A Couple More Birdhouses.

[James Combs]

Some more for fun turnings. I turned these two birdhouses from odds-n-ends in my cutoff box and a piece of OO left from My No. 33 bowl.

The completed one is Black Walnut burl with a Bradford Pear roof and a small bead of maple in the lower. I figured the bead being so small it would look close enough like the BP.

The second one is not quite complete. It is OO with a Butternut roof. I don't care for the way Butternut turns. It has extreme tear-out no matter how sharp my tools. It was so bad I had to use one of my skews and I hate using skews but it worked and it's hard to beat how it came out.

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BTW I am looking fro suggestions on wood color(species) for a lower for the second house. I will review them and probably use the most frequently suggested one.

[mickey cassiba]

James, I've been watching your birdhouses with great interest. Since the boss freed up funds for my turning tools, I'm going to try a couple. Hope you don't mind if I (shamelessly) try to copy a few.

[Ken Hill]

I wish I was able to do work that small! Very nice!

[John Hart]

I wouldn't say that the maple bead looks like the pear, but it looks like a pearl....very cool. :) And it doesn't look like you had a problem with tearout at all. These are nice pieces. :)

[Donny Lawson]

You do excellent work. I love the houses and would love to try one when I get time.

[John Keeton]

JD, nice work on both. For a bottom on the second one, I would avoid another brown color. The osage? will mellow out even more, and another brown won't do much for the combo. I would go with a black or holly bottom were it me. Actually, I would use butternut, but you seem to be adverse to turning it!!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Nice work on both of these James! I second the motion to use butternut for your finial. Might be difficult to turn but the color would sure work in this situation!

[James Combs]

James, I've been watching your birdhouses with great interest. Since the boss freed up funds for my turning tools, I'm going to try a couple. Hope you don't mind if I (shamelessly) try to copy a few.

Mickey, your welcome to copy anything you see, in fact most of these are inspired by ones I have seen here on SMC if not a direct copies. I don't have an original concept in my body. lol



I wish I was able to do work that small! Very nice!

Ken, I guess I should have indicated the size of each. They are not all that small, I would say midi verses mini. Typically they are 5-7" tall and ~2" or so in diameter at the entry hole. That means the finials and bottoms are still pretty beefy at 3/16" to 1/4". Nothing close to the 0.090"s that John K. turns. Should be a piece of cake for most experience turners.



I wouldn't say that the maple bead looks like the pear, but it looks like a pearl....very cool. :) And it doesn't look like you had a problem with tearout at all. These are nice pieces. :)

John H., I was just wanting the "pearl" to be similar in color so I guess it worked. When I was turning the roof it was green wood and was almost as white as holly. After a DNA soak and application of finish it darkened considerably. The pearl and it matched initially. About three to four light passes of my skew got rid of most of the tear-out and 240g sand paper took care of the rest.



You do excellent work. I love the houses and would love to try one when I get time.

Donny, what I love about them is they are so simple to make which makes them a lot of fun. I use them to kill time while I am thinking of larger projects (not necessarily turnings). You can actually knock one out in a mater of couple hours and that is while working on other projects.



JD, nice work on both. For a bottom on the second one, I would avoid another brown color. The osage? will mellow out even more, and another brown won't do much for the combo. I would go with a black or holly bottom were it me. Actually, I would use butternut, but you seem to be adverse to turning it!!


Nice work on both of these James! I second the motion to use butternut for your finial. Might be difficult to turn but the color would sure work in this situation!

John K./Steve, I actually wanted to use Butternut even with it's problems but I thought I would ask for alternatives here just in case something else might look better. John I never considered white (holly) but don't think it would be my choice. I will go with the butternut.
BTW John The Butternut is from the pieces you gave me. Thanks for the tear-out...err...I mean great piece of wood.:D:rolleyes::)