What to do with a walnut Crotch.

[Jack Mincey]

I've been thinking about how to best use the walnut crotch piece that was brought to me a few weeks back. This is the form I came up with to show off the grain in the wood. I hollowed it straight down through the bark in the crotch. I think I might name it dinosaur egg. The sap wood is see through down the side of this form. If it dries with little problem should prove to be very nice piece. I hollow free hand with home made tools except for a #1 hook tool purchased from John Jordan and this form tested my technique. I placed the milk jug in the picture for a reference. The difference in this form and the others I've done of this size is that the majority of the hollowing was with the tool way over the rest. I have two 1" steel bars I scavenged off an old weight machine the school discarded last year. I think I will have to make a longer hollowing tool using a piece from one of them before I take on the larger crotch piece from this log.
Jack
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v727/flyrod444/DSC00160.jpg

[patrick stein]

jack,

very nice piece,what type of finish will you put on it?




patrick

[David E Keller]

Very cool looking piece. By the way, that milk expired over a year ago!:eek:

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great looking piece Jack. David beat me to it but was going to ask why you are drinking milk from 09.:eek::D

[brian watts]

cool looking. going to be a nice piece of wood there

[Jack Mincey]

Thanks everyone. I will probably use lacquer for finish on this piece to try and keep the sap wood as white as possible. The milk jug is one of several I keep in the shop to water my Tormek wet grinder. I plan on putting water to my shop some day, but until then it isn't a big deal keeping a few jugs filled sitting around.
Thanks Again,
Jack

[John Keeton]

Jack, very nice piece, and a real challenge with hand held hollowing tools!!!:eek:

[Ken Hill]

Jack's secret is a handheld Beaver!!!! Id say start with a 12 pounder and finish it with a 42!!:eek::D

[Michael James]

WOW.... new turner here, on a little lathe turning little forms and using a mini moster to boot. That rodeo must have put Ellsworth to shame, hanging all over the lathe for that bad boy!:eek:
Very nice job!

[Rick Robbins]

very nice i'm very lucky to have a bunch of crotch woods from michigan pretty wood's love the Ray's. heading to Seattle to my candy store's woodcraft first, Rockler and sumner wood's. might buy the new carbide bowl tool Ci3 Easy Hollower#5. want to try a bowl. going to get a book or video. thank's for sharing the picture. look's nice. Rick:)

[Curt Fuller]

That's really a great piece of wood and I think you chose a good form to show it off. I'm anxious to see it with some finish on it.

[Rick Robbins]

Jack are those Custom Crow call's on the Right. i am a custom callmaker also. Rick

[Jack Mincey]

Thanks again everyone, I don't think Elsworth has much to worry about, but I do think that I'm getting better ever time I turn a HF on the lathe. The best thing is that I've been able to pass some of what I'm learning on to my high school students.
Rick, they are crow calls next to the milk jug. I tuned 12 of the 20 this morning and hope to finish the rest in the afternoon so I can start on some turkey calls customers are waiting on. I sell my crow calls at Crow Busters which is a INTERNET site. This is where these are headed on Monday. I'm one of the few call makers that makes their on inserts. I started making them about 5 years ago on a fluke and think making crow calls is the reason I got into turning in a serious way. It's funny how one thing leads to another. I've been falling deeper and deeper into the VORTEX ever since.
Jack
Here is a picture of a few crow calls I sold this year.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v727/flyrod444/IMG_2301.jpg

[Rick Robbins]

very very nice you do Great work. is that Eastern Ceder for the mouth piece's. great for sound. i'm a Predator callmaker.i make Distress, Howler's and crow but use the Pionnier mouth piece. wish i had you for a Teacher nice work. love your barrel. big Fan of osage. Rick