My first hollow form
rtutsky
>Hello Everyone,
I've been a lurker here and on Badger Pond for quite some time posting infrequently but have gleaned what seems to me to be a vast amount of knowledge. There are some really nice, talented folks here that go out of their way to offer what they know and I'm gratefull for their efforts posting.
I have been an on again, off again woodworker for over 20 years building all sorts of things from furniture to small household accessories. My wife left me 6 months ago and since then I have done a lot of soul searching and find that the Lord, my dog Paco and woodworking have become close friends nuturing me to move on. Finding that I have lots of time now I am once again, an on again woodworker.
A while back I bought a Jet Mini Lathe to add to my collection of tools. Turning has been a lot of fun for me but I mostly ended up turning weed pots and wood for the fireplace (I sure do have a LOT of weed pots). My turning tools are mostly homemade with the exception of a set of 8 turning tools I bought from a traveling tool store for $18. The quality isn't there and I have to sharpen frequently but I do get round things happening. This past weekend I wanted to do something different and thought I would try a hollow form. From information I got from WoodCentral I bought what was needed and made the tools shown. The shafts are 1/2� metal bars from the hardware store and the bits are from Enco. The small interchangeable scraper is O1 tool steel from the same source and I hardened it with a Mapp tourch. The tools worked well even though I struggled to use them. Wow, I sure do appreciate the talent that some turners have!
The hollow form vase you see is birch and when turned I found it boring so I burnt the ends and then texturized the mouth with a Dremel tool. The inside walls are rough and about 1/2� in thickness (read scared). The tool was dancing all over the place and I did'nt want to ruin it. Next one's got to be better.
I would like to thank some folks here... Wally (you will go down in history as being one of the best), Dominic (always great information, lighthearted and from the heart), Russ (you are a powerhouse, unbelievable talent), Bill G. (dinomite website with a wealth of knowledge, I always look forward to your posts), Mark Kauder (stunning work, yes, museum quality), Jennifer (you're one special talented lady, are there others like you out there somewhere?) Mike Schwing (another great turner that blows me away) BubbaBob (what a great guy, with even more revelant info), Don Henthorn (the Lord shines on you, bless you), Mark Mandell (great turner, beautiful stuff, someday I wish I could produce nearly what you've done). I have just named a very few woodworkers out of the fold, there's many, many more talented folks here and I must say that you are all in my thoughts and again I appreciate all your helping posts. I would personally enjoy meeting all of you someday.
There's one more person I must mention... Ellis (a grand woodworker, editor, webmaster, knoledgeable spokesperson and more) thank you so much for your unending efforts keeping WoodCentral alive and well for all of us to enjoy and frankly I feel guilty not contributing after all of the time that has gone by but change is coming (pun intended). Expect a donation shortly.
Sincerely,
Robert Tutsky
ps The hollow form will be in the next post. How do you post more than one picture in a post?
