todays 450 lb Sycamore Rough out

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Todays rought out. It's a aprox. 450 lb piece of Sycamore. This is a jointly done piece by both me & my friend. We turned it on his Roust lathe. :D We got it rough shaped & had to call it a day.:mad: We'll try to get it hollowed somtime in the next week or two. This was a very wet job as it threw water everywhere!! It was just cut down just a few days ago.

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Todays rought out. It's a aprox. 450 lb piece of Sycamore. This is a jointly done piece by both me & my friend. We turned it on his Roust lathe. :D We got it rough shaped & had to call it a day.:mad: We'll try to get it hollowed somtime in the next week or two. This was a very wet job as it threw water everywhere!! It was just cut down just a few days ago.

I know the pic's show 2 different dates. My camera's date changes dates at noon instead of midnight!!

[Allen Neighbors]

Wow, Joe! Found a tree to turn, did you?
I suppose, having that lathe, and turning that large of a piece, that you're taking precautions against checking, now that you have the outside turned? Please tell us what you have done in that regard.
Another question I have for you... how are you going to hold that monster to hollow it? Will you put it on a face plate? Will you use a steady rest around the neck?
Do you have a Monster Hollowing Rig?
The size of that just astounds me!! And I thought my 150# piece was large...
You and your friend got guts!! :D

[Ted Calver]

An impressive piece! When finished, will it stand by itself or rest in a holder of some sort like an amphora?

[Bernie Weishapl]

Joe can't wait to see that thing finished. I thought my 100 lb piece was big but it doesn't hole a candle.

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Wow, Joe! Found a tree to turn, did you?
I suppose, having that lathe, and turning that large of a piece, that you're taking precautions against checking, now that you have the outside turned? Please tell us what you have done in that regard.
Another question I have for you... how are you going to hold that monster to hollow it? Will you put it on a face plate? Will you use a steady rest around the neck?
Do you have a Monster Hollowing Rig?
The size of that just astounds me!! And I thought my 150# piece was large...
You and your friend got guts!! :D
Allen
We gave the piece a wash coat of bleach & water, let dry and caoted the whole piece in anchorseal, put it in a large garbage bag & put it outside in the cold. (still in the 20' here) this should keep it from checking.
The piece will be held in a chuck and we will use a steady rest to hollow it.
No we will not use a Monster Hollowing rig.
As to size we frequently turn pieces in the 300 to 4oo plus lb size range.

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Wow, Joe! Found a tree to turn, did you?
I suppose, having that lathe, and turning that large of a piece, that you're taking precautions against checking, now that you have the outside turned? Please tell us what you have done in that regard.
Another question I have for you... how are you going to hold that monster to hollow it? Will you put it on a face plate? Will you use a steady rest around the neck?
Do you have a Monster Hollowing Rig?
The size of that just astounds me!! And I thought my 150# piece was large...
You and your friend got guts!! :D
Allen
Yes percautions to pervent checking were taken, This is rarely a problem with our methods.
After turning we gave the piece a wash coat of a deluited bleach & water, after this drys we coat it in Anchor seal,after the sealer has dried we put it in a large garbage bag then either put it in a freezer or outside if it's cold enough. This will keep it from checking until we get back to them.
The piece will be held by a chuck or hollowing, & yes we will use a steady rest too.
No we do not use the Monster hollowing rig.
My friend & I frequently turn very large pieces in to 300 to 400 lb plus range. ( I don't recomend this size turning though if you don't have the equiptment for it)

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

An impressive piece! When finished, will it stand by itself or rest in a holder of some sort like an amphora?
Ted
It will stand by it's self.

[alex carey]

That is so amazingly cool. I have always wanted to turn something that size. Sooner or later I'll get my hands on wood that big but for now I guess im limited to stuff in the 100 pound range. Awesome turning and cool pics. Please keep posting those because they are very inspiring.

Alex

[Jack Giovo]

Wow - neat- that thing is HUGE - at what kind of speed is that thing turning at rough and balanced?:eek:

Jack

[Steve Schlumpf]

Joe - like the others - I am most impressed with the overall size and weight of the wood you are turning! I know you have been turning quite a few of these very large pieces and am curious as to how well the bearings in the lathe are holding up?

[charlie knighton]

WOW, whenever ya get a chance please show us the piece with the steady rest setup. and ya say no hallowing rig?????? impressive

[Jeff Nicol]

Todays rought out. It's a aprox. 450 lb piece of Sycamore. This is a jointly done piece by both me & my friend. We turned it on his Roust lathe. :D We got it rough shaped & had to call it a day.:mad: We'll try to get it hollowed somtime in the next week or two. This was a very wet job as it threw water everywhere!! It was just cut down just a few days ago.
Joe, Very nice shape on the big vase! You must have some very long heavy handled hollowing tools to combat catching that deep in the piece though,right? The shop you are working in looks like it has all the goodies you would need to get the job done! In the one picture there is a gentleman hollowing something on another lathe, how many lathes in the shop! Where do you sell the big behemoth turnings? Lots of questions but inquiring minds what to know!

Thanks and great work!

Jeff

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

WOW, whenever ya get a chance please show us the piece with the steady rest setup. and ya say no hallowing rig?????? impressive
Charlie
I said that we do not use the Monster Brand of hollowing rig. I did not say that we don't use a hollowing rig.

[Kaptan J.W. Meek]

That is awesome.. my experience with sycamore was wet as well. It seems to hold an enourmous amount of water when it's fresh green.. but I also experienced alot of movement.. fortunaltly not alot of checking, but trying to cut spindle pieces on the table saw, I could actually watch it warp!.. I could see the "Middle" of the piece about 16" long grow away from the fence! Good luck with that monster... If it goes well, it will be fantastic.

[Cody Colston]

Wow. I guess you use a 55 gal. drum for the DNA soak, huh? :D

[Kirk Miller]

Joe that is an amazing piece of work. I hope you post pics of the hollowing process and the finished product. You should sell some of those pics to Robust as a testament for the capacity of their lathes.

Keep us posted on progress

Kirk

[Dewey Torres]

Man,
I bet that baby sent you to the sharpener a few times.:eek:

[Brian Brown]

That's impressive. I'm so inspired, I think I will go out today and turn one even bigger on my mini lathe.:D I can do it...I'm sure I can!

[Burt Alcantara]

Joe,
You implied that you do use a hollowing rig. If that's the case, which one, or what is it?

Thanks,
Burt

[Don Carter]

Joe:
I can't wait to see this monster finished. Show us the pics of this thing when your done.

All the best.

Don

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Joe - like the others - I am most impressed with the overall size and weight of the wood you are turning! I know you have been turning quite a few of these very large pieces and am curious as to how well the bearings in the lathe are holding up?
Steve
So far so Good with the bearings. So far there is no signs of any wear, no play or noise at all.

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Wow. I guess you use a 55 gal. drum for the DNA soak, huh? :D
Never use the stuff. air dry only.

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

That is awesome.. my experience with sycamore was wet as well. It seems to hold an enourmous amount of water when it's fresh green.. but I also experienced alot of movement.. fortunaltly not alot of checking, but trying to cut spindle pieces on the table saw, I could actually watch it warp!.. I could see the "Middle" of the piece about 16" long grow away from the fence! Good luck with that monster... If it goes well, it will be fantastic.
This is the 1st time turnig Sycamore, so were not sure what to expect as far as movement & checking. But were keeping our fingers crossed:)

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Man,
I bet that baby sent you to the sharpener a few times.:eek:
Dewy
Actually I sharpened before I started the turning and did not resharpen at all during the turning process.:)

[Tom Sontag]

Plain sawn sycamore boards move a LOT when drying. Obviously this correlates with the high water content and also the interlocking grain. Fortunately, your piece balances the forces by centering the pith. My guess is that you will be fine until you hollow it; then you will get a distinctly oval shape.

[Tom Storey]

Hi Joe. That looks like a lot of fun and, like the rest, I'd like to see a picture when it is chucked and ready for hollowing. Sounds like you are not in a hurry to tell us, who are really curious, what hollowing system you will use :D;)

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Hi Joe. That looks like a lot of fun and, like the rest, I'd like to see a picture when it is chucked and ready for hollowing. Sounds like you are not in a hurry to tell us, who are really curious, what hollowing system you will use :D;)
Tom
We use a hollowing system that is designed & built by my friend. It's a captured boring bar system that uses two 1 1/8" dia. bars, and a free standing capture trap system.

[Skip Spaulding]

Joe, that is amazing! You have got me thinking, my neighbor has this 50+" dia. tree and if I take the drive train from my wife's car----.
Can't wait to see the finished product. I do envy you guys with the big lathes and the ambition for projects like yours. Thanks for the pictures.

[Larry Edgerton]

Steve
So far so Good with the bearings. So far there is no signs of any wear, no play or noise at all.


A friend of mine is going to sell a huge old Oliver, If you are interested I'll PM his number.

[Jim Kountz]

Holy cow!! Now thats a hunk right there. But seriously Joe when are you going to try a LARGE turning!!

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

WOW, whenever ya get a chance please show us the piece with the steady rest setup. and ya say no hallowing rig?????? impressive
Charlie
Here's the piece set up for hollowing. Hope this helps. Joe:)

[Don Carter]

Wow! Joe, that is very impressive. I can't wait to see that thing finished. You are going to show us a pic, right?;)
All the best.

Don

[Bill Bolen]

Very impressive Joe! You may not use a monster brand hollowing system but you still use a MONSTER hollowing system! Wish you guys were down the road I'd love to watch the action. Goodluck with the piece...Bill...

[Kirk Miller]

Joe, that is amazing! You have got me thinking, my neighbor has this 50+" dia. tree and if I take the drive train from my wife's car----.
Can't wait to see the finished product. I do envy you guys with the big lathes and the ambition for projects like yours. Thanks for the pictures.

Hey Skip Trust me on this.........Stay away from your neigbors tree........Unless he is a drinking man then invite him over for some whiskey, and lots of it........then the tree is all yours..........:D Your on your own with the wives car............:eek:

[alex carey]

very cool picture, I too wish you were down the road, I'd love to see that done.

[Gary Max]

What kinda wall thickness will a piece that large have?
Any chance of seeing a pic of the cutter that is used on the boring system??

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

I finally finished the hollowing of this piece. ( it now weighs in at 20 lbs & it's still green). I couldn't believe how translucent this piece was:eek: I hollowed it to about 3/8" inch thick & you could see light through it:confused: I don't know if all sycamore is like this or not as this was the 1st piece I ever turned. Might have somthing to do with being so wet. I started it within days of the tree being cut down.
I don't know but I'm guessing that after the piece dries it won't be able to see light through it.
Has anyone else had this experince with sycamore???
Joe

[Gary Max]

Joe ---I turn a lot of sycamore (not that big)
If it was mine----get it wiped down with a good oil---danish oil.
This will help stablize the wood by slowing down the drying process.
What does the cutter look like on your bar??????

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Joe ---I turn a lot of sycamore (not that big)
If it was mine----get it wiped down with a good oil---danish oil.
This will help stablize the wood by slowing down the drying process.
What does the cutter look like on your bar??????
Gary
I use a Rolly Munro cutter head. I made a adaptor out of 5/8" steel bar to attach the Rolly cutter head to that fits into my boring bar.
Sorry I don't have a pic of it at this time.

[Mark Norman]

Cant wait to see the finished product.

[Tim Cleveland]

Did you have alot of vibration to deal with since only the headstock is cast iron and is a separate piece from the bed ? Also, which Robust lathe were you using. Have not turned alot of sycamore, but it has always been green and have never noticed any translucency with 3/8" thick walls. Incredible piece.

Tim

[Kurt Rosenzweig]

Obviously the pith is still in the piece. Are you taking any precautions to stabilizing it to prevent cracking?

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Did you have alot of vibration to deal with since only the headstock is cast iron and is a separate piece from the bed ? Also, which Robust lathe were you using. Have not turned alot of sycamore, but it has always been green and have never noticed any translucency with 3/8" thick walls. Incredible piece.

Tim
Thanks Tim
Vibration has not been noticable nor a problem with any piece yet. We have turned many pieces in the 300 to 400 lb plus size without any vibration problems. The lathe is a Robust American Beauty with a bed extension.

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Obviously the pith is still in the piece. Are you taking any precautions to stabilizing it to prevent cracking?
Kurt
We always center our turnings directly on the pith,on both ends of the logs,regardless of how off center the pith is. This many times makes it very hard to rough out the piece to a true round cylinder. However this also makes it so when you hollow the piece you are removing almost all the pith from the piece. We usually do our rough hollowing to within
5/8 " FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE PIECE. While the pith still remains in the bottom it's only about 5/8" thick, & we usually don't have that much problem with cracking.
However there are no garantee's & some pieces will crack,but even most of the ones that do the cracks are usually small enough they can be filled, 7 the pieces are still saved.

[Ron Crosby]

wow, that thing is BIG :rolleyes: