Thread: When you can't cut downhill.......

You should be able to still cut. What are you making? If I have time I'll pop over!

Originally Posted by chuck1

You should be able to still cut. What are you making? If I have time I'll pop over!

A spindle gouge it is, then! (That's the one I need the most practice with right now.)

If it'd been earlier in the day, I would have just gone ahead and started, but it was getting late and I had to pack it in for today, leaving me thinking about it for the night.

It's just a little bud vase, a pretty basic shape, 150mm tall, 63mm wide, a birthday present for a friend. I'll drill a 12mm x 75mm hole and insert a plastic test tube like with the last one.:
(I'm making the foot a bit wider than in my drawing, it'll be 50 dia.)

c. Laminating Plan_sml.JPG

Drop over anytime, I'm here all day every day, playing.
I'll be getting into this about lunch-time tomorrow, but first off is just flattening the top, hollowing a slight depression in the top, followed by boring the 12mm hole, before I start actually shaping the body.
Still got my address, or do you want me to PM it?

Hi Steve,
Not sure of which Roughing Gouge you have, but you could do most of that shape with it.
Held the an angle it can give a very smooth finish.
It is not easy, but, by the time you get to the nitty gritty, you should be able to get the hang of it.
Just my2senseworth.

Originally Posted by issatree

Hi Steve,
Not sure of which Roughing Gouge you have, but you could do most of that shape with it.
Held the an angle it can give a very smooth finish.
It is not easy, but, by the time you get to the nitty gritty, you should be able to get the hang of it.
Just my2senseworth.

Thanks for the tip Lewis. Of course, you're right.
My (1") roughing gouge is only junk, it came from a $40 set of 8 virtually useless carbon steel turning tools, but it'll handle it if I keep touching it up with a hone. I get 10-15 seconds of use before it goes blunt. I've never overheated it, but I suspect it was cooked during it's initial grind at the Chinese factory.

A better roughing gouge is on my list straight after a decent skew.

I'll see how it goes, anyway.
(You're not the only one still awake - I'm putting coats of finish on a couple of bowls.)

Pm to be sure please! Off to work this morning.

Originally Posted by chuck1

Pm to be sure please! Off to work this morning.

Done.

Your design looks great and the joinery in the blank looks very well executed. I do a fair bit of lamination work & the glue you use has a fair bit to do with how long a cutting edge lasts on tools. Polyurethane glues & epoxies can take the edge off real quick. My preference is for Titebond II or AV Syntecs AVXL Plus.

A traditional grind 1" roughing gouge will do most of the bulk work and some of the shape refinement. I would go to a 3/8 spindle (or detail) gouge for the detail around the neck and foot.

ps good to see a "footed" vase design.

Hi Steve,
Take a good look at these R/Gouges.
I don't like the Folded File blank as a gouge, but of course they work, but I think the P&N 1" Roughing Gouge is so far in front, it's not funny.
It has weight on it's side for starters, Machined quite well.
Better to buy the unhandled, as you pay close to $20 for a Handle.
The P&N I have wood have to be 20 yrs old, & it really gets used, so they really last a very long time.
To close, it is made in Maryborough here in Vic. or was to my knowledge.

Originally Posted by Mobyturns

Your design looks great and the joinery in the blank looks very well executed. I do a fair bit of lamination work & the glue you use has a fair bit to do with how long a cutting edge lasts on tools. Polyurethane glues & epoxies can take the edge off real quick. My preference is for Titebond II or AV Syntecs AVXL Plus.

A traditional grind 1" roughing gouge will do most of the bulk work and some of the shape refinement. I would go to a 3/8 spindle (or detail) gouge for the detail around the neck and foot.

ps good to see a "footed" vase design.

Thanks Moby. I used Titebond Original for this one. Usually I use Titebond II for laminating, but grabbed the original this time without thinking. I like the original for segmenting, because it has a bit faster initial tack time - great for rub joints.

I started out with my Chinese roughing gouge, but it dulled too quickly, so I roughed out with the Sorby Turnmaster (carbide), then switched to my 3/8" spindle gouge for final shaping.

I like the 'footed' designs too. They have an older, more traditional look.

Originally Posted by issatree

Hi Steve,
Take a good look at these R/Gouges.

Lewis, was there going to be a picture attached?

I don't like the Folded File blank as a gouge, but of course they work, but I think the P&N 1" Roughing Gouge is so far in front, it's not funny.
It has weight on it's side for starters, Machined quite well.
Better to buy the unhandled, as you pay close to $20 for a Handle.
The P&N I have wood have to be 20 yrs old, & it really gets used, so they really last a very long time.
To close, it is made in Maryborough here in Vic. or was to my knowledge.

I'll probably buy P&N when I get a 1" roughing gouge. Same with the skew.
I have to wait a while, though, 'til the budget allows. I was half-thinking of buying GPW versions in the meantime. His 3/8" spindle gouge seems OK.
I've been buying handled versions of tools so far, because timber is so hard to come by for me. Buying online, I'd easily have to pay $20 for a piece of timber to make a handle.


Anyway, I got it finished today. Just needs sanding from 240G up.
It was an uphill battle.
First, I broke the (4mm) end off one of my chuck's Tommy bars, so had to ride into town for a 4mm Allen key. Filed off the corners and was back in business. I can't see it breaking in a hurry.

Next, when I'd just trimmed the fattest part of the body to size, I had a small dig in and had to make it smaller diameter. Now 60mm. I think it actually looks better.
Otherwise, no dramas. Thanks everyone for the advice.

The first pic shows the shape, but it's glary. The second shows the colour better. In the second, you can just see the top of the plastic test-tube insert, too.:

h. Side - Shaped.JPG i. Top - Shaped.JPG


Another angle, shows more of the timbers:

j. Side View 2.JPG

That's gonna be a dear bud vase when you factor in the price of the chuck! Makes a different base/bottom, though.

Looks good though. Being more of a yard builder/fencer than a turner, I don't know how a lot of you blokes get the ideas for this kind of work - I don't really have a artists eye, so my work tends to be a bit more agricultural - if it is no good as a bowl, it will do as a jacking block under the 4WD. Passes the time though.

Cheers,
Alister.

Originally Posted by Big A

That's gonna be a dear bud vase when you factor in the price of the chuck! Makes a different base/bottom, though.

Looks good though. Being more of a yard builder/fencer than a turner, I don't know how a lot of you blokes get the ideas for this kind of work - I don't really have a artists eye, so my work tends to be a bit more agricultural - if it is no good as a bowl, it will do as a jacking block under the 4WD. Passes the time though.

Cheers,
Alister.

Ha. Just between you and I, even without the chuck, if I was to go back over the last couple of years and see just how much I paid for those timbers I used, I'd probably fall over.

I'm not very artistic either, especially when it comes to putting different timbers together, but I figured if I just put in as many colours as possible it couldn't look too bad. Cleaned up a few of those odd, small scraps that were wasting space, too.
The basic shape is fairly standard - I didn't have to think very hard for that bit.

I just tag along here on the forums, hoping that a bit of what I see and hear might rub off. I'll never reach the level of most guys here, but it's fun trying.

They are interesting aren't they. I finished my first today, it was taken from a project in a recent copy of The Australian Woodworker. It also called for coloured laminations between each timber layer.

I used roughing gouge, scraper and spindle gouge to shape. Tightbond original was used to do the lamination because its what I had.

I had some issues with the chuck coming loose on its insert which caused the piece off centre, but I got over it fairly quickly.

Hermit,

The vase is lovely. I especially like the 3rd view.

Originally Posted by MrFez

They are interesting aren't they. I finished my first today, it was taken from a project in a recent copy of The Australian Woodworker. It also called for coloured laminations between each timber layer.

I used roughing gouge, scraper and spindle gouge to shape. Tightbond original was used to do the lamination because its what I had.

I had some issues with the chuck coming loose on its insert which caused the piece off centre, but I got over it fairly quickly.

I like the look of veneer dividers between the laminations. I ordered some sheets of Silver Ash veneer the other night, to give it a go for a better effect on my next laminated attempt. Good between segments in segmented turnings, too. It's only 0.6mm veneer, though, whereas I would have preferred thicker.

Does anyone reading this happen to know where I might get my hands on some very dark and very light coloured veneer in 1.5mm or 2mm, (online)? Silver Ash and dark Jarrah would be ideal. I wasted a nice piece of Purpleheart a few months ago making 1.5mm veneer for dividers on a segmented plate. I'd much rather buy it ready-made from now on.

I've been doing a bit of reading and watching some vids on different lamination methods/patterns etc. I'll be doing a fair bit of it over the coming months, to use up some of my left-over scraps from box-making etc. I have a shed-full.
I was thinking that next I'll glue up a similar blank as the bud vase, then split it down the centre and invert one half and glue it back up, to produce an inverted 'V' pattern before turning. Might look good.

Originally Posted by Paul39

Hermit,

The vase is lovely. I especially like the 3rd view.

So much timber, so little time.

Paul

Thanks Paul. (And I agree) The first two pics didnt show it very well.

This wasn't really meant to be a WIP, but it's turned into one.
I'll post a pic of it finished in a week or two.

Pity it takes so long to get a decent finish. I spend one day turning, then 7 to 14 days getting the finish up to a level I'm happy with. The result is an ever-growing pile of half-finished things on the table, all getting a coat of WOP each day.