Wooden pebbles

[orrettd]

How are these pebbles made? Turned or tumbled? I am seeking a manufacturer in Australia having had no luck in UK or Europe. What would the range of colour and grain be like in Australia in contrast to Europe?

They sell for 1-2 GBP in UK/Europe each. There are a lot of people out there that appreciate the beauty of form and wood like children collect pebbles on the beach. (I recall a request for eggs of late and rest my case)

DaveO

See photo attached

[DJ’s Timber]

Going by the consistent shape of them all, I'd say that they have been turned.

I have some wooden pebbled hanging off my rear vision mirror in my car and they have been tumbled going by their rough inconsistent shape. Couldn't tell you where to get them done thought as I bought mine from National Geographic.

[underfoot]

A mate of mine used to make something similar but not polished,
he used an old twin tub spin tank lined with coarse abrasive
tossed in a bucket of cut up scrap bits of interesting wood,
some gravel, and let it run all night,

I think he geared the speed down
and may have sat the machine at an angle as well,

the end results weren't symmetrical or polished
but they were fun,

may have to experiment a bit, good luck

[BernieP]

G'Day Davo

Don't know if they do mail order but try here http://www.terras.fsnet.co.uk/metalw...20&%20wood.htm

Cheers
Bernie

[hughie]

DaveO

I think it can be done OK, through the rumbling process and simply discarding those out of shape or just grading them into common sizes.

As to the final shape and the initial shape. That will entail some trial and error.

Polishing, should not be a problem I would be looking at silica sand as it is available various grades right down to extremely low grit sizes via mineral supply companies.

Final polishing would be done after several coats of your favourite shiny stuff ie using tripoli powder or jewellers rouge etc

[joe greiner]

I tried an eggsperiment about a month ago, using a concrete mixer:
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=67657

To get the quality you've shown, regular woodturning would likely be best. Could be done "long-line" (i.e. several pieces from one stick), with several string steadies.

Joe

[oldiephred]

Just as a weird idea to start some thinking, What could one do with an old clothes dryer. I would not suggest eying Mum's good one too much.

[OGYT]

39 rpm for about 6 hours, for a hollow form with a handful of silicon carbide scraps inside, will smooth the interior, but produces "waves" in the wood, removing the softer wood quicker than the hard. It wouldn't make consistently ovate objects such as these shown.
I would turn them, as suggested previously by Joe, one after another from a single spindle of timber. Only I would use a steady rest, and move it down the spindle after each pebble. It would be pretty boring after a while, but it could be done.

[woodenpebbles]

I made the pebbles in the picture which was photographed by an American Lark Gilmer.I created the first machine twenty years ago which took five months to sort out the process. I am still making pebbles and am still refining the process.They are niether turned or tumbled.I supply Atishoo Designs in your link.

[Sawdust Maker]

Woodenpebbles
welcome to the forum
you know what you just said isn't fair as we now have interest piked and no answer. grumble grumble

[tea lady]

I made the pebbles in the picture which was photographed by an American Lark Gilmer.I created the first machine twenty years ago which took five months to sort out the process. I am still making pebbles and am still refining the process.They are niether turned or tumbled.I supply Atishoo Designs in your link.

Neither turned nor tumbled. Now everyone will be wondering how.

Very nice pebbles. Welcome to the forum.

[BernieP]

G'Day Tea Lady

More at this site http://www.wooden.co.uk/Pebbles.html also some nice wooden fruit.

Welcome aboard WoodenPebble.

Cheers
Bernie

[orrettd]

http://valounky.vyrobce.cz/

Another link where I almost secured supply but no further communication, they even do boulders. How many of those would you get in a concrete mixer :O)



Another UK site



...and another all via google.



So who can make me some?

Thanks for all the responses

DavO

[underfoot]

So who can make me some?

DavO

they're not rocket science DavO,

maybe what is putting people off is the sale price in your first post
(aprox 1 BPound) whats that? $2-3,
to supply them to a retailer the woody would get $1-$1.50 per pebble,

unless you have a method of producing them cheaply and in quantity as woodenpebbles seems to, you won't get many takers here, sorry.

[joe greiner]

If woodenpebbles doesn't drop the other shoe in the next few days, I'll jump in with another theory. USPTO database wasn't much help. Didn't check the European, though.

Joe