wood stuff

[gilessim]

I know that this has nothing to do with engines but it's turning by hand ,sort of wooden engineering!, some of my wooden pieces, somebody might be interested!

[/img]

 

[rake60]

Very nice!

 

[tattoomike68]

I need to find out the trick of turning wood and have it not split after its done.

If I turn green wood it splits and it the wood if dry it is already cracked.

Whats the trick?

 

[Bogstandard]

A friend of mine used to say that he was cooking his wood in the microwave, something to do with getting the right water content, I don't know if it was before or after turning, and I can't ask him because he's gone to a better place. But I do know that his work never cracked, I have some of his beautiful turning here and it is perfect.

John

 

[rake60]

I've often considered trying to build an engine completely of wood.
I've found a source for hardwood dowel rods of Oak and Walnut at:
Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
Just might have to add that to the "to do" list...

 

[gilessim]

the trick with turning green wood ,if you are turnig a bowl for example, is to rough turn the bottom ,turn it round and roughly hollow it out ,leaving say 3/4" thickness ,if you want to end up with a wall thickness of about 1/4-3/8" then take it out and leave it for a few weeks ,the reduced thickness will allow it to dry out much much quicker and if it distorts ,which it will ,the extra thickness will allow you to true it as you like!.With the microwave ,as John says, you can get away turning it a bit thinner ,depending on the type of wood, I have done this often ,put the piece in on half power for short 2-3 minute bursts with a few minutes break each time ,you'll see the steam and smell the sap! ,its very much trial and error though. I wouldn't try it with a big lump because before you get all the moisture from inside, you end up with lots of small cracks onthe outside! .with thin bowls still hot from the oven you can also press them in to odd shapes ,if you want, and they stay like it. I have also done, with green wood straight from the tree!, very thin,1/16",bowls all in one go ,without the oven, turning the outside to a finished state, turning it round and hollowing it all the way down ,the heat from the rubbing of the tool evaporates the moisture and (usually) doesn't crack!, you need quite a bit of practice to do this though. With a branch ,for example, you can mount it on a screw chuck crossways with the bark facing the tailstock and turn it so that the bark stays on the edges of the bowl ,it's an odd effect! people often can't work out how you did it!,Ihave one somewhere ,I'll look for it later and put up a pic to show you what I mean ...Giles

 

[gilessim]

just found a little bowl but most of the bark has been knocked off!, the goblet was also from green maple and came out really nicely,and Rake you should try ,if you can get hold of any, woods like ebony ,cocobollo and lignum vitae, as they are very dense woods of the non floating variety and they turn rather like brass and polish up to a fantastic finish!

 

[gt2ride]

This is one of 4 chairs I have made. It took me 14 mo. to complete.

 

[gilessim]

I'd just love to hear that wooden engine running!,I wouln't have had the guts to actually make it run on gas!,but now we see it is possible!,it makes me want to have a go but perhaps running just on air though.One thing I will say ,when drilling right through even the hardest woods, it's always a good idea to rest the piece onsome scrap and drill through into that to stop nasty splintering when you break through, also lip and spur bits are a must as ordinary metal bits will pull up splinters on the way in. I started out as an apprentice harpsichord maker nearly 30 years ago and since then I've built everything from guitars to staicases to furniture to roofs ,so I think I've covered just about every aspect of woodworking!, saying that though , every new project there is nearly always something that makes you think, how the hell do I do that!, so it just goes to show we never stop learning!.I think that these forums really are great, the opportunity to share all our knowledge and ideas gives us all inspiration!. Sorry to ramble on here but I find this interesting, here in Italy untill recently, during an apprenticeship, the "master" who did all the really clever stuff, usually had his own closed workspace so you weren't allowed to watch him work or see how he did certain things untill he considered you "ready" (this really is true ,the Italian word for "trade" as in whats your trade?, is mestiere, which has its roots in "mystery"!)even now you find that people are often very unhelpfull when you ask them about their work, the phrase "trade secret" is often used in England but here in Italy it was taken to extremes! no wonder no-one knows how to do anything anymore here.The chairs look like a fantastic piece of work, well done!, did you do all the carving by hand?...Giles

 

[gt2ride]

Yes .the chair is hand carved. It is a copy of a chair in the Boston's Fine Arts Museum.