# 50 for 50 - turning 50 as I turn 50



## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Project 1 - new lathe, old design*

I began turning almost 4 years ago, and like many people, I find it a bit addicting. I am not at the lathe every day by any means, and I have gone weeks without turning it on. But, I am often thinking about turning, sketching forms to turn, planning segmented projects, looking at lathes and tools. For 2019, I want to get deeper into turning, and to help, I have set the goal of turning 50 project this year. They won't all be big or elaborate, some might even be failures, but I intend to get 50 pieces of round wood off a lathe this year.

I am fortunate that my wife also like to turn. It is pretty awesome to take classes together, shop for tools and wood together, and consult on projects together. The only downside is that we occasionally were competing to use our Rikon 70-220 VSR. I also am focused on segmented turning and wanted to work on pieces bigger than the 12" diameter limit of the Rikon. When we stumbled onto a deal on a Nova Saturn DVR last year, we pulled the trigger. I then had a couple months of shop remodeling and reorganization, including central dust collection, making a spot for the Nova. We now have a corner of the shop devoted to turning. Definitely still a work-in-progress, but tools are halfway close at hand and we can both be turning without bumping each other too much.

For my first project on the way to 50, I wanted to do something familiar - segmented turning - while going a bit bigger than I could on the Rikon. I chose a 14" diameter cherry bowl, 12 segment rings. I have focused on form vs. pattern in segmented turning, so far, and I tend to use 12 segment rings as they cut and go together fairly quickly. I usually sketch a full size profile of the form to help me plan segment widths and ring diameters.

Turning was straightforward and went quickly - turning, sanding and finishing took a little over an hour. While I have always liked our Rikon, the Nova is a dream; instant power, zero vibration, and just rock solid. Without any work chucked up, I could stand a nickle on edge on the headstock at 3000 rpm and the nickle didn't move at all.

I look forward to your questions and comments.


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## socrbent (Mar 9, 2012)

mnguy said:


> *Project 1 - new lathe, old design*
> 
> I began turning almost 4 years ago, and like many people, I find it a bit addicting. I am not at the lathe every day by any means, and I have gone weeks without turning it on. But, I am often thinking about turning, sketching forms to turn, planning segmented projects, looking at lathes and tools. For 2019, I want to get deeper into turning, and to help, I have set the goal of turning 50 project this year. They won't all be big or elaborate, some might even be failures, but I intend to get 50 pieces of round wood off a lathe this year.
> 
> ...


Great looking bowl. I too enjoy my Nova DVR


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *Project 1 - new lathe, old design*
> 
> I began turning almost 4 years ago, and like many people, I find it a bit addicting. I am not at the lathe every day by any means, and I have gone weeks without turning it on. But, I am often thinking about turning, sketching forms to turn, planning segmented projects, looking at lathes and tools. For 2019, I want to get deeper into turning, and to help, I have set the goal of turning 50 project this year. They won't all be big or elaborate, some might even be failures, but I intend to get 50 pieces of round wood off a lathe this year.
> 
> ...


socrbent - the Nova is truly an impressive machine. With our basement shop, I wanted big capabilities in a small footprint. I had pretty much decided on the Grizzly G0838, but it has been backordered forever. I walked into Rockler and found a good deal on the Nova, and I have been very happy with it through a very limited amount of turning. I was able to get the outboard turning attachment thrown in for $50, so I'm looking forward to doing some really big stuff.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Project 2 - A lesson on drying of turning blanks*

About a year and a half ago, a friend who is a tree trimmer gave me a ~5' length of cherry log that had saved and stored by his garage for many months. I cut it into lengths roughly equal to the diameter and let them sit. I figured since the log had been sitting for a year or so, I didn't need to coat the end of the segments with Armorseal. Well, that was a bad assumption - every chunk of log cracked badly. Lesson learned.

I split the section on the band saw, made a flat face on each side on the jointer, and roughed out a blank on the band saw. Having worked around the major crack by splitting the chunk along it, I now had to deal with small cracks in the blank and with a missing chunk at the rim. Since the blank was already quite small, I filled the missing area with tinted epoxy. I applied cyanoacrylate to the small cracks to firm them up, which worked quite well. There was one crack that came into the rim that did not want to close up. I resorted to filling it with CA and then using the tail stock as a clamp. There is still a little snick where the crack meets the rim, but it seems solid enough.

Finish is Shellawax.

I have been a 100% carbide turning tool guy, but am starting to explore steel tools. I have a set of rough steel turning tools I picked up a couple years before I even had a lathe, and I cleaned up the scraper and put it a burr on it with a Lee Valley burnisher. I believe I got a better surface than with carbide alone, and I look forward to using my two scrapers more on future projects.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

mnguy said:


> *Project 2 - A lesson on drying of turning blanks*
> 
> About a year and a half ago, a friend who is a tree trimmer gave me a ~5' length of cherry log that had saved and stored by his garage for many months. I cut it into lengths roughly equal to the diameter and let them sit. I figured since the log had been sitting for a year or so, I didn't need to coat the end of the segments with Armorseal. Well, that was a bad assumption - every chunk of log cracked badly. Lesson learned.
> 
> ...


Dang if that doesn't sound familiar! Here's a bowl I made for a Christmas gift from some Cherry I got last summer.









And I did seal it with Anchorseal within 48 hours of it being cut. Ya win some and ya loose some! ;-) On a happy note, the bowl was very well received specifically because of all the dyed epoxy )


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *Project 2 - A lesson on drying of turning blanks*
> 
> About a year and a half ago, a friend who is a tree trimmer gave me a ~5' length of cherry log that had saved and stored by his garage for many months. I cut it into lengths roughly equal to the diameter and let them sit. I figured since the log had been sitting for a year or so, I didn't need to coat the end of the segments with Armorseal. Well, that was a bad assumption - every chunk of log cracked badly. Lesson learned.
> 
> ...


HokieKen, I love the effect of the dyed epoxy! I should have opened the one crack to the right of the rim chipout and filled that with epoxy, too. It would have looked better and I wouldn't have chased it with CA. Every turning project is a learning experience!


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## crb (Apr 12, 2017)

mnguy said:


> *Project 2 - A lesson on drying of turning blanks*
> 
> About a year and a half ago, a friend who is a tree trimmer gave me a ~5' length of cherry log that had saved and stored by his garage for many months. I cut it into lengths roughly equal to the diameter and let them sit. I figured since the log had been sitting for a year or so, I didn't need to coat the end of the segments with Armorseal. Well, that was a bad assumption - every chunk of log cracked badly. Lesson learned.
> 
> ...


That looks great. I've been filling small cracks with ca but not had luck with big ones. What kind of epoxy and dye did you use?


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

mnguy said:


> *Project 2 - A lesson on drying of turning blanks*
> 
> About a year and a half ago, a friend who is a tree trimmer gave me a ~5' length of cherry log that had saved and stored by his garage for many months. I cut it into lengths roughly equal to the diameter and let them sit. I figured since the log had been sitting for a year or so, I didn't need to coat the end of the segments with Armorseal. Well, that was a bad assumption - every chunk of log cracked badly. Lesson learned.
> 
> ...


I use Alumilite Amazing Clear Cast 2-part epoxy. And I just use liquid food coloring to dye it. There are dyes made specifically for the resin though that most people use.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *Project 2 - A lesson on drying of turning blanks*
> 
> About a year and a half ago, a friend who is a tree trimmer gave me a ~5' length of cherry log that had saved and stored by his garage for many months. I cut it into lengths roughly equal to the diameter and let them sit. I figured since the log had been sitting for a year or so, I didn't need to coat the end of the segments with Armorseal. Well, that was a bad assumption - every chunk of log cracked badly. Lesson learned.
> 
> ...


crb, I used Locktite 5 minute epoxy and some Transtint colorant. I almost reached for some System 3, but I only needed a little bit, I was just trying to get something finished, and I also didn't want to have to take the bowl off and futz with a lot of tape dams for the lower viscosity System 3. With the thicker Locktite, I just the big gap at the bottom and put some tape under it, then filled that. I also used Locktite 30 minute CA, which is too thick. I since learned the trick of pushing some sawdust into the cracks and using thinner bodied CA to wick in and bond the dust as a crack filler + stabilizer. I will try that on the next blank from this branch.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Project 3 - I'm dyeing here!*

Last year, I bought some Artisan dyes to play with. I like the surprise, random figure I sometimes get with maple segmented pieces, and thought dye would be a great way to have some fun and accentuate the figure. This bowl was intended as a test piece for dyeing, using a tenon vs. a mortise for the chuck, and to tryout a new finish. I pulled out a plan I used to teach my sister segmented turning (she was a natural!), and the piecing and turning went quickly.

The interior transition from the curved side to the flat bottom remains problematic for me; it seems like every combination of tool, tool rest placement and technique results in catching and tearing out at that transition.

I sanded to 400 and applied the dye with a cotton rag. That was eye-opening; every tiny gap between segments and every tiny chipout on the ends of segments that I thought I had sanded out stood out in stark contrast to the blue. I had a lot touching up with drops of dye. I rubbed it out with 0000 steel wool, and then applied General Woodturners Finish. I wiped the finish on and took a pass with 0000 steel wool between coats. I like the glossy finish of this product vs. the Shellawax finish I usually use. I need to experiment more to get a deeper gloss.

Turning the base, using a rubber pad on the chuck as a jamb chuck was finicky. I had issues with catching and un-centering the bowl until I got the tool rest height and tool presentation just right.

I am looking forward to more dyeing. Does anyone have tips for masking areas to prevent dye penetration? I would have liked to keep the interior natural, but didn't think about it until I already had dye smeared past the rim.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Project 4 - baby rattle*

Where I work, there are many people having babies. Like at least 3 - 4 a year in just the circles of people I know (I work at a big company). A couple years ago, I started making baby rattles for some of them. It was fun, and they were very appreciated. I hadn't made one for several months (a couple new parents didn't get rattles), but I was motivated to make one for this series.

I have previously made single ended rattles - they were cute but tended to look like tiny carving mallets. For this rattle, I did a double ended design. Construction is pretty straight forward; maple, with a Shellawax finish. Holes are made with Forstner bits, rattles are steel BB's. The only sticky part was getting the last end smooth and the same shape as the first end, which I finished on the lathe.

How would you all have finished the second end?

Another fun project!


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Project 5 - A ring box for Valentine's*

My lovely wife of almost 27 years was kind enough to pick out her Valentine's present this year, saving me from the brain strain of coming up with something. So, I thought I could at least make the gift box!

Offcuts laying around the shop were planed to 1/4" thick and stacked up in alternating layers of maple, sapele, cherry, and walnut. My one miss in gluing up the blank was not thinking about how I would be removing a layer to separate the top from the bottom, so the finished box has an interruption in the layer pattern. I'm also not thrilled with the drill and chisel method of making the slot for the ring, but it looked pretty good with the ring in it. Anyone have ideas for a different way to make a ring slot in the bottom post-turning?

Quick and fun project, and very much appreciated by my wife.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Going big*

I wanted to more fully explore the diameter capacity of the Nova lathe and use the outboard turning setup for the first time. I also didn't want to slog through a million segments, so stayed with 12 segment rings. To keep a flatter shape, I used 1/2" thick segments for the two largest rings. Glue up was a bit of a challenge, as my bowl press was built for the 12" swing of the Rikon. I found that I had some gaps between rings using this clamping approach, so will need to add a panel or something to spread the clamping force next time. Sanding dust and CA helped fill the gaps.

I really struggled with catches and chatter with carbide tools on the back side of the rim area, and thought I was going to lose the last two rings. I have a Hunter #4 tool that I have struggled with in the past. Taking a class that taught using a steel bowl gouge opened my eyes to the Hunter tool being presented to the work at different angles, not like the square shank EWT and Harrison tools I usually use. Using the shear cutting of the Hunter made all the difference on that chattery rim, and I was able to save the bowl.

18" finished diameter and a bit over 4" tall. Cherry, Shellawax finish.


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## mikeanderson6307 (Jun 5, 2020)

mnguy said:


> *Going big*
> 
> I wanted to more fully explore the diameter capacity of the Nova lathe and use the outboard turning setup for the first time. I also didn't want to slog through a million segments, so stayed with 12 segment rings. To keep a flatter shape, I used 1/2" thick segments for the two largest rings. Glue up was a bit of a challenge, as my bowl press was built for the 12" swing of the Rikon. I found that I had some gaps between rings using this clamping approach, so will need to add a panel or something to spread the clamping force next time. Sanding dust and CA helped fill the gaps.
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing this beautiful work I appreciate this and going to share on my Facebook and Instagram account. https://likesfinder.com/instagram


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*99% assembly, 1% turning*

I decided to reduce the size of the tripping hazard of offcuts in the shop and make this project. Sometimes, just running things through the table saw is very therapeutic. I had intended it to be a pencil cup for a friend who recently started doing freelance furniture design (why someone who designs almost entirely on his computer needs a pencil cup, i can't say  ), but I missed his last day at our company and then it got a bit big for a pencil cup. One thing about a smaller item, I was able to get down to almost zero tear out and achieved a pretty nice finish.

Shellawax over sapele, maple, walnut, cherry, white oak and red oak.

I have a pile of strips to make 2 or 3 more of these, so I think a vase is in the future with these same woods.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *99% assembly, 1% turning*
> 
> I decided to reduce the size of the tripping hazard of offcuts in the shop and make this project. Sometimes, just running things through the table saw is very therapeutic. I had intended it to be a pencil cup for a friend who recently started doing freelance furniture design (why someone who designs almost entirely on his computer needs a pencil cup, i can't say  ), but I missed his last day at our company and then it got a bit big for a pencil cup. One thing about a smaller item, I was able to get down to almost zero tear out and achieved a pretty nice finish.
> 
> ...


Very nice result. Why is it sitting sideways?


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *99% assembly, 1% turning*
> 
> I decided to reduce the size of the tripping hazard of offcuts in the shop and make this project. Sometimes, just running things through the table saw is very therapeutic. I had intended it to be a pencil cup for a friend who recently started doing freelance furniture design (why someone who designs almost entirely on his computer needs a pencil cup, i can't say  ), but I missed his last day at our company and then it got a bit big for a pencil cup. One thing about a smaller item, I was able to get down to almost zero tear out and achieved a pretty nice finish.
> 
> ...


stefang - I forgot to flip the image when I posted it - doh!


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*End grain headache*

Box elder, 8" diameter x 4" tall.

This is the third green bowl I have turned, and the end grain is killing me! Between the Hunter #4 and a bowl scraper, I got a very smooth finish on edge grain even before sanding, but the end grain is not just a bit rough, it is 'open'. I appreciate a natural look to the finished product of green turning, but this amount of roughness is detracting from the finished product, IMO.

Any tips for reducing this issue and getting smoother results on green turnings?

After finishing this bowl, I thought about using a shellac sanding sealer as a first finishing step - thoughts?


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## BlueRidgeDog (Jan 2, 2019)

mnguy said:


> *End grain headache*
> 
> Box elder, 8" diameter x 4" tall.
> 
> ...


I don't turn, so when you say green, you mean you are working it prior to drying? I was under the impression that green turning was more of a roughing step then the part was allowed to dry fully before final working. The product you show appears to be a finished bowl, so I guess I really don't know anything about wood turning.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *End grain headache*
> 
> Box elder, 8" diameter x 4" tall.
> 
> ...


@BlueRidgeDog - correct; this bowl started as a piece of box elder that was cut from a standing tree 3 - 4 months ago (by the instructor of a bowl turning class I took). The end grain was sealed with Anchorseal to greatly slow drying. I don't have a moisture meter, but the wood definitely had a feeling of slight dampness when I was turning it.

With two previous bowls, I rough turned the bowl blanks when the wood was WET - like less than a week from being cut off a living tree. The wood was so we that the chips rusted my lathe bed. I turned to a wall thickness of ~1.5", then coated the blank in Anchorseal to slow drying, and set it aside for several months. I then turned it to final form and wall thickness. In a green turning class this past January, we turned to final thickness and form on green wood. The instructor does the majority of his turning this way, and he does some beautiful work. The finish slows drying and reduces cracking and warping.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *End grain headache*
> 
> Box elder, 8" diameter x 4" tall.
> 
> ...


Very nice shape on your bowl. You can dry your bowls in heavy paper bags left in a cool place to avoid extreme warpage and cracking. I never used any sealer and never lost a bowl with that method, but sealer is a time honored method too.

You can turn green wood to a finished vessel as long as the walls and bottom are the same thickness and the it is an end grain turning. Sometimes you will get some cracks in the bottom, but a little super glue there on the outside bottom is usually enough to stop checking or even eliminate it entirely if it's done early enough.

I think if you use HSS steel more often you will find that you can sharpen to suit your needs and get better definition on coves, and beads, etc. I know a lot of people love their carbide tools, but I doubt they are doing any challenging turning with them. They are probably great for segmented turnings though. Just my personal opinion.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *End grain headache*
> 
> Box elder, 8" diameter x 4" tall.
> 
> ...


Mike - thank you for the compliment on shape. The recipient of the bowl was thrilled.

I am finding that my Hunter carbide tools, which have round bars and cupped carbide cutters have some of the advantages of carbide AND HSS. No sharpening needed, but you can present the cutter to the work in a variety of ways. Of course, no carbide can be customized like HSS can.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Green turning class = new horizons*

So, these posts are a bit out of order.

I took a Green Bowl Turning class at the Minneapolis Woodcraft in January. Great class, and Dan Larson was a terrific instructor. It was the first time I had used steel tools (the home shop is pretty much 100% carbide), and only the second time I had ever turned green wood. The bowl gouge was alternately frustrating (when I had my angle off and tore a chunk out of the rim of my bowl) and rewarding (nothing like a long ribbon of fresh box elder streaming off a blank). I am not ready to buy a grinder and a pile of steel turning tools, but it has already made me better with my carbide tools, and I have played with my bowl gouge and scraper at home.

This is the bowl I made in class. It was intended to be at least a 1/2" taller (see above frustration - lol), but it turned out pretty well.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*#10 - final resting place for a friend's loyal friend*

Our neighbor and friend's dog had to be put down this week. It is an enormous loss to our friend, the dog was 14 and she got the dog as a puppy. We knew the dog it's entire life, too, living next door.

Body is figured maple, lid is walnut and the finial / knob is apple. The branch that birthed the finial was from the neighbor's old apple tree, which died 5 years ago. I saved some of the wood for some unknown reason; now I know one of the reasons.

Rest in peace, Kari Dog.


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

mnguy said:


> *#10 - final resting place for a friend's loyal friend*
> 
> Our neighbor and friend's dog had to be put down this week. It is an enormous loss to our friend, the dog was 14 and she got the dog as a puppy. We knew the dog it's entire life, too, living next door.
> 
> ...


it is very hard to lose a loved one but you have made a wonderful looking urn as their final resting place *GREAT JOB :<))*


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Baby boom - another rattle*

Many, many people I work with are in their prime years for having babies, and it seems like I could make a rattle every month for an expectant parent or someone coming back from maternity leave. I decided to try a little twist on this most recent one by adding an accent that only impacted the handle, to avoid the mismatch at the joints of the end caps with the handle. My ability to realign the parts after parting off the end has been low, and the material removed with the parting tool makes a mismatch inevitable, anyway. I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

Maple and walnut. Shellawax finish.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *Baby boom - another rattle*
> 
> Many, many people I work with are in their prime years for having babies, and it seems like I could make a rattle every month for an expectant parent or someone coming back from maternity leave. I decided to try a little twist on this most recent one by adding an accent that only impacted the handle, to avoid the mismatch at the joints of the end caps with the handle. My ability to realign the parts after parting off the end has been low, and the material removed with the parting tool makes a mismatch inevitable, anyway. I'm really happy with the way it turned out.
> 
> Maple and walnut. Shellawax finish.


Nice!


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *Baby boom - another rattle*
> 
> Many, many people I work with are in their prime years for having babies, and it seems like I could make a rattle every month for an expectant parent or someone coming back from maternity leave. I decided to try a little twist on this most recent one by adding an accent that only impacted the handle, to avoid the mismatch at the joints of the end caps with the handle. My ability to realign the parts after parting off the end has been low, and the material removed with the parting tool makes a mismatch inevitable, anyway. I'm really happy with the way it turned out.
> 
> Maple and walnut. Shellawax finish.


Doh! I just realized I made zero attempt to align the grain between the caps and the handle on the maple. I think I got them an almost perfect 180 deg opposite - lol.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Youtube inspiration*

I have become a bit addicted to Gord Rock's Youtube channel. I find his level of explanation, his dry humor and his pacing much to my liking. The fact he has the same Nova lathe as I do also helps .

He has posted videos making a couple shallow bowls / platters from ~8/4 planks, where he edge glues them to get a bigger diameter blank. I liked the look of the form he made, and I had length of 8/4 white oak left over from a project making a new threshold for friends' back door, several years ago. The board had very straight grain, making for a blank where the joint between the halves is fairly well hidden. This bowl will now be a birthday present for one of those friends who have the rest of this plank under their back door.

I used an Easy Wood Tools 2" radius 'rougher' cutter with negative rake for finishing cuts on the flat surfaces. Wow! That cutter made a big difference in how smooth I was able to get before sanding. I am also getting comfortable running higher RPM's, which obviously helps get a smoother finish.

I also used a new finish; Clapham's Salad Bowl finish. It went on nicely, and was easy to rub into the larger pores of the oak, and buffed out to a nice, satin sheen. I look forward to seeing the finish on some walnut.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Walnut rattle*

ANOTHER rattle, for a coworker just coming back from maternity leave. Walnut with maple veneer between the handle and end caps.

Does anyone have a suggestion for gripping one fully turned end of this form so I can properly shape and finish the second end? I thought it might fit a set of chuck jaws, but none of the jaws I have fit. I might have to make something, as I see more rattles in my future, and it gets frustrating to have one nicely shaped and sanded end, and one janky end that tried to shape on the belt sander and by hand with sand paper.


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## jstegall (Oct 9, 2008)

mnguy said:


> *Walnut rattle*
> 
> ANOTHER rattle, for a coworker just coming back from maternity leave. Walnut with maple veneer between the handle and end caps.
> 
> Does anyone have a suggestion for gripping one fully turned end of this form so I can properly shape and finish the second end? I thought it might fit a set of chuck jaws, but none of the jaws I have fit. I might have to make something, as I see more rattles in my future, and it gets frustrating to have one nicely shaped and sanded end, and one janky end that tried to shape on the belt sander and by hand with sand paper.


David reed smith dot com, search under articles for his pvc wood chuck. Should work


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *Walnut rattle*
> 
> ANOTHER rattle, for a coworker just coming back from maternity leave. Walnut with maple veneer between the handle and end caps.
> 
> Does anyone have a suggestion for gripping one fully turned end of this form so I can properly shape and finish the second end? I thought it might fit a set of chuck jaws, but none of the jaws I have fit. I might have to make something, as I see more rattles in my future, and it gets frustrating to have one nicely shaped and sanded end, and one janky end that tried to shape on the belt sander and by hand with sand paper.


@jstegall - that is a fantastic site! Thank you for the tip!


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Lamp base*

Segmented cherry lamp base as part of a larger project (posted separately as a project to talk about the shade).

It was nice to not have to hollow this thing and to concentrate on the exterior form and finish. The project went well overall. I did a segmented top, and the true center was difficult to locate and the hole for the pipe / conduit ended up a bit off-center. I really needed a cone live center, as my small cup + point center didn't center well in the hole. I now have a cone live center . Also, despite sanding all the segmented rings flat and using my glue up press, I ended up with a pretty significant gap between two of the rings. I filled them with CA and sawdust, and it looks ok, but I'm still not sure how I got that gap.

I used both a bowl scraper and a negative rake cutter on an Easy Wood Tools rougher for finishing cuts. I was able to achieve my best surface before sanding to-date. I don't know how much of the effectiveness of the negative rake cutter was its geometry and how much was it being a fresh, sharp cutter, but it was definitely easier to take whisper-light cuts on a finishing pass.

Sanded to 400. Shellawax finish.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*It's hip to be square*

(thank you, Huey Lewis)

With 50 projects to turn this year, I am learning to not design everything, which you have to do with segmented projects. I am learning to look around the shop at the piles of blanks, offcuts, etc. for inspiration and material. Which is one of the reasons I am challenging myself to turn 50 things this year, so it's working!

I watched a video of Jimmy Clewes turning a square bowl, and thought that looked pretty cool, so I looked around the shop and found a walnut offcut that my wife picked up from the 'bargain bin' at one of our local hardwood suppliers / cabinet shops. I squared it up, mounted it to a face plate and started turning. Made a tenon on the bottom for the chuck and shaped the bottom. I quickly learned that I needed to a) shape the edge from outside - in to avoid blow out of the corners / edges, and b) I had to run high rpms. It was a bit scary as this thing sounded like an airplane propeller at 2000 rpm, but I got comfortable with it. Sanded the corners with round sanding pad in a drill, flats with a block. Flipped and turned the face.

I thought I might be able to turn the rather large knot out, but it went almost all the way through the blank, so I filled it with tinted epoxy. Another lesson - the open time of System 3 is rather long, as the bottle makes clear (had I taken the time to read it). The first fill of System 3 largely ran out when I mounted it after 1 hour of cure time - whoops.

After shaping and sanding the top, I mounted it in the Cole jaws and turned off the tenon and finished the base. Sanded to 400 grit, EEE Ultra Shine, and then Shellawax.


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## Henrylanke (May 17, 2020)

mnguy said:


> *It's hip to be square*
> 
> (thank you, Huey Lewis)
> 
> ...


I have already seen the original video of Jimmy Clewes in which he was turning a square ball, but your similar work is far more mature and excellent. It is always easy to read https://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/edubirdie.com before help in research paper. I am honestly impressed to see such splendid work on a square ball.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Could have been firewood*

About 2 years ago, a friend had an oak tree taken down, and she brought me a big chunk of trunk. With a neighbor's help (and his chainsaw), I got a couple blanks out of it. One chunk felt too big to throw on the firewood pile, so I have been tripping over it for the last two years. I finally decided to turn it into something.

While I had rough turned the green blanks and Anchorsealed them, this chunk just air dried, and quickly. There were quite a few small cracks that I filled with sawdust and CA. Thin CA and activator - where had this been all my life?

Sanded to 400 and finished with Clapham's Salad Bowl finish. I really like this finish; it penetrates nicely, yields a really nice soft sheen, and it smells really good.


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## Noely (Dec 5, 2018)

mnguy said:


> *Could have been firewood*
> 
> About 2 years ago, a friend had an oak tree taken down, and she brought me a big chunk of trunk. With a neighbor's help (and his chainsaw), I got a couple blanks out of it. One chunk felt too big to throw on the firewood pile, so I have been tripping over it for the last two years. I finally decided to turn it into something.
> 
> ...


Wow, really nice bowl. I wish I had room in my little shop for a lathe - I'd love to make bowls from wood I harvest from our woodland property. Looks like the CA did the trick, too!


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *Could have been firewood*
> 
> About 2 years ago, a friend had an oak tree taken down, and she brought me a big chunk of trunk. With a neighbor's help (and his chainsaw), I got a couple blanks out of it. One chunk felt too big to throw on the firewood pile, so I have been tripping over it for the last two years. I finally decided to turn it into something.
> 
> ...


@Noel - this bowl could have been made on a mini lathe that you could move around and store in a small shop. Don't let that stop you


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## WistysWoodWorkingWonders (Oct 4, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *Could have been firewood*
> 
> About 2 years ago, a friend had an oak tree taken down, and she brought me a big chunk of trunk. With a neighbor's help (and his chainsaw), I got a couple blanks out of it. One chunk felt too big to throw on the firewood pile, so I have been tripping over it for the last two years. I finally decided to turn it into something.
> 
> ...


cool, simple bowl.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Teaching turning is a new roll*

(I can't resist some of the punny titles)

A friend is trying out lots of new craft / creative things this year, and wanted to add turning to her painting, ceramics, glass blowing and other experiences so far this year. Since she is a very prolific baker, it thought a French rolling pin would be a perfect project for her.

I built some blanks from offcuts and clipped the corners on the table saw. Having two lathes, I decided to demonstrate on one lathe so I wouldn't end up doing half of Joy's project for her during demos. She was a great student - she listened, readily grasped why she needed to adjust the tool rest height, tool angle, etc. I don't know if she will try turning again, but I think she enjoyed the experience.

Her finished rolling pin is the smaller one. Maple, cherry and walnut. Clapham's salad bowl finish.

My finished pin is walnut, cherry and ash. EEE Ultra Shine and Shellawax. The ash was not the best choice as you can feel the grain after sanding, so it might be a bit harder to clean and stick to dough more.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Free wood = bowl*

I donated several turned items for a silent auction at our church. My work got some exposure and people were very complimentary, which is very nice . One parishioner subsequently brought me some pieces of a spruce stump they cut up. Most of the wood was pretty soft and rotting, but I was able to hack one usable blank out of it. The soft nature of the wood and really open pores made turning a bit difficult. The end grain, in particular, I could not get even halfway smooth with tools. I sanded to 120 and applied Howard Feed-n-Wax, a citrus + beeswax product. I found that I could "wet sand" after the finish soaked in and that I was able to knock down the end grain quite a bit. The figure is attractive, and the Howard's gives the wood a warm, orangish glow.

I am not in a hurry to turn more spruce. I need to find the parishioner who has stacks of walnut trees sitting around


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Replacement handle for my miter gauge*

I was using an aluminum push stick to move something through the table saw, and I got the end of the stick into the blade. I have no idea exactly what I did, as it was lightening fast, as table saw accidents tend to be. The push stick shot back into my hand so hard that it turned black and blue the next day, and it hurt so badly I had to get sit down. No broken bones or long term damage but my hand hurt for more than a week.The stick was bent almost 90 degrees and landed 5' away. On its way to the floor, the flying push stick took out the plastic know on my Incra miter gauge. I still haven't found all the pieces, but I did find enough to model a new handle.

Turned from jotoba left over from our kitchen floor. Press fit on the miter gauge, with epoxy.

I replaced the bent up aluminum stick with a plastic one


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

mnguy said:


> *Replacement handle for my miter gauge*
> 
> I was using an aluminum push stick to move something through the table saw, and I got the end of the stick into the blade. I have no idea exactly what I did, as it was lightening fast, as table saw accidents tend to be. The push stick shot back into my hand so hard that it turned black and blue the next day, and it hurt so badly I had to get sit down. No broken bones or long term damage but my hand hurt for more than a week.The stick was bent almost 90 degrees and landed 5' away. On its way to the floor, the flying push stick took out the plastic know on my Incra miter gauge. I still haven't found all the pieces, but I did find enough to model a new handle.
> 
> ...


Very nice! The plastic knob on my Incra is just fine but after seeing this, it may get a replacement anyway.

On another note, an Aluminum push stick sounds like a horrible idea :-/ Good call replacing it with plastic. I have a plethora of wood and plastic ones. I think most all of them have seen contact with a spinning blade of some sort at some point in their lives.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *Replacement handle for my miter gauge*
> 
> I was using an aluminum push stick to move something through the table saw, and I got the end of the stick into the blade. I have no idea exactly what I did, as it was lightening fast, as table saw accidents tend to be. The push stick shot back into my hand so hard that it turned black and blue the next day, and it hurt so badly I had to get sit down. No broken bones or long term damage but my hand hurt for more than a week.The stick was bent almost 90 degrees and landed 5' away. On its way to the floor, the flying push stick took out the plastic know on my Incra miter gauge. I still haven't found all the pieces, but I did find enough to model a new handle.
> 
> ...


Kenny,

The aluminum push stick was from Rockler, with a magnet in the handle. The advantage was the stick was very thin. The disadvantages were, well, everything else. Rocker only sells a plastic version now


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## HalieRoob (Jun 11, 2020)

mnguy said:


> *Replacement handle for my miter gauge*
> 
> I was using an aluminum push stick to move something through the table saw, and I got the end of the stick into the blade. I have no idea exactly what I did, as it was lightening fast, as table saw accidents tend to be. The push stick shot back into my hand so hard that it turned black and blue the next day, and it hurt so badly I had to get sit down. No broken bones or long term damage but my hand hurt for more than a week.The stick was bent almost 90 degrees and landed 5' away. On its way to the floor, the flying push stick took out the plastic know on my Incra miter gauge. I still haven't found all the pieces, but I did find enough to model a new handle.
> 
> ...


I did not get your concept. I think you need to share some more images of the project so that I can understand what you have done. Whenever I have hire a writer for my essay I visit https://youressayreviews.com/is-edubirdie-legit/ website to read reviews first of Edubirdie. can you please share that what project are you working with?


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Easy hollowing, but how do I sand this thing?*

Wanted to make a small and tall vessel, but didn't want to build it in layers. So, I sized it so I could "hollow" it with a 2.375" Forstener bit held in the tailstock. Easy, clean, straight!

I drew some inspiration for the contrasting vertical band from some Youtube videos. I glued up the maple layers, then used a few passes on the table saw to make a slot for the walnut strip, and glued it in. Turned and sanded the outside to 400 grit.

I have finally figured out that Shellawax needs to be buffed at HIGH rpms, and the level of gloss is much higher. Overall, I am pleased with the result.

Question - I have seen some long, skinny holders for 2" sanding disks being used on Youtube, but haven't found such a thing yet. Only the options with shorter, thicker handles and articulating heads that are too large for sanding something this size. Anyone have any ideas? I suppose I could make one.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Easter egg*

With spring - summer yard work and all the other warmer weather activities, I haven't been turning as much, but I have been making some new pieces. I was waiting to get a new photo setup, and got the Amazon Basics photo studio - I can't recommend it enough. There are certainly less expensive options, but it is a really well thought out solution that sets up and stores easily. I believe it is a really good value.

I started this piece a week before Easter, under the delusion I would finish it in time to be a centerpiece at Easter dinner. Ha! Three weeks later, I finished it. I learned a lot about how not to build a blank like this. I built a small pine box for the core, and then started pulling pieces out of the scrap pile and adding them. It is now obvious to me I should have built panels from random width pieces, each panel being of different widths, then stacking the panels. Oh well. The end result was some annoying gaps, which I filled with yellow tinted epoxy. Overall, I am very pleased with the shape, and somewhat pleased with the overall piece.

Ash, walnut, white oak, pine, purpleheart, sapele, zebrawood, lacewood, cherry and maple.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Vase with insert stripe*










For this tall, narrow form, I wanted to try two new techniques.
- insert a vertical / longitudinal strip of contrasting material
- hollow the entire form in one step with a Forstner bit
The glue up of the maple blank was straight forward. I didn't think through very well how I was going slot the blank for the walnut stripe. I used the jointer to get a flat face, then made two stopped passes on the table saw to cut each side of the slot, finishing with a hand saw and chisel. The result was a good fit for the walnut stripe, but it wasn't centered on the maple rings. I should have used a sled to hold the blank in position on the table saw and used the dado stack to get a more centered stripe.

Turning the outside was straight forward. I used a 2 3/8" forstner bit with an extension to hollow the vessel. This worked really well, and the wall thickness variation isn't objectionable. And, i was able to glue the entire blank up in one step, vs. building it on the lathe. I did not plan ahead on how to sand the interior, and I ended up with no good way to effectively sand it. I did not have anything that I could put a star sanding disk on that would reach into the vessel. I tried sandpaper wrapped around a large dowel, which was marginally effective. In the end, I left the interior a bit rough.


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## MrWolfe (Jan 23, 2018)

mnguy said:


> *Vase with insert stripe*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well done and what a nice contrast in wood. I like the textured look on the maple. It looks quilted or woven.
Great Job!!!
Congratulations on turning 50 and turning #22!
Jon


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *Vase with insert stripe*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Jon - one of the reasons I like using hard maple in segmented work is it always seems to show some chatoyance and "figure". I also like the way it emphasizes form vs. the color of the wood.

If I could only figure out how to reliably get my images to be oriented correctly on Lumbejocks, I'd be set


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Vase form - Etsy store launch item*

I have decided to open an Etsy store to make a little $ while I clear out some of the items I am turning. I know there are a lot of challenges being successful on Etsy, but the risk is also low. I will use social media to drive friends to my store, Ninebark Woodworks, and see what happens.

I wanted to do 4 similar forms in two different mixes of species. I glued up 4 blanks, as tops and bottoms to make hollowing easier.









I had issues getting the rings concentric and then the hollowed halves joined up, and ended up turning through the side of #1, trying to get the right form and remove tear out. A lot of work for "practice". I then successfully turned this version - cherry with maple accents. I am very pleased with the form and the exterior finish. I left the inside a bit rough, as I figure the Etsy audience will not appreciate a higher level of finishing, and I wanted to keep hours down on an item that will already sell for "less than it's worth".


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## trsnider (Nov 23, 2012)

mnguy said:


> *Vase form - Etsy store launch item*
> 
> I have decided to open an Etsy store to make a little $ while I clear out some of the items I am turning. I know there are a lot of challenges being successful on Etsy, but the risk is also low. I will use social media to drive friends to my store, Ninebark Woodworks, and see what happens.
> 
> ...


I've been on etsy for about a year trying to see bread boards, pizza peels, and animal banks. So far I've made 12 sales. 1 bread board, 3 peels, and 8 animals. My boards show up in the 100s or more of a search. Noone is going to go through and find my boards. I had 2 inquiries: make me 3 bear banks before Christmas-no answer bank, make me a custom board - replied but no answer back. I've had a frustrating experience. I'm letting all my stuff expire and then closing my shop. Craft sales aren't much better. My shop name is foursonswoodworking if you're interested in looking at it.
My tags match the tags of stuff on page one. I'm doing "free" shipping (a money loser). ….. 

Good luck to ye.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Hollow form in maple and walnut*

Same segment sizes and blank form as #23, in maple and walnut. This item ended up quite a bit thicker than #23, as I wanted to make sure I didn't screw it up - lol. Exterior dimensions are very similar, but this is definitely heavier.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Another friend lost *

My sister recently lost her beloved Miniature Pinscher, so I made an urn for the dog's cremains. I chose cherry and walnut, inspired by her coat colors. I used stave construction for the first time; I liked it! In the interest of time and materials on-hand, I didn't taper the staves, but used thicker straight staves.

I was disappointed in the poor color match between the walnut in the body and the walnut in the lid. I don't have a lot of experience with walnut, so I am chalking it up to different pieces of walnut. The sanding and finishing were identical.

PS - I realized I posted the same project twice - one with bad lighting and one with the new photo studio. So, I am NOT half way done with my 50 .


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*You give me wood, I give you bowls*



















A neighbor gave me a cherry log a couple years ago, ~6" x 4' long. I thought it was already pretty dry, so did nothing to seal the end grain. Whoops - major cracks in every 6" long section I cut. Fortunately, the cracks were all pretty much radial through one half, so I was able to split the sections along the cracks and get two similar size blanks out of each log section. The result so far is these bowls. ~4.25" diameter.

The plank is made from oak flooring I salvaged when we tore out the closet in my wife's studio (replacing the closet with a wall of built ins). There are shallow 3" deep recesses that engage with shallow feet on the bowls.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *You give me wood, I give you bowls*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


@Joshua - I'm not sure how to add such a tab.

Can anyone else help?


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## Lucy_13 (Jun 8, 2020)

mnguy said:


> *You give me wood, I give you bowls*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


this is such a wonderful post. I have learned new things here. your writing style is great. keep up the good work. looking forward to more amazing reads.

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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Apple bud base*

In 2012, my wife and I took a bumper crop of apples from our neighbor's tree, making our first batch of hard cider. We got hooked on making hard cider, and have made cider every year since (~20 gallons last fall). Sadly, that first tree died in 2013 and was cut down. I saved the main trunk, throwing it up in the trusses in the garage. I knew nothing about sealing end grain then, so of course, it cracked like crazy. With 50 things to turn, I have been casting around for both ideas and materials, so I dug the apple log out of the rafters and cut it into various blanks. This piece had two deep, full length longitudinal cracks. I rough turned the blank round, then filled the cracks with tinted West System epoxy. Final height is 10". Finish is sanding sealer, EEE Ultra Shine and Shellawax. The liner is a test tube; a 13/16" Forstner bit made a perfect size hole for it.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Another square bowl*

The first square I made was a challenge that I enjoyed, so when I unearthed a square of white oak that was left over from a project for friends (we replaced the threshold of their exterior door), I knew it had to be a square bowl.

I drew inspiration from several Youtubers (thank you to all the folks that do such a wonderful job sharing their skills and process via that medium!) for a bowl with closed corners / feet. I didn't about chip out with the thin areas at the edges of the feet, exacerbated by the grain of the oak, until I got into the project. I used a little thin CA to strengthen the areas, and did final shaping of those areas with the 2" sanding pad in a drill. Overall, I am happy with the form .

Finish is Clapham's beeswax salad bowl finish, which has become my favorite finish for white oak; the color and soft sheen it produces on white oak is beautiful. Plus, the finish is dead-easy to apply and it smells really good.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Life is just a chair of bowlies*

With apologies to Mary Engelbreit.

Still working through a cherry log gifted to me by a neighbor ~3 years ago.

I wanted to work on replicating work as a skill builder, as trying to make three "identical" bowls for my board and bowl piece didn't go great. I made the first bowl after making sure I had more than 4 blanks roughly the same size. I then make a template / gauge for the side profile. Pretty simple turning. 4 matching bowls took me 6 total bowls; one was too small diameter by the time I turned off all the bark, and the other had the rim chip out along an invisible crack, so I had to turn it down in height to salvage something. In the end, I got very similar edge profiles, diameters from 4 7/8" - 5", and all with a 2" height.

Finish is Shellax over EEE.

I am REALLY enjoying the challenge of coming up with 50 projects - I was initially worried I would run out of ideas. Not an issue. I went to a local cabinet shop that also sells hardwood, and sells offcuts. Five minutes looking over the bins of offcuts and I had 5 project ideas and the material to make them


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Apple bowl*

Same tree harvested in 2013. Simple form, cracks filled with epoxy. Finish is Clapham's salad bowl finish. 5.5" diameter x 1.75" tall.


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## JosephHeider (11 mo ago)

mnguy said:


> *Apple bowl*
> 
> Same tree harvested in 2013. Simple form, cracks filled with epoxy. Finish is Clapham's salad bowl finish. 5.5" diameter x 1.75" tall.


Here's a small bowl turned from the wood of an apple tree that was harvested from our back yard in 2013. The form is simple, and it has a few cracks filled with colored epoxy abd also check top essay writing services for students to have unique task. The finish is Clapham's salad bowl finish. It measures just under 6 inches in diameter and is 1 and 3/4 in. tall - so it will hold 4 oz. of soup or ice cream.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*My first commissioned turning!*

A friend commissioned a precision rolling pin - one that allows the user to roll out dough to a consistent depth. She wanted a free turning style with separate handles, so I bought Woodcraft's rolling pin kit, which comes with a stainless shaft and sealed bearings. I glued up a blank from some beech I had on-hand. Beech was not the easiest wood to turn really smooth working across the grain, and I could only turn away so much material or there wouldn't be adequate clearance under the handles. As it is, the clearance is just adequate. I didn't have enough beech for any margin of error on the handles, so I used some hickory, which turned really nicely. The body is finished with multiple coats of Clapham's salad bowl finish and the handles are finished with three coats of paste wax.

This project was good practice making a straight turning with a very consistent diameter, and also making multiple components as alike as possible (handles).


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*My new favorite turning project*

This is the second project I have made from a 8/4 remnant, where I cut the piece in half and then glued the resulting pieces together. Both times, there was reasonable grain match so the resulting blank did not look obviously like it glued up from narrower pieces. This started as a piece of white oak from the scrap bins at Forest Products in Maplewood, MN (always a good place to get a cheap haul of offcuts from their cabinet shop operation). I am really happy with the rolled rim and the overall shape. Finished with 2 coats of Clapham's beeswax salad bowl finish, which I love on white oak. 11.5" diameter x 1.75" tall.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*50 for 50 gift bowl*

A friend at work also turned 50 this year, and it got me thinking about a project that would make a nice gift for her while symbolizing her milestone birthday. So, I made a bowl with 50 segments. Straight forward construction out of cherry, with a mahogany bottom. The finish is Minwax Sedona Red, with sanding sealer, EEE polish and Shellawax.

I was a little concerned about setting up my wedgie sled for accurate cuts at 18 degrees. I have previously always used 12 segment rings primarily because I have a perfect 'wedge' in the form of a 30-60-90 drawing triangle. But, I used my adjustable digital angle finder from iGauging, and the test ring fit perfect on the first try. I should make a reference wedge for 18 degrees, but I am tempted to rely on the angle finder.

The birthday girl was thrilled with her gift


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Rimmed platter*

Simple white oak platter. 10.25" diameter. I had a terrible time with the finish for some reason. I could not see all the cross grain scratches until I put the Shellawax on. The end result is mediocre, but I like the form.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*End of Day platter*

Glass artists will sometimes throw all the remaining molten glass, with different colors, into one or two last objects at the end of the work day. This is sometimes referred to as End of Day glass. I figured gluing up a pile of offcuts from segmented turning and other projects was in the same spirit. So, the End of Day platter.

The platter contains white oak, cherry, maple, walnut, beech, red oak and one piece of hickory. And maybe some ash? I would have been happier with the result if all strips had been wider, but I had a lot of 3/4" wide strips left from segmenting, so I stacked them on top of each other. The end result is ok, but I don't love how the horizontal glue line shows up in the turning.

Diameter is 13". Finish is EEE polish followed by paste wax.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

mnguy said:


> *End of Day platter*
> 
> Glass artists will sometimes throw all the remaining molten glass, with different colors, into one or two last objects at the end of the work day. This is sometimes referred to as End of Day glass. I figured gluing up a pile of offcuts from segmented turning and other projects was in the same spirit. So, the End of Day platter.
> 
> ...


Nice use of scraps. I like the concept of end-of-day projects.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

mnguy said:


> *End of Day platter*
> 
> Glass artists will sometimes throw all the remaining molten glass, with different colors, into one or two last objects at the end of the work day. This is sometimes referred to as End of Day glass. I figured gluing up a pile of offcuts from segmented turning and other projects was in the same spirit. So, the End of Day platter.
> 
> ...


BTW, I like what you're doing with the 50 for 50. Maybe next year, I can do "When I'm 64" projects.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *End of Day platter*
> 
> Glass artists will sometimes throw all the remaining molten glass, with different colors, into one or two last objects at the end of the work day. This is sometimes referred to as End of Day glass. I figured gluing up a pile of offcuts from segmented turning and other projects was in the same spirit. So, the End of Day platter.
> 
> ...


Don,

I have been trying to do something a bit different for each project, but I think it will get a little challenging by the time I get to 50. I have enough ideas, but not time for some of them. So i have picked some simpler ones just to get to the lathe. 64 would be amazing


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Striped bowl*

This piece was inspired by a Youtube video where the turner (apologies I don't remember their name or channel) pattern routed a curving cut between halves of a blank and glued multiple strips of contrasting veneer into the space to make their final blank. I went simple with this one and just did a diagonal cut on the band saw, cleaned up the faces and glued in simple, thicker strips for contrast.

Since I didn't have a lot of thickness to work with, I roughed out the side profile, flattened the back and hot glued a faceplate + block to it, then hollowed the bowl and finished the sides. Knocked off the glue block and then held the top against a larger wood block + faceplate with the tailstock and cleaned the glue off the back. Final sanded the back off the lathe with a ROS.

White oak with walnut and maple stripes. Finish is Clapham's Salad Bowl Finish.


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## vcooney (Jan 4, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *Striped bowl*
> 
> This piece was inspired by a Youtube video where the turner (apologies I don't remember their name or channel) pattern routed a curving cut between halves of a blank and glued multiple strips of contrasting veneer into the space to make their final blank. I went simple with this one and just did a diagonal cut on the band saw, cleaned up the faces and glued in simple, thicker strips for contrast.
> 
> ...


Nice looking bowl


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

mnguy said:


> *Striped bowl*
> 
> This piece was inspired by a Youtube video where the turner (apologies I don't remember their name or channel) pattern routed a curving cut between halves of a blank and glued multiple strips of contrasting veneer into the space to make their final blank. I went simple with this one and just did a diagonal cut on the band saw, cleaned up the faces and glued in simple, thicker strips for contrast.
> 
> ...


@Vince - thank you!


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## JamesMott (12 mo ago)

mnguy said:


> *Striped bowl*
> 
> This piece was inspired by a Youtube video where the turner (apologies I don't remember their name or channel) pattern routed a curving cut between halves of a blank and glued multiple strips of contrasting veneer into the space to make their final blank. I went simple with this one and just did a diagonal cut on the band saw, cleaned up the faces and glued in simple, thicker strips for contrast.
> 
> ...


Wood is a complex material. The wood grains are as much part of this as the porosities and the material. For a visual inspection, the furniture needs to be scanned. We found the best way was to use a high-end desktop system with a Heidenhain CCD scanner. The image resolution is in the range of 12 to 14 µm. The mesh resolution can reach 1.2 mm at the highest level of details and here is easier to writers for hire at https://studyclerk.com/hire-writers site. That's a lot of details for a simple furniture part!


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Another apple and resin bowl*

This was supposed to be somewhat of a 'winged' bowl, as I started with a half log chunk that was ~7" across and 12" long. The log had other ideas. I got chunks breaking off both long edges so I ended up turning it round vs. oblong. In retrospect I could have flipped the blank and maybe taken the chipped out areas out by removing material from the top / face of the bowl, but I took all off as I turned the back of the bowl and put a tenon on for the foot. The result was a small bowl and a large pile of shavings. Finished bowl is 5" diameter and 1.25" tall. Finish is Shellawax, buffed at ~1700 rpm.

I also got a lesson in how resin will find a crack for you - lol. it looked liked the large crack in the blank didn't pass all the way through, but I soon found a puddle of pink System III on my bench. Blue tape did nothing to stem the flow. I had to wait for pour #1 to set up and then completed filling with a 2nd pour. Next time, I will look more closely for cracks and seal them with tape or hot glue before I pour.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Incorporating work into my work*

I work in product design and engineering for a major retailer, and earlier this year I was working on designing a new collection of cutting boards. We focused our wood board development on rubber wood; the wood is reasonably strong and durable, it is widely available in many Asian countries (where we source many of our housewares products), and it is inexpensive. The wood is harvested from latex rubber trees that are no longer productive; much like mango wood, the old trees are harvested for lumber and a new tree is planted. So, rubber wood is a good choice for cutting boards at a mass / discount retailer.

As part of our development process, we receive samples from vendors. Many of the extra / leftover samples are donated or recycled, but for direct food contact items like cutting boards, we cannot donate the samples because they have not gone through the same testing and quality assurance process that our products go through before they ship to stores. So, these types of items get thrown in the trash. I couldn't just toss a small pile of rubberwood cutting boards into the dumpster, so I rescued them and took them home. I sanded off the lacquer finish, then ripped the boards into strips and then cut segments. 16 segment rings, with a beech bottom. Diameter is 11" and height is 4". Finish is Clapham's Salad Bowl finish. I am going to give the bowl to someone on the team that also works on kitchen items.

BTW, rubberwood turns nicely. I doubt I will ever find any in a US hardwood store, but I liked working with it.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Sprucing things up*

Another friend gave me a chunk of spruce. Ugh. I feel like I need to try and make something out of wood when people give it to me, but why can't they give me better pieces of wood? Lol.

The blank was actually pretty interesting. I just embraced the pitch pocket, voids and the prominent and soft end grain. I hand sanded the end grain, keeping the height variation between early and late wood while removing some of the roughness. Finish is Howard's Feed and Wax.

The friend liked the result, so it was a good project.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*A pair of pedestal servers - BIG pedestal servers*

I received a commission for a pair of pedestal servers. Big pedestal servers. The client wanted 16" diameter platters, and ~11" tall pedestals. He and his partner host elaborate drinks and appetizer parties, and these will be the centerpieces of their table.

I learned quite a bit during this project. 
- Build in a hollow / dado on the inside of your blank when you are going to drill it out; it took forever to drill the first pedestal, but I left a space in the glue up for the second pedestal, and drilling went much better
- Don't go so thin. I tend to want to get thin, but can quickly run into trouble when I get a catch and then need to take off more material. This happened on the first platter, and I compounded it by trying to get the second platter just as thin, instead of leaving a little more material cushion. The two servers didn't need to be identical, just similar, so I could have cut myself a little slack there.
- Think through how you are going to keep things mounted and centered. I knew this, but didn't think it through well enough on the first pedestal, and ended up mounting and remounting several times, which led to wobble and rework.
- Build a full scale mock up. I sized both pedestal blanks to be 11" tall. I turned the first pedestal, with a nice bead detail, set a platter on it, and immediately realized it was both too tall and to thick at the top. I texted a photo to the client and he agreed. So, I had to cut down and rework the pedestal, losing the bead. And, I wasted some material on the blanks. If I had mocked up with some cardboard or foam core, I could have scaled the design properly.

Overall, it was a rewarding project and the client is thrilled, which is the most important thing 

White oak with Clapham's Salad Bowl Finish. 16" diameter platters, 8" high pedestals, 8" diameter at the bottom.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Walnut and resin*

One of my favorite sources of turning material has become the offcut bins at a local hardwood dealer + cabinet shop. Always something different, you have to design around the wood a bit, and it's cheap! This piece of walnut had a through-crack, which filled nicely with tinted System III. Once on the lathe, I decided on a modern form. Finish is shellac sanding sealer and Ack's abrasive paste.


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## McNamar (Sep 11, 2019)

mnguy said:


> *Walnut and resin*
> 
> One of my favorite sources of turning material has become the offcut bins at a local hardwood dealer + cabinet shop. Always something different, you have to design around the wood a bit, and it's cheap! This piece of walnut had a through-crack, which filled nicely with tinted System III. Once on the lathe, I decided on a modern form. Finish is shellac sanding sealer and Ack's abrasive paste.


Looks nice


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## Fernendo99 (May 14, 2020)

mnguy said:


> *Walnut and resin*
> 
> One of my favorite sources of turning material has become the offcut bins at a local hardwood dealer + cabinet shop. Always something different, you have to design around the wood a bit, and it's cheap! This piece of walnut had a through-crack, which filled nicely with tinted System III. Once on the lathe, I decided on a modern form. Finish is shellac sanding sealer and Ack's abrasive paste.


Believe me, I like your artwork because you are always introducing something new. This time, you have used Walnut and resin to give us something special. The major thing is that it is completely inexpensive. I read Edubirdie reviews which are considered true one for getting writing assistance to compose my recipes just likewise manner.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Spalted birch*

I saved this from a friend's firewood pile in August. When I roughed out the blank on the band saw, I could see there was a bit of spalting, but I was pleasantly surprised with the extent and beauty of the spalting when I turned it. 6" diameter, sanding sealer then Ack's abrasive paste.

I am now extra bummed that almost all the birch had been split and I could only come up with two blanks from the whole pile.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

*Kept from the ashes*

Neighbors took down a dying ash this summer, and I rescued some blanks off the pile before it went to the compost site. After around 3 months drying, with Anchorsealed ends, the wood was still a tiny bit damp, which made for nice turning. The finished bowl seems to be stable, so the wood must have been dry enough. This is my first time turning ash, and I really liked the aroma.

9.75" diameter, 3" tall. Shellac sanding sealer and Ack's abrasive paste.


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## CarrieWhitney (11 mo ago)

mnguy said:


> *Kept from the ashes*
> 
> Neighbors took down a dying ash this summer, and I rescued some blanks off the pile before it went to the compost site. After around 3 months drying, with Anchorsealed ends, the wood was still a tiny bit damp, which made for nice turning. The finished bowl seems to be stable, so the wood must have been dry enough. This is my first time turning ash, and I really liked the aroma.
> 
> 9.75" diameter, 3" tall. Shellac sanding sealer and Ack's abrasive paste.


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