Thread: bowl and keyrings

well done Eliza

Lovely bowl full of lovely keyrings. You are really getting good!
Now. What's the timber of the bowl?
Thanks.

Originally Posted by ElizaLeahy

I needed to make the bowl this morning so I could put the keyrings in it. See, I HAD to, I had a good reason!!!

When a friend from Canada saw it she offered me $45 AU for it. Should I have taken it? I wasn't sure it would get through customs because it has a teeny bit of bark on it. I know getting INTO Australia with bark on is a no-no. I wasn't sure about Canada.

...hold out for $45.95 AU

Rooly, rooly noice. All of 'em.

Agree with my comedian mate on the price.

Originally Posted by OGYT

Lovely bowl full of lovely keyrings. You are really getting good!
Now. What's the timber of the bowl?
Thanks.

Camphor Laurel

Well done on the bowl, and key rings too.
Your work is becoming quite nice.

Nice bowl and key rings
$45 sounds good IF YOU ARE HAPPY as for customs well you would think he/she should know what they can take back

If they refuse to let it in you could buy it back for half price

It's good to see someone experimenting with forms for keyrings besides boring old cigar-shaped spindles.

Originally Posted by Rum Pig

Nice bowl and key rings
$45 sounds good IF YOU ARE HAPPY as for customs well you would think he/she should know what they can take back

If they refuse to let it in you could buy it back for half price

No, you can't, because customs either offers to irradiate it (for a lot of money) or they burn it! No return post.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

It's good to see someone experimenting with forms for keyrings besides boring old cigar-shaped spindles.

It's hard coming up with different shapes when it's only two inches long to start with.

I want to make a round box - but I'm scared...

Originally Posted by ElizaLeahy

It's hard coming up with different shapes when it's only two inches long to start with.

Yes. It's also hard to make them look pleasing to the eye. You have the knack for finding the right shapes.

I want to make a round box - but I'm scared...

I don't suppose you know anyone with a bandsaw you could borrow?

If you turn a blank round with a spigot on both ends, then they could slice off one of the ends to make the lid.

Otherwise you'll need to practice deep parting cuts on the lathe, which can be a bit of a daunting prospect.

So long as you remember to make the parting cut two tool-widths wide, rather than just plunging the tool straight in for a "single-width" cut then you should be right. (The extra width gives clearance to the sides of the tool, preventing it binding in the wood and ripping out of your hands.)

Skew, why don't you live closer???

The thing I don't like about cutting with a parting tool is the smell of burning, the smoke, and the blackened wood.

I think I'm doing something wrong...

I have some BEAUTIFUL camphor laurel that I got for my birthday, which would be perfect. I want to keep the pattern in the grain, so parting with my 1/4 inch would lose me - 1/2 inch of that. It wouldn't match up.

Thanks for the hint about the bandsaw. No, I don't know anyone who would let me borrow one. But if I turn each end ready to go into the chuck, I might know someone who will do it for me...

Chris?

Originally Posted by ElizaLeahy

Skew, why don't you live closer???

It'd make life easier, wouldn't it?

The thing I don't like about cutting with a parting tool is the smell of burning, the smoke, and the blackened wood.

I think I'm doing something wrong...

Possibly going too deep with each cut. I only cut a few mm, then move over a bit and cut a few mm deeper, then back to the first spot and a few more mm deeper... repeated ad nauseum.

It's not unusual to need to sharpen the parting tool several times for a deep part either, as plunge cuts make a lot of heat - and heat helps tools to blunt very quickly.

I have some BEAUTIFUL camphor laurel that I got for my birthday, which would be perfect. I want to keep the pattern in the grain, so parting with my 1/4 inch would lose me - 1/2 inch of that. It wouldn't match up.

You'd be surprised at how little difference a 1/2" can make, unless the grain is exceptionally swirly.

Still, for when the need arises, a narrow parting tool can be made from an old power hacksaw blade. These are much like an ordinary hacksaw blade 'cept about an 1 1/2" or 2" wide. After grinding the teeth off (of course) it's a simple matter of cutting one end at an angle, sorta like a skew chisel. I simply wrapped the handle end of mine in a LOT of duct-tape, but a decent handle can be made from wooden slats, much like a knife handle.

'Tis used on edge (again, like a knife) and it's really, really important to use the double cut method with these, but a 3 or 4 mm cut is a big improvement on losing a whole 1/2", eh?


Oh... and for my small lidded boxes/goblets, say 2" max. diameter, I use an old carbon steel bread knife that was cut down to about 3" long.

Eliza ,
this bowl has the look of one wanting a lid