Refined – Process To Woodturn Dry Wood Goblet
This post is best viewed on this page. However, in case of technical issues, it is also posted on YouTube and FaceBook.
In this video, I refine the process recently used on green wood goblets and a dry wood goblet. In the dry goblet, I had intended to follow the new process exactly but spaced a bit. This added an extra step in the process. In this video, I follow the new process as intended.
To review:
What is different? Usually, the turning order is: Bowl, stem, foot. However, with the recent experience, My new process is to change the order to: Foot, Bowl, Stem. My steady rest is required when turning long spindles.
Here are links to videos describing my steady rest.
- My DIY Lathe Steady Rest
- Update To My DIY Lathe Steady Rest
- Woodturning – My DIY Steady Rest Is Still Steady
Enjoy!
New Process To Woodturn Dry Wood Goblet
This post is best viewed on this page. However, in case of difficulty, it is also posted on YouTube and FaceBook.
In this video, I transfer the process used on recent green wood goblet to a dry wood goblet.
What is different? Usually, the turning order is: Bowl, stem, foot. However, with the recent experience, I want to change the order to: Foot, Bowl, Stem.
Unfortunately, I got into a rut and hollowed the bowl first. Then I adapted by cutting a tenon on the bowl portion in order to turn the foot. Then, I could resume the new sequence and finish the foot, then remainder of the bowl, then stem. Had I kept my wits about me, it would have been simpler. I will go at it again.
Here are links to videos describing my steady rest.
My DIY Lathe Steady Rest
Update To My DIY Lathe Steady Rest
Woodturning – My DIY Steady Rest Is Still Steady
Make one for yourself.
Enjoy!
Woodturning Tiny Goblet – Will It Warp Well?
This video is best viewed right here. In case of difficulty, it is also posted on YouTube and FaceBook.
In this video, I experiment with letting green wood warp in the form of a small goblet.
I have fresh green apple wood from spring pruning. I decided to experiment with warping.
However, I did not want to have to carve the base. Therefore, I am also experimenting with turning the base first before the bowl portion. This is reverse of the typical order.
I did turn a tenon first. However, once mounted to the chuck, I turned what will become the foot. The foot also doubles as a mortise for an expansion mount.
In the first goblet, I tried to emphasize the warp potential by mounting the wood at a significant angle to the usual axis. There were two problems with the first goblet. First, in only 2 days of drying, the bowl portion developed severe cracks. My guess, is the the dense heartwood interacted badly with the sapwood. Second, black stains appeared in the foot from the interaction of the acid in the wood and the steel in the chuck jaws.
In the second goblet, I used wood that had no heartwood – only sapwood. When I mounted the foot mortise to the chuck, I inserted some plastic food wrap to prevent staining. The problems then where the added potential for the wood to slip, and bad marks from the smaller jaws.
I could not have turned this goblet without my DIY steady rest and its capacity to be mounted and dismounted without dismounting the turning stock.
Here are links to videos describing my steady rest.
My DIY Lathe Steady Rest
Update To My DIY Lathe Steady Rest
Woodturning – My DIY Steady Rest Is Still Steady
Make one for yourself.
Enjoy!
Woodturning Followup – Adding Fuzzy Flowers To Bouquet
This video is best viewed on this page. However, in case of difficulty, it is also available on YouTube and Vimeo.
In this video, I upgrade my bud flower to a fully blooming fuzzy flower.
The difference – simple. Instead of a verticle cut with the skew, push the skew horizontally into the wood allowing the wood to spiral out. Continue with additional cuts to the center of a very fresh green branch.
Then going a bit further, add color using alcohol based dye applied with a mouth atomizer. But do not fully saturate the dye on the wood. This leaves more color variation and texture to the flower.
Enjoy!
Woodturning Opportunity – Apple Bowl From Spring Pruning
This post is best viewed on this page. In case of difficulty, it is also available on YouTube and FaceBook.
My annual pruning of trees in my yard is an opportunity for wood for woodturning. Often this is for smaller projects, but ocassionally a medium sized project. In this case I cut off a 2-3 inch diameter limb from an apple tree. Fresh green wood is a great opportunity to turn. Fresh wood cuts easily. For this size, leaving some bark on the natural edge is perfect.
The turning process is much the same as a large bowl:
- Turn a tenon and shape the outside;
- Reverse and hollow the inside.
However, in this case, I turned to very close to final wall thickness. But, sanding wet wood is difficult. Instead, I let it try a few days to let the surface moisture evaporate. A controlled climate inside a paper bag is perfect. - With the surface moisture gone, I can sand and finish the bowl and its foot.
Any additional warpage after this will be acceptable. Cracking is not likely since the wood is thin and pliable.
Enjoy!
Woodturning – Three Ways To Turn Flowers
This post is best viewed here on this page. However, in case of difficulty, it is also posted on YouTube and FaceBook.
For this post I turn three types of flowers:
- A daisy type with distinct petals. This requires a fixture to hold the petals in place while a small flat is turned at the base to glue to a small round base with a tenon bead. When reversed, the front is turned flat to receive a center. The base and the center are required to hold the petals together.
If you have access to a 3D printer, here is a link to a model file.
https://www.printables.com/model/171818-7-petal-flower-fixture - A tulip type with cut petals. This is turned freeform — not requiring precise dimensions. Also with as many petals that may appear in nature. A contrasting center is also turned for the inside.
- A fuzzy type that did not work as expected. As it turned out, it looks like a bud with a bee on it.
Enjoy!
Woodturning – A Segmented Basket For My Perfect Easter Egg
This is best viewed right here on this page. But, in case of difficulty, it may also be viewed on YouTube and FaceBook.
After turning a batch of Easter eggs, I need a basket to hold them. But not an ordinary wood bowl. Instead, one that looks like a basket. For this I need a segmented build up of cherry and walnut.
Build includes:
-Three rings of cherry with twelve segments per ring and twelve small pieces of walnut between each cherry segment.
-Two rings of walnut sliced thin to match the walnut between the cherry.
-Two rings of walnut for the top ring.
-One ring of walnut to fill between the base and the bottom of the wall. (more on this in the video)
-One piece of 3 ply cherry DIY for the base.
Totaling 99 segments or slices.
This basket is finished with walnut oil and measures about seven inches in diameter and three inches in height.
I am really ready for spring with my basket and eggs.
Enjoy!
Woodturning – A Search For The Perfect Egg
For years, I have searched for the perfect egg. Years ago, I thought I had the answer. An article in a club newsletter gave a formula where the length was 1.29 times the diameter. However, my eggs seems short. So, I researched where that formula came from. I found where. It comes from people using mechanical drawing to draw the “perfect” egg. However, I realized that their “perfect” came from what they could draw.
A trip to the refrigerator for a flat of large free-range eggs and my caliper showed that nothing in that flat complied with that ratio. In reality, my average was closer to 1.39 times the diameter with a lot of variation. I went another step and figured out how to stretch my formula. It was all a waste of time.
My process now is to:
- Turn a cylinder and measure the diameter.
- Mark the big end of the egg.
- Mark one half the diameter to indicate the transition from big end to small end.
- Calculate 1.39 times the diameter. -This is the longest I will turn but shorter is okay too.
- Turn the big end using an adapted octagon method.
- Wing it (chicken wing?) for the small end.
This leaves the small end with a rough nub on the end. The question now is how to finish the end. Three choices include:
- Sand the rough end preferably with a sanding pad.
- Use a doughnut chuck to hold the egg to the lathe.
- Use a special egg chuck such as in my video
Woodturn Simple Egg Chuck From PVC Fitting
I am ready for spring.
Enjoy!
Woodturning A Bunny To Hop Into Spring
This video is best viewed right here on this page. However, in case of difficulty, it is also posted on YouTube and FaceBook.
My wife happened to be looking through a magazine and showed me a picture of a craft project the magazine featured. It was a simple project that used two hardware store balls to make a bunny rabbit. She asked if I could make it. But I do not like to make crude projects. I had to upscale it.
My bunny has two different sized hand-turned spheres for the body and the head. I decided to make a small secret compartment in the body sphere.
Instead of a friction joint or a threaded joint from the opposite end of the joint spectrum, I used a bayonet style joint. With this joint, the bunny can be picked up from the head portion and will stay together. It also only take a simple 20 degree twist to separate. So it holds together when needed and comes apart when desired. These joints are available on my Etsy site referenced at the bottom of this page.
I turned two more spheres about 3/4 inch for feet and a tail. These had to be split in half.
The ears are a split turning. After the outer shape was formed, I split them apart, cut a wedge, and reglued the pieces back together at an angle. After the glued dried, I hollowed each ear and finished them.
Many small doses of epoxy holds everything together.
For more on turning a perfect sphere, please see
Woodturning Perfect Spheres – For Wise Turners
- Three bolts are sufficient – four bolts make tightening more difficult
- The bolt heads enter through the top plate and are held by t-nuts in the bottom plate.
- The bolt heads are recessed to protect my hands if I happened to lose track of where they are.
- A 3/4″ hole in the bottom plate received various custom centers to hold spheres or to center smaller objects.
- Inserts for the top plate allow for smaller vessels to be held with the same chuck.
I am ready for spring.
Enjoy!
Woodturning Another Batch of Quilting Tools – Special Request
This video post is best viewed on this page. However, in case of difficulty, it is also posted on YouTube and FaceBook.
My sister uses these quilting tools in her quilting to press seams.
She asked me for some more. She must eat them?
They are easy to turn.
Three are maple; 1 is colored laminated wood.
I also used my tri-wire burning tool to accent the pieces.
All are finished with shellac
Enjoy!