Takin' the pith....

[TTIT]

To sate my thirst for different timbers, I often have to turn small branch-wood into anything I can get out of it just to see what it's like. Most of the time the piece will eventually crack as it dries like the base of the False-Sandalwood goblet in Pic 1 that I turned a few months ago. The thing is I've noticed that the pot area rarely cracks, presumably because the pith has been turned away creating a ring shape that can shrink without consequences.
I turned the little Sandalwood goblet/pot (Pic 2) on the weekend from a small bit of branchwood about 6" long that had never been sealed and was already cracked almost the full length. Wondered if drilling a hole up the middle of the base would give it 'somewhere to move' so to speak. (Pic 3)
Anyone ever worked out a way to stop the bases cracking??? Am I trying to do the impossible???

[Slow6]

I reckon the theory is sound.. I wonder if a hole that small will make much of a difference tho.

reverse chuck and hollow out the base?

nice goblets.

[hughie]

. Wondered if drilling a hole up the middle of the base would give it 'somewhere to move' so to speak. (Pic 3)
Anyone ever worked out a way to stop the bases cracking??? Am I trying to do the impossible???
[/QUOTE]

Vern,

I like the goblets shape and colour, great effort...as usual .

As to cracking, well the drilling of a hole is not as silly as it sounds. Until a few years ago snooker and billiard table legs were turned from green Kwilla..[spelling?] and they used to drill the centre out [about a 2"" hole] to prevent cracking. You could see some cracks forming on the inside of the hole but none to the outside.
So I reckon it might just work for you. It definitely worked the Billiard tables.

[tashammer]

TTIT
has that first goblet bent a little or is it me going bog-eyed again?

i do like that middle goblet. sometimes i just feel like getting lost in the swirls of the wood especially when it has been worked to express the grain and figure consciously or otherwise.

tom

[Gil Jones]

TTIT,
Do not know if drilling the pith out of it is helpful, but as Slow said, I have turned the bases a fairly deep concave with no cracks afterward (I turn angel bases the same way and get no cracks using green wood).
However you tackle that problem, you sure make fine looking goblets.

[Christopha]

I think you will find that the "bowl" area tends not to split because, due to its' shape, it can deform and relieve its' drying stresses that way while the base being solid can't do that so it splits.... drilling a small hole won't do much good as you aren't removing much stock at all. It isn't the actual pith that is the problem, it's the difference between heartwood and sapwood which means different drying rates etc.. I have turned quite a few goblets as demos over the years but I'm not keen on them as they are not very nice to drink from IMHO.

[TTIT]

TTIT
has that first goblet bent a little or is it me going bog-eyed again?

i do like that middle goblet. sometimes i just feel like getting lost in the swirls of the wood especially when it has been worked to express the grain and figure consciously or otherwise.

tomMust be the camera Tas' - just the cracked base that bugs me! Catching the 'ripple' between the heartwood and sapwood took a bit of messin' with the shape but was worth it.


TTIT,
Do not know if drilling the pith out of it is helpful, but as Slow said, I have turned the bases a fairly deep concave with no cracks afterward
The photos don't show it but the bottom is turned concave to a degree, not equal with the top profile but I will certainly aim for that next time and see if it helps.


I have turned quite a few goblets as demos over the years but I'm not keen on them as they are not very nice to drink from IMHO.Agreed - but what else can you make from small branchwood that shows off all the characteristics of the timber apart from eggs and fruit?????

[DJ’s Timber]

Agreed - but what else can you make from small branchwood that shows off all the characteristics of the timber apart from eggs and fruit?????

Pens :p :rolleyes: :D

[soundman]

I have thaught about this too.
Most australian (small) timber dosn't have a "soft pith" it seems to have a hard "tail" up the middle and softer timber as the tree goes out.

I've been thinking driiling the guts out of things like clock slabs before drying would be a great idea.

Thetting the vast majority out of the middle out of other things probaly wouldn't be a bad idea too.

what else can you make out of branch wood.

mushrooms.

coasters

clock backs

all sorts of stuff

cheers