Turning some miniatures

[Damon McLaughlin]

With some inspirations from another turner here I decided to do some practicing with a skew which I used for the outside shape and some beads. I used a small spindle gouge and a home made tool for some hollowing. I don't have a whole lot of wood and what I hand on hand for these were some small pieces of unknown hardwoods that I had found. Comments and critiques welcome.

I was actually just playing around with the skew and ended up shaping this. I liked it enough that I decided to go ahead and finish it out. Its a small lidded bowl not much bigger than a dime.

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Another lidded hollow form, unknown wood for the HF, gaboon ebony for the lid. I didn't have a tool small enough to hollow this out so I ended up taking a nail, shaping it on the grinder and while holding it with a pair of pliers I took very delicate cuts. The outside was done with the skew, the beads I started with the skew and lightly shaped with the same nail. It is about the same diameter as a quarter and stands 1 3/4" tall

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Pauduk with maple (I had some bleeding into the maple, lesson learned). Stands about an inch tall
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Top made from blue pine, about 2" tall (not quite a miniature)
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[William C Rogers]

Those are very nice. I like the first lidded bowl. We all learn about pauduk and bleeding. I want to turn some minatures sometime. I save all my exotic scrap wood for this purpose. I usually use the flat concrete nails to make tools for really small things.

[Robert Hayward]

Very nice ! I like turning miniature stuff also. Almost seems a waste to stand at a 3520b and do a 1 1/2" birdhouse or some such. I do it anyway.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Nice pieces David, they can be fun to make, I’ve tuned some while away from home, taking a midi lathe along and a pocket full of small pieces of wood.

The bigger ones you can turn with the regular small tools, but for the real small ones and the boxes and hollow forms you do need tools that are made for this miniature work.

I used all kinds of steel concrete nails and long screwdriver tips, sewing machine steel and pieces of HSS, allen wrenches etc., copper pipe for ferules.

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[Thom Sturgill]

Nice. I too turn miniatures and they are addicting. Need higher speed the smaller you go. I bought a Proxxon micro lathe, wished later that had gotten the Taig and rigged a speed control. Like Leo, I have made a number of special tools. I bought some 1/8" and 1/16" drill rod and ground and hardened tools. I also made a small set with handles and a rack as a joke.

[Allan Ferguson]

looking good. have fun with it.

[John K Jordan]

Excellent (and fun) pieces, David! Hey, don't forget to sign them - they will be worth a fortune when you are famous some day.

I get a lot of enjoyment from turning small. Turning tiny things is also a fantastic way to build skills. Watch out, you may end up with better fine tool control than some long-time turners who are afraid of the skew!


Just for fun, I once jotted down some advantages of turning small things.

Can make the hobby less expensive.
- wood is cheaper per turned item
- several small exotic blanks can be WAY cheaper by volume than a single large exotic blank
- small turning tools are less expensive
- tools can often be made for free or cheap
- need way less sandpaper and finish
- need to buy fewer sandpaper grits (seldom need coarse grits)
- in the case of a turning disaster less time and money is wasted!

Turning small can improve tool control, especially from turning spindles
(I have references if anyone is curious)

Turning small can be quicker
- far quicker to make a ornament than a big hollow form!
- quicker from tree to turning
- drying time is quick for small blanks compared to big blanks
- less time sharpening (a 1/4" skew is a lot quicker to sharpen than a 1" skew)

Can be easier.
- perfect short curves are easier than perfect long curves
- higher speeds on small pieces can give a better surface
- easier to sand, finish
- easier to get dry wood (for things like boxes)

Can be safer and healthier.
- a miniature coming off the lathe can't break your face like a 16" bowl.
- no big, scary catches (nice little respectable catches instead!)
- very little sanding dust
- finger-light touch, less tiring, less physical strain (no tiring grip needed as with a big hollow form)
- can turn sitting instead of standing (if tired, recovering from injury, mobility impaired)
- no back strain from 60 lb chunks

Can be done in less space.
- equipment can be smaller if necessary
- can set up a turning studio in an RV or apartment
- less space needed for big tools and wood storage
- can keep a much wider variety of species in the same space!
- can use smaller chucks, bandsaw, tool rests

Less waste.
- if wood is hard to get, less of the tree may be wasted

For someone who likes to make things to sell,
- cost of materials is lower and time to market is quicker
- shipping is cheaper
- display space needed is less
- the potential market is wider with smaller things than for huge, expensive things
(Doesn't much matter if that amazing hollow form is worth $6000 if you can't find a buyer)

Easier to introduce woodturning to more people
- a Jet mini and accessories are easier to haul to a school or scout group or a mall than a big Oneway
- a short demonstration with a small piece is better than hours to make a big piece
- the safety issues of turning a pen in public are less than those of a big bowl

It is easier to spread the joy - you can make far more people happy!
- it is easier to give away a turned box than a huge vessel made from a very expensive chunk of wood
- little things like finger tops are prized by kids of all ages and are great conversation starters
(carrying a pocket full of tops has actually lead to some long-term friendships for me!)
- I can make and give away several smaller things in the time it takes me to make one big thing
- People LOVE small, exquisitely made things - they may not even have room for that 24" bowl!
(I have one 12x12 block of bubinga I could turn into 1 bowl, 16 lidded boxes, or 170 finger tops)

You can be rich and famous! (well, maybe not rich...)

Note there is one particular disadvantage of turning small things instead of large: the visual impact of wood with large, sweeping figure is lost on small turnings. What might look great on a platter is wasted on a pen.

JKJ

[Damon McLaughlin]

I enjoy doing larger things like bowls, platters and lidded boxes when I can find larger pieces of wood. I'm finding that I now enjoy turning really small stuff as I have a lot of little pieces of wood. And its been a good way for me to develop my turning skills without going through a lot of wood.