Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998
Christmas turnings
Earl
>Sorry for the picture quality. I'll have to work on that but wanted to share something a little different I've been doing for Christmas. I've made comments before on Woodcentral but haven't share any pictures.
These are both approx. 7 inches round, maple with needlepoint inserts that my wife made. I then coiled the around the edges with dyed green pine needles. I have done alot of pine needle coiling combined with woodturning, some pieces up to 14" wide.
Earl
Re: Christmas turnings
Earl
>This one is 6", maple, with the tree cut out on the scroll saw and painted.
Earl
Re: Christmas turnings
Earl
>Here's a better photo I just took in the shop that will give you an idea of what the coiling looks like.
Earl
Re: Christmas turnings
Jim R
>I really like your little plates(?) I have often tried to come up with something that incorporates turning and other stuff. The woven pine needles are great. It is like a basket/turning combo.I would like to know about how you prepare the needles, what you wrap them with, etc. I have thought of some way to incorporate turning and pottery together but so far nothing has worked out in my mind.
Your stuff is very nice
Re: Christmas turnings
Glenn Hodges
>Earl, these are beautiful and show creative thinking. I really like the combination of of the 2, they make for ideal Christmas gifts.
Nashville, GA
Re: Christmas turnings
Mike Rubes, Apex, NC
>Hi Earl,
Those are great! I love the dyed needles, that's very creative. I like how they are also stitched to the wood part, really neat.
Thanks for the pics,
Mike
4 shop days in a row in Apex, NC!!!
Re: Christmas turnings
John Lucas
>Very nice Earl.
Re: Christmas turnings
Earl
>Jim, without taking too much space here, if you go the Pine Needle Group and start looking around you can find out everything you ever wanted to know about how to do pine needle coiling. This is the site:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Trail/9114/
Basically, you just heat the pine needles for 20 min. or so to get them limber and coil them with all sorts of material: artificial sinew, waxed upholstery thread, or rafia. It is a very tedious process. The turning goes much faster than the coiling. It's interesting to read the forums on pine needle coiling where they, like us, complain about the low prices they get for their work. Yet, it is nothing for a regular coiler to get $300 or $400 for a 10" or 12" basket. But then that size basket probably takes 20-30 hours to make!
Haven't figured out how to combine pottery and turning either, but I got the idea for the turning and coiling from a lady combining pottery and coiling. It's very striking.
Earl
Re: Christmas turnings
RevDoug
>I'm assuming that the neadles will turn brown with time?
Re: Christmas turnings
Earl
>They may. But others that have dried pine needles out of sunlight have said they maintain their color for years. So hope that and the dye will hold them. They were totally dry when dyed.
Earl
