Search:

well...this isn't what you asked for...but....try making them without a jig. They're not too difficult...and once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to make them a lot faster and with a better...

Hi Mike,

Really nice bowls!

rr

Yes. Ornamental turners love boxwood.

Hi,

There is an book on tops called "The Top" by D.W. Gould. It has in it pictures of many tops, including whistle top. The book is OOP but readily available through the usual used book sources. ...

It's an amazing piece. The only problem is that the padauk will, in a year or two, turn to brown and it will be hard to distinguish it from the walnut. Bloodwood works better for a reddish wood...

For threading, blackwood is much better than Ebony. Nowhere near as brittle.

rr

I do tops now & then. Here are a few...

http://randyrhine.com/fs_tops.htm

Here's a "how-to" link for another style...

http://randyrhine.com/Techniques/CD_Top.htm

rr

Here in western Oregon, if I couldn't use my lathe when it's raining, it would sit idle 9 months of the year:).

randy

Maybe a fly-cutter on a drill press?

I have to admit, when I first heard of this "sit down" lathe, I was skeptical. Bu then I saw it first hand yesterday and chatted with the designer (Kevin Clay) a bit. It's a nice lathe, very well...

The magazine Woodworker West always has a section on upcoming shows in the western US. That alone makes it worth the subscription. They also always have an article or two on wood turning.

randy

Thanks for the comments.

Jonathan, I used HUT Crystal Coat on the top and Deft on the saucer box.

It'll be in the instant gallery of the AAW symposium.

randy

Spinning top, about 3" dia, in a mostly maple "flying saucer" box. The primary woods in the top are yellowheart and pink ivory, both of which will darken over time with exposure to light. By keeping...

A Longworth style chuck comes in handy at times, but you can save yourself a few bucks by making one yourself. They are really easy to make.

randy

Hmmm..I was thinking maybe white ash. But, like others have said, hard to tell with the small fuzzy pics.

randy

Hi Robert,

For the money, it's hard to beat the Jet Mini. But if you really enjoy turning and get into it, you'll out grow the Jet pretty fast. For the larger lathes, there are a lot to choose...

Hi,

There were a few "how did you do that" questions when I posted the scrap sphere pic a few days ago. So...I made another batch and took some pics of the process. You can see them here.

I...

A really nice piece. Both in form and execution.

randy

Well...have never made a chinese ball...with sphere's within sphere's, but a few years ago I did quite a few captive spheres...object's within spheres, which are similar. Here a pic of a few...

rr

Thanks for the comments. They are solid but the center is a 1.5" cube of MDF. The sides are then glued on to get a 3" cube. A couple of pieces of scrap are glued to the ends, then the ball is turned...

In the process of doing segmented work, I seem to generate a fair amount of scrap, which I hate to just throw away. So..I just started gluing the pieces together into cubes...and then turn some...

As Frank says, get the one that screws on to a revolving center, even if you first have to get a revolving center (I reccomend the Oneway). You have a LOT more flexibility. For example, for the...

Thanks for the comments. to answer Jonathan's question...I used Varathane Diamond water-based finish. To answer Bill's question...yup...I've done other segmented work...some of which has been posted...

Hi all,

Here's a segmented vase, about 11 1/2" tall. Mahogany, walnut, ebony, bloodwood, and yellowheart. 3rd generation lamination for the main feature ring.

randy

Here's a web page that shows another method of making diamonds.

http://www.segmentedturning.com/whatsupmar2004.htm

randy