Two turned boxes and my first wet turned bowl in process.

Very nice. The red in the box elder looks pretty cool. Are you going to dry it now?

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

I really like the boxes. How did you like turning wet wood? The gouges stay sharp forever, but you sure get rained on. I love the way the wood comes off the gouge in such long whisps. Wonderful turnings.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Here is a tight shot of the rough turned box-elder bowl

The white and black box is King Ivory Palm nut, and dyed maple lid

Here’s a tight shot of the walnut box, with tenoned bois de rose pull

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Turning wet wood is different. I only have a 3/8” bowl gouge, which seems smallish. But the ribbons of wood are fun (and messy). I have the wet one in a bag drying. I took a turn (Karson?) from one of us, and used an old file to make a dovetail recess scraper. Without Cole jaws, I’ll have to gin something up to finish the bottom once dry. At the end of the day, though, nothing got thrown into the back wall of the garage. And it was fun despite the 100° heat in the garage.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

I first learned on wet wood, yes messy, but those ribbons can go on forever… and in some respects can be “cleaner” than covering yourself with sawdust. I suppose the added moisture helped temper the heat ;)

Those are some nice little boxes you’ve got there.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

I really need to get that lathe done. These look great Doug. Looks like a lot of fun. I really like the walnut box.

I’ve read that green white pine is a relatively easy wood to start with…any thoughts? I have a large white pine that came down early spring.

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

Bob I’m a complete babe in the woods to this greenwood turning. Dorje has been a very helpful source of information in my skill forum post http://lumberjocks.com/topics/600 asking for help from bowl turners, and it looks like Jockmike and ScottB know their way around turning bowls. Those little boxes were cored out with a forsner bit mounted into a drill chuck in the tailstock, and then smoothed out and enlarged slightly with a scraper.

Today I took Dick Cain’s suggestion http://lumberjocks.com/topics/show/559 and made a dovetail recess scraper from an old file. Works great.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Turning, wet or dry, is an entirely different woodworking animal from standard joinery woodworking. For me, it a great diversion which I find very relaxing.

These are nice pieces, Douglas, particularly the Walnut lidded box. I just love small wooden boxes, so thanks for showing us these.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

Congratulations, Douglas on those great turnings of yours. I hope the paper bag works, but if it doesn’t try soaking you green turning in dishwashing liquid and water, weighted down so that is full submerged. The soap reduces the surface tension in the wood allowing the water to pass from the inside to the outside more evenly. Firefighters use what is called AAA foam on deep rooted and liquid fires. It is basically the same thinig and by reducing the surface tension of the wood it allows the water to cover the entire surface, thus putting out the fire.

What type of finish did you use?

-- Jesus is Lord!

Douglas -

Green wood is certainly softer, and the cellular structure is “looser” – the tearout on the endgrain reflects that fact. Seems, the sharper the tool the less tearout. Also, the density (and overall condition) of the wood seems to play a role. For example, turning spalted birch, which was more on the rotten side, resulted in tons of end grain tearout; Alder, old but still green, just on the verge of rotting resulted in a bit less; sound, fresh wild cherry resulted in even less; and finally sound sycamore, virtually none. I actually haven’t turned much dry wood, but when the fibers are all shrunk up and dried (felt like the right way to say that) they sure are tighter, packed closer together and result in less tearout because they back each other up so to speak.

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Finishing notes: Mylands Friction polish over Mylands Cellulose sanding sealer on the walnut.
The three lines on the bottom of the box where set with a parting tool, then burnt in with a wire while turning.

The vegetable ivory on the other box just has a coat of HUT PPP wax, lid is stained with MC Campbell black Microtone dye mixed with Zinsser Seal coat, burnt in on the lathe with a cloth, then the PPP.

I have and occasional used Don’s Ubeaut Shellawax cream finish, however, I let this stuff dry out once, and have followed the label directions on reconstitution assuming that Methylated Spirits to be the equivalent of Denatured Alcohol. Since I wasn’t sure, I have felt like I didn’t want to risk gumming up the work. Perhaps another of you turners from Canada or Oz could let me know if my assumption is correct. I certainly like the smell of this product.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Judging from Mot’s comment about the gouges staying sharp, I assume I should finish the outside of the greenwood bowl with a gouge using a shearing cut. I think I ended up using a oval skew. Maybe that accounts for the tear out. I was loathe to sand it much for fear of creating heat checking. But since the only thing I know about this type of turning is what I have read (in fact that pretty much sums up my whole appreciation of turning, just reading about it. I’ve never been to a lesson or dealt with any other turners about best practices) I am flying by the seat of my pants on this.

As far as sharpening, well, I think I suck pretty much. I have a fast, glazed gray vitrified wheel bench grinder I inherited from my Dad, and I occasional will clamp my belt sander upside down in the vise and give it a go.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Quote Douglas Bordner: ”...assuming that Methylated Spirits to be the equivalent of Denatured Alcohol. Perhaps another of you turners from Canada or Oz could let me know if my assumption is correct.”

Doug, this information comes straight from Neil Ellis, the inventor and manufacturer of UBeaut finishing products.

Quoting from Neil Ellis’ ”A Polishers Handbook”, page 124 ”...add a little industrial Methylated Spirits. Just enough to slightly soften the cream. Don’t drown it!”
page 160: Methylated Spirits – Ethyl Alcohol which has been denatured with 9.5% of pyridine and traces of methyl violet to prevent it being used as a beverage. Highly volatile, toxic, not harmful to skin but if used for long periods it is advisable to use a good hand-cream after use to stop drying and splitting of the skin.”

This handbook is considered the Finisher’s Bible here in OZ.

”A Polishers Hand” book available from here.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

Nice work, Douglas. I’m new at turning too, but haven’t tried a box yet. That green wood is Fun, isn’t it? I had fresh orchard cherry and the ribbons just peeled off in great long stripes soaking wet. Whee! And it is hot here, too, and difficult to keep the sweat drops off the workpieces. What I really hate (and would make me throw things against the back wall as you said) is a tiny cut that won’t stop bleeding and drips all over my clear white woods. Now That is aggravating. Have fun turning.

-- BarbS, Wenatchee WA

Nice job Doug, I love walnut, and really like that finial, I”LL have to steal that design. All are good looking bowls. keep up the good work, jockmike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

most of my turning has consisted of pens. I’ve made a couple bowls, but they have been nothing to shout about. I like what you’ve got here, especially the walnut piece.

-- ~ www.darrylmasterson.com ~ www.woodworkingdungeon.blogspot.com ~

Barbs-
Seems like most of my projects get a consecration with a drop or two of blood. As for the throwing of things, I was concerned about the lathe shucking the work or a tool into the wall (Look out!).

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Douglas – re: sharpening bowl gouges, I bought the One Way Vari Grind jig that I use on it’s own, just made up a plywood jig based on the specs in the brochure, and use it on a 1725rpm motor with a decent alum oxide wheel.

At first I thought that you had to have the whole Wolverine system, but you don’t, so that’s what I’ve gotten away with and it made sharpening the bowl gouge much easier!

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

If you using a scraping action, you will get more tear out. Try shearing with the heel of your gouge riding on the wood.
I’m glad the scraper made from a file worked for you.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1