Woodturn Cherry Box From Wet Wood
I started this project in July 2013 when I helped a friend cut down a large cherry tree in his back yard. I turned some of the wood into cylinders starting to make small boxes. But the difference is that the wood was very fresh and wet. Knowing that it would shrink and distort as it dried, I left the walls thick but did bore out the inside. Then I wrapped them up with the bored out ends exposed and left them to dry–hopefully from the inside out.
Now with the wood dry, I remounted the pieces to re-trim the tenons, and finish turn the box.
I used gouges, a skew, and a square carbide cutter. I used a mixture of mineral oil and beeswax both as a sanding media and as a finish. The box is about five inches high and two inches in diameter. The joint has a nice vacuum friction fit.
Woodturn Rustic Cedar Natural Edge Coasters
This project is relatively easy, a great way to practice with natural edge forms without the risk of a bowl. These coasters are wet, freshly harvested, cedar. After slicing a limb into discs, I started them drying with a quick soak in Denatured Alcohol to accelerate the drying process. They had lost about 30% of their weight before I started turning them.
Then in a quick but repetitive process cut a mortise on the bottom, smoothed the rim wood and smoothed the top surface.
Later I realized that they were reversible — the mortise was large enough to hold a cup or mug.
These coasters are irregular size between 3 and one half to four inches and finished with walnut oil.
Remount And Finish Woodturning Alcohol Soaked Green Bowl
I rough turned this birch bowl about six months ago from a fresh green trunk a friend found for me. At that time, I did not expect much from this bowl thinking that birch is a fairly blond wood without a lot of character.
To expedite the drying process, I soaked this bowl overnight in denatured alcohol then left it to dry in a brown paper bag. Originally, the rough bowl weighed 3,760 grams. In ten days, it lost 952 grams or 25% of its original weight. Then I was distracted by life and did not weigh it again for four months at which time it then weighed 2320 grams having lost 38% of its weight.
To finish woodturning the bowl, I followed a typical process: 1) re-mount to refine the mounting tenon; 2) shape the exterior; 3) reverse onto the tenon to shape the bowl’s interior; 4) reverse again to remove the tenon and form a foot. I power sanded each section after tooling.
After all turning and sanding, I soaked the bowl overnight in walnut oil then drained and wiped off the excess. The bowl now weights 1180 grams — final turning removed nearly half of the wood from the rough blank.
The final bowl is beautiful — far exceeding my original expectations. Natural staining and other coloration really dressed up this bows into a masterpiece. Finished, it is 11 inches in diameter and 5 inches high.
Woodturn A Natural Edge Cedar Limb Bowl
I have a lot of wood to clean up from cutting down an Atlas Cedar in my back yard.
For this project, I’m using a whole section of limb for a small but deep natural edge bowl. This small bowl is about 6 inches long by 4 inches wide by 3 inches deep. I tried to finish it with walnut oil but the bowl was so wet, no oil would stick. I’ll let it dry 3-4 weeks then re-sand and finish it.
Woodturn A Holiday Star
To wind up the Christmas season, peace on earth seems to be further away than in year’s past. I hope this ornament can symbolize a quest for peace on earth as well as a reminder of Jesus Christ for those who believe in Him.
May we have more tolerance for others and work toward peace on earth.
This star is maple with a background of red oak.
2014 Christmas Ornament Woodturning Challenge Results
At last, we’re announcing the results for this year’s challenge. The response has been amazing — Thank you all.
Congratulations to our finalists.
Everyone for whom we have an email address will also receive a certificate for their participation.
Woodturn An Acorn Christmas Ornament
I want to add another simple ornament to this year’s Christmas Ornament Woodturning Challenge. This is an acorn made from walnut and elm. It is very light since I hollowed the inside. It is about 1″ in diameter an over 1 inch long.
My acorn is finished with shellac friction polish.
Woodturn A Molecule Christmas Ornament
This year I really wanted to make this ornament, a maple globe with orbiting padauk resembling a molecule or, in a stretch, a planet with moons.
This one was fun. I started with 5 segmented rings of 12 segments each: 4 maple and 1 padauk. Then I sliced the padauk into 6 slices but only used 5 of the slices. At this point my segment count is 108. But wait there’s more.
After gluing into a ball, I sliced the ball 4 times and inserted one thin slicke of padauk each time, gluing it back into a ball each time. How many pieces of wood now? who knows. I’ve not counted. Finially add one more piece for the finial.
The ornament is finished with shellac friction polish.
Woodturn A Sputnik Sea Urchin Christmas Ornament
This ornament displays a sputnik sea urchin shell on finials of walnut and a tropic hardwood.
The sea urchin shell is prepared by coating the insides with white glue and sanding the holes perfectly round.
The finials are finished with shellac friction polish.
This ornament is part of the 2014 Christmas Ornament Woodturning Challenge.