Thread: My plywood/acrylic bowl.

different but visually nice
regrdas Michael

Thanks for sharing all these pics, Peter. You seem to be doing a lot of turning of late. Good to see.

I have been using casting resin to fill gaps that I want filled.

I like these peter, not because I think they are particularly beautiful to my eyes,
but because of the way you have used a mix of materials and sjown what can be done
with a bit of imagination and perseverence. Thanks for sharing!!

Shows good imagination to use such a widely different material and it does look good.
Turning ply on the 'end grain' must be a pain in the but. Tried it on a pattern-makers lathe
and I didn't find it easy.

Originally Posted by GSRocket

Shows good imagination to use such a widely different material and it does look good.

Thanks, but unfortunately I can't claim that it was my good imagination to use that kind of combination of materials for I saw it described in a book.

Turning ply like that isn't easy but I like to tackle challenges.


Peter.

Do you find the glue used to bond the veneers hard on the tools?

Originally Posted by brendan stemp

Do you find the glue used to bond the veneers hard on the tools?

Brendan, it is harder on the tools, requiring more frequent sharpening than timber, but not as hard as it is with Corian. I think that might have been more because of the acrylics that I veneered into the plywood.

Also the type of plywood has a lot to do with it, a course type of ply (handyman stuff from Bunnings) is worse then some nice ply samples that I got from a plywood manufacturer/importer.


Peter.

Look forward to seeing more of these. The bowl form is so so but your finish on a difficult medium to master is quite good so well done.

I always find it interesting how the glue lines are revealed in photo two & makes a nice feature. Working out how to maximise its section to make it more of a feature is a challenge. Fascinating when the glue used in the ply manufacture fills the cracks from the rotary peeling of the veneers.

Ive found polyurethane glues to be very hard on wood turning tools.

Sturdee,
What type of acrylic (sheeting?) are you using and how did yousource that. I think
they look great and at present I am exploring using bamboo flooring which comes in a variety
of shades. Thanks, Drillit.

Originally Posted by Drillit

Sturdee,
What type of acrylic (sheeting?) are you using and how did yousource that. I think
they look great and at present I am exploring using bamboo flooring which comes in a variety
of shades. Thanks, Drillit.

The coloured acrylics I used are are off cuts, The ones used I got from an plastic sign making factory and I also got some from a plastic recycling place.

I just went in and showed a photo of what I wanted to achieve and asked if they could help me and both places went out of their way to help. Sometimes you get knock backs when you go in and ask for of cuts etc, but as long as you can show what you want it for (photos or drawings or sketches), no problems. I always go back to show how it turned out and that way you establish a relationship for when you want more.

If you're into bamboo turning you may be interested in my bamboo turnings.

Peter.

Thanks Peter. I will try and source a plastics place nearby. I had a look at your bamboo turnings
and they are terrific. Did you use raw bamboo sheets (flooring) or the finished clear/stained ones and
re-lacquered etc. In gluing the sheets I was thinking of using coloured epoxy for effect. I have used it before
on long vases where I have joined the pieces and it looks effective. Thanks, Drillit.

Originally Posted by Drillit

Thanks Peter. I will try and source a plastics place nearby. I had a look at your bamboo turnings
and they are terrific. Did you use raw bamboo sheets (flooring) or the finished clear/stained ones and
re-lacquered etc. In gluing the sheets I was thinking of using coloured epoxy for effect. I have used it before
on long vases where I have joined the pieces and it looks effective. Thanks, Drillit.

I got the bamboo in 5 mm thick sheets from I got the sheets from the Importer Leto Bamboo in Mulgrave. The sheets are 1200 * 2400 mm narrow grain , natural and for contrast the carbonised.

I like the idea of coloured epoxy but on mine the glue line is not noticeable.

Peter.