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Finally got round to uploading a shot of the mallets in use. This was taken at a 10 day juggling convention/festival which takes place in a farmer's meadow - this year he prepared a separate mowed area to play in. The buttercups and grass round the outside made for some fun tactical play and...

When used correctly a skew should give you the best tool finish for most parts of spindle turning. The only exceptions tend to be coves (for me, at least) and anywhere that isn't wide enough to get decent bevel contact. It lets you get away with starting your sanding at 180 or 240 (or even...

I have some planer blades that are made from incredibly hard HSS. I've had some success using the carbide bits designed for cutting tiles but they don't last very long. When the engineer in our club tried to drill some holes for me we ended up blunting several of his carbide bits. He said he'd...

I have to agree about it being a little on the short side. When I reach the limit of it's reach I put the head onto a piece of longer, wider bar without a handle - it gives me more reach and less flex. The knob can get in the way sometimes (I have it on top aligned with the cutting head) but I...

I like Chestnut Finishing Oil. Quite thin, so easy to apply and it can be built up in several layers to give a nice shiny finish if required. I tend to apply 3 or 4 layers - wipe on, wait 2 or 3 minutes, wipe off the excess, wait at least 24 hours, denib with webrax, repeat. I then leave for at...

I have one that I use occasionally. I've got my best results from hawthorn and yew. I keep meaning to use it more, but never seem to get round to it... Duncan

Whilst holidaying in Denmark a few years ago we found a local brand of liquorice sweets amusing - Spunk. For some reason a friend felt the need to get a t-shirt with it on. And I had to get a photo of Duncan

In County Durham there's Pity Me, which is quite close to No Place

Something completely different for me, and a real challenge. These were turned for a friend to replace the mallets from an old Victorian set that had finally broken beyond repair. The heads are hard maple and the handles are ash. Total length is 94cm. When I ordered the timber the supplier...

That's a nice big piece of laburnum :D I can't help noticing that you're not wearing chainsaw safety gear - it might be worth getting some (and wearing it!). Also, the tip of your bar looks to be pretty close to a second log - I'd be inclined to move back a little or make more space so...

I've been meaning to try this for a while but never quite got round to it. My only thought - be careful not to expand the jaws too much. I'd be a little worried about glue joints within the ply separating, so stop regularly to ensure everything's holding together well Duncan

Everything I've ever read and heard about chain sawing suggests that you don't cut down the end like this - the chain doesn't cut well with this grain orientation and the saw will really struggle. This will possibly cause you to force the saw more than you should and that's never a good thing...

A great looking first hollow form Jenx. The bead on the top really adds to the piece. I find that the trouble with hollowing is that it's very addictive. I'm looking forward to your next one Duncan

LW - I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I don't think this is a suitable project for a beginner (hopefully others agree!). The wings are likely to cause real problems, in terms of turning at high speed to improve cut and the danger of fingers close to the spinning wings. I'd suggest...

I've had problems with the sensors 3 or 4 times when I've forgotten to vacuum and blow out dust. When this happens I've removed the various parts, removed the sensors and then cleaned them with a cotton bud. This has always fixed it. Last time it happened I thought I couldn't fix it so ordered...

Here's a post I made about making and using a wire for measuring wall thickness. I just bought what looked to be the best thickness rod from B&Q Duncan

I think it was one of the pros demoing at our club that said the best way to prolong the life of sanding discs was to use a different arbor for each grit - that way you're not continually removing and attaching abrasive to the velcro. Of course, he was probably sponsored by an arbor...

Nicely done Pete Not the easiest shape to start with (sometimes difficult getting a smooth transition from the inner wall to the base) but it looks good. Well finished as well Duncan

As long as it's soft I would have thought that it would be ok. In use I would try not to deform the pad much. If it does I'd say you're pressing too hard. You should be able to fit a new piece of velcro to the pad if you carefully remove the melted one. I get my replacement from the local...

I'm starting to experiment a bit with shaping off the lathe - how did you achieve this - presumably a combination of carving and lots of sanding?