Smallish lathe commission? what might i expect to pay?

[fudo133]

Hi all, i saw a lamp the other day online that i think i might just need, though the real thing is so far out of normal people's price ranges it aint funny...$24,000 to $32,000 depending on where you go...

As a result, i was wondering, would anyone be happy enough to more or less copy a design and how much do you think it'd cost? I'm not going to be holding anyone close to their word at this point, i'm just more curious as to what the general thoughts on pricing might be?

The lamp in question http://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/863.1...lathe-lamp.jpg (http://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/863.12/people/pip/WK1/images/Sebastian%20Brajkovic%20-%20lathe-lamp.jpg) its made from anodized aluminium

For this version i'd say at its widest point it'd measure roughly 40cm in diameter at the widest point of the shade, and about 36cm from the base to the top.

I'm not overly fussed over material choice, be it in be it in wood, mdf, plastic or whatever else, (provided its within a reasonable price range and can hold the same level of detail and sharp lines)

I'd also like some ideas about how it could possibly be made without a lathe if i had to? Would building it up in layers from differently sized rings and circles of wood or some other material work?

[tea lady]

Uuuum! There could be a reason why its so expensive. :S Getting lumps of anything that big to turn is hard. Getting the lathe big enough to turn it is hard. Getting the bloke/blokette experienced enough to turn it is hard. And also he is a really famous artist that exhibits in London and New york. His pieces are turned on a CNC lathe. You have one of his "simple" pieces there. But that is only relative.:S And it would also be stealing his design.

sebastian brajkovic: lathe for carpenters workshop at new york art fair | designboom (http://www.designboom.com/design/sebastian-brajkovic-lathe-for-carpenters-workshop-at-new-york-art-fair/)

If you come up with a design of your own with his work as an inspiration we could talk.:cool:

[fudo133]

Uuuum! There could be a reason why its so expensive. :S Getting lumps of anything that big to turn is hard. Getting the lathe big enough to turn it is hard. Getting the bloke/blokette experienced enough to turn it is hard. And also he is a really famous artist that exhibits in London and New york. His pieces are turned on a CNC lathe. You have one of his "simple" pieces there. But that is only relative.:S And it would also be stealing his design.

sebastian brajkovic: lathe for carpenters workshop at new york art fair | designboom (http://www.designboom.com/design/sebastian-brajkovic-lathe-for-carpenters-workshop-at-new-york-art-fair/)

If you come up with a design of your own with his work as an inspiration we could talk.:cool:
Lol, Don't worry i wasn't planning on an exact copy, and either way i wouldnt be creating it to sell it, as for the material to make it from, is it not possible to turn laminated pieces of wood? or to turn a set of sections and then assemble them all later?

[Jonzjob]

That thing looks a bit like an accident that has happened to someone trying to make a set of pullies for their lathe!

It would be fairly easy to make something like that from bits of mdf. Anything like wood and it would be a complete waste of it :no::no::no:

[dr4g0nfly]

It looks remarkable similar to the turnings commissioned of one of our club members, follow down to page 4 on this link to our club magazine.

http://www.avon-and-bristol-woodturners.org.uk/turnings_07_2012.pdf

His work was based upon stock market movements!

[mat_au]

wow mmm thats got my mind thinking mmm might use that idea and create something from it :D

[fudo133]

It looks remarkable similar to the turnings commissioned of one of our club members, follow down to page 4 on this link to our club magazine.

http://www.avon-and-bristol-woodturners.org.uk/turnings_07_2012.pdf

His work was based upon stock market movements!
oooh, its nice to see some of the techniques behind his work, i've seen another piece of his, except it was apparently based on the seismograph levels of the tohoku earthquake

Scroll down a little and you can't miss it
CultureLab: What does a chair leg sound like? (http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/culturelab/2011/11/what-does-a-chair-leg-sound-like.html)

[tea lady]

It looks remarkable similar to the turnings commissioned of one of our club members, follow down to page 4 on this link to our club magazine.

http://www.avon-and-bristol-woodturners.org.uk/turnings_07_2012.pdf

His work was based upon stock market movements!
That does look interesting.

Maybe you could get a "read out of your name or something? :think:

[cookie48]

All of this is very interesting,but, I wonder where you folks get all your info from.

[fudo133]

All of this is very interesting,but, I wonder where you folks get all your info from.
Meaning?
Its not wonderfully difficult to find out the absolute basics of how things like these are made, nearly every website that features them will have some small description of it

[powderpost]

I reckon it would be a simple job to segment.
Jim

[orraloon]

I think most turners on this forum would do it for less than 32 big ones. That said is it worth doing at all. In art the name is everything.
The look is due to the material so wood or mdf would not be there. To my mind bronze would be the thing to set that design off but then you get up to the big bucks again. Tea lady had it right. It is not a smallish commision and most will be wary of doing a direct copy.
To answer the other bit of the question it could be done without a lathe. Circles of wood,plastic,MDF or other materials could be done on a router with circle cutting jig then layered.
The outcome can be done cheap but will never be anything other than a cheap cheap copy.
Regards
John

[tea lady]

Still think the "cheap" version would be pretty expensive. We (as in :rolleyes::D ) had a job fall through that was going to be out of large disks of MDF. The price of that stuff made him pretty mad (as in rope-able )at the guy.

[fudo133]

I'm fine with it still costing a bit, as in maybe up to three or four thousand, but at the moment i'm pretty much just looking around into what other people think and alternative ways of making it :) Thanks everyone

[fudo133]

I think most turners on this forum would do it for less than 32 big ones. That said is it worth doing at all. In art the name is everything.
The look is due to the material so wood or mdf would not be there. To my mind bronze would be the thing to set that design off but then you get up to the big bucks again. Tea lady had it right. It is not a smallish commision and most will be wary of doing a direct copy.
To answer the other bit of the question it could be done without a lathe. Circles of wood,plastic,MDF or other materials could be done on a router with circle cutting jig then layered.
The outcome can be done cheap but will never be anything other than a cheap cheap copy.
Regards
John
I'm happy to do it despite it being essentially a copy or a piece inspired by it that closely resembles it despite it not having the name of the original artist, at the end of the day i'd love it just as much whether a big name artist made it or whether it was cobbled together by a handyman in his back shed.
I'm definitely not averse to the idea of building it up from lots of smaller circles and rings though (depending on the sort of result that method would achieve.

[Brobdingnagian]

If you wanted anodised aluminium, making a split wooden pattern, and casting it would be not a bad option as you would save a lot of material that way ... but you would need a metal lathe that had a big enough swing to clean up the casting and cnc would be best for a consistent finish. If it was a 4 axis cnc mill you could also add another design element such as the sweep of each ring spiralling into the next..

[Jonzjob]

You can spin ally on a wood lathe and use a spindle gouge too with no problems :cool: :cool:

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/Jonzjob/Alugoblet1.jpg

A lot smaller, but no problems doing it on my wood lathe..

[Heilander]

You can spin ally on a wood lathe and use a spindle gouge too with no problems :cool: :cool:

A lot smaller, but no problems doing it on my wood lathe..

Nice! Good idea, might try that,would brass work too?

[Jonzjob]

I have never tried it with brass, but if the occasion ever arose then I don't really see why not? If anyone knows any different then I will bow to your experience..

I had the speed for the ally at about 1000 rpm as it is a small item and held it in my O'Donnel jaws with support from a cone live centre at the other end. Then slowley, slowley. I finished up with a huge pie of ally wool for the size turned!

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/Jonzjob/Turningalu.jpg

Light cuts. If you try too heavy cuts it chatteres like hell! And keep your tools sharp. If you have decient HSS tools they don't blunt too quickly.

[Paul39]

High speed steel tool bits are still used on lathes, mills, drill presses, and shapers for metal cutting of steel, brass, bronze, aluminum, pot metal / zinc, and cast iron.

I have faced a cast iron face plate with a sharpened broken Phillips screw driver bit using a metal lathe.

One must use the proper surface speed per minute. See:

Machine Shop 2 - Lathe Cutting Speeds - RPM Calculations (http://its.fvtc.edu/machshop2/speeds/rpmcalc.htm)

[fudo133]

Blasphemous to the gods of music as it is, i've started to mock up a basic version of the lamp using a few of my less treasured vinyl records, just so that i can see the sizes of everything as well as get an idea for how hard it'd be to to get tools into some of the undercuts

25 layers used so far and i think there's probably going to be another 25-30 layers of rings and circles to complete the shade

[Jonzjob]

GOOD GRIEF Fudo. You may well get that it the Guiness Book of Records mate :wave:

It could even possibly be a light record :cool: :cool:

[fudo133]

GOOD GRIEF Fudo. You may well get that it the Guiness Book of Records mate :wave:

It could even possibly be a light record :cool: :cool:
Oh very good, truly the limits of your comedic genius know no bounds Jonzjob :D Remind me to record your next stand up show

[Jonzjob]

Stand up!

Never stand up when you can sit down!

Never sit down when you can lie down!

It has sttod me in good stead so far. Or should that be sat me, errrr, or should that be lie me ???

Oh I give up?

Good luck with your new record lamp shade or whatever it is. I don't really connect very well after a 5 hour French pre Christmas lunch :? Not enough wine? Or should that be the other way around???

[tea lady]

Blasphemous to the gods of music as it is, i've started to mock up a basic version of the lamp using a few of my less treasured vinyl records, just so that i can see the sizes of everything as well as get an idea for how hard it'd be to to get tools into some of the undercuts

25 layers used so far and i think there's probably going to be another 25-30 layers of rings and circles to complete the shade Now THAT"S a good idea. The form has come from the objects used then. :cool: You have 60 "less treasured" vinyl records? :oo: I don't even have 60 records. :doh: If you want any help I'm just here. :cool:

[fudo133]

Now THAT"S a good idea. The form has come from the objects used then. :cool: You have 60 "less treasured" vinyl records? :oo: I don't even have 60 records. :doh: If you want any help I'm just here. :cool:
Haha, i was gifted quite a few by my dad, but in this case i can get a lot more bang for my buck by cutting rings out of them so one record can be used for 3 or 4 layers :)