Special woodturning project

[Mark Greenbaum]

OK, folks, I have decided that a special friend of our family deserves a special gift. Next month she will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah, so I have chosen to make her a treasure box. I have selected a piece of the fallen spalted silver maple as the lower portion. I have preformed the diameter which is about 10", and it'll be about 5" thick when I am done. I check moisture with HF moisture meter, and on the fresh cut ends it's about 10%. I've since placed it in a plastic bag with dry sawdust to try to help it get to an even 8% MC. I plan to add a rim of kiln dried walnut, and a lid of the walnut with a finial of ebonized walnut. I will also make a sterling silver horse to make a removable inlay to be worn as a pendant.

I will post some pictures as I proceed. But, will the silver maple at 8% be stable with no pith? If I add the rim of kiln dried walnut, with that help to minimize movement, or cause it to act worse?

If all else fails, the pendant will be a treasure gift, because she's an avid equestrian.

What thinks y'all (Nashville-speak)?

[John Keeton]

I would be surprised if you can get the silver maple to 8% in TN, but it is worth a try. Here in KY, if I can get air dried wood to 10% I am good with that. It should be stable, though any bowl form that large is subject to movement. I doubt the Walnut makes much difference. I would suggest that you may want to consider having silver maple on the rim of the lid so you have contrast. You could inset the walnut for the larger portion of the lid. With the Walnut rim on the bowl and a Walnut lid, you kind of lose the effect of the rim accent. Just a thought.

[Mark Greenbaum]

I would be surprised if you can get the silver maple to 8% in TN, but it is worth a try. Here in KY, if I can get air dried wood to 10% I am good with that. It should be stable, though any bowl form that large is subject to movement. I doubt the Walnut makes much difference. I would suggest that you may want to consider having silver maple on the rim of the lid so you have contrast. You could inset the walnut for the larger portion of the lid. With the Walnut rim on the bowl and a Walnut lid, you kind of lose the effect of the rim accent. Just a thought.

I am mainly trying to lock it down,and try to contain the movement safely. If I can do that, I will be happy. But the band that the joint between bottom and lid will be smallish. The lid will be really flat sloped so I can use about 1.5" material thickness. I am sort of shooting for a UFO type shape, but I'll see what the wood will let me do.

[Bob Bouis]

Rough it out and bring it indoors (though it may not be all that dry indoors this time of year). Failing that put it in a box with a light bulb on a humidistat.

[William C Rogers]

I would use a postal type scale and check weight. Once the weight doesn't change, then the wood has reached it equilibrium and won't get drier unless heat is a factor.

[Mark Greenbaum]

Rough it out and bring it indoors (though it may not be all that dry indoors this time of year). Failing that put it in a box with a light bulb on a humidistat.

It's been stored inside my heated garage for the past 6 months. The ends were painted and the bark was removed, and the flat face was face up to breathe. When I sawed with bandsaw to the circular preform no cracks started to appear. I'll turn it this weekend and see what happens. Other bowls from the same tree have been pretty well behaved, but have ovalized, because they were greener and also one had pith at the rim. My fingers are seriously crossed.

[Reed Gray]

I would rough turn it first, and let it sit for another month or three. Wood 'adjusts' to having bulk removed. It will also be subject to seasonal 'adjustment' as well. No tight fitting lids. If you are turning flat grain/bowl orientation, then warping will be oval, and up/down depending on where in the tree the board/blank was cut.

robo hippy

[Mark Greenbaum]

Reed:
I wish I had that amount of time. The event is March 18th. I will post a couple pictures of the blank tonight, and see what everyone thinks. I am sure the Sterling Silver Pendant and necklace would be a sufficient gift, but I really would like to incorporate my woodturning for her special day.

[John K Jordan]

If all else fails, the pendant will be a treasure gift, because she's an avid equestrian.

Mark, I can't respond to your drying/stability question for a lidded box other than to try to get it to the moisture close to it's final home (heated/air conditioned interior space, I assume), use end-grain turning if possible, design the lid to allow for a bit of movement (unlike a typical "woodturner's suction fit" I like to use a bit of taper), and finish well!

But for an avid equestrian here is a suggestion for something extra you can make, if not for now, for a later present. I've made a maybe 100 of these rider's crops, made to specs provided by a competition trainer so they can be used in the arena. I buy commercial crops and replace the rubber handle with a turned wooden handle.

Not difficult to make, can be stunning with good wood, and every one who gets one is excited - a couple put them on display. :-)

crops_fan_fp.jpg crops_2015_comp.jpg

I've made these for a hunter-jumper competition team, to sell, and for presents for friends and horse lovers such as the girls who come here and work with my horses.

olivia_english.jpg Olivia_seq_s.jpg

JKJ

[Mark Greenbaum]

John, those rider's crops are beautiful. I may have to make some of those. Where did you buy the crops to replace the handles?

I took a couple of pictures of the blank. It's about 9" diameter.
0222171756.jpg0222171757.jpg0222171757a.jpg

[Brice Rogers]

Mark, since you are on a tighter timeframe, I wonder if it would make sense to:
1. rough turn the piece
2. weigh it
3. microwave the piece a dozen times or so during a day or two (not letting it get too hot) and reweighing each time. If the weight doesn't change that would indicate that it is close to equilibrium moisture content.

I have done some microwaving but haven't done it when I would have to depend on it or am on a tight schedule.

[Mark Greenbaum]

Brice:
I could try the Microwaving scenario, but I think in my traditionally stubborn way, I'll turn the box, and laminate a walnut disk, and make the lip in that. Then turn a lid to match. If I fail, I'll learn not to try than again. The necklace will be the gift either way. I'll post pictures as I go along. The whole fam damily is going out of town for the weekend so I can play, and go Woodcraft if I need to.

[John K Jordan]

John, those rider's crops are beautiful. I may have to make some of those. Where did you buy the crops to replace the handles?

Thanks! I bought the crops from State Line Tack (Short Jump Bat SLT731073), about $3.50 in quantity. Do you ever get over towards Knoxville? If so, I'm just a little north (near Clinton) - I could give you a State Line crop and we could even make a handle. (I have a bunch already made, too.) Or if you'd like, drop me a PM and I'll send you instructions on how I make these.

Did you go to TAW symposium? I carried one around there and whacked a few people with it. It had a Brazilian Rosewood handle so it was special!

JKJ

[John K Jordan]

Brice:
I could try the Microwaving scenario, but I think in my traditionally stubborn way, I'll turn the box, and laminate a walnut disk, and make the lip in that. Then turn a lid to match. If I fail, I'll learn not to try than again. The necklace will be the gift either way. I'll post pictures as I go along. The whole fam damily is going out of town for the weekend so I can play, and go Woodcraft if I need to.

Should work!

If you want to try the tapered lip, after making a prototype this is what I did for my last Beads of Courage boxes. You might be able to see the angle of the taper in the upper left picture, fairly severe. A matching taper inside the lid lets the kid replace the lid without the least need for accuracy, actually giving nearly 1/2" of "slop" which goes to zero as the lid falls into place. I chose an overhanging lip for this one. The taper automatically takes care of any minor movement in the box/bowl/lid.

BOC_A_comp.jpg

This one, obviously, was laminated from three pieces, cherry and basswood, so I could chip-carve the words. I used the Harvey Meyer method of partially hollowing each piece before the glue-up, aligning the grain direction on each layer.

I've used microwaving before and it does work, just have to be real careful not to set the blank on fire inside! Also, using the shop microwave oven may minimize spousal discord...

JKJ

[Mark Greenbaum]

Thanks! I bought the crops from State Line Tack (Short Jump Bat SLT731073), about $3.50 in quantity. Do you ever get over towards Knoxville? If so, I'm just a little north (near Clinton) - I could give you a State Line crop and we could even make a handle. (I have a bunch already made, too.) Or if you'd like, drop me a PM and I'll send you instructions on how I make these.

Did you go to TAW symposium? I carried one around there and whacked a few people with it. It had a Brazilian Rosewood handle so it was special!

JKJ

Yes, I was attending and on the Planning Committee for TAW. My first Symposium, but I was only there on Saturday.