Hard to believe July is better than half over already. This is about the time when the nightmares, from my teaching days, usually start. Rowdy kids, late turning in necessary forms, missing tools, etc. After the Covid restrictions and the student scheduling, I turned in my substitute walking papers but the dreams persist.

 

 

Our Patriot Turners-

@Gerald Is making good use of a tree they had to have removed. I was not familiar with the "Water Oak" species. Seems it is in the red oak family although the leaves are quite different. Gerald shows us one what I am sure will be many beautiful turnings from the tree.

 

Check out his post for more images-

 

 

Our continuing thread of "What's On Your Weekend Agenda" listed a couple of turning projects this past week. @forty_caliber posted the beginnings of an oak platter. He tells us the wood is from a neighbor's tree.

 

 

You can read more about it here-

 

He then added some more progress shots as he worked on the bowl

 Additional images of this beauty are here-

 

 

@Smallpatch is almost finished with his really cool steady rest. Check out the positive comment on the picture he posted in the image gallery-

 

 

 

 

What’s Coming Up-

 

Click on the above image for the link to more information and registration

 

 

For The Newbies-

For those of us who rely on "FOG" wood, a chainsaw is almost a necessity. In this short video, Tim Yoder demonstrates two methods of dispatching a log into 2 halves. 

 

Somewhere I learned that cutting from/thru the end grain would dull the blade quicker. Maybe that's just an old lumberjack's tale. I do know that if I had done this video, I would certainly have tilted the saw far enough to hit the concrete and really dulled the chain!

 

 

Mike Peace shows us how to add an interesting detail to the bottom of a bowl or turned box.

 

 

Carl Jacobson turns a neat bottle stopper top for one of Ruth Niles' stainless steel stoppers. 

 

 

 

Expand Your Horizons-

For the past several weeks we have been offering information on multi-axis turnings. This one is from Alan Stratton.

 

 

 

New Turning Items-

Hang on to your money. Hoping there will be some new products available soon!

 

 

Everything Else-

Rick Turns' list of YouTube woodturning videos from last week-

 

 

 

I did get a little turning done this week and some finishing, too.

Four box elder roughed bowl blanks soaked and now in the shavings. Also an elm bowl blank drying.

 

 

 

 

The large cherry bowl is the one I ruined the finish, on the inside, and re-sanded/refinished. The little walnut bowl (blue tape) is still soaking finish into the end grain on the bottom. The white bowl is one I started a long time ago but never finished the inside. It is made from a holly tree that was planted at my school in 1969. They removed the tree a couple of years ago during renovation. The walnut blank (foreground) is waiting its turn at the lathe.

 

This little walnut bowl is drying in the shop made heated dryer-

 

 

The basement floor must be nice and cool-

 

 

I've generally considered myself fairly adept at mechanical things. But something has been running me through the funnies lately. Watching videos of demonstrators using the lathe, I marvel at how easily they adjust/replace tool rests. Whether it is changing the height of the rest or replacing one rest with another, They seem to do it effortlessly with a quick flip of the locking lever.

This new Jet (1640evs) needs to have the locking lever turned at least one full revolution to release the tool rest post. And, if I remove a tool rest to replace with another, I have to fight to get the post down past the locking wedges. All my tool rest posts are 1" in diameter. I've even chamfered the ends of the post. Lightly sanded each post, lightly sanded the interior of the hole in the banjo. There are 2 Allen screws that contact the locking wedges. I've tried several combinations of loose and tight but nothing seems to make much of a difference.

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

 

Safe turning and stay well

 

 

Looks like a busy week I've been moderately afk.  made a pepper mill but I didn't post bout it.  But it got to its owner yesterday fortunately she was happy with it.  Either way another nicely put together post @lew

Nice post Lew.  The titles for the videos make them sound interesting.  Look forward to viewing them.

 

The Cherry bowl looks great.

Thanks for the post Lew. Looks like you have gotten busy. I am kinda slowed down by sinusitis. Hope this is over soon so I can get back full throttle. Ordered some pizza servers to go with the cutters. Now just have to get busy on those and many more parts to turn and assemble, soon I hope.

    Oh the other interference is yard work . Clearing out hedges to put grass in and no more , OK at least reduced hedge trimming.

@lew, really nice thread and beautiful bowls.  

 

Yes, I have used a chain saw to split wood.  I prefer to cut the end grain only because it does not make long jamming ribbon shavings.  While they are pretty they do jamb a clutch mechanism pretty fast.  Much like a palm tree.  

 

I was watching a video today and he was explaining how he used to charge $20 for a pen, and then if a person wanted to turn their own, he charged $30.  Not a bad deal.  This may be a money maker for someone who sets up at shows.  

@AndrewB Thanks! We would love to see all your turnings.

 

@HandyDan Thank You! I think we will keep this cherry bowl. With the poly finish, not sure what it's purpose will be.

 

@Gerald Thanks! Some of those hedge roots can make interesting small turnings. When I taught Scuba diving, sinus problems were an annual occurrence. Between chlorine water, pressure and summer pollen counts, things could get very uncomfortable.

 

@FlGatorwoodThank You! Many years ago, I was coerced into doing a "craft show" for a local church. There was a guy there selling pens. Some of his stuff was going for north of $50. I sold a garden dibble and Mimi donated that income to the church.