# Textured Threaded Boxes



## tekno.mage (25 Sep 2010)

Now I think I have the thread-cutting under control, I thought I'd try some of this texturing lark having recently bought some Tungsten Carbide dental burrs cheaply on ebay. Using them in my Axminster multitool sounds distressingly like a visit to the dentist!!!

Anyhow, here are the first experiments, with the textured areas highlighted with gilt creams because they looked a bit boring plain.

Large box in acacia (100mm high, 70mm diameter)







and the inside to show the thread - the acacia takes a thread really well.






Another acacia one, a bit smaller (75mm x 65mm) and a different texture...






And a smaller one (50mm x 60mm) in (rather pale!) walnut...






The texturing was fun and much quicker to do than I thought it would be. The burrs were also a lot easier to control than I'd expected.

They are all finished with two coats of Osmo Oil, then buffed, and the gilt cream applied to the textured areas with any "excess" (it always seems to get where you don't want it!) removed with turpentine. After a day for the gilt cream to dry properly, I applied Renaissance wax then buffed them again - learning in the process that Renaissance wax dissolves the gilt cream (bother!) which then had to be carefully retouched before buffing yet again.


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## wizer (25 Sep 2010)

Lovely work Kym. I take it the texturing is done on the lathe (stationary?), freehand?


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## tekno.mage (25 Sep 2010)

Yes, the texturing is done freehand. The box base I kept held in the lathe chuck, and have the multitool handing up beside it with a flexible shaft so it's easy to use the lathe to just hold the work. I also use the lathe toolrest as an armrest while texturing.

The lids I took off and simple held in one hand on the bed of the lathe with the texturing tool in the other hand.


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## wizer (25 Sep 2010)

Cheers Kym. I think the middle texture is my fav. I've also just bought these bits along with the Axi multi tool with flexi shaft, so eager to experiment!


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## CHJ (25 Sep 2010)

Lovely pieces Kym, very sharp clean details really stand out, I like the way you have defined the join line and matched it with the edge bevels.


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## The Shark (25 Sep 2010)

Hi Kym,

Very nice work, I like all of them :lol: 

Malc


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## Jonzjob (25 Sep 2010)

Very nice work Kym!

I am looking forward to and impatiently waiting for the bits for my thread attempt to arrive! I realised that it will be a week on Monday till then and not this Monday! :shock: 

I do like the texturing and when I saw the title one the turning home page I wondered? A lovely surprise because I am not usually a great fan of texturing. 

The thread that you show is great!!! I hope mine are nearly as good!


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## Blister (25 Sep 2010)

Quality work 

Very well done


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## gasmansteve (25 Sep 2010)

Wow respect there Kym :lol: excellent pieces, they just get better don`t they  
Steve


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## stevebuk (25 Sep 2010)

beautiful boxes kym, love em..


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## Bodrighy (25 Sep 2010)

These are really good. I have some acacia so perhaps have a go. I haven't mastered the threading skill yet. Be a useful one to have I think, especially if I can turn things of this quality out.

Pete


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## tekno.mage (26 Sep 2010)

Thanks for all your comments guys.

Pete, do have a go with the acacia - it takes textures and threads very well, and polishes up really nicely.

Actually, I was wondering if anyone knows much about it as a tree? 

The acacia I'm turning is locally grown (I was told by the guy that felled it six years ago that the tree came from the grounds of a local school, along with some holly logs I also got from him), but the only acacia I've ever seen growing was in South Africa and that was a scrubby bushy type of tree with 3 inch thorns on all the branches that elephants and gazelle were munching on. Doesn't really seem very suitable for growing in school grounds!!! I can imagine the kinds of things small children would do to each other with thorns like that :shock:

I've tried looking up acacia in several wood identification books and although I've found several examples of the acacia genus listed, none are anything like the pale yellow wood I've got, and the trees are not described as either thorny or South African.


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## Bodrighy (26 Sep 2010)

I was using some in the club and one of the pros was telling me that there are dozens of different types. Apparently they are all hard (mine needed tool sharpening frequently) and usually have a good grain and figuring in them. This is a bowl I did in mine, looks different to yours.





Be aware also that apparently the wood of a lot of acacias is toxic. Apparently some tribes in Africa use it to get high on 


Pete


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## Jonzjob (26 Sep 2010)

We have several acacia in the garden, both true and false ones. The false ones don't have the thorns.

Until fairly recently the branches were used for stakes for the vines because they last for ages without rotting. It's strange that it is so hard because it grows very quickly. We chopped one of ours back really hard 2 years back and it has grown to the same size again, i.e. about 10 feet in that time. It's now back to about 20 foot high. Beautiful flowers too and lots of them.

I have some that was cut, but it is quite small diameter and I think it will make some nice bobbins and small things.

I do like those boxes Kym!!


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## johnny.t. (26 Sep 2010)

Very nice boxes Kym. I especially like the second one, that textured pattern really goes well with the grain in the box.

JT


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## Doug B (26 Sep 2010)

johnny.t.":22cmuma9 said:


> Very nice boxes Kym. I especially like the second one, that textured pattern really goes well with the grain in the box.
> 
> JT




+ 1

Excellent.


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## Paul.J (26 Sep 2010)

Great looking boxes


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## Lightweeder (26 Sep 2010)

Something else to aspire to :? Absolutely lovely.


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