2015 Christmas Ornament Woodturning Challenge
Announcing this year’s Christmas Ornament Challenge. Again, this year I join with Carl Jacobson to host the challenge.
In the challenge we invite other woodturners to turn their own Christmas ornament with their video camera running. Then edit and submit the video for this challenge.
The challenge is open to all ages, all skill levels, and any style ornament. We’ve even had other artisan’s submit their ornaments even when they are not woodturners. Everyone has show great creativity.
This is all for fun as we enjoy the Christmas season.
Here’s a link to the video submission page with all rules (yes, we had to have rules).
Here’s a link to videos. I will update it as they are submitted.
Enjoy.
Woodturning Tool Review: Buffing System Update
May also be viewed on YouTube.
After I reviewed my Beall buffing system, I received several great suggestions mainly to take it apart and mounts the buffing wheels directly to my lathe.
Since the triple buff system has some utility as is, I decided to keep it as is but purchase three new buff wheels to use on my lathe.
Each mount consists of:
- 3/8 inch by 2 inch bolt
- Lock washer
- 2″ diameter washer with 3/8 inch hole
- 3/4 inch wood spacer with 3/8 inch hole and about 1/4 inch thick. This helps the buffing wheel center on the bolt.
- Another 2″ diameter washer with 3/8 inch hole.
- 3/8 inch nut.
Also essential is a spindle extender sized to my spindle. The opposite end accepts the 3/8 inch bolt.
This with the bowl buffs is the system I should have purchased originally and NOT the triple buff system.
Good turning.
Woodturning Art – “An Ode To Oregon Rain”
May also be viewed via YouTube.
The inspiration for this project came from many sources. One source was the Utah Woodturning Symposium. Another is Eric Lofstrum with his multi-axis raindrops. While this is not multi-axis, it draws from both plus probably others.
The puddle is Atlas Cedar about 6 inches in diameter. The raindrop is walnut about 3 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Both are finished with a mix of mineral oil and beeswax then buffed.
Good turning.
Woodturning Bandsaw Jig Keeps Fingers For Another Day
May also be viewed via YouTube.
In last week’s video, I showed a bandsaw jig that I used to safely saw a vase.
At first, I thought that it was too simple to do a video on but then I reconsidered due to how dangerous a bandsaw can be.
So for a bit of bandsaw safety, here it is.
BTW, if you need a 1.25″ x 8 tpi bolt and nut, search for A193B7. Mine came from FMW Fasteners.
Good turning.
Woodturning A Peek-A-Boo Vase With Launch Disaster
May also be viewed via YouTube.
At a recent business meeting at a hotel, I saw some strange chairs around their pool area. A light flashed on in my head: “Could I turn something like that?” Well, certainly not a chair of that size but how about a vase.
I’m calling this vase a Peek-A-Boo vase since it has a large opening in its side. Rather than sitting down in this area, I can use it for an attractive display. For an example, my wife created a scene with seashells and coral.
The vase is a segmented turning from oak consisting of 14 segmented rings of 12 segments each totalling 168 wood pieces. The base is one segment ring with home-made oak plywood inset so that no plywood shows in the profile. A buffed shellac friction polish completes the look.
BTW, if you need a 1.25″ x 8 tpi bolt and nut, search for A193B7, the specification. Mine came from FMW Fasteners.
Good turning.
Extreme Woodturning – Cedar Lampshade
May also be viewed on YouTube.
My best learning comes from watching someone turn a fantastic project and then making it myself. Soren Berger did a great demo of a lampshade. So I had to try one myself.
My lampshade is Atlas or Titan Cedar which is more dense than the more common western red cedar. It is about 7 1/2 inches in diameter and 8 inches high. I’m leaving it not sanded and without any finish.
With the depth inside the lampshade, this was tough going. I feared that at any moment a catch would destroy my work.
Yet both the lampshade and I survived the experience.
It was challenging.
Good turning.
Woodturning Tool Review: Beall Buffing System
Video may also be viewed on YouTube.
In this video, I review my experience with the Beall Buffing System to help you avoid my purchasing mistake.
I like the results but feel my initial configuration was a mistake.
Here’s what I would recommend:
- Hold Fast Long Buffing Adapter – ~$31.50
- Beall 4″ Bowl Buff 3 Piece Set – ~$36.50
- Beall 8″ Buffing Wheel Tripoli – ~$16.75
- Beall 8″ Buffing Wheel White Diamond – ~$16.75
- Beall 8″ Buffing Wheel Wax – ~$16.75
- Beall Buffing Compound Tripoli – ~$5.50
- Beall Buffing Compound White Diamond – ~$5.75
- Beall Buffing Compound Carnauba Wax = ~$6.75
Here’s what I purchased and what you see in my videos:
- Beall Three Buff System – ~$94.50 (Inlcudes buffing compounds)
- Hold Fast Long Buffing Adapter – ~$31.50
- Beall 4″ Bowl Buff 3 Piece Set – ~$36.50
I purchased from Craft Supplies USA
Please be careful about a mandrel. Some are for a stand alone electric motor. A Morse taper mandrel requires tail stock support which limits motion. This is why I selected the Holdfast Long buffing adapter. It threads to my spindle and is secure without tailstock support.
Please wear a full face shield and dust mask.
Keep wood turning – As Wood Turns
This Bowl Has A Magnetic Personality!
May also be viewed on YouTube.
At my wife’s request, I turned this magnetic pin bowl. It looks simple but figuring out how to embed a magnet and still have enough magnetic force was a brain teaser.
The bowl is walnut finished with friction polish. It uses a segmented approach with four rings of twelve segments each plus two pieces of three ply home made walnut plywood. This amounts to 54 pieces of wood.
The magnet is a generic HF 25 pound 2 inch magnet.
Good turning.
Woodturning To Remount And Finish Golden Chain Bowl
May also be viewed via YouTube.
I rough turned this bowl about two years ago. A friend was cutting down a tree in his yard and offered me some of the wood. He called it a golden chain. I looked up the tree and found several interesting facts including: it is very hard; sometimes used as an ebony substitute; and toxic to all animals. Its flowers are very pretty.
Fortunately for me, roughing a bowl when it’s wet is a lot easier than when it’s dry.
My finished bowl is about 9 inches in diameter and about 2 inches high.
I found it interesting how much luster the raw wood had when sanded.
This bowl is finished with walnut oil.
Good turning.
Woodturning An Eccentric Or Multi-Axis Bud Vase
May also be viewed on YouTube.
This bud vase is spalted birch harvested about a year ago. It is an eccentric turning on four axes: Main and offset by 3/8 inch at 120 degree intervals.
A year ago, I rough turned it round and waxed it. It has been laying around my shop since then.
It is about five inches tall and two inches in diameter, finished with beeswax and mineral oil followed by buffing.
Initially, I envisioned it taller with a neck about three inches longer. But when it neared completion, it did not look right — so I turned off the neck. Much better without.
I turned two coves on two offset axes followed by a large bead on the final offset axis.
It was fun.
Good turning.