Unexpected find...!

[robutacion]

Hi everyone,

Look what I got today...!

These pieces appear to be "paper bark gum" to me and they were "ripped of the ground (sandy soil), a couple of years ago, just 100 meters away from my place.
They were half buried under wet sand, after been pushed over by a bulldozer on a construction site. I was asked to help to clean the place up, and among tonnes of pine logs, butts, roots, etc., I have found these.
After a little bit of cutting, I took them home, clean the sand and washed them. Some of the smaller pieces do feel a little too light to be any good but, the bigger stuff is heavy and appear to produce some blanks.
If I have the chance tomorrow, I will "slice" them and see what I end-up with. Fingers cross...!:doh::D

Cheers:2tsup:
RBTCO

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

A whole lotta pen-blanks there... :D

[Ed Reiss]

Should be VEEERRRYYYY interesting!!:2tsup:

[Ad de Crom]

RBTC, good find.
Just fine for a couple of goblets ??
Ad :2tsup:

[artme]

mmmm!:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

[Rum Pig]

Good pick up :2tsup::2tsup:

[Bluegum]

As others have said, great find mate well done.

[robutacion]

Hi everyone,

Just a little more work done on those pieces I got another day.

Cut the small burls out, then manage to get 7 round blanks (all different sizes) out of the bigger pieces. The timber on the blanks is a bit wet, but I have decided to turn the smallest (in diameter, but very thick) blank, finish it as thin as possible and give it a couple coats of oil (Organoil), to bring the colours and grain out, as the timber looked very interesting. Not to be, as the bowl "exploded" in 3 pieces, when I was just finishing hollowing, after the new 14mm TCT tipped gouge, got jammed deep into the timber from the inside. This was a small accident, caused by the new extended handles and general tool length, when the back of the handle hit the tail stock, which is now in the way and I didn't realise. As the back of the handle hit the tail stock, the all gouge swung over the tool rest (pivot) and the rotating timber bowl graded the sharp corner of the insert, driving it deep as a bad catch, snapping the bowl into 3 chunks. The piece by then was start to get a little thin, reason why the bowl snapped and the gouge never left my hand.
There is obviously, one of three things that I need to do to void this to happen again when I'm using the long tolls. One is to remove the tail stock completely out, two is to make or buy a small bed extension that swings away with the tail-stock attached to it, and third is to rotated the lathe head 15 degrees or so, when turning unsupported (tail-stock). I suppose, one of the prices paid to have these very useful longer tools!

I will try again on another blank from this lot, in a day or two, and see what it will come out of it...!:D

Cheers:2tsup:
RBTCO

[Frank&Earnest]

1) nice pieces
2) told you those inserts are very aggressive!:D
3) tilting the headstock towards me when hollowing works very well for me, I do it routinely for comfort.

[wheelinround]

:oo: you cut the Burls out :C they would all have made nice natural edge bowls.

The Broken one a little resin or Epoxy will fix it :2tsup::D you can send it up here and I'll do it for you George.

[robutacion]

you cut the Burls out they would all have made nice natural edge bowls.

The Broken one a little resin or Epoxy will fix it you can send it up here and I'll do it for you George.

Don't worry wheelinround, you didn't think that I eat the banana skin and throw the banana fruit away, :odid you?:no::wink:.

Was not enough pic space on my yesterday's post, that's why I left if for today + a couple of pics from the broken piece, that I just took in the loan.

Of the timbers where the small burls come from, the rest was waste, nothing good!, but the burls are all good and better condition than I originally though. I will keep them like that for a little while, even tough I've got and idea of what I can do with each one, depends if they still there or have been sold when I get to it. Either way, is OK.!:;

Frank... thanks, I agree turning the headstock, if the tailstock is not in use, is the easier way, but I would prefer, for various reasons to "swing" the tailstock away on a properly made base. As always, I'm a sucker for taking the hardest solution, huh?:doh::D

PS: -I've got a lot more than plenty of pen-blanks, huh Skew?:q
- Araldite...? needs a little more that that, wouldn't you think?:doh:
- This piece "WAS" going to be a "hand bell" with the handle and hammer made of sheoak (nice contrasting timbers):((

Cheers:2tsup:
RBTCO