Finally some finished work!!

[MIKE E BEE]

After a couple of weeks of without a finished product, I was busy yesterday. The bowl below was actually lying on the ground last week covered with snow and 7 days later here it is. The tree had been down for a couple of years but it was still really wet when i cut it up. I used David Smith's DNA drying method. I did it excactly the way he explained and had really good results. This particular piece did not have any checking and only some very minor warping which was easily turned off. The problem is i do not know what kind of wood it is. There are some pics below if anybody wants to take a crack at it. I took it to work and at this point I have it narrowed down to every tree that can possibly grow in New England. Big help that was. I checked online and my best guess is some type of ash??? It is certainly not the wildest looking wood but it is free and it is about 40 feet long.

The bowl is 7.5 x 2.5. I have not purchased an angle drill yet but i did use an orbital sander on the outside of this one and what a huge difference that makes. No lines, Nice!! (Thanks for the powersanding tip guys) I couldnt get it on the inside so I just did that by hand. Angle drill coming at some point.

The other peice is my first project with a lid. It is cherry and the peice of wood was donated by my good friend and fellow turner Mike Posey. Thanks Mike!! The piece is 3 x 1.75 inches, finished with 2 coats of polyacrylic satin and will be used to hold ear plugs. Thats right ear plugs. One of my wife's friends at work saw a bowl that i made on her desk and requested a holder for her earplugs. Guess her husband snores a bit. Ha Ha. Could it be a sawmill creek first??? An ear plug holder?? Keep in mind I have yet to save up for a new chuck so I am still only working with a 3 in faceplate. The cover on this liitle guy was bit tricky but I managed to pull it off. Life will be much easier whan i do get the new chuck but for now I just have to be creative I guess.

As always critics and tips are welcome.

Thanks guys!

[John Keeton]

Mike, I have no idea on the wood, though ash is certainly a possibility. But, on the bowls, they look very nice - particularly the larger one. Really nice grain and color, and very nice form.

Good work on the smaller lidded one, too. I find that the smaller pieces can be the most difficult, and without a chuck, you are doing great!! The chuck will change your enjoyment level substantially.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Mike don't know the wood but the bowls really are nice. I really like the lidded one. Really nice form and finish.

[Baxter Smith]

Nice bowls. Not sure of the wood though the grain doesn't look like ash. I always find it interesting to see where the bowl came from.:)

[Steve Schlumpf]

Nice work Mike! You've been doing pretty good with all this turning stuff but will really get into it once you have a chuck. Just makes everything so much simpler to get on the lathe and get to turning!

[David E Keller]

Nice work... I really like the bowl.

As for the power sanding, you don't need an angle drill. I use my regular cordless Craftsman drill with a sanding pad in the chuck. It's a three inch disc that accepts hook and loop abrasives. I got mine at WC, but you can buy them lots of places. It does make a difference.