What bit did Hayley Smith use?

[robert raess]

I was looking at 'the new masters of woodturning'. on page 9, there is a pic of a pc. by Hayley Smith.Any ideas on how she made those thousand's of pimples.? Is there a bit out there that has a concave center that would produce these bumps.?Any contact info. for Hayley? Thanks Rob

[David Walser]

IIRC, she didn't use a bit. She used a stamp to create a series of dimples and then cut the surrounding wood down to just above the level of the depressions. Then, she used water (or steam) to cause the wood compressed by the stamp to expand back to its original size. The result is a bunch of raised bumps. The technique can produce a lot of visual interest.

Here's a link to a tutorial on the technique (carving, not turning, but the process is the same): http://www.janeljacobson.com/carvings/397inprogress.html

[robert raess]

Thanks..What is IIRC?..I saw Klaus make a water tight box out of wood for his waterstones using this method.He took a stainless steel rod and pounded a small kerf into the wood,then he planed the wood down to the kerf level, then popped the grain with water and up came the bead like magic. Thanks again Rob

[Michelle Rich]

fascinating info..thanks for sharing this

[David DeCristoforo]

If I Recall Correctly

[robert raess]

well, i did it, and it worked just like the pic's showed.valuable info.The 'pimples' appeared within seconds of applying hot water.I'll do an experiment with just cold water...Rob

[Ed Malesky]

She also uses cup cutters (jewelry bits) to make dimples. She buys a lot of her jewelry tools from Rio Grande

[Joe Herrmann]

I watched Haley' demo in St. Paul and she used the bit Ed described above to make the pimples. She mentioned that she got them from Rio Grande.