Thread: My first turning other than a pen!!!

There is some amazing features in that old root ball Brad, I aint no expert on turning that sort of thing but I like it.

That is inspirational. (Gawd cannot be leave I spelt that correctly first go) Any way, that is truly inspirational. You wouldn't have some photos of the ''root ball" prior and during preparation? Seeing the potential of a "root ball" (piece of raw but usable wood) is something I am still working on.

Blimey Brad! You certainly like to start with the easy bits don't you

That is a lovely piece and now you have left yourself with the task of getting better than it for your next go. This I want to see!

Well done mate!

One of the things to watch out for in root balls is stones. They will budgie yer tools quicker that you can blink, but with a result like yours, well

Not a great shape, but certainly not a bad go for a first vase.

Then again it's not about the shape, it's about the figure, grain and colour and ou've brought that out fantasticly.

Well done.

Shape, like beauty, is good or not in the eye of the beholder Dragonfly.

It is a bit heavy, but looking at te wood then any thinner and it could have been a 3D jigsaw?

For not breaking knuckles or having the thing shatter!

Great features there such as grain and spalting.

Have to agree with Dr4gonfly and Jonzjob. that might sound odd
butit does make sense. Once again, well done!!

After that pens will seem a bit tame. Looking at it makes me want to duck when I think of it on the lathe.

Very nice!! Roots, stumps, and crotches have wonderful abstract figures. These are the bits that wood burners leave as they don't split for firewood. Lucky for us turners.

Originally Posted by Jonzjob

One of the things to watch out for in root balls is stones. They will budgie yer tools quicker that you can blink, but with a result like yours, well

Below are my root and bark tools that I use first to find the stones, dirt, barbed wire, and nails.

From front to back, a 3/4 inch file, lawn mower blade, 1/2 inch concrete form stake, screwdrivers.

Wow what a response. Thank you all for your warm feedback.

Jonzjob and dr4g0nfly i agree with you it is a bit heavy i should have thinned it out at the bottom to give it that classic hourglass figure
ill try that next time i do a vase but the top half had to be like that as that is how the stump was shaped.
Jamarpa sorry but i didnt think of taking a photo as i didnt think anything good would come out of the stump

thanks again for the comments it makes me want to go out and have another try!!!

I love this piece! Can't believe it's your first attempt at something large.

You should be proud of that one.

I learned to take a pikky of odd bits. Like this Russian olive that came from a tree that died in the garden



And after trimming it a bit I chucked it on the lathe to see what was in there?

Quell surprise! I finished up with a rather nice candle stick. It won me the Feb challenge in another forum too



Just goes to show that you shouldn't throw anything away without a very good look at it

I have shown the photos before, but I thought it was appropriate for now?

As has been said, a great effort as a first turning. Great piece of wood with interesting grain. My early turnings provided us with some very comforting heat last winter.

One could be super critical about the shape and finish but its too soon for stuff like that. This will come as you get more experienced and actually have more time to consider rather than just getting the damn thing round.

One thing about the finish though. At the rim, there is a load of tearing. It could be a blunt tool or just the fact that it as rotten. The rim is one place that will always show any problems, its the first thing you see if you pick it up.

If I have 'punky' wood (where did that expression come from?), I soak it in CA glue, if necessary adding a load of sawdust at the same time. When its hard you can get a smooth finish with no problems.

thanks for the tip gus i probably do need to have a lesson or two on sharpening
jonzjob that stump looks a bit like mine did just not as tall and i will be checking as many stumps as i can from now on lol

Spankingpigeon,

A good source of strange lumps of timber in Adelaide is the garden centre's that sell mallee stumps for firewood. Make a friend of the person at the weigh bridge and get onto the stump pile where you can fossick for the good bits ( learning by trial and error) and they you pay by weight, lots of exciting bits for a very few $

keep up with the strange bits as they can be very exciting both to turn and as finished art.

Cheers