February Challenge - Post your entries HERE

[nev]

On behalf of Mike...

PLEASE POST YOUR ENTRIES FOR THE FEBRUARY CHALLENGE HERE

Challenge Requirements: A Fisherman’s Priest

This month’s rules are:-

The Challenge is open to anyone and everyone
Your entry must be new and made specifically for the Challenge
Entries must be turned on a lathe using woodturning tools.
There are no minimum or maximum size restrictions, other than practicality for use as a priest.

No decoration, colouring, piercing or texturing is allowed. We want to see your turning abilities!!

Because this month’s Challenge is a relatively simple project, Richard has advised that he will be critical over little things. Entrants should make sure curves are smooth and flowing, there should be no torn grain and in particular he will be looking at the parting off to see how well it has been done. He will also look to see that a suitably “heavy” wood has been used – a balsa wood priest would not be of much use, after all!

Please post 3 images of your work along with a brief note about how you made it, what tools and finish you used, what wood you used and the objects dimensions etc.

1 showing a general view
1 showing an end view in close up
1 showing the other end view in close up

Image size - please use image size 640 x 480 0.3 mp, as in previous challenges

Please upload your pictures and description between 10pm on the 26th February and 10pm on the 28th February.

Please also send mike (henton49er) a PM giving your own opinions of 1st, 2nd and 3rd places amongst the entries (other than your own) between 10pm on 28th February and 10pm on 2nd March (for me to compile the entrant



Roundup

 

[nev]

One Fisherman's Priest .

I think its possibly mahogany or if its not its something similar. 12 inches from end to end.
Done between centres* using a skew and a spindle gouge or two, sanded to 400, red and yellow and finished with MC wax.
The flat section at the base is for a strap to be fitted.
* Once the main section was turned and finished the waste was clamped in the chuck and tailstock for support and then the final end rounded leaving just a tiny support spigot to be removed with a chisel after. Then reversed wrapped in copious amounts of masking tape and some anti slide thin matting (pound shop) and gently clamped in chuck jaws and rounded/ finished. Chisel end off sand and finish.

 

[dennisk]

Sorry, i thought you said bishop. Kind of the same aren't they? Started with a block of hard maple with both ends sguare and sanded. Turned between centers, out of hard maple.Then 2 coats of DO. Wrapped the killer end in cloth and mounted in spigot jaws, not too tight, and using the old 5 finger steady turned the nubbin off the the top of his hat. Used roughing gouge. spindle gouge and the dreaded skew. Sanded to 320.It is 330 by 40 with the brim being 50.Buffed it a bit with the tripoli wheel.
Its too damn cold to fish here anyway, and they say -35C on Saturday. thanks to all.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Apple for me. Chosen because of its density and durability as I plan on actually using it. About 8" long and the business end pushing 2". This length because a priest should be able to fit into the fly fishermans waistcoat. Turned with a roughing gouge, spindle gouge and skew. All the detail with the skew and the gouge for the curves. Turned between centres then parted and hand finished the nubs. Sanding was through the grits to 600 then Cellulose sanding sealer followed by chestnut clear beeswax and then a touch of carnuba.

 

[Sheptonphil]

My piece for this month is turned from a chunk of African Ovangkol.

With a length of 27cm and diameter of 5cm it weighs in at 300g (10 1/2oz) and gives a hefty whack. It was spindle turned using a newly acquired Sorby Spindlemaster, a cross between a skew and a gouge. This tool was simple to learn to use and allows for a very fine cut to the end grain when parting off, which I did down to approx. 1.5mm at each end before slowing the lathe considerably before the final parting. It then required very little sanding.

Finished in wax and buffed on the Beale system.

 

[sammo]

Ok here we go my effort. It maybe a bit big, but I thought what do you need a priest for - clearly not a gold fish... this I feel will take care of most fish... well maybe not a marlin - but a determined pike....


It has been made from green oak - and the photos were taken straight off the lathe, it has moved a little since

Considering the brief ".........he will be looking at the parting off to see how well it has been done. He will also look to see that a suitably “heavy” wood has been used........"
I am really please with my choice of wood and the "ends" - it is actually well balanced in the hand with a good feeling of weight in the business end!

I mainly used a skew and spindle gouge (not entirely sure of sizes) sanded to 400 grit and turned off with a thin parting tool, finished with sanding sealer and wax - finally polished using the a 3 mop system.
This is what I enjoy about these challenges so much, for me they are a real skills builder, my parting off and then finishing the resulting end grain has come on in leaps and bounds in one simple project.

 

[Soylent1]

My entry for this month is made from a piece of roughly 4 x 2'' kiln dried oak.

As I don't yet own a proper jaw chuck I had to use my faceplate with a timber disc and a chunky 100mm screw to mount the oak, which I had ripped in half to roughly 2 x 2 '' by about 20''. I then roughed down to a cylinder with a large roughing gouge and set some diameters with a parting tool. At this point I was quite happy with the way things were going - then I picked up the skew chisel (which I had used to successfully destroy two previous attempts at the challenge!) and I was almost certain that it would end badly! anyway, after resisting the urge to use scrapers I managed to turn it using only the skew, I parted off the handle end, sanded to 400 and used MC wax to finish what I could. I then had to support the handle end with the tailstock while I shaped and parted off the business end. I then buffed it using one of those cloth buffing wheel thingy's. It ended up being 10'' long and 1 1/2'' dia at the hitting end.

 

[procell]

some years ago I found an old Police truncheon that was left in my locker by the previous owner. It had a huge split down its length but was made from ebony and very heavy. It seemed a shame to throw it out so I brought it home and glued the split with epoxy. It has been lying around my house looking sorry for itself since then so I thought it rather appropriate that is be reincarnated as a fishermans priest.

As stated it is a piece of very old ebony and the finished priest is about 220x25mm. It was turned between centres using a spindle gouge.
I then sanded it to 600grit and polished with friction polish. It was then parted off using parting tool and the ends lightly sanded,polished and buffed.

went for simple functionality. Being only 25mm dia the force of the blow in use is concentrated in a small area.

Unfortunately I could do nothing about my amateur repair from years ago so it has a nasty grey line through it

boy the photos really make this look rough

extra pic just to give some sense of proportions

 

[winemaker]

This a piece of yew cut only few moths ago I had a lot of white sap as I turn it between centers I thought I was milking it. I made it simple as that what I understood from the rules, sanded down to 120 grit finished it of with sanding sealer .

 

[heatherw]

Ok, here's my fisherman's priest.

I've taken all the points on the discussion on board, especially those made by the fishermen amongst us because I'd like to give this to my brother who loves fly fishing and has done since we were little. We started off catching minnows in the local pond, but he graduated onto trout and grayling quite soon down in the Derwent. So with memories of scale and slime, I didn't want any texturing in the priest so that it would be easy to clean. Likewise, it seems useless to finish it with anything other than an oil. Bob says it has to be short or it won't get in to the kit, so mine is 8 1/2" long and just shy of 2" in diameter at the business end. I saw a coneshaped one on the internet, but with slimy hands and flapping fish I could imagine it escaping ones grasp. I finally put a bead on the end of the handle which effectively makes the priest longer because you can grasp just the bead with your fingers and 'overhang' your hand getting in a good whack. First time I've ever made a lethal weapon. Big responsibility for the forum.....

Made out of olive turned between centres with roughing gouge, spindle gouge, Skew and parting tool and finished with lemon oil (to try it out - not sure whether I like it, I think I prefer liquid paraffin) I left a small stub on each end, cut it off with a dovetail saw and sanded the small remaining stub.

This is the preferred grip to get maximum whack. I think the bead on the front concentrates the weight in that area, but I'm not certain of this. Opinions from armchair physicists welcome!

 

[Dalboy]

Well here we go not my strong point.

Made from Chestnut turned using roughing gouge, spindle gouges and the dreaded skew chisel.
Sanded down to 400grit and finished with sander sealer and melamine lacquer.

It is 10" long

The small knob at the handle end is for a strap all that is needed is a cross hole this is left to the discretion of the end user

Sorry for the photo's

 

[Woodmonkey]

Here is my effort, last minute as usual for me. Made from oak. I tried to use mostly the skew (after roughing out) as I need to practice with it, with a bit of spindle gouge & parting tool thrown in. Finished with shellac sanding sealer and paste wax. It's about 200 mm long. The nub on the end is so it can be drilled to accept a cord, but since piercing isn't allowed thought I'd better leave that for now...

 

[tpot]

Well here is my effort for this months challenge.

Turned from cherry and finished with Melamine and a quick pass over with burnishing cream, it is 140mm long and approx 30mm diameter at the the business end.

Turned between centers using an oval skew, sanded through 180, 240, 360 and 400 grits before the finish was applied.

Small nubbins left over from parting were quickly remove with sandpaper and finish applied.

Cheers

Andy

 

[nev]

Dont forget to PM Mike with your choices of 1st,2nd and 3rd places amongst the entries (other than your own) between 10pm on 28th February and 10pm on 2nd March.