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A friend arrived this morning with a 500 x 175mm lump of eucalyptus. Seemingly the tree had died some time back and has only now been felled. It's showing about 30 to 35% moisture. The first thing that was curious was that the bark came off the log in a oner - it's almost a feature in its own...

Being a cynic I'm prepared to ask the question on whether that is urban myth ? I'm now going to go around looking at any twisted tree in the UK to see if they do all twist the same way !! :) Rob

Perhaps Cherry isn't so prone to it as I have some UK cherry which is pretty straight, and after all American cherry is essentially true. Having said that I have some very old UK cherry that is as hard as nails, has lovely grain and is twisted, but because the centre of the tree had rotted out...

I collected some pieces of an almond tree earlier this summer, ever hopeful I might be able to use them - unfortunately the feller had cut them for logs and my wombling is entering the house warming operation rather than decorating. It struck me as curious that all fruit woods twist to one...

I'm going to try avoiding that as it has all sorts of difficulties - shape, clamping, aligning and the time to do all that; I know it's a recognised procedure but it has its limitations and I'm hoping the tip and spur drills will be the answer. Thanks Rob

Thanks for all your comments guys. I don't know how many of you read to article in Woodturning that I referred to, but the author, Nick Arnull, had his webpage included, so I dropped him a line. He had used what he called a "brad point" drill and drilled the holes free hand once marked and...

Welcome to the slippery slope of wood turning. I will say that it is not as bad a diving for stressing the bank manager but it can go that way. I've got one particular tip I would like to give as it took me rather long after reading it to really get to the point of really taking it on board...

I've had to seek guidance on a drill break out problem (drilling holes in to a spherical surface). Suggested solutions include using a tip and spur bit, but then someone else suggests a brad point bit. Are these the same thing ? Thanks Rob

Thanks for replying. No these are on the outside. I did a 6mm pilot (the smallest drill guide I have), and then 8mm. The article doesn't give any specific comment on the drilling and instructs to drill after turning and finishing the outside. Rob

I think it was the September issue of The Woodturner that had an article on making pomanders - I borrowed the issue photocopied the pages but they don't say which issue it is. Anyway I suppose any pomander is a hollow vessel but there's one which hangs and has a series of holes on the upper...

Hmm - I wouldn't like to try it to turn a 5mm spigot for an interference fit in a hole, but that is a useful piece of information. What sort of turning speed would you recommend - I just stick my Myford 7 on maximum pulley ratios for brass. Rob

This applies to a BZL, but may well apply to other Wadkins lathes (BXL, RS, etc); it is possible too that other older lathes may use the same technique. My problem was that the clamp for the tool rest stem had clearly over the years worn slightly such that in certain positions of the banjo, the...

Hi Richard The subject of lathe working height is an interesting topic now that it has been raised and possibly one that you should mention in one of your articles in Wood Turning. I'm a member of a club just outside Edinburgh which may be unique in the country in that it is in local authority...

Richard - was it Wadkins that produced the overhead router that was used during WW2 for cutting the plywood bulkheads for the Mosquito ? I came across one of these machines some years ago - it used a 50Hz motor into a 400Hz aircraft generator to drive a 2 pole induction motor running at 22,400...

Thanks Richard - that's very interesting info on working height; I suspect most of us have grown used to the working height of our own lathe, though I have a club nearby that has a number of identical modern lathes and up till now I've never thought about the working height. I'm not sure quite...

Hi Richard No obvious serial number plate on mine - perhaps they didn't bother on the smaller machines. It might have been on the switch box which I've replaced with a home made control panel for an inverter - sometime in the future I might find the old switch box !! Interested in your...

ahh - that's really confusing! :D One sucks and the other blows !! :twisted: I've only got suck! I've now worked out that the problem is more than I expected in that in one small section of the bowl there are small cavities in the surface rather than cracks. The dust (pale yellow) has...

Thanks - must look for mine then.

Makes my Wadkins BZL 6 look a bit of a wimp. Just out of interest how were you able to trace its build date ? Rob

I'm working on my first bit of elm burr. Making a bowl with a wide edge. Finding it nice to turn though trying to sand the wide edge with its gaps is a bit fingery :D , but what do I do to get rid of the sanding dust from the pores in the burr, and what is recommended for finishing. Rob