Christmas Ornament Challenge of 2020 – Final Tally
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Wow. The results are in for this year’s Christmas Ornament Challenge. Thank you to everyone who entered an ornament and the clubs that helped spread the word.
With 199 ornaments, there are a lot of beautiful work and examples. It is up to you whether you envy them or move on to appreciate and perhaps to emulate your favorites.
Meanwhile, let us put 2020 behind us as a Covid year. Yes, we still have a long way to go but there is a light at the end of this tunnel.
Please have a Merry Christmas or Happy Season according to your core beliefs.
Thanks again to everyone who submitted their ornament; the clubs who spread the word, and everyone who voted for their favorites.
Enjoy!
If the video goes too quickly for you, please view the ornament at www.OrnamentChallenge.com
Woodturning – These Snow People Deliver Salt and Pepper
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For this project, I am crossing the concept of a salt urn with the seasonal concept of an ornament. A salt urn differs from a usual salt shaker in that it does not need to be turned upside down to dispense salt; there is not cap to remove to fill with salt; salt enters through the same hole that it comes out from. When stationary, no salt is dispensed.
Why not make a snowman into a salt urn and a pepper urn? The inner guts are the same – the visual difference is the exterior.
The inner guts are shaped like a volcano on the outside with a funnel shape on the opposite side. This then is glued into the exterior shape. The salt or pepper forms a ring around the volcano until shaken. When shaken, some salt or pepper flies up the volcano and falls out to season the food.
Please vote for the Christmas Ornament Challenge at www.OrnamentChallenge.com before 15 December 2020.
You may want to see a couple of my previous salt urn videos:
Enjoy!
2020 Ornament Challenge-Time to Vote
This video is much longer than normal. If there are streaming issues, please use the web page to view and vote. Here’s the link: www.OrnamentChallenge.com.
- To vote, please identify the numbers associated with your top five choices. For an example, let us say you picked 25,40,75,23,2
- Rank from High to low. For example. my top pick is 23 and my lowest is 40. Therefore 23,75,25,2,40 could represent my vote.
- Enter the vote in the comment below this video.
- Make sure you submit the comment.
There are 199 ornaments to view. So, if you prefer a more static (not video), please go to www.OrnamentChallenge.com.
Thanks for voting – we plan to announce results before 25 December.
Woodturning Levitating, Floating Christmas Tree
For the convenience of some people, this video is also posted on YouTube and FaceBook. Where best to View? Right here already!
For this project, I am borrowing from the realm of 3D printing. I found a 3D printed ghost on Thingiverse. It is a fun, little ghost that levitates or floats on a pair of small magnets. In the woodturning Christmas world, the ghost becomes a tree on a hillside ready for Christmas. It still floats or levitates on magnets. I had to be careful of the weight.
The base is a slab of plum with the bark edge. The bottom trunk is a small dowel. The mid trunk is a larger dowel. The tree is more plum burl. The magnets are 8mm diameter by 3mm thick source from Amazon.
Gluing the magnets with the correct polarity requires a trick that I explain in the video. Without the trick, the magnets will flip over and attract rather than repel each other.
I will add this ornament to the Christmas Ornament Challenge. Hurry, the challenge closes November 30. See www.OrnamentChallenge.com
Enjoy!
Woodturning Ornamental Herringbone Threaded Box
For the convenience for some, this video is also posted on YouTube and FaceBook. Where Best? Right Here Already!
I am still exploring herringbone glue-ups for woodturning, especially ornaments. In this ornamental threaded box, five difference species of wood revolve around the center as the block grows upward. Rather than cut off and possibly waste the excess wood, I decided to turn an ornamental box. This used the entire block of wood I had glued together.
Additionally, I printed a thread set on a 3D printer. The thread set is .5 inch overall height, .25 inch wall thickness, 8 TPI, and 3 starts. Multiple starts enable threads to engage more than once in the circumference and to engage more quickly. If you do not know about triple starts, look at your catsup or milk bottles.
BTW, for buffing, I used a Holdfast long buffing extension, standard buffing pads, and tripoli, white diamond, and carnauba wax compounds. A minor DIY interface holds the buffing wheels to the buffing extension.
I will add this ornament to the Christmas Ornament Challenge. Please share your favorite ornaments by November 30. See www.OrnamentChallenge.com
Enjoy!
Woodturning Herringbone Ornaments From Scrap
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After finishing last week’s herringbone ornament, I had left over wood cut off from the prime wood that I used.
I could not let it go to waste. I had options on what to do with the scrap. The fireplace was not considered very long. No doubt there are many other alternatives than what I used.
In the end, I glued up the scrap with a little padauk in between. Then went on to turn the ornament.
I will add these ornaments to the Christmas Ornament Challenge. Please share your favorite ornaments by November 30.See www.OrnamentChallenge.com
Enjoy!
Woodturning Herringbone Ornaments For the Ornament Challenge
For the convenience of some, this video is also posted on YouTube and FaceBook.
After seeing a similar demonstration by Rebecca DeGroot in the recent symposium, I decided to incorporate a herringbone wood glue up into a couple of Christmas ornaments.
Gluing the ornament takes time as each layer must be glued and placed carefully. In her demonstration, she used CA glue. Even with CA glue, it must dry and cure. Instead, I used regular wood glue but pushed the gluing interval to a minimum. I think my way did not take that much more time, especially considering the risk of uncured CA glue.
Another experiment was to turn a finial from an acrylic pen blank. I rate this experiment as unsuccessful. Acrylic tends to crack and shatter under pressure without a bass tube to stabilize it.
I will add these ornaments to the Christmas Ornament Challenge. Please share your favorite ornaments by November 30. Here is the link www.OrnamentChallenge.com
Enjoy!
Woodturning Rain Drops For The Ornament Challenge
For the convenience of some people, this video is also posted to YouTube and FaceBook.
I will add this ornament to the Christmas Ornament Challenge. It incorporates a couple of techniques I observed in the Woodturners Worldwide symposium – specifically jam chucks or I will call them jam spindles.
I wanted my raindrop to be hollow to be lighter. It is stylized to have a pointed end. A real raindrop is a sphere.
The jam tenons helped while turning the outside, sanding, finishing, and even while buffing since I could hold it from the inside rather than some way on the outside.
Remember – The Christmas Ornament Challenge will be open for your ornaments during November. See www.OrnamentChallenge.com
Enjoy!
Woodturning Deviled Eggs – Or Are They Avocado Halves
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I do like challenges such as the upcoming Ornament Challenge. However, this video is from a challenge from the Woodturners Worldwide online symposium. The challenge was an egg turned on one day of the symposium – all while also watching the great sessions. It has taken me a while to produce the video.
These are deviled eggs but my granddaughter called them avocados. Either way, they require two split turnings – one for the outer egg and one for the yoke.
At least the big end of the egg resembles a hemisphere. The yoke is a sphere. So, I relied on the octagon method for both with adaptation.
A piece of paper sandwiched in the glue joint allowed the two pieces of wood to separate for each component.
Then split the pieces and glue the half yoke to the half egg.
Remember – The Christmas Ornament Challenge rapidly approaching. See www.OrnamentChallenge.com
Enjoy!
Woodturning Miniature Basket – A Challenge Response
For convenience, this video is also posted on YouTube and FaceBook. But, you are already here.
I do not often turn miniatures. But, a challenge is a challenge – Turn a miniature in one day while participating in a challenge.
Okay – cannot spend a lot of time planning and selecting wood; barely enough time to glue two pieces of wood together.
Grab some scrap and go for it!
I chose to turn a small basket. However, it needs to dress up just a “little” bit.
I took a small piece of colored laminated wood, cut it in half and glued the faces together. Then turned a small basket.
How about a handle. My wife provided some 22 gauge copper or brass wire with different surface colors. I wound the wire together to form a handle – a perfect finishing touch. My basket is well dressed for the symposium.
Remember – The Christmas Ornament Challenge rapidly approaching. See www.OrnamentChallenge.com
Resources
22 gauge wire – Hobby Supply Shops
Wood – https://frogblanks.com/
Enjoy!