Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998
Crazy project
john lucas
Sometimes you just gotta play. I had to cut down a maple tree when we moved in to put the new garage up. When we cut it down we found a huge eye bolt near the bottom. We were afraid there would be other metal in the tree but there wasn't. I kept this little piece wondering what I would do with it. I finally decided to turn it. Took a lot of care to avoid that spinning bolt. Hollowing it was of course out of the question. 
Re: Crazy project
David Walser
Looks like you needed to move your gouge in and out very quickly!
Re: Crazy project
robo hippy
I did hear a story about the one piece mugs being done on a spring pole lathe, cutting up to the handle, then reversing and cutting to the handle in the other direction. This is a piece that will draw people into your booth when you sell. Cool!
robo hippy
Re: Crazy project
Jim Barbour
John, did your care involve removing it and carefully laying it aside while turning the piece? 
nope turned in place.
john lucas
I did it similar to turning feet or handles. Left a ring where the bolt was and then carved away all the wood except the bolt. The problem was cutting up to the bolt without letting it hit you. I put the tool rest so I knew the end of the tool rest was the bolt. I also used the same technique I use when approaching a raised ring with the bowl gouge. I rotate the tool so the flute it pointing toward the wall and the bottom wing will hit it with that wing down against tool rest so it's supported and can't rotate. This way the bottom wing will simply hit the wall (or bolt) and not cut but scrapes if you push it hard. By being gently I was able to feel when it touched the wood right next to the bolt.
The JJ teapots
John K Jordan
>>>Looks like you needed to move your gouge in and out very quickly!
A few weeks ago the other John Jordan showed us a teapot he turned with the spout extending from the pot as a spout generally does. :-)
http://www.johnjordanwoodturning.com/John_Jordan_Woodturning/Gallery.html#8
He turns these out of a single piece of wood and I first assumed he did it like John L mentioned for bowls with handles and feet by leaving a ring then carving away by hand everything that wasn't the spout.
We all wanted to know just how he did it and surprise, John had a slide show! He rough shaped the blank leaving an extension for the spout then turned everything that he could without hitting the spout. Then the magic: he said he rotated the piece back and forth by hand, each time making a cut with a bowl gouge.
I can't wait to try this! Seems like that would be easier to get a perfect curve around the rest of the pot than the carving, filing, and sanding method. It probably wouldn't work so well on a bowl with three feet since there wouldn't be much much room between the feet.
I see JohnJ plans to demonstrate making a teapot at the Rocky Mountain symposium in a few weeks:
http://www.rmwoodturningsymposium.com/presenter2016.htm
JKJ
Re: nope turned in place.
Jim Barbour
Thanks for the tip on how to approach the metal with minimal risk. Nice work.
I remember seeing JJ's graphite finished......
JamieDonaldson
...T-pot and others, and was most fascinated by the finish procedure he used.
Re: Crazy project
William Duffield
I've seen Jarrod Stone-Dahl make handled bowls using that method on the spring pole lathe, last summer at Handworks. It was an "A-ha moment!" for me, to be sure. Before that, I had always thought of a spring pole lathe in terms of the things you couldn't do with them (or that were much more difficult).
