Woodturning

The five bowls Lemon Scented Gum Lemon Scented Gum New Guinea Rosewood New Guinea Rosewood Unknown New Guinea Timber Fruit Wood (Pear) Fruit Wood (Pear) Woodturning Adventures: Crafting Five Unique Bowls Wood turning is a captivating craft that transforms raw timber into stunning functional art. Recently, I embarked on a journey to create five distinctive bowls, each showcasing the beauty and character of different woods. Here’s a glimpse into my process and the stories behind my favourite pieces. The Craft of Woodturning Woodturning involves shaping wood into round objects using a lathe. It’s a blend of artistry and technique, requiring precision and creativity. Each piece I create tells a story, both of the wood itself and the journey of crafting it. Bowl 1: The Fruit Wood Bowl Dimensions: Approximately 80mm in diameter Wood Type: Fruit wood (possibly pear) This charming bowl is crafted from fruit wood, known for its rich colors and beautiful grain patterns. The small size makes it perfect for serving snacks or as a decorative piece. As I turned this bowl, I appreciated the subtle variations in color and texture that fruit wood offers, making each piece unique. The soft, warm hues of the wood added a touch of elegance to the final product. Bowl 2: The Papua New Guinea Timber Bowl Dimensions: Similar in size to the fruit wood bowl Wood Type: Unspecified timber from Papua New Guinea The second bowl is a special piece made from a lesser-known timber that hails from Papua New Guinea. Working with this wood was a thrilling experience, as it brought a sense of adventure into my workshop. The grain patterns were striking, with a unique mix of colors that reflected the rich biodiversity of [...]

I'm still coming to grips with my new lathe. Its quite an upgrade from my 15 year old midi lathe. It's a Laguna Revo 12/16. The two biggest differences are variable speed and a significantly more powerful motor. In practice this means that I can speed up to turn and slow down to sand. On the old lathe I would have to stop and manually change the belt on to different pulleys to alter the speed. Now all I have to do turn a dial to speed up or slow down, very civilised and far more productive. In practice on the old lathe I wouldn't change the speed that much. I digress because I started this post thinking about the bowl I just turned. I used couple of new to me techniques a screw to attach the blank and jam chuck to turn off the base. The wood screw worked quite well on the tiny blank of red gum. Drilling an 8 mm hole in the centre and screwing it on to the chuck. I used some disks made from MDF to effectively shorten the length of the screw. I managed to turn a tiny bowl with a pleasing shape. I finished it with the Ubeaut products shellawax and triple e cream. Then to the next new thing for me using a jam chuck. I have seen this demonstrated and watched many YouTube videos. I found a scrap of pine and quickly turned a jam chuck to fit inside the rim of the tiny bowl. As the name suggests the bowl is jammed on to the wooden chuck. I would add here that the thickness of the bowl was marginal for this operation. As I [...]