Miniature Dish and Vase

I have never used a lathe before. But recently at the used tool store I work at, we got in a used “sherline” mini metal lathe and mini milling machine. So I chucked up a couple of pieces of that spalted red alder and went to work. You could call it “product testing and quality control.”

Anyway, since it was actually a mini metal lathe, using it to turn was like playing with an etch-a-sketch. There was one dial to move the cutting point in/out and another dial to move it along the turning. It was a lot of fun and I like what I came out with.

You will notice some voids, those are worm holes, which I love.

The dish is about two inches tall by three inches wide. The Vase is about three inches or four inches tall. Perfect for one pansy.

Since I have set up my shop I promised I would stay away from lathes because I new if I ever tried turning I would be totally hooked. I would probably never get anything else done. I love how turnings look, especially “turned air” pieces, which feature large voids. But if I go down that road it involves an entire arsenal of new tools which I don’t have the space or dough for. So for now, enjoy but don’t expect any more of these. If you have turned pieces, I would like to see them. Direct me to your projects.

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