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Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998

REAL MILK PAINT

Gonna take a break

Posts

Gonna take a break

#1

Gonna take a break

john lucas

I'm trying to get caught up my ornament making for our clubs charity tree. I did pretty good the last couple of days turning 5 inside out ornaments. Today was not so good. Had a very hard time hollowing a cocobolo sphere. The wood was just coming off like chewing gum and was very hard to hollow. I couldn't even blow out the shavings, had to dig them out. Threw it off the lathe once when the shavings bound up around the hollowing tool.

Finally got it hollowed and started turning the finial. Must have picked the wrong wood or my touch isn't what it used to be. broke 3 of them in row at the thin point. Was done with the turning and was just sanding very lightly with 320 grit and they broke. One was an unknown wood, the other was pine.

OH well, have some errands to run and then I'll come back and try it again later.

Re: Gonna take a break

#2

Dick Hines

Re: Gonna take a break

dick hines

John, it's time to get on your bike and take a long ride. That works for me.

Re: Gonna take a break

#3

Re: Gonna take a break

Doug Ladendorf

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who has days like that. Best to step away like you are.

Re: Gonna take a break

#4

Pine finial? Kinda asking for trouble

Dick Coers

But does sound like time for a break. I'm not going to start for the holidays for another month or so.

Re: Gonna take a break

#5

Re: Pine finial? Kinda asking for trouble

John C Lucas

Ive turned a lot of pine finials over the years. Its a pretty good wood for ornaments

Re: Gonna take a break

#6

Wouldn't it depend on diameter

Dick Coers

It would not work for mine. I sell ornaments on consignment at a gallery, and some at a show that stays set up and is self help at a Nature Center. I usually get one or two broken each year, and that is with hard maple, walnut, and cherry. Definitely wouldn't put a pine one out there.

Re: Gonna take a break

#7

Re: Wouldn't it depend on diameter

John C Lucas

Ive turned and sold hundreds of ornaments. I have only broken a couple and that was in poor handling on my part. I often leave fragile woods a little rhicker in the thin areas. I use pine a fair amount because it has good contrast with darker woods.

Re: Gonna take a break

#8

Fragile?

Clifton C

So I've had a few broken finials returned over the years. Rough handling in a gallery never seems to be covered by the little "you break it you buy it" sign, so I just fix the few to keep on good terms.

But it seems that if glass or ceramics get broken, thats to be expected, they break, they're fragile. So why is that? Wood can be just as fragile. Years ago I made good on an ornament that had teeth marks on it, but not before mentioning that it wasn't meant to be used as a chew toy...

Re: Gonna take a break

#9

Re: Fragile?

John C Lucas

People will.often ask me if an ornament is fragile.. I tell them most ornaments except cheap platic ones are fragile. V