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Thread: WIP - "Acero Dolce" or "Sweet Maple" now finished!

  1. #1
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    WIP - "Acero Dolce" or "Sweet Maple" now finished!

    When I posted "A burly gloat" on some box elder burl I bought from Northwoods, I noted that Les threw in a piece of spalted BLM burl. Steve Schlumpf really liked the BLM piece, as did I. I decided it would be the subject of my next turning.

    Jon Prouty asked if I would post some pics of the work in progress, so, here goes. This will take a few days, as my shop time has been a little spotty. It will also take some space and several posts.

    David Reed observed that this piece might be a little soft - and, it was. It didn't feel that way when I first got the wood, and it passed my "fingernail" test for punkiness. When I got into it, there was a fair amount of "crumbly" wood. But, we will make the best of it!

    This is the chunk of BLM - about 6" x 8" x 3" thick. I band sawed it to a 6" round.
    1 SPALTED BLM BURL.JPG
    This is the sketch of the turning.
    2 SKETCH.JPG
    I am quite sure my methods lack a lot, but just some general comments about how I go about this. I keep a sketch pad by my easy chair, and when I am feeling creative, I will make several quick sketches and I leave them there to be pondered over the next few days. Some just don't work for me, and others do. If they "make the grade" then I will convert them to 1/4" grid paper. I wish I could use Illustrator like David D. does - would be so neat. He has provided me some other technical ideas that include a digital "sketch pad" that will save a file in format compatible with Illustrator and other programs. That is on the "someday" list!

    I try to do something different with each turning - a little different form, or a different style finial, etc. Generally, I do not have in mind the wood to use for it until after the sketch is done. However, I did this sketch specifically for this piece of wood.

    The rule of thirds is used as much as possible, and in this case, the thinnest part of the pedestal is at the 2/3 point. Likewise, the widest diameter of the form is at the 2/3 point.

    Usually, a pedestal just doesn't look right being the same height as the form, but with this shape, it seemed to look OK. You all may differ on that, and that is OK. I have found that folks really view these things differently. Seems the shape of the form can really play games with the rule of thirds - requiring one to account for the shifted mass of the form.

    I also try to make sure the protruding elements of the finial touch a fair curve coming off the shoulder of the piece, and that is the faint curved line drawn on the top. The thought on this one was to have a black pedestal/finial to pick up on the spalt lines.

    The first step, in order to preserve as much thickness as possible, was to glue on a waste block. I keep on my bench several 2+" disks of poplar, maple, or whatever scrap wood I have around. I marked the center of the BLM, and with a compass, marked a circle a little larger than the waste block. I marked the center of the waste block, and with Titebond, I clamped the block on the BLM and left it overnight. By the time I decided to do this thread, I had already roughed out the form.

    3 WASTE TENON.JPG

    When I am getting the shape of the form, I have the sketch lying on my lathe for reference. I also use a set of calipers for various dimensions on the piece in critical locations or transition points.

    4 SKETCH AND FORMING.JPG

    Here the piece is generally shaped - leaving plenty of "meat" at the base for hollowing. I already know the final shape and dimensions, so when I hollow, I will hollow to the "imaginary" final form.

    5 GENERAL SHAPING.JPG

    Before hollowing, I use a 3/8" electrician's bit to drill out the center to final depth. This gets rid of the center nub.

    6 DRILLING.JPG

    I use a Monster hollowing rig, and I didn't document that process. It is rather mundane - kind of like watching grass grow!

    This is the hollowed form - sanded to 400 and with several coats of lacquer thinned with acetone. I had a very difficult time getting a clean cut for the finial shelf. This is where the punkiness really created issues. A lot of the inside of this form came out in granules the size of instant coffee, and the area around the opening was really soft and wanted to break out on me.

    7 HOLLOWED 1.JPG

    And, this is the hollowed form from the side.

    8 HOLLOWED 2.JPG

    More to come.....

  2. #2
    I'm hearing Miyagi... "Make lika picha..."

    This is looking like another Keeton "classic". Unmistakable form and knockout material. I love seeing these things come to life step by step...
    David DeCristoforo

  3. #3
    just wondering, is your sketch done full size so you can take measurements off the sketch with the caliper?

  4. #4
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    After hollowing, I bring the form to final shape, leaving a 3/8" tenon on the bottom. It is completely sanded, and then I apply several coats of thinned lacquer to the remainder of the form. When applying the lacquer, I let it soak in for a few seconds, and wipe off the excess. This was a method I picked up from Jamie Donaldson, and it works very well with lacquer. Most of my forms are finished with WOP, however, I wanted to preserve the color of this wood as much as possible, and I also want to end up with a satin finish that appears "in the wood". The form will be sawed off at this point - note that the stub tenon that is to be glued into the pedestal is actually part of the waste wood.

    9 FINAL SHAPE.JPG

    "Waste not - want not!" I leveled off the remainder of the waste block and will reuse it at some point.

    10 SAVING WASTE BLOCK.JPG

    I chose holly for the pedestal and finial - mostly because I have a lot of it, and the base on this piece is 2" in diameter. I have limited stock of Blackwood that is 2" or better. The stock is rounded, and a tenon is made for the chuck - in this case, I will use a chuck with 25 mm jaws that are serrated - not dovetailed.

    It doesn't show in this pic, but I am using a drive center held in the chuck jaws.

    11 ROUGH CYLINDER.JPG
    Since accessing the bottom of the pedestal will be difficult once it is done, I do most of the detailing at this point - leaving an area for the chuck to snug up against. The tenon and center area will be removed later.

    12 FINISHING BOTTOM.JPG

    The piece is then flipped and chucked in the smaller chuck jaws. I only need 3" of this piece, but I have a use for the remainder later on, and a tenon is cut on the waste portion, and the waste is parted off.

    13 PARTING OFF PEDESTAL.JPG

    Then, I turn a smooth face on the surface of the piece. This is the top, and I want to have it very slightly concave to assure that it closes up tight on the bottom of the form. A 3/8" hole is drilled for the stub tenon on the form.

    15 PEDESTAL TOP.JPG

    I check the fit of the form to make sure I will get a tight glue line, and then I mark the diameter of the base of the form on the pedestal stock.

    14 MARKING PEDESTAL TOP.JPG

    The tailstock is pulled up to the holly with medium pressure. The pedestal is then taken down to final dimensions with the exception of leaving just a very slight "fudge factor" on the top where it mates to the form.

    16 FORMING PEDESTAL.JPG

    More to come....

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by charlie knighton View Post
    just wondering, is your sketch done full size so you can take measurements off the sketch with the caliper?
    Yes, Charlie, the sketch is actual size, on 1/4" grid paper. I do use calipers for fractional dimensions straight from the sketch.

  6. #6
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    John, as some previous commenter said that looks to be a Keaton classic. Can't wait to see it finished and love that BLM coloring.

    Quote Originally Posted by John Keeton View Post
    This is the hollowed form - sanded to 400 and with several coats of lacquer thinned with acetone. I had a very difficult time getting a clean cut for the finial shelf. This is where the punkiness really created issues. A lot of the inside of this form came out in granules the size of instant coffee, and the area around the opening was really soft and wanted to break out on me...
    I can relate to "granules". That is exactly how my spalted maple turns. With this one and this one I used a lot of CA to spot stabilize and with this one I treated it with heat activated stabilizing resin (Cactus Juice). For being able to turn the wood the resin treatment is my prefered method but CA still has it's place. The difference between CA and resin is the resin turns ok but very "dusty" where as the CA turns more like plastic.
    ____________________________________________
    JD at J&J WoodSmithing
    Owingsville, Kentucky

    "The best things in life are not things."

  7. #7
    OMG... OMG!!! In the second pic... Is that.... no, no... it can't be... there on the lathe bed... look... see it? Is that a little pile of sawdust???
    It can't be.... Noooooo!!!!
    David DeCristoforo

  8. #8
    David, i see the sawdust, but look in photo #8; there appears to be scratches on the revolving center, i thought i was the only one who had scratched their revolving center

  9. #9
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    The form is then placed on the tenon and held with light tailstock pressure. This form is hollowed to less than 1/8" and has marginal integrity because of the nature of the spalted wood.

    17 BLENDING FORM AND PEDESTAL.JPG

    I turn the piece at about 600rpm at this point and "marry" the two into an homogenous form with a flowing curve. The "union" - both the bottom of the form and the pedestal are sanded to 400 and an index mark is made on the form and pedestal. This will come in handy later as these things seem to never be truly concentric due to the hole or tenon not being exactly true. A millimeter goes a long way when one has a joint like this.

    18 INDEX MARK.JPG
    Then, that waste portion from the holly mentioned earlier is chucked.

    19 PEDESTAL WASTE.JPG
    And, a 3/8" drive tenon is turned on the end. This will be used to drive the pedestal to finish the bottom. Much of the "process" of doing things like this come from making mistakes - I try not to repeat them if I can avoid it!

    20 DRIVE STUB.JPG
    Then, the pedestal is flipped and the drive tenon is inserted into the top of the pedestal and the tailstock is brought up to the previous center mark on the bottom. The small of the pedestal is just under 1/4" and is fairly solid, but one only needs light tailstock pressure here - just enough to create enough friction to drive the piece.

    21 DRIVE STUB 2.JPG

    More to come.......

  10. #10
    Oh yes... this is gonna be a beaut! Light tailstock pressure indeed! I've managed to break more than a few pieces with that setup!
    David DeCristoforo

  11. #11
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    The bottom of the pedestal is finished as much as possible and sanded. It isn't shown in the pic, but the tenon is taken as far down as I dare take it keeping in mind the only thing holding the other end is friction against the drive tenon. If the nub under the tailstock breaks off at this point, the piece will break.

    22 FINAL FINISH BOTTOM.JPG
    A little plug here for the neat stuff I get from Vince - this is a little 1" sanding mandrel which works like a charm to sand the bottoms of pieces. I have 1" disks at 80, 120 and 180. One can hand sand from there.

    23 SANDING MANDREL.JPG

    This is the finished bottom of the pedestal.

    24 PEDESTAL BOTTOM.JPG

    And, at this point, there was a change of plans!!! I consulted with 1/3 of my design team - Ms. Keeton (Schlumpf is the other third, but I didn't want to bother him with this one!), and decided that I would leave the holly natural, so here it is glued up to the form, and another coat of lacquer on everything.

    25 FORM AND PEDESTAL.JPG

    Tomorrow is another day....

  12. #12
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    Guys, believe it or not, I actually do not sweep up DURING a turning. It is a difficult call, but I normally wait until I am done!

    David, thanks for the comments. It will be different, but then, most of them are these days! Some work, some don't.

    And, Charlie, I really do not like the aluminum cone on the Jet live center - I would love to have a new setup and will eventually get one, I suspect. There are a couple of options out there that have a chuck adapter so that a chuck can be mounted on the live center. I had that before with the Delta and it comes in handy.

    JD, this wood turned OK, but getting the clean cut at the mouth was troublesome. If it had spalted another month, I think it would have been too far gone.

  13. #13
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    This is without a doubt the greatest thread ever. Already you've answered about 8 "How do they do that questions?" Thanks for taking the time to do this John.

  14. #14
    very nice, thanks for the process pictures, i know how much of a pain it is to take pictures when you are concentrating on the form

    i assume the finial will also be left natural?

  15. #15
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    Looks pretty cool so far, John! It reminds me a bit of an atomic cloud at this point. Bold move keeping the holly au natural, but I like where you're headed with this one.

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