Cherry Log Vase - Creation Process

[Nate Davey]

That looks awesome Hutch. Can't wait to see the finished vase.

[Jeff Nicol]

Hutch, It looks as though you are getting your creation worked out and the stuff I did for you is withstanding the load! It all looks real good bolted up and in use!

To answer some of the questions on Matt's lathe, it is a beast to say the least! It is well made and it wonderful shape for its age, I would love to have its brother to add to my collection of turning apparatus!

Great progress and keep us all posted on your artful journey,

Jeff

[Matt Hutchinson]

While I am waiting for a friend to help me move the vase around, here's the latest progress.

Photo 1.) For the initial hollowing of the foot, I used a D handle trapped bar setup. I started out with a carbide cutter, but it was way too slow. So I then switched to a drill bit cutter.

Photo 2.) Here a picture of the double ended insert that goes into the end of the big boring bars. For the hogging out I use it with the drill bit, and for smoothing and final thicknessing I use the carbide cutter. (Carbide cutter not attached in the picture.)

Photo 3.) Here's a closeup of the drill bit cutter. It's ground back not unlike a bowl gouge, leaving a curved edge that acts as a hook tool. Awesome tool, got the idea from Jeff Nicol.

Photo 4.) Here's the carbide cutter. This is with it installed in the trapped bar system, not the big boring bar.

Photo 5.) This is the completed foot. (I switched over to the 6 foot bar once I got in about 10 inches.) Well, it's got further work after the rest of the piece is done. Later I will carve away the tenon and thickness the walls by hand.

This video has a segment at the end where I actually do a little hollowing.

Cherry Log Vase Video 3

Hutch

P.S. I have this video posted other places, that's why I speak of Jeff Nicol as "another turner". Of course, ya'll already know him.

[Jeff Nicol]

Hutch, It looks like you are making some progress on the beast. When do you have to have it finished? You may have to sleep in the shop, do you think your darling wife will miss you? Are you getting any of the honey do list done on the house, or are you ignoring it like me!!

Keep plugging along,

Jeff

[Matt Hutchinson]

Hehe, yeah, the old house is last on the list.

The vase is scheduled to be installed Sept. 15. Right now I plan on having it completely thicknessed sometime next week. It's dry enough that I think the moisture content will come down easily. (As an interesting side note, the kiln dried poplar I have in my shop is reading 11-12% MC. Talk about a humid July!!)

Here's the latest.

Photo 1.) Chucked up in the honkin' jaws.

Photo 2.) Started power carving. I was using an Arbortech with a carbide cutting wheel.

Photo 3.) Done with the carving.

At this point I turned on the lathe and withdrew the tailstock. 'Twas a bit sketchy. After a little tweaking, things seemed to be rolling a little better, and then I noticed something. The headstock was nice and still, the tailstock was nice and still, but the steady rest was swaying. And no, it wasn't in the rest itself; the huge cast ways were swaying!!! (Rather slightly I might add.) The steady rest is attached about dead center along the length, so if there were to be any flex that's where it would be. I am going to truss up that part of the machine with some 2x4s, and it should be rock solid at that point. *fingers crossed*


Hutch

[Roger Chandler]

Gee whiz Hutch,

That whole project is a very dynamic undertaking, and it looks like you are actually going to pull it off! The work so far is just stunning, and I can't hardly wait till you have it finished.

Thank you very much for sharing this whole process with this forum group through pictures and your explanations that describe the steps along the way. You make the creative juices start flowing for us all!

[Barry Stratton]

Great stuff Hutch, keep it coming!

IS the carving to speed up the hollowing process??

[Matt Hutchinson]

Thanks all!

The carving is actually serving several purposes.

1.) Safety. Trying to hollow the piece with the full weight intact and only having support from the hollowing steady rest would be putting myself at unnecessary risk.

2.) Speed. It actually was probably faster to carve it away than turn it away, due to the nature of the off center mounting.

3.) Easier. Hollowing that flying wing would be extremely difficult. The wood would hit the cutter every half second, and it would be near impossible to maintain a smooth curve even with the extra heavy boring bars. With that, safety is again an issue. If I accidentally position the tool to take too heavy of a cut, I could get a horrific catch. Just too much air, too slow, too far over the rest.

I will be hollowing up the"wing" as far as seems safe. I plan on thicknessing the rest by hand.

Hutch

[John M. Smith]

Do you know where in GR your vase will be displayed? Can't wait to see it in person.

John

[Matt Hutchinson]

It will displayed in the Grand Rapids Public Museum starting Sept. 20 and ending after the first week in October. So only about 3 weeks.

Hutch

[Matt Hutchinson]

I have just finished using the 6' bar and have switched over to the 10 foot boring bar. I am currently working at 26" over the tool rest, and things are still going fairly smoothly. It won't be long until I need yet another bar. The bottom of the vase is at 51" over the tool rest, but I don't think that is gonna work. I will probably have to go to a welding shop and have them re-work the extension arm I had originally planned on using for this project. The intent was to have a rest that reaches into the vessel a good 16", but in its current state it's useless (no fault of Jeff Nicol). Also, I am guessing I will have to have the next bar at about 2.5" in diameter.


Here's a video:

Cherry Log Vase Video 4

Hutch

[David E Keller]

Thanks for the video and the update. I'm afraid that looks like work to me. I keep thinking,"1/4 inch per pass times the number of inches equals a hell of a lot of hollowing".

How are you keeping everything from cracking? I always hear that cherry is difficult to keep from cracking, but the piece looks crack free to me.

[Matt Hutchinson]

It's actually more like 1/8" per pass at this point. Every time I try to take more off, I get intense chatter. So yeah, I will be at this for the rest of the week.

I have never had any issues with cracking on any of my cherry pieces, but this particular project is a more a-typical example. (This is black cherry. Actual fruit trees may be more unstable.) I had the outside of the vase unsealed for about a week: no cracking. The high humidity certainly helps.

Hutch

[David E Keller]

So...

5 feet tall
x 12 inches per foot
x 8 passes per inch
___________________
480 passes with the tool!

You're a better man than I am for doing it! It's this kind of thinking that keeps me from segmenting work as well(that and a general lack of skill).

[Baxter Smith]

Neat video. 480 x how many seconds per pass. No I didn't go back and time it. Thanks for taking the time to record and post. Very interesting!