiet to do in the evening.

You can see one of last year's wood turning projects in the back ground. One day I will get around to turning a lid for the shaving soap holder.

  The other project is a turning project.

  I turned a clarinet stand for a friend that plays in the Hamilton Concert Band with me. The base unscrews so as not to take up too much space in your music bag.  It is amazing how much wood dust fills the air when using a lathe. When I have sanded the piece to shape I wax it on the lathe.  The base is cut from a three part piece I glued together and mostly used on a jewelry box. The left over finally found a use, years later. 

  Now when my friend sets her clarinet down while looking for music or taking a drink there is far less chance that it will fall over

.

   I like to make things that have a use.

listen here.  

clarinet is COOL!

  

 On Sunday I was in my shop doing some small repairs on 10,000 Villages products when my Grand Daughter Clara came down stairs and offer to help sweep my shop while I worked.  She didn't have a project that she wanted me to make for her,she just wanted to help out. I can't describe how happy I am when the grandkids want to be in the shop with me. 

  A couple of weeks ago I was in the Burlington Lee Valley and they were selling of totes (handles) for $1.00 each. I bought two,not really knowing what I was going to do with them, but knowing that $1.00 each was a wonderful price for a very comfortable handle. As you can see I attached one of the handles to make a push stick to use on my jointer. The other handle I may just hold on to as a pattern for things down the road.

There is a hollow in the base of the handle, I filled the hollow with piece of pine I shaped to fit,then glued the whole thing the board.

 My current distraction is a bit of wood turning. I had some pieces of Black Locust (I think). If you can recognize the wood by the bark and it isn't Locust let me know please. I cut one section into some napkin rings.  This larger section is mounted and been roughed into round and currently has filler drying in a serious crack and the plan is to make a couple of candle holders from that chunk. 

  My current plan is to doll the rings up with some carving or wood burning or something....

Small project can bring big satisfaction.

Cutting Wood for Turning

 On May 12th I showed my new bow (swede) saw that I plan to use to cut my collection of sticks into pieces for turning.  On the weekend I helped my brother cut a tree down at my Mum's place and now there is more wood that is too good to waste, but not big enough to cut into lumber. The bow saw got a pretty good work out, but the reciprocating saw did the bulk of the work.

  A search of the internet brought forth discussion on how and why to seal the ends of green wood that you cut up in hopes of turning one day.  This blog entry shows exactly why the wood needs to be sealed, as a foot note, the spindle has continued to split, I knew that it would, I just didn't image how much.

The full split experience.
 It seemed to have stopped at this point.
The spindle is firewood, actually.

  This evening I was out buying sump pump hose and clamps.  While wandering the isles of the Big Store I discovered their cache of Oops paint.  The colours are almost always terrible and this evening was no exception but the price is the good news.  I bought a small container of exterior grade primer for $1.00.  The paint has been tinted a colour that is horrible in its depressing grey bleakness.  I can not believe anyone actually wanted paint that colour, it had to have been a mistake, a failed colour experiment no doubt.  To add to the grimness of the situation the paint is really thick and miserable to work with, expect, I don't care.  This paint doesn't have to flow nicely, or look decent, it needs to be thick and seal the ends of a bunch of little pieces of wood that I plan to let dry until winter, at least.   For my purposes the price and product are right.

  These pieces are going to go into a box and stay there until our dry season shows me what they plan to do.  I still have a pretty good pile of big stuff beside the house that still needs the treatment.  One day, soon.

 While I am talking about putting wood away for a "rainy day" I also bought two turning blanks of Dogwood. 

 Thirty years ago I bought a turning blank that I shaped by hand for the handle on my bench vise.  Dogwood is wonderful for that sort of application, if you keep you eye out, it is cheap, strong, straight with a fine, fine grain.  As a tool handle I think that it beats cherry, maple and any other domestic hard woods.  I don't have a plan for the blanks, yet but when the time comes they will be waiting. When I work with Dogwood I always think of Pear, pear's characteristics  are more famous but for early Canadians I think Dogwood was more readily available.

   There are several ongoing small projects in the shop but really the major effort has been to get the gardens looking good so we can sit out and enjoy our yard.  Once the work is done, (is the work ever done?) we can relax and enjoy.

cheers, ianw
  

  

Wood Has Got A Hold On Me

  This weekend it is Canadian Thanksgiving, the kids and the two grand kids are visiting for three days.  Having the Grand kids here means that Kieran is sleeping in the family room, through the wall from my workshop, so for the weekend the shop is closed down.

Kieran, the little Tool Guy

As I was drinking coffee and thinking about today's blog  I noticed something that has been in my house since 1992.

   This platter is purple heart and I bought it while I was an apartment dweller, with no vision of having a wood shop in which to play, ever.  I was taken by the look and texture of this piece just because it is wood. So it appears that wood has had a hold on me for a long time. Now it is not just wood, but wood working too.


   I have a lathe but do not do much work with it, it is an art and a tool that I have left to other people.  One day maybe I will get serious about turning, but there are many other techniques that I want to development first.  For example and to show my incipient multiple personality disorder, I want to do more things with routers and router tables.  The other area that I continue to study and develop is wood carving and hand planes.


Purple heart is a hard wood with a wonderful colour, though it does fade with time.  When I became more focused on wood working I made the decision to use local woods, both hard and soft and to leave the exotic woods for other people to use.  I like the grain and colour of our woods and want to promote them; I also want to promote the local wood harvest and supply businesses.