First turnings

[Joe Shinall]

Sorry for the really crappy pictures but I cannot find my camera so these are cell phone pictures. These are my first turnings.

The first pic goes like this: The one on the left is my first bowl, ambrosia maple. The 2nd one is my 2nd bowl, Walnut. The 3rd one i am really proud of. Not sure what kind of wood though. It has a few small wormholes. And the one to the far right is a Red Gum cup/bowl that my wife turned most of. I had to finish the inside because it was beating her up.

The 2 tops I just did in Raleigh NC with my boss. The one on the left is his, and the right is mine.

The 2nd picture is the Red Gum, the 3rd picture is the Walnut, and the 4th I am not sure what kind of wood that is.

[Joe Shinall]

Left is mine and right is my boss's. He's been turning for about 20 years and was mad cuz mine spun twice as long as his :D

Both made of rosewood.

[David E Keller]

Nice job, Joe. Making bowls sure is fun!

Nice to hear that your wife gets in on the turning action as well!

[Joe Shinall]

Thanks David, I have been officially sucked in. The lathe was actually for my wife for Christmas so she could try and get out in the shop with me some. She's kinda scared of it though, very hesitant with the chisels so she hasn't done anything since that bowl.

[David E Keller]

You might try some smaller projects for her initially. Pendants and earrings are fun to make and not as scary as bowls. Pens and bottle stoppers are fun little projects as well. If there's a local turning club or even WC, a little instruction might help her assuage some of her fears.

[Joe Shinall]

Yeah that is a great idea. We've been trying to get up to Atlanta for some classes at Highland Woodworking. I just ordered some spindles so she can give a shot at some of those tops and just get use to the chisels in general.

[gary Zimmel]

Nice work Joe. You've got to love this vortex...

[Ken Fitzgerald]

And what a fine job you did on your first turnings Joe!

Very very nice first turnings.

[Jon Lanier]

Congratulations on the first of many.... wait.... I can hear it.... can you hear it...... It's that sucking sound of the Vortex. I think you are in it now. :p

[Joe Shinall]

Thanks guys. I am definitely in it now. When my wife wasn't using it I decided to start it as something to do later in the night because it isn't loud enough to bother the neighbors. Now I haven't even looked at anything but turning stuff online in a week :eek: Just bought my faceplate jaws for my chuck and they will be in tomorrow. Can't wait to use that!

[Ken Glass]

Joe,
it's great to see your first work. Make sure you save the pieces and write the date and wood type on the bottom, so as to look back in a few months and see how far you have come. Way to go...

[Jon Lanier]

Thanks guys. I am definitely in it now. When my wife wasn't using it I decided to start it as something to do later in the night because it isn't loud enough to bother the neighbors. Now I haven't even looked at anything but turning stuff online in a week :eek: Just bought my faceplate jaws for my chuck and they will be in tomorrow. Can't wait to use that!

Isn't it wonderful to have all those other tools to help you cut up blanks for for your lathe.

[Joe Shinall]

Isn't it wonderful to have all those other tools to help you cut up blanks for for your lathe.

And they're good to have when the wife says "build those damn shoe cases for the closet." But the lathe is more fun right now :D

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great first turnings. It only gets easier from here.

[Joe Shinall]

Joe,
it's great to see your first work. Make sure you save the pieces and write the date and wood type on the bottom, so as to look back in a few months and see how far you have come. Way to go...

Thank you Ken, I did not think to do that. My wife was actually going to take pictures this weekend and put them in a scrap book with labels.

You can already see the difference and tell which one is my first and last by far!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Joe - real nice bunch of turnings! Sounds like you are having fun with it and that is the most important thing!

Looking forward to seeing more of your work real soon!

[John Keeton]

Joe, congrats on some fine "first work!" And, I think your top has a more pleasing look than the one done by your boss!

The bowl of the unknown wood appears to be Ambrosia stained, and that would narrow it down to the maples, box elder, sycamore, etc. Looks a lot like a piece of maple to me, but with the pic quality - hard to tell.

[Joe Shinall]

Thank you Steve and John. To have the big guys on the forum comment on my first stuff is pretty cool.

John, I just found a 2nd piece from the batch I ordered that looks the same and it is stamped under the wax and it looks like it says ambrosia maple. It's a gorgeous piece of wood to me. Probably should have said that all the bowls were first coated in one coat of Teak Oil in the picture before poly. Turning has given me a chance to work with a lot of woods I never worked with in regular woodworking so this is a great time.

My wife said the same thing about the tops. I felt good about it :D