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orraloon
21st February 2007, 01:07 PM
Hi there,
This is my first go at posting pictures so be gentle with me. I am better with saw and hammer than with computers. As far as the woodwork is concerned, brutal honesty in feedback is what I am looking for.
I made the New Guinea rosewood salt and pepper set for some kind person who brought me some wood back from Tassie. This is about the 6th set I have made and the best as far as keeping the center bore true. I started drilling at 500rpm on the early ones but did this one at 1000rpm and it matched up better.
The bowls are celery top pine and spalted fiddlewood. The celery top is nice to turn and came out better than I was expecting for such a plain wood. The spalting in the fiddle wood may have gone a bit too far as some bits are a tad soft and tear out is a problem. The log lay outside for three years before I cut it. I made a larger bowl out of it about a month ago and could hear the wood cracking on the lathe when I stopped between sandpaper grades. I just finished it fast and got the oil on asap and ended up with a new bowl that looked over a 100 years old. Not a bad effect. I have given that one away so no pictures of it.
Well that is it so looking for comments.


Regards
John

OGYT
21st February 2007, 01:44 PM
John, all of them look really nice, to me. I've never made the S&P grinders before, and these are nicely done.
The bowls look good, too. Something that I've learned over a couple of years at this is that sloping the edge of the rim, either down into the bowl or toward the outside, makes it more appealing. At least that's what I've been told.
I think you did well, Mate.
The cracking you heard while turning that bowl was probably caused by heat. Next time you turn that type of timber, try slowing the speed of the lathe, and lightening the pressure... and see if that helps. Western red cedar (juniper), here in the upover does that really bad.
Nice finishes, too, by the way.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
21st February 2007, 05:01 PM
I like them; plain yet functional. They'll spice up any BBQ table. :)

Spalted wood is almost always a bit tricky because of the softer areas; personally I go through several tubes of cheap CA every time I turn one. A quick squirt on the spalted area to stabilise it, let it dry, turn it away. Repeat ad nauseum until the job is finished.

The only comment I will make that even remotely approaches a criticism... it's a good idea to put something different on one of the mills to identify it as the Salt or Pepper at a glance. :wink: Naught worse than pepper on celery, in my books. :p Either a small bit of detail, perhaps on the top, or I like to inset a small washer arround the top where the mech screws down, white corian for Salt and speckled grey for Pepper.

Caveman
21st February 2007, 05:17 PM
Hey John - no crits from me - all look real nice - good effort.
I too haven't done any grinders yet - still on my ever increasing to do list! I hope my 6th attempt will come out something like yours.

Wayne Blanch
21st February 2007, 05:58 PM
I reckon that you have done a great job on em all, well done:2tsup:


I like to inset a small washer arround the top where the mech screws down, white corian for Salt and speckled grey for Pepper.
Skew - yet another great idea to add to my list of gifts from you - Thanks yet again:U

orraloon
21st February 2007, 07:10 PM
Hi there,
Thank you all for the feedback. I got the lathe about 7 months ago and have been working away learning by my mistakes. The lathe is an old 3 speed record and although a good basic machine I am starting to get longings for something that can tackle larger stuff. The lathe came with some cheep tools some of which I use and I built up a set with a good Hamlet roughing gouge and a cheep set from Gasweld. I only use 3 of them. Still have not mastered the skew. A friend showed me how to make scrapers from old files and I have 3 of these. They keep an edge longer than HSS. The best tuition I have had is a book by Keith Rowley "A Foundation Course" that came with the lathe. I did do some very basic turning at school about 40 years ago but Keith's book was what got me on the right track.
Skew, All my other S&P sets were different to tell them apart or that was the excuse to hide the fact that I had covered up a catch or a slip of the tool. The brass top nuts have black and white inserts for ID. I was quite pleased to get this set almost the same.My dad was a carpenter and said a good craftsman knows how to hide a mistake.

Regards
John

BernieP
21st February 2007, 08:15 PM
G'Day John

Great effort like the spalted one, very nice. Keep the pics coming.

Cheers
Bernie

rodent
22nd February 2007, 12:45 AM
Fixing mistakes sometimes is all i do but what a joy when it all comes together . if ca is not your thing for spalting repairs try u-beaut sanding sealer neil may correct me but i think it's shellac based ,for stabilizing the spalting.