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Thats a nice looking bowl, if you give it a few days it will go purple again, then I recommend it is kept out of sunlight to maintian it's purpleness for as long as possible

I just tend to pyrograph the species and provenance in items, but I use a pyrography iron that is a bit like a soldering iron and complete rubbish for writing. I've been meaning to get a better one for ages but having not seen one in the flesh haven't splashed out yet. Dod

Hi, I would suggest checking that the pulley wheel things are properly secured to the shafts that they run on. They are (both?) secured with a little set screw thing - but you need to make sure that you remove the first set screw completely (this is just to keep the bottom one tight), then...

Nice bowls, I too would have been tempted to fill the worm holes with something, although it would most likely need to be done after rough turning because it might not be easy to get the filling deep into the holes. Cheers, Dod

I'll go for lime (a nice bit, rippled, flamed, whatever) as a change, being as all my initial thoughts have been had..... Dod

Hi Ad, I couldn't see your pictures, but saw a few of your oval turnings on your website. Is there any chance that you coudl explain a little about the "oval turning device" please? I would have thought that an oval would need to be at least partly carved, rather than turned. Thanks Dod

Hi George, I have heard that the colour of the beech wood itself can vary quite a bit due to the quality/composition of the local soil that it grew in. It wouldn't seem to be a likely explanation in this case given the other piece. I also have a suspicion that different fungi will result in...

Hi Alie, I do similar to John, only I use a cheap hand held power planer (cost me about 15 notes) to plane a flat(ish) surface on the log. It doesn't usually take all that long to get a surface wide enough to slice the log down the middle, although if you want to cut away from the middle then...

Dan, My understanding is that woodworm only like the sap wood, and this is consistent with my observations and, it would seem, those of TM. I have heard that a few blocks of alder kept with the wood work as a good sacrificial thing (the worms apparently prefer the alder over most other stuff...

Ed, I finish a lot of bowls with tung oil, and give them a coat of wax on top. It works just fine. I am basically using it like a sanding sealer. But, it takes an age to dry, I tend to leave my stuff for at least a week before I wax it, If you (or anybody else) ever wants to refinish it I'm...

Hi, thats a great chair. Maybe one of the melamine laquers that come in aerosol cans would be the thing for finishing something like this. I've no experience of using them. I've no idea if you woudl have compatability issues with oils, varnishes, or any other finish with the acrylic though...

Hi Mike, I considered doing this, but in the end I laminated lots of strips of beech together. It was a lot more work for sure, but doubt that it does the job any differently. I also used a wagon vice, which is contained within several thicker strips of wood fixed to the front of the main...

Hi Neil, As Ian says, the antimony is there to improve the hardness and casting properties. There is some info on this site which you might find useful. That said, having a trial with a bit of solder might be worthwhile if you have some kicking around (apparently the old lead containing...

Wizer, I recently got a Kelton corer, and I think that it is fair to say that some practice is going to be required before I'm really any good with it. I managed to get a core out on my second attempt though (first attempt failed due to a lack of grip in the chuck, solved by using a...

Hi Pete, Nice chest of drawers, and on quite a pleasing scale. As regards the piston fit of drawers and visible marking lines, you are the only one who can make the final choice. I'm sure that you did what you felt was right at the time. Some of the comments do, however, raise the issue of...

Graham, If you're passing by the real Douglas (and Castle Dangerous) you're more than welcome for a brew (or a dram). Cheers, Dod

Terry, I've been using sanding sealer for a while, I forget the brand (*) but it was the only one on sale in either BBQ or Gnomebase when I picked it up. Following the recommendation of Tony Wilson, I put the sealer in a glass jar with a brush stuck in the lid and found this to be a far more...

John, I can't say for sure, but expect that you would find it pretty similar to sycamore. I've recently been collecting quite a few pieces of maple myself (although I don't think that any of it is field maple). So far the indications are that it might not even be distinguishable from...

Hi Jim, I'm very fond of tung oil, but it really can take a while to really dry. It sounds as though you have put on a coat a day for about 3 days (i.e. 24 hours apart). If I was putting a repeat coat on a tung oil finish (or another finish on top). I would usually wait at least a week for it...

Interesting point George, I've sometimes wondered if kiln dried wood is a bit more brittle (for want of a better word) than air dried, although I suppose at the end of the day ithat coudl just be down to differences in moisture content, rather than drying process. I often find that there is a...