No.1 - Golden Chalice

[James Combs]

I call this “Stubby Golden Chalice”. It is 3.5” tall and 3.25” across the top. I was told the chunk of wood I used was maple but I am not so sure. It is finished with 2 coats of Hut Crystal Coat and one coat of Hut high gloss stick. (Hey I’m a pen turner what did you expect). :rolleyes:
A friend and I were putting down sod in his yard and I notice a 6” by 18” log hidden under a hedge.:eek: I asked him what it was and if I could have it.:) It was apparently a piece of a maple tree that had blown down and had been cut up for fire wood. This piece had been missed during the clean up. I haven’t told him what I found inside of it yet.;) IMO it has some really striking figuring. I am not sure but I think some of the markings are water marks but I will take them.:D Excuse the lighting, still working on that.


I suspect some of you are wondering why the chalice is still in the chuck. Well…:rolleyes: I was afraid it might break :eek: when I flip it to part off the tenon so figure I would get my photos first. I’ll let you know how it goes.:)

[curtis rosche]

nice work. it looks like the grain on the root of a chery tree i turned once.
is that all you made out of that whole huge log?:eek::D

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really a nice piece James. Boy what a find. That is some nice looking wood.

[David E Keller]

Nice work... Pretty color and grain in that piece of wood. Hope the delicate rim hold out for the reversal.

[John Keeton]

JD, that is a beautiful piece of wood, and you did a nice job with the turning. That pen finish worked really well!!

What are your plans for separating the tenon and finishing the bottom?

[Roland Martin]

Very nice figure and color in this wood, and a great turning. Good luck with the tenon.

[James Combs]

Thanks guys, this is my first turning larger then a pen.


nice work. it looks like the grain on the root of a chery tree i turned once.
is that all you made out of that whole huge log?:eek::D

Curtis, I was thinking along the lines of tulip poplar. The wood is very soft not hard like maple should be. But then it could be that it is in the first stages of decay.


JD, that is a beautiful piece of wood, and you did a nice job with the turning. That pen finish worked really well!!

What are your plans for separating the tenon and finishing the bottom?


Nice work... Pretty color and grain in that piece of wood. Hope the delicate rim hold out for the reversal.

John, David, You mean I actually HAVE TO take the tenon off:rolleyes:. I have a cole chuck I am going to rig up with some rubber covered fingers to hold the delicate end. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

John I am not going to try do do anything fancy with the bottom such as what you do. Since it is my first "larger" turning I am just going to focus on getting it off without breaking :eek: the cup.

[James Combs]

Curtis re your last question. Turns out that there was a star shaped hollow most of the way through the log. Note the black line in the bottom of the cup. The bottom of the cup is toward the smaller end of the hollow where it finally ends. Even then I had to fill an 1/8" hole in the bottom of the cup. (Sawdust and CA)


nice work. it looks like the grain on the root of a chery tree i turned once.
is that all you made out of that whole huge log?:eek::D

[John Keeton]

JD, there are probably a thousand ways to finish this piece, and Lord knows, I am really new at this. But, I think I would be very reluctant to try the Cole jaws on this piece. It may work, but I would probably try a friction/jamb setup. Turn a scrap of wood to just smaller than the inside diameter of the chalice, wrap it in tape or foam to protect the inside surface, and slip the chalice over the scrap. Then use the tailstock to support the base. You should be able to turn away everything save for a very small pillar around the tailstock.

[James Combs]

I have never done or seen what your talking about but I have a good idea of the concept. Sounds like it is a better option. I was planning on using the tail stock in either case though. I will post the results tomorrow night.:) Thanks much for the advice.


JD, there are probably a thousand ways to finish this piece, and Lord knows, I am really new at this. But, I think I would be very reluctant to try the Cole jaws on this piece. It may work, but I would probably try a friction/jamb setup. Turn a scrap of wood to just smaller than the inside diameter of the chalice, wrap it in tape or foam to protect the inside surface, and slip the chalice over the scrap. Then use the tailstock to support the base. You should be able to turn away everything save for a very small pillar around the tailstock.

[Baxter Smith]

I will second the jamchuck idea for finishing. Looks good!

[Harlan Coverdale]

Third for the jam chuck. A good fitting jam chuck puts even, mild pressure on the sides and bottom of the piece. A set of Cole jaws or a Longworth chuck puts concentrated pressure on 6 or 8 points of the rim only. This is magnified by the sideways forces and torque that can be introduced on a piece that's taller than it is wide, like yours.

You've done a fine job on it so far, BTW.

[Steve Schlumpf]

James - sure is some pretty wood!

For finishing off the tenon - everyone probably has different ideas based on what works best for them - but I would use the Cole jaws and tailstock. The Cole jaws will work nice to center the piece and the tailstock would provide the force to keep the piece snug. I would leave the tailstock in place and remove as much tenon as possible and then take the goblet off the lathe and finish removing the small stub by hand.

Good luck with this!

[James Combs]

OK here is the final results. The tenon is gone. (and so is some diameter off the bottom foot of the cup... sad story... got careless with a gouge) It is also a test of my new photography setup. What do you think.:)


Thanks guys, this is my first turning larger then a pen.

Curtis, I was thinking along the lines of tulip poplar. The wood is very soft not hard like maple should be. But then it could be that it is in the first stages of decay.

John, David, You mean I actually HAVE TO take the tenon off:rolleyes:. I have a cole chuck I am going to rig up with some rubber covered fingers to hold the delicate end. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

John I am not going to try do do anything fancy with the bottom such as what you do. Since it is my first "larger" turning I am just going to focus on getting it off without breaking :eek: the cup.

[John Keeton]

JD, looks like you accomplished the task!! And, you did it without the inside coming together with the outside!:D

Made a nice looking cup/chalice. Did you end using the Cole jaws? With Steve's method of using the tailstock for support, and little pressure from the jaws, it should have worked fine.

[James Combs]

Used a jam chuck (I think) like several of the other guys suggested. Take a look. I used a scrape piece of veneered particle board. Worked great.


JD, looks like you accomplished the task!! And, you did it without the inside coming together with the outside!:D

Made a nice looking cup/chalice. Did you end using the Cole jaws? With Steve's method of using the tailstock for support, and little pressure from the jaws, it should have worked fine.

[David E Keller]

Nice work and mission accomplished!

[James Combs]

Thanks, the LOML now has it placed with her "treasures".:rolleyes: No accounting for taste I guess.:D


Nice work and mission accomplished!