oak turned again

[Electric Comet]

got an interesting piece of oak a while ago and it was still wet chucked it up and turned it a little but it was unruly and knotty

set it aside for a few week and chucked it up again this time it was better but it still needs to be a little drier so it sits again

funny part is that it may just decide to split apart and challenge me to make something out of it

i heard that michelangelo would be asked how he made those statues and he answered something like

i only let what was in the marble come out

i think this piece is still deciding what to become

it is supposed to be a pen/pencil cup with a live or natural edge it is tending toward firewood i think but it may surprise me

what was the biggest surprise you got from a piece of lumber

[Puckdropper]

Electric Comet wrote in news:mlj1bv$653$ [e-mail]:

My biggest surprise was when I got a 2x4 that was made of reaction wood. I was cutting it on the table saw, then POW! the wood has suddenly split and I'm reaching for the emergency off.

Lately, I've been turning tops. They start out as a piece of wood about

2x2 and after I apply a few guidelines a top starts to appear. I rarely wind up with the top I invisioned when I started, but I always wind up with a top.

Puckdropper

[Gramps' shop]

I'm a novice turner and I learn something new every time I chuck a piece on the lathe. My first lesson was that if you don't have a well-done tenon, that puppy can fly off the lathe. Glad I wasn't in the line of fire.

Larry

[Puckdropper]

"Gramps' shop" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Do you have a full face shield? If not, you need it. Hit up Amazon for a comfortable one for around $25.

Speaking of things flying off the lathe, never leave the chuck key in the chuck! All it takes is a moment's distraction to turn the lathe on with the key in the chuck and then bad things happen. Some of the more powerful lathes can eject the key fast enough to seriously hurt someone. One adage I came across works well: The chuck key is either in your hand or in its storage place.

Puckdropper

[Electric Comet]

above 1000 rpm things can get more airborne but below and they fizzle out quickly to the floor

i make the tenon just a little large than the diameter of the jaws when fully closed

but once in a while i use a piece of suede to chuck up smaller pieces for final detail sanding and more than a few have gone vertical but usually at lower speed

things get more interesting near 3000 rpm

[Gramps' shop]