Your opinions

[Stigmorgan]

So I'm in the process of making a retirement gift for the head teacher at work, ive got a piece of oak that was cut a few years ago, it's been left outside and has some lovely spalting but it's proving to be a PITA to cut, it's round but still very out of balance and some areas are so hard they just don't want to cut easily and others are soft and getting a lot of tear out, should I scrap it and find another piece or persevere and keep going?

 

[Gordon Tarling]

You've got thus far, why give up now? Persevere a little longer and see if you can overcome the obstacles that it's thrown at you. It'll look great when it's finished!

G.

 

[Dalboy]

Where you have the tear out is the wood a little soft as if the spalting has gone to far and also how much tear out are you getting is it local to one area or much worse. If not too much then soak it with thinned down sealer it may need doing more than once.
Looking at the video again it seems like it is mainly in the foot why not just turn that off you have nothing to loose

 

[Stigmorgan]

Where you have the tear out is the wood a little soft as if the spalting has gone to far and also how much tear out are you getting is it local to one area or much worse. If not too much then soak it with thinned down sealer it may need doing more than once.
Looking at the video again it seems like it is mainly in the foot why not just turn that off you have nothing to loose

The tear out is mainly on the softer spalted foot, I'm considering soaking it in CA to try save the foot, my biggest issue really is how out of balance it is even though its round, I cant get the speed up over 1000 without it dancing around the floor.

 

[Dalboy]

Just turn it at the speed the lathe is comfortable it may take a little longer and the more you turn it the less dancing around it would do allowing you to speed up a little

 

[Jameshow]

You have just proved your human!!

My first piece of oak sits on the lathe laughing at me whenever I enter the workshop!

 

[Stigmorgan]

You have just proved your human!!

My first piece of oak sits on the lathe laughing at me whenever I enter the workshop!

Glad it's not just me then I've got until July to get it done, if I can't get this finished with the foot I'll have to find a new piece of oak, I want it to be similar to a fruit bowl she described that her mother used have

 

[Linus]

If you ned to replace the foot I have some pieces of spalted oak which may match. Let me know and we'll see what we can cobble together.

Lyn

 

[Stigmorgan]

If you ned to replace the foot I have some pieces of spalted oak which may match. Let me know and we'll see what we can cobble together.

Lyn

Thanks Lyn I'll keep that in mind , late last night I decided to go out and saturate the whole piece in CA glue, going to leave it a day or so then see if I can get some cleaner cuts, it's almost where I want it, I'll leave the stem fat for now untill I've hollowed out the bowl then I'll finish working on the stem and foot