DIY Triple Wire Woodburner For Woodturning
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At a recent Saturday gathering of local woodturners, we discussed wire wood burner alternatives. I’ve used a commercial set for many years but they then to get kinked up; burn me; and are hard to find. After our initial discussion, I did more research. One that impressed me was mounted in an old hack saw. Then why not mount three wires at a time in the same fixture?
My triangles are about 3 inches on a side. Double washers and a screw secure each end of the wire. The wood and finish don’t matter. The exact size of wood pieces don’t matter. The exact wire sizes also do not matter.
So pull one together and start burning lines in wood instead of fingers.
Enjoy!
Turning Inside Out Vase – Not Solely For Ornaments
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I browsed the web for ideas for a Mother’s Day project. The one that caught my eye was an inside out vase. Perfect. Inside out is fun but moderately challenging.
Four square pieces of wood are temporarily fastened together. While there are many possible ways to fasten them, I find a paper joint does a good job for a four way inside out turning. For a paper joint, a piece of plain paper is inserted into the joint between each of the glued surfaces.
When mounting the glued up blank between centers, try to exactly place the centers at the insersection of the four pieces. Any offset will show up later.
I cut an asymmetric cove with the first mounting for the inside shape. I also sanded and finished the cove.
After splitting apart the wood pieces with taps from a chisel and cleaning up the new mating surfaces, I reversed each piece of wood and glued them together again – permanently.
Then remounted the block and finished turning the new outside of the vase.
The challenges are cutting air between the four slats and visualizing the inside versus the outside.
I also used my DIY steady rest found in this video at this link, “Update To My DIY Lathe Steady Rest”
Enjoy!
Holey Roley Poley Multi-Axis Woodturning
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Barbara Dill’s book on multi-axis woodturning is the inspiration for this project. As I looked through the photos, I said to myself, “That can’t be that hard, it’s just a sphere and some holes”. But a doughnut chuck I made several years ago is key to turning the holes.
The wood is Titan cedar finished with walnut oil. It is about six inches diameter.
This is not my best sphere. Please refer to my previous videos for better spheres.
The best is “Woodturning Essentials – Octagon Method For Perfect Spheres”
While not my best sphere, it is my best multi-axis Holey, Roley, Poley.
Enjoy!
Preparing Green Apple Branch For Natural Edge Projects
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In my Spring pruning, I cut a large limb from my apple tree. I hate to waste good wood, especially apple wood. However, apple is very likely to crack and split. So, it has to be treated.
I decided to cut it into short pieces that could be used for boxes and similar projects. To prevent cracking, I chose to drill out the pith and center wood from each piece.
After they dry, then I plan to remount them and make a variety of projects. However, I have fifteen pieces and not that many ideas to finish them.
I will appreciate your suggestions for finishing these short pieces once they are dry.
Enjoy!
Easter Egg Box For My Easter Bunny Egg Cache
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To complete my Easter Bunny’s egg cache, I’ve been working up in complexity from a solid egg to a hollowed paper joint egg, and now to an egg box
This Easter egg is hollow for a small treat inside. A box joint provides access to the treat.
To make this egg:
- Turn a cylinder
- Mark out the egg. Remember than an ideal egg’s length is 1.29 x its diameter and the big end is a hemisphere. Allow more room in the middle for the box mortise and tenon joint.
- Cut a tenon on both ends with some additional allowance to stay away from chuck jaws.
- Part the egg in the middle.
- Mount and hollow one end (I did the large end). The final step is to cut a mortise in this end.
- Mount and hollow the other end. However, include fitting a tenon to the mortise on the other end.
- Put the parts together for final turning, sanding, and finishing.
Remember that you can find a 3D printer at a public library. The STL pattern file is available from Thingiverse.
The perfect egg is reviewed in this video link. (Woodturn My Eggs Easy Over Please).
The wood collet is covered in this video link. (Revisit Woodturning Heart For My Valentine Plus Collet & Jig).
However, while we’re having some Easter fun, please also remember the true reason for Easter.
Enjoy!
Another Easter Egg (Or Puzzle) For The Easter Bunny
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After turning the solid egg is the last video, I wondered what other types of Easter eggs could I make for my 3D printed Easter Bunny.
This Easter egg is hollow for a small treat inside. A rubber hairband holds it together since the joints are along the long section of the egg.
To make this egg:
- Tropical hardwood pen blanks are glued together with paper joints.
- Turn the egg. Remember than an ideal egg’s length is 1.29 x its diameter and the big end is a hemisphere.
- Cut a shallow groove at the middle of the egg for the rubber hairband.
- Sand and finish
- Using a Dremel tool with a small burr, grind out the wood to hollow each piece.
- Gently sand off any remaining paper.
Remember that you can find a 3D printer at a public library. The STL pattern file is available from Thingiverse.
The perfect egg is reviewed in this video. (Woodturn My Eggs Easy Over Please).
However, while we’re having some Easter fun, please also remember the true reason for Easter.
Enjoy!
This Easter Bunny Brings Sweet Chocolate or Wood Eggs
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At the Maker Space in the local public library where I was 3D printing another project, I saw a cute rabbit holding a foil wrapped egg. My immediate thought was to have the little bunny hold a wooden egg that I have turned.
I managed to obtain one from the library then went home to turn the egg. The wood is a left over lamination. In a video a couple years ago, I presented what someone termed the perfect egg. (Woodturn My Eggs Easy Over Please.
The bunny rabbit is 3D printed using a pattern from Thingiverse. Many public libraries have Maker Spaces or equivalents with a 3D printer for public use.
In summary, a perfect egg has a bottom that is a perfect hemisphere. Therefore, the distance from the big end to the widest part of the egg is 1/2 the diameter. The overall length of the egg, as specified in that article is 1.29 times the diameter. Blend the two together for a perfect egg.
However, I don’t believe I’ve ever noted a “perfect” chicken egg. Further, I have noticed that other species’ eggs vary even more. But at least, this measure gets me close.
After finishing the egg, set it on the bunny rabbit holder.
Enjoy!
Woodturning Wig Stand For Cancer Patients
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The Utah Woodturners club has a summer activity from April through October where we get together at someone’s shop on one Saturday morning each month. This is a great time to observe and share. We’ve fixed lathes, solved tough problems, and shared experiences.
This year, we’ll add a service project to enhance the other activities, wig stands for future cancer survivors.
While your mileage my vary from this one. This wig stand uses 5″ 8×4 cedar for the dome top; 6″ 8×4 cedar for the base, and 12″ 5/4 cedar for the center spindle. Mine is finished with walnut oil. It will not make it to a end user until the oil has fully dried.
While a wig stand will not relieve their current pain, hopefully, it can help them deal with their emotions.
Enjoy!
From Green Firewood to Vase – Deep Hollowing Wet Wood
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This black locust wood came from my brother in Idaho. It was freshly cut. I took it home and promptly rough turned it to a cylinder, then a rough shape for a vase, then parted it in two. Each end was hollowed before coating it with Bowl Saver, a green wood sealer from Craft Supplies USA.
After a couple of months, I weighed each piece and recorded the date and weight on the wood. When the last weight was equal or higher than the previous weight, I figure the wood is dry.
I remounted each piece truing the tenon, finished hollowing each piece before fitting the top back to the bottom and gluing it together.
After final shaping and sanding, I disguised the joint with a fine shallow groove. To disguise that groove, I added another nearby then another pair near the bottom of the vase.
This vase is about 6″ tall and 2.5″ diameter, finished with walnut oil.
Enjoy!
Revisit Woodturning Heart For My Valentine Plus Collet & Jig
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After turning my Valentine’s heart, I decided I needed to refine my process for this type of project. Thank you for all your suggestions. The differences are a bandsaw sled; a collet; hollowing the heart.
Key to the bandsaw sled are elevator bolts. Elevator bolts are better for woodturning jigs because they have a large almost flat head that works better for MDF because they will not pull through the MDF as easily. I’ve also tried hex bolts, carriage bolts, and toilet bolts. The elevator bolts work much better and are not expensive.
The exact dimensions for the band saw sled are not critical. It needs a board to ride the miter slot in the band saw, a board to set the cut angle, and a hold down. With small adjustments to the actual project, it worked well. I felt much safer and out of danger.
The collet is modeled after metal working collets but use a woodturning chuck for clamping pressure. This design can easily be made in most wood shops. Best of all it is not expensive; it is easily adapted to different sizes of spindles. If it is damaged, no problem, throw it away and make another.
The collet is used to hollow the spindle from the middle and to trim the ends. If the fit is too loose, simply sand the collet faces to obtain a perfect fit that does not damage the spindle.
Now my wife has two different hearts for her choice for her necklace. The wood is some variety of Gum.
Enjoy!