robutacion
31st March 2009, 03:14 PM
Hi everyone,
As the title indicates, I've stuffed-up this 12" x 4" 1/2 she/bull-oak blank, the only large(ish) piece I manage to salvage from this dead tree, all other logs were smaller (1/4 of the diameter size), and the ones that I have been sending (half split log 6"x 6"x 4"approx.) in the bags of pen blanks (one only per bag).
I knew what I wanted to do with this blank, utilizing the outer skin (no bark) natural texture for a natural edge bowl with the shape of a gramophone type neck/throat. Making a short story long :oo:, I started roughing it, cleaning all the bad bits first, etc. I find myself focus on what was spinning in front of me, forgetting about any pre-planned shape and just followed the timber, end-up stopping the lathe and finding a nearly round ball shape, with all the bad stuff removed and a very nice shape on the natural edge. I could have left the outside like that and just start hollowing the inside, but no..., that wasn't the shape I had anticipated for that blank so, I made the bad decision to get my heavy duty tools, face mask, etc. and "aggressively" cut the living life out of that outside ball, making it a skinny one in less than 90 seconds. The realization of what I had just done, happened after I stopped the lathe and seen that I had just removed half of the good timber of that blank and I wasn't going to be able to give it the shape I planned, as was no timber left for that. What happen was that, for a few minutes I forgot that I was working on a natural edge mounted blank, with the perception that the shape resulting for the timber spinning fast, was indeed all solid, when in reality is not.
Not having much more to cut outside, and being a little upset about it, I decided to hollow the inside not in a normal fashion (same thickness walls all through) but in a taped shape, starting at about 12-15mm from the bottom center and taping it not to match the outside shape but to meet the further point on the natural edge, to almost "nothing". This would create a smoother curve inside but could very easily destroy the whole thing, if a catch or similar would occur in within an inch or two from the soft, brittle and fragile timber around the edge. At that point, I wasn't to concern about that possibility, as and far as I was concern, the blank was stuffed anyway!:~
Not been known to give up that easy, I persevere a little and this is what I come up with. One coat of sanding sealer and 2 coats of Floorseal (sprayed).
Again, and not wanting to bother with the set up I have for inside photography of the turned pieces, I simply took some pics outside in the sun:o . It will do for now, I may do it again inside when I have enough pieces to justify setting up the stuff inside for the pics.
What you're reckon?
Cheers:2tsup:
RBTCO
As the title indicates, I've stuffed-up this 12" x 4" 1/2 she/bull-oak blank, the only large(ish) piece I manage to salvage from this dead tree, all other logs were smaller (1/4 of the diameter size), and the ones that I have been sending (half split log 6"x 6"x 4"approx.) in the bags of pen blanks (one only per bag).
I knew what I wanted to do with this blank, utilizing the outer skin (no bark) natural texture for a natural edge bowl with the shape of a gramophone type neck/throat. Making a short story long :oo:, I started roughing it, cleaning all the bad bits first, etc. I find myself focus on what was spinning in front of me, forgetting about any pre-planned shape and just followed the timber, end-up stopping the lathe and finding a nearly round ball shape, with all the bad stuff removed and a very nice shape on the natural edge. I could have left the outside like that and just start hollowing the inside, but no..., that wasn't the shape I had anticipated for that blank so, I made the bad decision to get my heavy duty tools, face mask, etc. and "aggressively" cut the living life out of that outside ball, making it a skinny one in less than 90 seconds. The realization of what I had just done, happened after I stopped the lathe and seen that I had just removed half of the good timber of that blank and I wasn't going to be able to give it the shape I planned, as was no timber left for that. What happen was that, for a few minutes I forgot that I was working on a natural edge mounted blank, with the perception that the shape resulting for the timber spinning fast, was indeed all solid, when in reality is not.
Not having much more to cut outside, and being a little upset about it, I decided to hollow the inside not in a normal fashion (same thickness walls all through) but in a taped shape, starting at about 12-15mm from the bottom center and taping it not to match the outside shape but to meet the further point on the natural edge, to almost "nothing". This would create a smoother curve inside but could very easily destroy the whole thing, if a catch or similar would occur in within an inch or two from the soft, brittle and fragile timber around the edge. At that point, I wasn't to concern about that possibility, as and far as I was concern, the blank was stuffed anyway!:~
Not been known to give up that easy, I persevere a little and this is what I come up with. One coat of sanding sealer and 2 coats of Floorseal (sprayed).
Again, and not wanting to bother with the set up I have for inside photography of the turned pieces, I simply took some pics outside in the sun:o . It will do for now, I may do it again inside when I have enough pieces to justify setting up the stuff inside for the pics.
What you're reckon?
Cheers:2tsup:
RBTCO