| Project by Gary Fixler | posted 113 days ago | 1218 views | 1 time favorited | 9 comments |  |
 |
I guess this is my first finished turning that came out okay. It’s a chunk of Eucalyptus, from the same euc I previously turned into a pen holder cup here (at the bottom). That seemed like a finished piece, too, but it was more an experiment I kept going with until it suddenly seemed like a finished piece, whatever that means.
I turned this between centers to cylindrical, then in the chuck with first some tailstock support while I made the cup down to the stem, stem not included, then removed the tailstock to do the interior of the cup, then went back and did the stem and base. Finish is 3 coats of Minwax water-based wipe-on-poly (that stuff is waaay more runny than I thought, poured it right past the rag and all over my hand), followed by Hut PPP satin, then gloss polishing wax compound.
This one has been an inspiration to keep honing my skills. It’s a decent finished piece, but I can objectively see that it doesn’t really have that sharpness of a professional turning, and I’m not entirely sure why yet. I think this is where it gets into details, and tightening up the lines and curves – always a difficult thing for me. I’m very technical, and tend to see things in right angles :)
-- Gary, Los Angeles, video game animator
9 comments so far
Innovator
home | projects | blog
3125 posts in 306 days
posted 113 days ago
The shape and the beauty of a turning can be a challange to a turner. I have come up with the perfect method to become a better turner “PRACTICE”. Just keep turning, the more I turn the more I find my creativity expanding and my shills increasing. Richard Raffan has some good books on turning and he includes a lot of shapes to give you ideas.
-- Whether You Think You Can or You Think You Can't, YOU ARE RIGHT!!!
scrappy
home | projects | blog
1580 posts in 323 days
posted 113 days ago
Very nice Gary! Love the shape and finish. The coloring on this euc is outstanding. Can’t wait to get to my wood.
Keep it up.
Scrappy
-- Scrap Wood's the best...the projects are smaller, and so is the mess!
Scott Bryan
home | projects | blog
20554 posts in 714 days
posted 113 days ago
Gary, this “turned” out to be a really nice piece. I assume that there will be more to complete the set?
Nice job. I have got to get a lathe in my shop so I can begin having fun like you are.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
ChrisN
home | projects | blog
155 posts in 665 days
posted 113 days ago
I would drink out of it…and I don’t drink! Nice work.
-- Chris N, Westford, MA - "If you won't eat something from your fridge that turned green...why would you eat something that started out that way?"
saw4fun
home | projects | blog
61 posts in 232 days
posted 113 days ago
The grain and coloring of this wood is almost identical to the Elm I cut around here. Great cup! I like how it shines but isn’t so shiny as to be a mirror.
-- There is no such thing as scrap wood! Rastus NE www.nativelumber.net
mtnwild
home | projects | blog
2013 posts in 419 days
posted 113 days ago
Beautiful!! Very cool…...........
-- mtnwild (Jack), It's not what you see, it's how you see it.
a1Jim
home | projects | blog
16598 posts in 469 days
posted 112 days ago
nice turning gary
-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon
spanky46
home | projects | blog
736 posts in 283 days
posted 112 days ago
Real nice! I’ll take six please! lol A challenge conquered!
-- spanky46 -- Never enough clamps...Never enough tools...Never enough time.
Devin
home | projects | blog
89 posts in 420 days
posted 111 days ago
That’s a nice looking turning, I love the swirl in the base.
-- If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? - John Wooden