Inspired by JohnnyT's platter yesterday....

[Jenx]

..... I thought I'd try one, having not done so before.

So.. chose the blank that looked most like a platter ...

Quite a nice piece of elm.

Got him balanced and rounded...


and got the chucking recess sorted and the basis of what would be the foot..


There was an 'orrible bit that had to be turned away...


and then found a nasty crack, that got the good old superglue treatment ...


Got the bottom / outside to how I envisaged it initially (well, nearly anyway ! :wink: )


then hacked away at the 'innards' ... note the tool marks !


Took it off, and inside the house for a bit of 'hand surgery' to try to clean it all up a little ..

( getting there ! )

Now sealed and oiled / buffed a bit...

and underneath him ...


Apologies..that I've got a few reflections bouncing around in the pics.. I'm no David Bailey... but you get the general idea.

Liked doing a platter though.. i forsee some more of those being attempted ! Thanks to JT for the inspiration to try something new !
Nice one,John !

 

[Bodrighy]

NNNice Jenx. Only criticism I have is that you actually bought wood :twisted: :lol:

Seiously you'd be lucky to find elm going fee anyway. Only place I have found it is on old sunday school chairs...those hard ones with a shelf for the Bible. They are usually made of elm.

The wood is good and the shape is very traditional and better for it IMHO. What they used to call cahrgers I believve?

Pete

 

[CHJ]

Nice piece of Elm jenx, well done on the broadening of the repertoire.

 

[Doug B]

Very nice Jenx
A lovely finish to.

Doug.

 

[wizer]

Very well done Jenx Looks really nice.

 

[Paul.J]

Well done Alun,that looks very very nice
Nicely shaped and finished by the looks of it,and another nice piece of wood.
Good WIP piccys too,Dave :wink:

 

[TEP]

Good work Alun. As you say we're turners not photographers.

Next one I want to see the chucking point removed. Excellent work.

PS - How do you get on with the Fox lathe? Guy was asking me what I thought about them, and I've only ever seen pics. of them.

 

[PowerTool]

Finished piece is very nice,and great to see all the steps inbetween as well

Andrew

 

[richburrow]

Nice platter!
The Elm looks great, thanks for posting all the pictures, I fancy having a go now. Might get the saw out tomorrow, "something for the weekend sir?"

 

[johnny.t.]

Jenx you posted something =D> :lol:

Thats a very nice platter you've done there matey,love it Elm is lovely,a fantastic grain,wish I could get my grubby little hands on some(from the wild,don't want to buy any).

How big is it?

Whats the finish?

Inspired by moi , theres a first, I've had people despair of me in the past but not be inspired :lol: :lol: :lol:

Can't believe thats your first platter, did you enjoy doing it? You really have made a top job of it. Look forward to seeing more......

JT

 

[greggy]

wow alun, that looks amazing, well done

 

[Jenx]

Will Do, Tam ! ... been reading about the MDF Discs & rubber for reversing, so in the absence of colejaws, may give that a go !

re: the Fox .... i'm pretty pleased with it thus far.. I don't have a lot of other points of reference with which to compare .. having only really had the CCSL and prior to that had two or three shots back in High School , which wasn't just yesterday, on what I seem to remember as a Union Graduate. It generates a wee bit of a rumble at the slowest speed, but that tends to disappear once you get the rev's up a bit.

It certainly seems to be a 'robust' enough thing... I'm thinking its maybe a wee bit 'agricultural' when compared to something with a bit more cost involved, but thats only to be expected I suppose.
For the outlay ( give or take a few shillings ) of round about £300, it would appear to be reasonably good value.
My opinion, of course, does need to be tempered a little given that I've little or no experience of anything else... in saying that - I certainly don't feel 'short-changed' in any way for the money I spent.

Some of the satisfaction may be in some way attributable to the Patriot Chuck which I got at the same time.. although I have used the K10 I used previously on the fox.. and it did an admirable enough job too.

One tiny wee niggle.. and it IS tiny, is that the toolrest isn't the hardest of irons I've ever encountered, and it does seem to get tiny little 'nicks' in it form time to time.. but a quick scuff over with a file seems to sort that out easily enough.

Knowing the kind of beastie I am... i'll probably upgrade to something better long before my abilities warrant doing so... and knowing that is a 'personality trait' , I wonder if perhaps It may have been 'better long term economy' to have taken the plunge and gone for spending a bit more on a Hegner or Wivamac or something at the time.... it'd have been a stretch, but could probably have just about managed it... whether I'd 'warrant it' skill-wise, is another matter entirely, but for the sake of talking about the fox and its merits, lets assume for the moment that I will eventually improve to the extent of justifying a top-end machine. ... if that were to (miraculously) happen in the next 18/24 months.. perhaps then I may rue the purchase of the fox..

If i were to 'justify' it in my own mind.. I am enjoying owning the fox at present and feel it is more than capable of dealing with where my ability-level is at the moment, and probably for some time to come yet.
The 'saving', if we can think if it in those terms.. will allow me to hopefully go on a couple of days course at some point during 2009...
( still trying to decide on who to approach for that yet... ! ).
Given that this will likely involve a run 'down south' to achive it.. the saving will be offset against that, at least in my mind.. perhaps not in the wife's.. but it will in mine ! :wink:

So all in all.. for a lad thats still basically a 'newbie', - 18 months in.. I'm thinking at least for the moment, that I did the right thing in getting it.
Its providing great entertainment.. its not 'frustrating me' from any shortcomings of the machine itself.. those are all mine ! ... and I think I'm learning, at least in as much as one can, off ones own back...
So... "fairly well pleased" for my £300 ( + the patriot,of course ).

HTH your friend thats thinking about it.

 

[Jenx]

Andrew / Rich / Johnny / Greggy... thank you !
You all posted whilst I was answering the question Tam asked...

Finish is Sanding Sealer + Liberon Finishing Oil,
and you DID inspire, JT ! definately !

Thanks all...
encouragement is always a big booster, for anyone ! 8) 8) 8)

 

[boysie39]

Good stuff Alun. Turned out well ,nice piece of elm. Great WIP piccs.
I'm afraid that It isn't any clearer with the help of Tam and some othersas to how to post pictures. It's getting under my skin at the moment.
The problem is that I am not familer with what are normal phrases ,Like directorys Pasteing and other terms which to most of you are second nature. I live in a remote area but I never realised HOW until receantly.I have promised myself when I have my Hip done I will get tutoring while recovering. Well done again and I love seeing pictures of everyones work. God Bless. REgards Boysie.

 

[TEP]

Thanks for the run down on the Fox Alun. Will pass it on to the guy when we again meet.

Upgrading already? Don't forget it is not the lathe that makes the turner, nor the tools he owns. Tis all practise, practise, practise. Yea I know if you want to spin a big unbalanced piece of wood you need a big heavy lathe, but there are a lot of things you can make on a small lathe, and get the practice in.

That way you can eventually decide where you are going with your turning, and then buy the appropriate machine.

Take care mate. Thanks again.

 

[Jenx]

Upgrading already? .

No No.. just hoping I don't regret not spending that bit more at the time I got the Fox...

There's a lot of learning to do before that happens ! ....
a whole hillock of learning !

All the best Tam ..

 

[stevebuk]

Lovely platter Alun, these pictures are just what i needed, bought a blank just like that one for trial purposes, hopefully will get something done soon.

 

[Jenx]

Jenx you posted something =D> :lol:



How big is it? Finished up at just under 10" Dia, and 1 1/8" High

Whats the finish? 1 Coat Rustins Shellac-Based Sanding Sealer. - denibbed, three coats Liberon Finishing Oil ( cut back each time with 0000 steel wool.. not always the most ideal stuff, but its all I had ! )

Inspired by moi , theres a first, I've had people despair of me in the past but not be inspired :lol: :lol: :lol: Definately so ! ... i really liked your platter yesterday... just thought proportions were absolutely on the money, and it looked fantastic

Can't believe thats your first platter, did you enjoy doing it? You really have made a top job of it. Look forward to seeing more......
Guilty your honour ! ... done too many ( very ordinary ) bowls and some goblets and a handful of clocks.. never tried a platter before.. just never got round to it :roll: .. will try to do more and improve now though.. I liked doing it a lot,... I've found two 13" x 11/2" Sycamore Blanks in the 'wood mound'... so they will do nicely for further attempts. They're a little bit 'bland', but i have a wee plan to try and emulate a Richard Shock Piece that I really love. .... probably wont end up anything like 'right' but I'll have a go, and put a wee 'jenxxie' slant on it... which is another way of saying 'mak a soo's lug oot'n it' .. i.e. Pigs Ear !
JT

 

[johnny.t.]

I've found two 13" x 11/2" Sycamore Blanks in the 'wood mound'... so they will do nicely for further attempts. They're a little bit 'bland', but.........

I got told a little trick by a turner at a craft fair Sunday, he had these little oak boxes that were jet black and he said you do it by soaking wire wool in vinegar for a bit,then rub it over the oak and hey presto. The reason I tell you this is that he said it also works on sycamore but darkens it rather than turning it black. This gave me an idea to try it on a sycamore platter, doing the rim bit dark and leaving the 'bowl' bit light. I haven't tried it yet because I haven't any wire wool and all my sycamore has these nasty brightly coloured 'stains' through the middle :lol: :roll: .
Could be an idea to make your (as yet unmade)sycamore platter less bland?
If you already know of this technique and its rubbish(like I said I've not tried) then just disregard all of the above :roll: :wink: .

JT

 

[mikec]

Lovely piece Alun

Very well executed for a first attempt

Regards,

Mike C