2016- The Year to reduce the woodpile.

[CHJ]

Spalted Beech & Sapele. (140-130mm L)

 

[CHJ]

Todays efforts:-
Mixed woods , Sapele, Walnut, Ash, Beech, Lilac.

Think I've got a feel for easiest method for me to tackle these things now, just the artistic talent to produce more exotic forms that's missing.

 

[CHJ]

Hopefully I'll get better at these without the flats on the curves etc. before the next season arrives, currently trying to reduce the weight, this one's down to 20 gram and with a bit more attention it could possibly have been at least another 5 lighter, wall thickness of main body is currently where I'm chickening out.

Ash and Sapele. 160mm long.

 

[Dalboy]

Are you drilling the centre out or using some smaller tools to hollow or even a mix of both. Still it looks good. I am glad that I am not the only one to still be making Christmas item well there is always next year. I may get the soldier nutcrackers finished by then

 

[CHJ]

Basically turning the main body into a cylinder Derek, then boring the centre out with a forstner bit for starters.
Then working from each end opening up the bore as required with a 1/8" square HSS bit, further enlarging of the central bore as far as I dare with a 10 X 8 mm HSS tool (narrow flat stiff scraper style) from each end before attempting to thin the walls further with external shaping.

A few more glued up blanks to clear then it's a move to smaller versions as I've had requests for some suitable for miniature trees, guess I'll need to make some smaller tooling for those but they will be of the same simple form using square section HSS blanks that enable no nonsense material removal.