No Posts, No Pictures, But Turning

I have not posted in nearly three months, but I have been turning. I turned several Christmas presents and I did not want to post the pictures of them so I would not show what I was giving. I have done some other things as well. Here is brief list of things I have turned since my last post:

         Several bowls with lids
         Several potpourri bowls
         Sketch Pens
         Pens
         Pill Boxes

And other miscellaneous things. I am in the process of moving so I am not sure how many pictures I will be able to post for a while. I learned a lot from the last two months of turning and wish I had posted some of the things I learned. I guess I will just do that in the future.

Bowling for Halloween

On Halloween, I turned my first bowl. The next day, I turned my second bowl. I glued my hunk of wood to a small piece of wood which was eventually attached to a face plate which was attached to the lathe. The following pictures are not that great (they were taken from my wife's Blackberry) but maybe you can get the idea of the bowls and lids I turned. Both bowls have lids even though they are not pictured as such.






I really enjoyed turning these little projects. I think I like the idea that they are not kits to which you turn. Instead, they are entirely creative and all my own design, so to speak (not that there is much creativity to make a round bowl).

I wish the pictures here are better. The finish on these bowls are absolutely beatiful. I am not sure what wood this was (I was a scrap which I had in my box) but it was a rich dark wood with a great grain. The finish brought a great shine to the projects. They ended up really nice for my first bowls. I plan to do more of these. I really enjoyed doing them.

More Unique Blanks

Sometime at the end of September or the beginning of October, I turned these little projects. I was still working with the laminating of wood to make a design with the turning. Here is a picture of the two blocks which I glued together. The one of the left is two blocks glued together with a thin white band between them. The blank on the right is an attempt to make a double-cross design. I followed THESE instructions for making it but it did not turn out the way I was hoping (I will give specifics below). Here are the blanks:


The first (left) blank I turned into a toothpick/money holder. I used a kit I bought from Craft Supplies USA and it made a nice little project. I think the band is a nice contrast to the rest of the holder. NOTE: To make sure the band finished in the middle of the tube, I had to measure from each end of the whole blank, Then when I inserted the tube into the blank, I had to make sure I inserted it enough to make sure the band landed in the middle.


This final picture is the result of the double-cross pen attempt. This did not turn out a good as I wanted but it still looked OK. First of all, if you are wanting to attempting this, use much thinner inserts than I used. I used wood which was way to thick and way to soft. Therefore, when I began to turn it, the small the blank got, the more muddled the bands got until it just looks a white glob on the dark wood blank. The soft wood also made way too many nicks and chips. However, it still was a cool looking design. Next time I attempt this, I will need to find a way to make a more accurate cut so that the bands are more symmetrical then what my attempt turned out. It took a while to cut, glue, cut, glue, etc. but I think this could be a great, unique feature for turning.


I have really enjoyed the gluing of different woods to make patterns and unique blanks. I have several scraps which I will continue glue to make unique blanks. I will post as I do.

Checker Pen: Turning Blanks and Making the Pen

I have made my blanks, I have prepared my blanks, now it is time to turn them. It is good to know what woods you are using in a project like this so to that if you do mix hardnesses (I am not sure you want to do that) you can be aware of that when turning. It is a little strange turning wood which is hardwood on one end and softwood on the other. Here is the blank after I had it turned down a bit with a rough gouge but not to where it needs to be for the pen.


I then used a smoothing chisel to get the blanks to the right shape and size.


Once I got it the shape and size I wanted, I sanded and then finished it. Sorry about the terrible picture.


Once the blanks were smooth and shiny, I simply pressed the pen together. I use my drill press for my pen press. I just insert a bolt on which I have glued a small piece of wood. You can see it in this picture, even though this picture is terrible.


I pressed it together and, ta-da, I have a checkered pen.



Overall, this was a fun exercise. I like the idea of working with multiple wood. I have to find a better color combination and a better pattern. I have seen some on the internet but could not find when I want to link to them. If I find them, I will post the link.

I hope this has been as helpful as it has been fun.

Checker Pen: Preparing the Blanks

In my previous post, I made some red and white blanks. In this post, I will show how I prepared these blanks for turning. In short, you prepare them as you would any other blank you are going to turn for a pen.

First, I drilled a hole through the blank with a 7mm drill bit.


(Note my blank holder which I have mentioned in a previous post).

Once the hole has been drill, you glue the brass barrel in the blank. Once the glue dries, you need to level the area around the hole so that the pen will go together squarely. You do this with a barrel trimmer, which is on the end of the drill. You can see the area trimmed on the blank.


Once this is done, you can place the blanks on the mandrel with the bushings for the particular pen you are going to turn. It is now ready to turn.



Everything here when as expected so I am not sure if there are any lessons to gain from this.

Next post: turning the pen and making the pen.

Checker Pen: Making the Blanks

I began one more project today. Since the LSU pens turned out pretty good, I thought I would try another multi-wood project. I had ordered some small blanks (called half-blanks) and they were too small to turn pen with. However, I thought maybe I could glue some together to make a blank of different woods. So I found some light wood and some red-colored wood (not sure what either are). Twice, I glued one red blank to one white blank. This resulted in two red-white blanks.



I took these two blanks and glued them together so that the red and white would be alternating.



Once this big blank was dry, I cut this blank into ¾ inch slices. Please note that I labeled the slices before I cut them so I would know how to line them up.



I then glued the slices alternating red and white, using Elmer's carpenter glue, of course. Before I glued the slices together, I sanded the surfaces which would be glued so that I knew there would be a tight fit.





This will give me the blanks I need for this latest project.

Lessons learned:

1. When doing this, you want blanks closer to the same size than I used in this picture. It makes for an uneven finish (you will see in the next few posts). I just used what I had on hand but if you want it look good, use blanks close to the same size.

2. Smaller slices would have looked better. Mine were ¾ inch slices but if I made them smaller I would have sliced my hand instead of the blank. If you can make the slices thinner.

3. A grinder or sander would be of great benefit in a project like this as it would make the preparing of surfaces much easier and much more accurate.

Next post: Preparing the blanks for turning

Football Fans and Whistles

Today I finished a project I started yesterday. I have been making a pen and pencil set for my pastor for Pastor Appreciation Month (October - if you have a pastor and you turn, make something nice for him or do something nice for him). He is a big Louisiana State University fan so I wanted to make a pen and pencil set which would reflect his fondness for his team. I had some purpleheart wood and some wood of a very yellow color (I am not what it was - it may have been dyed wood). I glued a small piece of the yellow and purple wood for the lower barrel on both the pen and pencil. Here are the pictures (click the image for a larger picture)


This was my first time to glue blocks together and then turn them like one blank. I think they turned out very good. I am not particularly fond of the purple and yellow together but if you are an LSU fan, I think you would like them.

These are the slimline pen and pencil kit and they always make a nice small pen and pencil set. Don't tell my pastor he is getting these.

Since I was out in the garage turning, I decided to try some new projects. First, I was out on Instructables.com looking how to make a whistle. I made my first whistle from those instructions. Here are the pictures of my first little whistle (click image for larger picture)





This was a fun little project (my daughter REALLY like it). I had some blanks with the hole drilled through them and so I just turned it. Then, I made a cut about a half to three-quarter of an inch from the end. The cut was about halfway through the blank. Then I made a diagonal cut (about 30 degrees) which ended at the bottom of the first cut. Then I cut a dowel rod which fit in the hole of the blank. I cut the dowel almost halfway but not quite. This made not a complete round dowel rod. I put this in the side which has the cuts described above. Then I inserted a dowel in the back of the whistle (you can kind of see this in the second picture). TA-DA... a whistle. If you want better instructions, check out the instructable found at the link above.

I also began another project but want to keep all that project on one post. So today I ended up with a gift for a football fan and whistle which my dog hates and my daughter loves. Overall, not a bad afternoon.

Fountains and Rollers

A couple days ago, I turned my first rollerball pen and fountain pen. They turned out OK but there are somethings I learned and, in the end, I would prefer a different pen kit.

The pen kit I used was the Jr. Gentlemen's II pen kit. I used a lignum vitae blank, which is a green-colored wood. However, when I turned it, it was not as green as the blank when it started. It is supposed to turn green after turning, and it did a little bit, but I would have liked it better if it was the color found in the picture (click the link above).

Here are the pictures of my pens. Click each of the images for a larger picture.

Above is a picture of both pens. My picture taking ability is lacking and I could not capture the true color.



This picture is the pens with the blank I used. You cannot really tell how different the colors are between the pens and the blank. The pens are essentially brown with some green in it but the blank is nice and green.



Here is the roller ball with the cap off.



Here is the fountain pen with the cap off.

I am not real happy with this kit. One of my greatest disappointments in this pen is that the cap cannot be put on the end of the pen while writing. I knew that without the threaded end cap it was a gamble. I lost. Consequently, when you use these pens, you have to use them without the cap. I am something of a pen enthusiast, even those I have not made, and I like the feel of a pen with the cap on. It makes the pen "weightier" and feels better in the hand. While the tradition of fine pens is to write with the cap off, I like the cap on the back of the pen. These pens are not able to do that. They can't even set on the end of the pen.

The other disappointment is what I mentioned above: the finished color of the pens. I wanted a nice green pen and these ended up a bland brown color. It is not even a pretty brown.

Finally, I need to learn to press it together better. I wanted the wood grain on the cap and on the pen to match. I tried to match the grains but since the cap twists on, it is hard to line it up right when pressing the cap (if that does not make sense, that is OK - when you make one you will know what I am talking about).

So, here is my first attempt at a fine pen. I will continue. In fact, these are the reason I got the lathe. I wanted to make fine pens for other people. I love fine pens and love writing with them. Now I just have to get more practice making them.

Let me know what you think!

Birthday Turning

Tomorrow is my birthday and today is Labor Day. So spent the day turning with my daughter. We used some of the sets I referred to in the previous post.

Jessica turned a Keychain for a gift for her grandpa, whose birthday is the same day as mine (but don't tell him what he is getting). Click picture for larger image.


She did a great job. She did the whole thing herself; from drilling, to turning the barrel, to turning the blank, to pressing it together. I think she learned a lot today too.

While she was turning her keychain, I was preparing some blanks to make a pen a pencil set. I made this set from Canary wood. These were different than my other pens because these have a soft grip and that means you prepare the blank a little different. Here are the completed set. Click the picture for a larger image.


These accents are obviously black and I think it looks much better than gold would look. It also looks a little better in person than in the picture. However, let me know what you think. Do you like the color scheme?

Also, this was the first time I turned a pencil. This blank was a little different because the bottom of the pencil is a half of a blank with the whole brass tube exposed. I forgot to take a picture and it is a little hard to explain. Nevertheless, I think it came out OK.

Fun day of turning. I may do some more tomorrow. After all, it will be my birthday.

More to Come

Well, I have not turned in a while. It's been about a month. I have had so many other things I have had to do that I have not gotten the lathe out. However, summer is coming to a close and my yard work and things like that will be going dormant soon.

So, I placed an order today for several turning kits and lots of different blanks. I should get the order in a few days. I am looking forward to getting back to the lathe and trying some new kits.

And posting again....

Climbing Mont Blanc - Or At Least Turning Them

I haven't turned in a few days but I was able to do some a couple of days ago and then again today. I began turning my "European" pens, which means they are shaped like Mont Blanc pens. Here are some of the pens I made (click image for larger picture). These shown are, from left to right, made from Birdseye Maple, English Walnut, and Yew. I liked how these turned out.

The Yew pen turned out pretty nice. It is a nice orange color but when in the lathe, it smelled like cedar. The description which came with the pen kit says, "The heartwood is bright and light orange with a white sapwood. It is dense and heave with a fine grain. Works well on the lathe, used for decorative work, pens, and boxes." Here is a picture of the cap from the pen made from this wood (click image for larger picture). I really like the knots which showed up on the cap. The only problem with this pen is that I tried to curve the top and it came out a little "bloated." You can almost see this in the picture.

The next pen was made from Birdseye Maple. This always turns very nicely. I like working with it. However, on this pen I turned it too far around the center band so the band stands out from the pen instead of blending into the wood (I hate it when I do that). You can almost see that in the picture. So, I guess I am still learning to take off only the amount of wood I want to take off.

The third pen was made from walnut. This is always makes a nice looking pen but the grain can sometimes be too rough. This makes the finish not so nice. The dark brown wood always looks nice with the gold accents which comes with the pen kits. This pen I think I turned just like it should have been.

I had one more pen I turned. This was made with myrtlewood. I love the way myrtlewood looks when turned. the soft brown color always looks nice but the grain almost looks like it changes colors when the light hits it (I wish I could show what I mean). Nevertheless, this pen was looking good until I pressed the retracting mechanism into the barrel. I pressed it a little too far and that created a problem. I could not retract the pen tip. I tried to pull the mechanism out of the barrel and destroyed the barrel in the process. So, here is the cap...for whatever that is worth.

I am looking as some different magazines for some other kits of different things. I am hoping I can get some new kind of things to turn. I also want to turn some roller ball and fountain pens. But I really like these Mont Blanc....er...I mean, European-type pens. I will probably get more of these kits.

Kings and Rings

I practiced a bit more today but with different things. First, I have wanted to turn my own chess
pieces for quite a while. That is one of the reasons I wanted to begin turning. So the other day, I quickly sketched out some ideas for a pattern for chess pieces. They looked something like that (keep in mind that this drawing was done on the computer and I can draw better with a pen than with a mouse).

I had some small blanks which I thought I would practice with. They were much to small to begin with so I knew starting out that the base of the piece would be too thin. But I am just attempting to get use to turning these kind of pieces. Also, I did not sand and finish them as I should have so the pictures show chips and stuff. And I did not cut off the top and bottoms as I should of. I guess I am saying that these look bad and I know that. I am just practicing turning designs I see in my head. The pieces in the picture are too thin, and there is much to improve on but I learned a lot by turning them.

I attempted to turn a bishop and his head came off (far right). Then I "successfully" (depending on your definition) a bishop. And then I tried a king. Here is a close up of the king. Really bad looking but I will get better.

Here is what I learned about turning chess pieces. First, I need to use a larger piece of wood so the base will be as big as i want. I knew this going in but I had a lot of little blanks so i just used them. Second, soft woods just do not seem to be the best for this kind of turning. Either that, or I need to get my tools sharpened (both of which are probably true). Finally, I need some sort of small saw to cut off the parts I want to cut off. My table saw would be a bit of over kill.

After I turned some chess pieces, I attempted to turn some rings. This was inspired by this video I saw the other day. You have to watch the whole video. You can tell this guy has been turning for years.



I tried to do make those rings. Here are my attempts. The lighter one came out relatively well for my first time trying it. Again, this was probably too soft of wood to do this kind of thing. The darker ring was supposed to be part of a bigger piece. I was attempting to make something like a spool with two rings in it. In the end, the whole piece essentially blew apart in the lathe and the dark ring is the only thing left.

So begins my venture into kings and rings.

Beads are Not Just for Hippies

It was another day of practicing. Here are my latest turnings. I was trying to create beads on the pieces I was working with. This first piece is about 5½ inches long (click picture for larger image). I am not sure what type of wood it is. I think may be cherry but I am not sure.

To make the beads I used a parting tool to make the grooves and the bands. Then I used a skew chisel for rounding. I am not sure if this is how one is supposed to make beads, but it worked for me.

This next piece is aboutg 1½ inches long. I am not sure what type of wood this is, either. However, it has a nice, dark grain. This came as part of a package of small, square blanks. Eventually, I would like to turn my own chess set. This would be a start for learning how to work with small pieces and I like the bottom of this piece as a bottom for a chess piece.

Let me know what you think.

Pen: Take 2

I tried a pen again (see previous post) and succeeded...somewhat. This time, I used a Mesquite blank.



The pen came out OK but I learned several things from this pen, as well. First, the picture.



Now the lessons:

Lesson 1 - Mesquite does not turn as nicely as birdseye maple. Or else I did not have my lathe spinning at the right speed. If someone knows of a chart or something that tells optimal lathe speed for each type of wood, that would be helpful. The mesquite had holes in it and you could see the brass tubing inside the blank. Also, I was not a real fan of the yellow color.

Lesson 2 - Once the pen has been turned, sand the corners round so that the transition between the halves feels better.

Lesson 3 - I need to work on the placement of the clip. I wanted to have the clip cover the holes mentions in "lesson 1" but when I pressed them together, the clip moved and it became securely settled in another place.

So, I feel like I am making progress. I am sure many "lathers" (lathaliers? lathians?) got the pen right the first time. That is OK. I am having fun at it.

My Wife's First Turning

This is Rhonda's first time at the lathe. She did great. The wood was REALLY soft and the blank was really small, but she made a nice "table leg." Here it is.

Two Wrongs Don't Make a Write

I turned my first pen today. Kind of. I had watched the videos and read the books and made my drilling jig. (Click image for larger picture. Same throughout).

My first pen had a problem but I learned some significant things through the process. Here is the process and what I learned from going through the whole process.

To begin with, I used a piece of birdseye maple. I made a mark on it to make sure I could keep the grain between the two pieces, which I made by cutting it in two.



After this, I drilled each half of the blank by placing them in the jig and using the 7 mm drill bit which came with the pen kits (blurry image).


After I drilled the holes I glued the brass tubes inside the holes and then waited for them to dry. Here is where I committed my first wrong came. If you are beginning pen making then here is something you need to know. The blanks need to be the same length as the tubes which are inserted into it. The barrel trimmer which came with the kit are helpful in this arena. I did not do that for this first pen. You will see the results at the end.

I after cleaning the barrels to make sure there was no glue in them, I placed both on the mandrel, making sure the grain mark was on the inside.


I placed the mandrel on the lathe and then turned the pen. After turning, I sanded, and glossed it up.





I pressed it all together. However, I found out at this point that the blank needed to be the same length as the barrel (the books say something like this but I misunderstood. I think they should have been clearer). If I had a grinder, I could have sanded it down. I don't so I tried the barrel trimmer. You can see the results. - Mental note: BAD idea.





One last thing that cannot be seen. When I pressed the pen mechanism into the barrel, I pressed it too far. Thus, it would not retract. This was my second wrong. The pen would only turn out and then farther out. In short, I learned how far to press the pen mechanism into the barrel.

So, overall, a good experience. I had fun and learned quite a bit. Now I am ready for my next pen.

My Garage is Going to be Full

I got my lathe and my materials. However, I want to make pens. To do that I need a drill press and then I need some sort of saw, whether it be a table saw (preference) or a chop saw of some kind. So, I did some research and Harbor Freight is having a Father's Day sale this weekend. I am going to get a drill press. This one will be on sale for $39.99, so I am thinking about getting that. I also saw a mini cut-off saw which is really inexpensive. I am just not sure how it will work for what I want to do.

My point is, I need to get a few more tools to do what I want with my projects. My garage is gonna get full!

Table Leg #2

I made another "table leg". But I am still trying to learn all the different things about the tools. Click the picture for a larger image.


On this table leg, in addition to the gouge, I used the parting tool and the skewing tool. This helped me make the band in the middle of the spindle (around 7" in the picture) as well as some of the other stops (like at 3½" and 9½" inches). I also unsuccessfully attempted to mirror the middleof the spindle. the "hour glass" on the right is a little longer and is not as thick as the left side but I did not have any calipers (yet) and was working by sight.

I also used a much longer piece than the previous spindle (see the previous post). I think the wood I am using is incredibly hard wood and may be more than my little tools can handle. I got the wood in a package from the place I received my lathe. They had a five pound box of scrap wood. I used these and I think they are really, really hard.

Anyway, a few more and I will have a full table.

It May Be A Mini Table Leg...

When I told my friend Tony that I was going to be starting wood turning with a lathe, he asked me with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, "Other than table legs, what can you do with a lathe?"

I went on and on about all the different things you can make with a lathe: pens, crochet hooks, chess pieces, travel mugs, and etc., etc.. "I can do all kinds of things with a lathe."

So I received my lathe and got it all together and solemly placed my first piece of wood in the lathe and began turning. I was just playing; getting used to the tools, wood, and lathe. Here is the result (click picture for a larger image):



It is about 6" long and looks just like a table leg......for mice. So, I guess Tony was right. Hopefully, my skill will move along so I graduate from table legs to something more interesting.

It's Here!!! It's Here!!!

My lathe arrived today! WOO HOO! Here are some picture of it. Click the picture to see a larger image.









I made sure I received all that I should have received. I got everything I ordered and the lathe and stand were in good shape. I put the stand together and got going. I also ordered a pen turning book and DVD combination. And then I also ordered another book on pen turning. Come to find out - they are the same book. So I am returning the one book for a beginners book on wood turning.

So much fun in store. I will post my first turning tomorrow.

I'm Diving In

Well...I did it!

I ordered a lathe. It should arrive June 2nd. With it I will receive some smallturning blanks, some pen kits, some books, and a DVD. I am really looking forward to spending some time doing that throughout the summer. I plan to start by just getting used to turning something. I will try to post my first attempt.

So I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new lathe and my new hobby. I am going to just dive in head first. I guess we will see what the outcome will be. 3...2...1...JUMP!

Turning to Another Hobby

I need a hobby.

Previously, I spent my time creating PDA applications for the Palm OS and then selling them through eStores. I spent my evenings planning out the different forms and programming the code. It was a good hobby that kept me distracted and brought me some pocket money. I used a program called PDAToolbox and various third party programs.

And then cell phones began to be more intelligent. There was a sudden drop in interest in Palm OS applications and I think that was because cell phones became PDA’s, so to speak. I noticed my sales virtually dried up before my eyes and there was no market for my applications anymore.

In retrospect, I got into it at the exact right time. Palm had just put out its Palm Pilot and I received one for a graduation gift. Then PDA’s began to rise in popularity. I sold about 250 of my 8 different applications (combined) literally around the world. Then, it all stopped.

Now, I find myself restless and needing something to do so I am looking for a hobby. I want a hobby with which I can produce something. So, I am thinking of buying a wood lathe. I think wood turning would be quite enjoyable and relaxing and there is a variety of things I could create with it.

I have been looking at a couple of different mini lathes. I am really thinking about this one (See Here). It is starter kit for first time wood turners and includes everything you need to make several wooden pens. Seems like fun.

Soooo…I am thinking about it. This may be the only post this blog ever has. If I go ahead with it, I will post my adventures with wood turning, which will hopefully NOT be a record of all my injuries. I will post projects I am working on and hopefully have pictures. It may be a fun ride. Let me know what you think.