Turning Box Blanks

Great Video.

-- My terrible signature...

Nice! These lathe videos always make me wish I had a lathe. Looks like a lot of fun.

-- Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/GarageWoodworks?feature=guide

Thanks guys!

Brian- I have been working wood as a hobby for about 13 years and a lathe never interested me. I only got a lathe because I thought that it would come in handy for turning some knobs and other small accessories for larger projects. It was our 20th wedding anniversary when the “want” of a new tool was plaguing me and the tool I wanted at that time was a lathe since I didn’t have one. My wife bought me my first lathe! Now I can’t stop thinking about turning things out on it! It has satisfied the need for small, quick projects. In a short time I can start with a block of wood and two hours later, walk out of the shop with a completed project, finish and all!

-- Hand Crafted by Brett Peterson John 3:16 http://www.TheCrookedNail.blogspot.com

Thanks for the video. Very informative. Makes we wish that I had a bunch of green hardwood laying around to turn into blanks for future projects! :)

-- "Keep thy airspeed up, lest the earth come from below and smite thee." - William Kershner

I would love to have a lathe but have no place for it now. My step-father turned baseball bats for the pros. He would go to the “library” and pull a Pete Rose or whoever ordered one then mark it out with calipers and duplicate it. He would turn about 30 to 35 per day. He was the last man turning bats by hand when Hillerich and Bradsby went to automated turnings. He made rolling pins for all of us as wedding gifts. Funny thing is the handles all looked like the end of a bat.
One question I have is how does the wood not check while it sits there drying? Enjoyed the video.

-- Chuck.. aka Pickpapa`'`'`'`'`'` The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. Heb. 1:3

Hi Chuck, thanks for the comment on the box blanks.

Let me start by saying that I am not an expert on this subject. My understanding is that when the wood is rough turned wet that most of the wood is removed and that with less wood there is less stress exerted on the blank to cause the fibers to pull apart and separate causing a check or split in the wood. Of course this isn’t always the case and some checking and splitting cannot be avoided. Like I said, this is how I understand it. There may be more to the equation but that is the basic idea behind it.

Also having the extra material removed allows the wood to dry more evenly through the piece also reducing the the stresses that cause the wood to split.

I have also read that some people steam their rough tuned pieces to allow the lignin? to heat up and release its hold on the fibers allowing the stresses in the wood to relieve themselves, just like in steam bending.

-- Hand Crafted by Brett Peterson John 3:16 http://www.TheCrookedNail.blogspot.com

Gr8 vid. Thnx fer the link. Subscribed. Look forward to more

-- Roger from KY. Work/Play/Travel Safe. Kentuk55@bellsouth.net

Thank you Roger! I am just sharing my journey in woodworking and hopefully others can take something positive away when watching what I do.

-- Hand Crafted by Brett Peterson John 3:16 http://www.TheCrookedNail.blogspot.com