A W.I.P. that may take a very long time ...

[Phil Pascoe]

The jig for holding the piece to be turned -

The hot melt will come into its own.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Nice piece of oak for the turned tray. Slightly oversized, just finished on two sides so far. Cross planed then sanded, it was a pig for ripping planed along the grain. One coat of TruOil to keep it clean for a minute. I could of course finish the other side on the lathe but it might tear the edges out too much - I might run the round over cutter down it first, face it then run the cutter down it again. I've got a brand new Tuffsaws Sabrecut blade and I think if I'm careful with a fence or guide I can probably go straight from the saw to abrasive on the ends - it's an unbelievably clean cut.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Change of plan. A better jig/face plate which will allow more further usage, and make offsetting easier. I'm going for five bowls rather than four. Forgot a basic design element - odd numbers look better. I'll have three offset to one side and two to the other (alternating).

Jig nearly done, the item to be turned will be hot melt glued between the battens, one will be marked to be left fixed (most of the time) and the other may or may not need to be moved - once I get the offset right the piece can be rotated rather than the battens moved. I think a dummy run with softwood is in order.

 

[Stanleymonkey]

Certainly, but I wasn't thinking of the three pieces necessarily being equal - I'll probably get one usable thin piece that I can laminate and two heavier ones. A new thin bandsaw blade will minimise wastage. Hopefully I get a leg in a couple of weeks which will make things easier, so I'm going to hold off til then - although as you suggest I'll probably do a test piece. I have a few ideas that I can't afford to try on the real thing so I may make two anyway.

New leg - Custard is generous with his offcuts!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I was outside our club one night when a lady member who happens to be a nurse who works with my vascular surgeon said I've a piece of wood for you in the car - I'll get it later. I sat with another member waiting for my wife to pick me up afterwards and she dropped a lovely log of laburnum in my lap - it about 30" x 8" and my mate said wow, nice bit to be given. Yes, I said, it's from my vascular surgeon - he chopped of my leg and now he gives me a piece of wood to make a new one. He looked at me with uncertainty for a few seconds before he burst out laughing.

 

[Bm101]

Legend. That's Legend no space.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Well, the off centre jig is done.

Abrasive stuck to it to help stop slippage - I don't want to lose a 15" x 4" x 2 3/4" piece of off centre oak. It'll have hot melt on the edge of the adjustable fence, I'll mark one for centre when it's fitted, then mark for the offset bowls. That's a bit of softwood I'll use as a dummy to set it up.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Dunno what the hardwood is, but it'll be nice. It's for the lids of the bowls. Pictured with the 99% silver bezel strip and the stones - tiger's eye. Getting too late to back down now.

From the left - tiger oak, unknown, and English oak. I think I have everything except the suede - what colour? All the wood except small blackwood knobs are brownish (deliberately). I think I'll go for a darker, bright colour - a light one would be pretty initially but would mark quickly.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Centres of the bowls drilled for depth. I must try to get the turning done this week as the outboard turning rest is the better part of two hundredweight and I struggle to move it and once it's where I need it I can't get past it if anything I need is on the other side.

Not fixed in position yet. The measurements are taken from the rounded edge which will be the back, the front will be shaped afterwards. What could possibly go wrong? It's only a little bit of oak flying around?

 

[AndyT]

Would it help to bolt or screw on another bit of similar weight oak on the other side as a balancer?

It will still resemble a propeller but it might have more chance of staying on the ground.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes, I might try to counter it with another piece or a lump of lead or something. I'll probably take the three centre bowls out first which will lightenen it a bit. It's over 4 1/2lb at the moment. It's quite proud of the wingnuts so at least I'm in with a chance of keeping my fingers - I could do well without a deficiency in the hand department.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Well. Fixed in place for the first one. Hot melt to the rescue. I cut the oak down a little - which I was going to do afterwards but thought the closer I can get to balancing it (and the lighter it is) the better. I screwed down one fence as I didn't want that reference to move.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Well, the first one went OK. I've now got to make some space so I can get the outboard tool rest in place and the wheelchair up a bit higher(and close enough). Turning at eye level is no fun. This is the only one I can do with a bed mounted rest.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Now I'm sure of the size of the recesses I can get on with some of the smaller parts. Here's the part turned lids - it's the undersides that are turned. Theres's a spigot turned on the end of the wastewood in the chuck that keeps the piece centred, it's hot melt glued on the back. The recesses will have blackwood knobs (slightly proud of the oak so they can be picked up) with inserts of tiger's eye with silver bezels.
Abit of experimental colouring was needed - it's only household ammonia, not the strong stuff. The dark square has been in it for 24 hrs, the half of the other piece for 5 hrs.