Oiliver
5th January 2013, 12:30 PM
Well I am back up and turning, I found a replacement motor for the lathe (my Dad's 30+ year old English made aquarium pump motor!), and have jury-rigged it together and it is running better than ever. Much more powerful, smooth and quiet than the old Chinese lump of junk.
So I've been having a grand old start to the New Year, and have been playing about with some different spindles.
In the picture we have:
#1 The first thing I turned since the lathe got back up! And also, my first go at a captured ring. It is just a wee piece of Casuarina cunninghamiana /Sheoak, but it actually went quite nicely.
#2 Because I got a good response from the captured ring, I decided to have a proper go at it. So 4 rings on a dark bit of feijoa [Feijoa sellowiana] wood. It turns out that feijoa is very nice to turn, both green and seasoned. Not the best form, but I still like the piece a lot.
#3 Hey, it seems like I'm doing spindles and I have some long and skinny feijoa- let's make a drumstick! It actually came out quite nicely weighted.
#4 Now number 4 is my unusual piece of wood.248220 This is a big old gnarly bit of rosemary [Rosmarinus officinalis]- bet nobody has turned that before! One of Mum's died in her herb garden, and when I pulled it out for her I just kept the main 'trunk' aside. Im glad I did, because as you can see in the main picture it had some really interesting figure! Not sure what I will do with it though, as it will need a few bits filled.
#5 Probably my favourite so far, a big bit of Puriri (New Zealand Ironwood, Vitex lucens) that had a sort of double colouration. Puriri is a traditional tool wood as it is hard as rocks, and about as heavy! It turned really nicely though, and made a cute wee mallet.
#6 I was on a roll, so I checked out a bit of plum wood for another drumstick. Much more powdery shavings, and a few checks/cracks near the bottom. It went okay though.
#7 A Punky piece of Puriri which I just turned today for a laugh. Interestingly, it was a rich green in the outer layers of wood, but most of that got turned away. It was also very light; almost like balsa. I didn't bother finishing it properly as it was a bit to achey-breaky, and despite its lightness I wasnt keen to get a bit hurled at my face-shield.
So I've been having a grand old start to the New Year, and have been playing about with some different spindles.
In the picture we have:
#1 The first thing I turned since the lathe got back up! And also, my first go at a captured ring. It is just a wee piece of Casuarina cunninghamiana /Sheoak, but it actually went quite nicely.
#2 Because I got a good response from the captured ring, I decided to have a proper go at it. So 4 rings on a dark bit of feijoa [Feijoa sellowiana] wood. It turns out that feijoa is very nice to turn, both green and seasoned. Not the best form, but I still like the piece a lot.
#3 Hey, it seems like I'm doing spindles and I have some long and skinny feijoa- let's make a drumstick! It actually came out quite nicely weighted.
#4 Now number 4 is my unusual piece of wood.248220 This is a big old gnarly bit of rosemary [Rosmarinus officinalis]- bet nobody has turned that before! One of Mum's died in her herb garden, and when I pulled it out for her I just kept the main 'trunk' aside. Im glad I did, because as you can see in the main picture it had some really interesting figure! Not sure what I will do with it though, as it will need a few bits filled.
#5 Probably my favourite so far, a big bit of Puriri (New Zealand Ironwood, Vitex lucens) that had a sort of double colouration. Puriri is a traditional tool wood as it is hard as rocks, and about as heavy! It turned really nicely though, and made a cute wee mallet.
#6 I was on a roll, so I checked out a bit of plum wood for another drumstick. Much more powdery shavings, and a few checks/cracks near the bottom. It went okay though.
#7 A Punky piece of Puriri which I just turned today for a laugh. Interestingly, it was a rich green in the outer layers of wood, but most of that got turned away. It was also very light; almost like balsa. I didn't bother finishing it properly as it was a bit to achey-breaky, and despite its lightness I wasnt keen to get a bit hurled at my face-shield.