looking for Curt Fuller' plan to make bell dscorations

[Wally Wenzel]

Can any one point me to the article by Curt for making bell ornaments?
Wally

[John Keeton]

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....rnaments/page3

[John Keeton]

Wally, I thought it was interesting that you made a similar inquiry in 2012! 😄

[Wally Wenzel]

John, I don't remember that ,eight years is a long ago I was only 84 then so there is no excuse for forgetting something.

Wally

[John K Jordan]

I really liked the look of Curt's bells the last time I read this, but never got around to making one with his technique. Maybe it's time this year! Thanks for the reminder.

Wally, based on maybe 15 years of making bell ornaments myself, I have one recommendation: add a clapper inside. When I give someone a bell ornament they always look inside then "ring" the bell. I hang the little wooden clapper from a wire. The sound it makes is more of a click than a tone but having it adds a dimension and maybe a bit of fun for the giftee.

I turned an acrylic bell for this one and you can see the clapper through the plastic:

acrylic_ornament_green_bell.jpg

It's hard to take a good picture of inside the a bell so I cut this one in half to show how I put it together:

bells_cutaway_IMG_5169.jpg

I usually use a piece of brass wire to hang the clapper but since I took that picture I've simplified and just glue the end of the wire into a small hole drilled into the top of the clapper. This still requires the two loops at the top to make a pivot but there is an even simpler way - instead of the wire use something flexible like a fishing line, glued into hole in the top and bottom.

To put this together, I make the handle in two parts so I can assemble things then glue a tenon on a connector part into a hole drilled in the bottom of the handle. The connector could be eliminated by gluing the flexible connector directly into the bottom of the tenon on the handle. (But the connector does look nice inside!)

This crude drawing shows the pieces:

handbell_ornament_diagram-3.jpg

A bell ornament, of course, would be great even without the clapper, but adding one may be something to consider. I've probably made at least 50 this way. Now I need to try one with Curt Fuller's inspiration! I have a stack of veneer sheets of various thicknesses and colors which are calling to me.

JKJ

[Paul Williams]

I have made several using Curt's design. They are always well received gifts. Non-turners often spend a lot of time trying to figure out how you do the plywood design effect. It is a pretty simple process with a great look.