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Skew ChiDAMN!!
9th December 2006, 05:05 PM
So, I'm out of pen kits again. Nothing new there, but what to do, what to do?

Ken Wraight{sp?) gave a demo on small lidded boxes at our woodturning club earlier in the week (thanks Ken!) so I thought I'd give 'em a whirl. here's the fruits of my labour. Neither are as delicate or graceful as Kens, but now that I know what I'm doing, hopefully that'll change.

Made of Brigalow, finished with a quick, rough'n'ready coat of EEE/Shellawax. Didn't bother b usting a gut trying to get a nice polish on what are basically throwaways. The shorter one had an accident during turning and lost it's legs. The tall one had an accident after 'twas finished and the lid was dropped, taking out a small chip :( which fortunately isn't visible in the pic. (I wonder why that is? :rolleyes: )

PS: Rod, I still reckon they're just lidded goblets. :p

Cliff Rogers
9th December 2006, 05:15 PM
OK, enough practice, do a real one. :p

Have you seen Ken's eggs?

He had them at the Prossy turnout last month.

PS. Ornamental boxes.

ozwinner
9th December 2006, 05:30 PM
I turned something similar years ago, and when I was finishing off the finial it got tangled up in the sandpaper and ripped off. :(

Next time Andy make em small enough so you can use a AAA battery for comparison. :p

PS the pen blanks got sent on Thursday.

Al :cool:

Captain Chaos
9th December 2006, 06:45 PM
G'day Skew,
Nice work. Turned out very well for a couple of roughies.;) Dunno about those long thin finials though. To me they sort of detract from the overall shape of the boxes / goblets, but that's just a personal thing & not meant as a criticism. By the way, why did you photograph them with the wheelie bin in the background:confused: Haven't turfed them already, have you? :p:D Firewood Skew, firewood. Wood turning failures are never thrown in the waste bin! :eek::(
Regards,
Barry.

lubbing5cherubs
9th December 2006, 08:40 PM
don't know what they are called but they are cute. I like them
Toni

tashammer
9th December 2006, 08:48 PM
Hmm, looks like someone is having an attack of the Jetsons whilst thinking of Jeannie, he thought.

OGYT
10th December 2006, 06:38 AM
The Jetsons... that's it... their house and the neighbor's. :o)
Pretty cute boxes. Lidded boxes or Goblets or whatever ya wanna call 'em.

BernieP
10th December 2006, 12:41 PM
G'Day skew

Very nice, afraid they are too dainty for me to ever attempt something like that, thanks for photos.

Cheers
Bernie

Cliff Rogers
10th December 2006, 03:48 PM
The Jetsons... ..... Lidded boxes or Goblets or whatever ya wanna call 'em.
Jetisons.... ;) he is going to chuck them out & start again. :D

Skew ChiDAMN!!
10th December 2006, 10:06 PM
I turned something similar years ago, and when I was finishing off the finial it got tangled up in the sandpaper and ripped off. :(

Next time Andy make em small enough so you can use a AAA battery for comparison. :p

I'm working on one now that's only 1.5mm thick at the finials. just buffing with EEE is a perilous act, I'm not too sure how they'll go when it comes time to Shellawax!


PS the pen blanks got sent on Thursday.

I await with anticipation. :D


Nice work. Turned out very well for a couple of roughies.;) Dunno about those long thin finials though. To me they sort of detract from the overall shape of the boxes / goblets, but that's just a personal thing & not meant as a criticism.

Well... they weren't intended to be roughies... until things started going aglay. Then I finished 'em instead of giving up and starting again. I'm happy enough with the end result but they're far from being prize-winners.

The long finials are a part of the style I was shown. Properly executed they add grace and elegance, otherwise they look clunky. Obviously I need a LOT more practice.


By the way, why did you photograph them with the wheelie bin in the background:confused: Haven't turfed them already, have you? :p:D Firewood Skew, firewood. Wood turning failures are never thrown in the waste bin! :eek::(

Firewood? There's more wood in a match! :D To be honest, they did pass through the wheelie bin... but someone gave me orders to do a search'n'rescue. Which made a pleasant change; usually it's "I don't know why you bother keeping that..."

Women! Who can figure 'em out? :rolleyes::D

powderpost
10th December 2006, 10:24 PM
Nice work Skew, got some smallish stuff here too. Might drag them out of the cupboard one day.
Jim

TTIT
10th December 2006, 11:55 PM
I'd normally call them 'lidded pots' but at that size I reckon Cliff's got it with 'ornamental boxes'. Haven't tried anything that dainty yet but now I know what I can do with the bits of conkerberry I was given today ( :p ). Good to see ya usin' real wood Skew :rolleyes:;). Look forward to seeing one you're happy with.

lubbing5cherubs
11th December 2006, 12:37 PM
Women! Who can figure 'em out? :rolleyes::D

Skew we're not to be figured out. We are to obey:p :D

Gil Jones
11th December 2006, 04:12 PM
Skew, those are cool, and nice looking little lidded boxes. They make nice gifts. I will be watching for the next generation:) .

Skew ChiDAMN!!
11th December 2006, 08:48 PM
Just for TTIT, here's one in pittosporum. :D

Actually, it's not... it's mystery garden wood. Hibiscus perhaps? Can anyone ID the piece next to the doodad? Light, fibrous, very prone to tear-out... you can see some tearout on the RH rim of the box in the first pic. :( But strong (the top finial is only 1.5mm average thickness and barely bends) and takes a nice polish.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
12th December 2006, 03:33 PM
Oh... and while I'm at it, here's one for Al.

AAA batteries are bigger than I thought... they're almost as big as a BIC lid! ;):p

(BTW, that's powdered sawdust from my fingers on the lid, not a "bad" finish. I just didn't notice it until I took the pic. :o)

lubbing5cherubs
12th December 2006, 05:28 PM
Very nice skew. What tool are you using for that small?
Toni

TTIT
12th December 2006, 05:31 PM
Oh... and while I'm at it, here's one for Al.

AAA batteries are bigger than I thought... they're almost as big as a BIC lid! ;):p

(BTW, that's powdered sawdust from my fingers on the lid, not a "bad" finish. I just didn't notice it until I took the pic. :o)OK Skew - which toyshop do ya get the giant size batteries from????;)

Cool bit of work Skew! Gotta have a go at one of these little blighters - what wood is that one in ?

dai sensei
12th December 2006, 05:38 PM
What tool are you using for that small?
Toni

Good question - sharpened nails? Looks great Skew, you must have a steady hand.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
12th December 2006, 05:57 PM
Very nice skew. What tool are you using for that small?


Good question - sharpened nails? Looks great Skew, you must have a steady hand.

Spot on! I use ordinary 4" bright nails. Just knock 'em into a bit of wood for a handle, cut off the head and then shape it to whatever profile I want for the job at hand. Concrete nails last longer, but I've buckets of brights and as I change the profile at a moment's whim the nail is ground away pretty quickly anyway.

And a 1" skew chisel, believe it or not! But I misuse it... using the pointy tip instead of the normal "safe" zone.

Actually, steadiness isn't really a problem provided you position the toolrest close enough. Only a little bit of the tool projects over the rest and with a 12"(ish) handle it's very easy to get precision... moving the end of the handle by 1" might move the cutting tip by as little as 0.5 mm.

Now, seeing what you're doing is a whole 'nother matter. :rolleyes:


Cool bit of work Skew! Gotta have a go at one of these little blighters - what wood is that one in ?

Thank you. I like playing with miniatures, they're a quick bit of fun when there's a few minutes spare between other jobs.

'Tis plain ol' everyday red-gum. River red-gum, I think... 'twas just one of the many scraps I keep kicking around the floor. :o

Cliff Rogers
12th December 2006, 06:43 PM
...Thank you. I like playing with miniatures, ...:o

There was a jewler watchmaker (?) in the Townsville club about 10 years ago who made miniture goblets out of little cleaning stakes that looked like tooth picks.
The finished item was about the diamiter of a toothpick & about 1.5 to 2 times the width high.
You needed a magnifying glass to see them.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
12th December 2006, 07:58 PM
There was a jewler watchmaker (?) in the Townsville club about 10 years ago who made miniture goblets out of little cleaning stakes that looked like tooth picks.
The finished item was about the diamiter of a toothpick & about 1.5 to 2 times the width high.
You needed a magnifying glass to see them.

I'd like to have seen them!

A bloke at our turning club turned a full chess-set, the board fits into a 1 - 1 1/2" square plastic box for gemstone display. The type with the magnifying lid, if you know what I mean? He's the mongrel that first got me started on mini's but his crown is safe: I'll never have the patience to go that small. Still, you reminded me of the first miniature(s) I turned way back when... which are the smallest items I've tried turning to date.

I was soooo proud of these, but taking the pic just then I felt a bit embarassed... I know I can do a lot better now as I frequently turn thinner, if not smaller. But isn't that always the way? At least it shows I'm still improving... :D

joe greiner
12th December 2006, 11:27 PM
I've seen smaller and better than this one, but it was my first captive ring. First pancake never any good, eh? Used dental picks to shape the ring. Also used a jeweller's magnifying glass ("loupe"). I remember thinking, "This would be a lot easier if I didn't have a nose."

Joe

TTIT
12th December 2006, 11:40 PM
What :eek: - of course it's a real AAA battery!!!

TTIT
12th December 2006, 11:42 PM
OK - so when I looked at an AAA battery and couldn't even read the printing I decided to let Skew keep the miniature-turning title. Good of me eh!!!:D Had to have a go though and couldn't have picked a better timber for the job. Conkerberry just machines so beautifully - the only sanding on this was a burnishing swipe with 1200 grit - magic stuff to work. Might not be as small as Skew's efforts but I'm still proud as pi$$ of the lid fit and the grain matching - I don't think I've done as good on any of my real-sized pieces.
For anyone thinking of giving this mini stuff a shot, here's a tip that Skew left out. Have a damned good clean up around the lathe before you start! If you drop the wee little lid in a weeks worth of shavings, it could take at least 20 minutes on your knees sifting through the crap to find it. (Yes - DAMHIKT :o )

lubbing5cherubs
13th December 2006, 12:03 AM
very nice that looks tempting but I doubt I go that small That amazing
Toni

OGYT
13th December 2006, 02:47 PM
Wheew-eeeee! Too small for old eyes to try!!!

Skew ChiDAMN!!
13th December 2006, 04:32 PM
For anyone thinking of giving this mini stuff a shot, here's a tip that Skew left out. Have a damned good clean up around the lathe before you start! If you drop the wee little lid in a weeks worth of shavings, it could take at least 20 minutes on your knees sifting through the crap to find it.

Wise words! :D You did a damned fine job too, definitely a piece to be proud of.