I've learned a little...

[mickey cassiba]

Been a long time since I posted down here, I've been applying(or attempting to) what I've learned.Here is a shot of my very first vessel...Douglas Fir pallet wood. It's 3 1/4"tall X 2 3/4 wide at the bulge. A lot of tear 212977out, but the poor thing was practically falling apart on the last cuts, I was afraid to proceed further.

Next up and a Halloween child is a little chunk of Live Oak, 1 1/2" tall, and 2 3/4" wide. I like this one better.212978

My third is my favorite, and the first piece I've turned to plan...it was made to show off the little hummingbird trivet that's been haunting my shed for years. Sorry about the bird's position, the lacquer must have gotten to him.212979
1 3/4" tall, and an O.D. of 5", another 'pallet wood rescue. The cracks didn't show up until way late in the game.

My last offering is a little piece of Texas Ebony branch, my first (feeble) attempt at a Natural edge piece. Unfortunately all the dark heartwood goodness got turned away with the tenon. This little one is 1 1/4" tall, and 3" wide. 212980

Hopefully I've shown a little evolution with this series...I feel like I've come miles.

So what do y'all think?

I've noticed the move towards lidded boxes, may try my hand at that next...

[John Keeton]

Mickey, first of all, Douglas Fir is a challenging wood to start with, IMO. But, you seem to have done well with it. The first piece has a nice curve to it, and the beading is well positioned. The live oak piece is interesting, though from the pic one can't tell a lot about the overall turning. The potpourri bowl is very nice, with some good detailing. The little NE bowl is neat looking, too, and a profile shot would be nice.

Excellent work, and good to see you at the lathe!!

[Roger Chandler]

Way to go Mickey............glad to see you off and running! Nice firsts!

[Dennis Ford]

The potpourri bowl is my favorite of the bunch. You are definetly learning your way around the lathe, keep at it.

[David E Keller]

I can see the progress... The potpourri piece has really got a nice form and finish from what I can tell. Your best bet is to keep chucking up chunks of stuff(except fir:p) and having a go at them... The whole idea is just to have some fun while making the wood smaller and rounder! Keep up the good work!

[Allan Ferguson]

Fir is tough to work with. My first fir bowl was about 8-10" turned green, took a ton of sanding and ended up with a pleasant warp and some checking. The second Was glued up from 2x6 fir plank 16". The wood was dry and the dark growth rings were like hitting iron with the gouge. Really rattled the gouge, just miserable to turn but sold fast. To get anything from fir is an accomplishment. The shape of the potpourri dish is very good. Play with shapes and different wood, have fun learning and growing ability/knowledge.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I agree that fir is not the best wood to start with but you have did a nice job with it. Really nice pieces.

[charlie knighton]

Mickey, you got an important part down pat, free wood is good wood, do your first 50 bowls on free stuff, buy then you may never buy any wood

[Dan Forman]

Hey Mickey! I've been away from Creek and lathe too for quite a while, don't have anything to show, but now have a couple of roughed bowls in bags. Looks like you are coming right along. Especially like the little hummingbird box. Keep at it!

Dan

[mickey cassiba]

Thank you all for the comments...Mr K, I've got a couple more shots of the ebony I'll post after I get then edited(my photography is a few steps behind my turning). I have to admit, credit for these little bowls belongs in part to you guys, and uTube. With no turners to speak of in my area, I've had to rely on written word, and videos to learn as much as I have. That and the chuck that was gifted me by the 'Sneaky Creekers Society). Being unemployed for the last ten months was another contributing factor...lot's of free time.
You might notice a lack of inside shots...Mr gouge is not yet my friend. The exteriors were formed mainly with my Nicols built skew chisel, Not the ideal tool I know, but coming from the metal turning world, it's the most familiar form of tooling for me. Sharpening is another area I had problems with, I do not have any jigs or appliances. After obsessing for months, I finally started hand sharpening. Happily I found out I still have a feel for the grinding wheel. Though the tools look like they've been dragged down a gravel road, they do cut nicely. Using a six inch bench grinder also gave me pause, 'til I did the math...The surface footage of a 6 " wheel @ 3450rpm seems to be close to the surface speed of a 8" wheel at 1725 rpm. I have yet to burn a tool, even my HF carbon chisels. Oh, and Charlie...all of my wood is free, I trim trees here in the park.

[Baxter Smith]

You are progressing Mickey. Try a shallow bowl for your next one. The gouge should be a lot easier for you to get the hang of with that type of shape. Keep at it!