Thread: 1st birthday celebrations: some turnings from this year

Hi all, I haven't posted much lately, because I haven't had much of a chance to get out to the lathe since Christmas. But I have had the odd opportunity on and off, so I thought I'd share some of the things I've managed. Also, April is the first anniversary of me getting a lathe and starting woodturning so what better way to celebrate .

Comments and suggestions for improvement gratefully received!

I had a go at some off-centre turning in January, and came up with this bowl, from Pacific fir or similar.

offcentrebowltop.jpgoffcentrebowlside.jpg

Then in March I had a chance to turn some pens again, and made a Jr Gent and Baron II out of blackwood and a slimline pencil out of redgum.
pencil.jpgjrgent.jpgbaron.jpg

And these easter holidays I bought a decorating elf, but baulked at the added cost of the coving and point tools, so made them myself from some HSS blanks from Gary Pye, saving myself about $50. (There are two good customer service stories in getting the elf and tools; I went to Pop's Shed to buy the elf straight after Easter, but they had sold out. The next ones in were going to arrive later in the week so they offered to post it out gratis when it arrived. I had the elf in my hand, express posted, 4 days later. The next week I ordered the HSS blanks from Gary Pye and had them the next morning express posted, in spite of me only paying for regular post.)

The coving/point tool handles are made from some old redgum from some old buildings that were pulled down in Kew a few years ago. The wood is somewhere between 50 and 80 years old.
decorating elf.jpgcovingpointtools.jpg

I have also found time to make a small fruit bowl for my sister in law from some of the same redgum. It is 25cm diameter and around 7cm high. I thought about filling the cracks in the top (left from decades of weathering) but a) I quite liked how they look and b) I had nothing to fill them with .
redgumbowltop.jpgredgumbowlside.jpgredgumbowlbottom2.jpgredgumbowlbottomcloseup.jpg

It was also the first time I used the decorating elf and coving tool, to decorate the base of the bowl.

Cheers, Mike