Sticks and Stones

[Bob Way]

I don't have many opportunities to participate in the forums I enjoy, but one of my New Year's resolutions was to take the time and correct that oversight.

My sons and daughters (“in-law”) went in together and gave me two very nice blocks of Alabaster. I quartered one of the chunks, and turned this vase. Another piece is in the works and I'm not quite sure what it will be yet, but when done both will be re-gifted back to them. It’s 4” in diameter, 6” tall and is made from alabaster, bloodwood, and hard maple. As always, I appreciate you taking the time to look, and enjoy your thoughts and comments.

[Ted Calver]

Bob, This is a great piece!! I like the combination of materials and the color and form are very appealing. Is wood movement a player in this kind of work?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Very nicely done Bob! Very, very elegant!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Bob - the first word that came to mind - Classy! Great form! Excellent use of color! I am sure whoever receives this as a gift will treasure it! Very nice work! Looking forward to seeing more of your turnings!

[Dan Oliphant]

Good golly that is gorgeous, What a wonderful piece.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Bob that is a beautiful, elegant piece.

[Jack Mincey]

Bob,
Outstanding work, glad you took the time to share it with us.
Jack

[Paul Douglass]

That is one of the prettiest pieces I have seen... EVER. WOW!

[Brian Effinger]

That is really beautiful, Bob. I'm sure whomever receives that will treasure it forever. :)

I have a question though. Do you just glue the wood to the stone, or is there some other method?

[Allen Schmid]

Bob,
What a classic design style! That is a very pleasing piece to look at and the added wood ring is exceptional, too. Nice work.
Allen

[Bob Way]

Thank you for taking the time to take a look and for sharing your comments. I value your opinions.

Ted - the wood movement is a factor. The expansion and contraction of solid wood would cause the stone to crack. That's more of a visual flaw than a functional one. So, the foot and the feature ring are segmented constructions following Malcolm's and Kurt's advice to keep the grain running in the same direction to help minimize the effects of any movement.

Brian - the wood is glued to the stone. In this case there are three different kinds of adhesive used. Weldbond was used to attach the foot and the bottom veneer ring to the stone body. It's a little more flexible and will help with the wood movement issues. The feature ring layers were made with Titebond to help achieve the appearance of tight segment joints. The top stone lip was attached to the feature ring with epoxy. Weldbond tends to soften under the heat generated when turning the stone and can create some adhesion issues. The tradeoff with the epoxy is there will be a slightly thicker glue line.

Thanks again, all, for your comments.

[David Walser]

Sweeeeet. Bob, thanks for sharing. That's a wonderful piece and is another thing for me to aspire to learning how to do.

[Steve Campbell]

Absolutely stunning. Love it. Do you use carbide tools to work that?

Steve

[Wyatt Holm]

I liked that when I saw that earlier, so I went and made a hollow form out of talc. It turned out ok, but the wood is so soft it scratches easily. What kind of tools and how is the workability on that alabaster?
Wyatt

[Dave Halter]

I like everything about it. Does that create quite a dust storm when turning?

Dave

[Dewey Torres]

Gallery bound for sure!

[Scott Conners]

Absolutely gorgeous!

[Leo Van Der Loo]

That is simply gorgeous Bob, .........and some nice rock WOW.

[Jim Becker]

That's a sweet little piece, Bob!

[Peter Lamb]

Very excellant!!

[Steve Mawson]

Really nice. Would certainly be interested in a tutorial if you have the time.

[Bob Way]

Thanks, again, for all of your kind comments. This piece is really just a compilation of what I have seen and learned from wood and stone turners who frequent the forums. Certainly, you all were a part of that.

Steve – I do use carbide tools that I made for the stone parts, and my normal high speed steel for the wood elements. It can be done with high-speed steel, but the stone dulls them almost immediately and then begins wearing down the cutting edge. That makes regrinding them for wood turning a major effort. And I’m a lazy guy at heart.

Wyatt – I’m glad you turned the talc. Max Krimmel and Steve “Spike” Finch are two names worth looking up. A couple of masters and great resources. Talc is the softest of the stones being about a 1 – 1.5 on the MOHS scale. Alabaster is a bit harder being about a 2 – 3. There is a slight difference in the feel when turning them similar to what we run into with some of the woods we turn. Both will scratch, and I tend to scratch mine up using calipers to measure wall thickness while it’s on the lathe. The scratches sand out easily, though. To avoid them after the piece is done, a couple of coats of surface finish that dries to a harder film helps. Lacquer and the wipe on polyurethanes work well. That way your finished piece can be handled without too much risk.

Dave – I had heard the dust storm mentioned and it scared me away for some time because I have a basement shop. However, I don’t think it’s all that bad. Stone is heavier than wood, so most of it tends to pile up all over the banjo, the lathe ways, and through the opening onto the surface below. That said, though, I do have a dust collector hose mounted behind the lathe which I position behind the piece when turning and sanding. That collects a lot of it. There is a little that does get airborne and settles on nearby surfaces. By far, the biggest problem I have with it is tracking it around on the bottom of my shoes. I have received more than one rather energetic reminder to change my shoes before coming upstairs.

Thanks, again.

[Jim Kountz]

Whoa nice piece!! That is very interesting and you did a heck of a job with it!!

[Wyatt Holm]

When I turned talc it was OK. I just had to not squeeze to hard with the chuck, or it would crush the tenon. That is why I want to try alabaster.

[Bob Way]

Gotcha. Alabaster would probably crush in the chuck as well. Most of the stone is mounted to a wood block that either fits a faceplate or is turned beforehand to fit the jaws of a chuck. Then just flatten a face of the stone and attach to the block for the faceplate or chuck.

[curtis rosche]

that is an awsome peice. the stone almost looks like a spualted wood or a burl

[Toney Robertson]

Very nice.

I don't know if I have the guts to turn stone.

Well done.

Toney