In the saddle FINALLY

[Jeff Yates]

Seems life has a way of distracting you from the important things...

I've been on a stutter start for a couple of years now...finally, FINALLY traction has been gained.

The garage is mine (except for the washer/dryer and deep freeze...

Chevelle has a home two miles away in a nice and sturdy storage unit with all the 'belongings' my wife could not part with...

I am being long winded...

THe lil ole shopfox lathe is spinning...

The EZ Turn Tools are slicing wood...

My grin is quite obvious...

I have a shelf full of old oak cut offs I am turning into sawdust and bottle stoppers while I try and figure this out, but so far...I'm hooked.

So question is, without access to a bunch of logs to use my chainsaw on...

Where is the best place to buy a good size lot of bottle stopper blanks? I'm just not that thrilled with the thought of turning pens (might change my mind later).

Suggestions? Ideas?

Pics tonight of my little workbench and the first oak bottlestopper. It ain't much, but for someone who's almost virginal in his turning experience...I'm proud.

[Tim Rinehart]

Geez...that's actually pretty easy. Most all the Woodcraft/Rockler/Penn State/Craft Supplies/Lee Valley/Woodturningz, etc....all have great selections of turning wood in that size range. You can also find a lot of stuff in ebay, just search for 'bottle stopper blanks' and you'll get some great hits. There is a site you can get to call 'woodbarter' and they always have something up for sale/trade and even free for shipping costs only at times.
I suspect there are a lot of clubs in your area, hook up with them and tell a few folks you'd like to get some nice woods for bottle stoppers and I suspect you'll be bombarded with cutoffs for nothing that will work quite well.
Welcome and enjoy!

[Jeff Yates]

Tim, thank you that is all good information...

I've been avoiding the retailers as paying a premium for what will likely end up as practice pieces makes me a little uneasy.

Ebay seems to have a few that would work...and I may do that.

Woodbarter and local clubs is not something I had thought of...

[Roger Chandler]

If you join a local woodturning chapter of the AAW.........you will find that if they are like most clubs they have folks who donate wood to the club and then they hold silent auctions where you can pick up wood for a dollar or two.........also a lot of wood gets put on the table just for the taking..........many cutoffs like you mention that would be great for bottle stoppers and pen blanks...............

You will also get the value of club membership where a lot of instruction and advice can be had ..........totally a great investment of a minimal membership fee and a couple hours once or twice a month............go for it!!!

[John Keeton]

Jeff, I don't turn bottle stoppers, but I have seen some done from laminated/glued up wood that were quite attractive. If there is a cabinet shop nearby, one could easily take cherry, walnut and maple cutoffs of 4/4 wood and make up some nice stock for stoppers.

[Jeff Yates]

See...as I'm literally just gettiing back into things, I didn't even know this existed. I see a whole new set of monthly stuff for me to attend, and upset the love of my life with new things for the garage...*laugh*

[Chris Studley]

Also, the lumber yard I frequent will have cut offs opieces that cracked or split on the end. These pieces are too small to be useful for flatwork, but cracks can be cut/turned away I have done this for items similar in size as pens and bottle stoppers. I has also done glue ups for small lidded boxes and able to use these cutoffs for finials as well. It has allowed me to try a variety of woods I may not have known to try. (my first Zebrawood piece was a cutoff)

It is generally appropriate/good practice to buy some wood and ask for the cutoffs after having spent a few bucks...

Sometimes my free score is better than my paid for score.

[Steve bellinger]

Jeff what size are bottle stoppers? Are you looking for some real nice or just average? Why i'm asking is i'll cut up a bunch of them and send them to ya for the price of shipping if you like. PM me if this would be something that you think would work for you. I think a large flat rate box is like 16.00.
Steve

[Jim Burr]

PM me your address Jeff, I have lots of stuff floating around and plenty to share!

[Jeff Yates]

Thank you to everyone...

Interesting note, the only hardwood lumberyard I know of, that sells exotics of any variety, charges the same bf for cut offs they do for full length lumber.

On the others, I wasn't here to ask for hand out or charity, but if y'all have extra lumber laying around I will not say no. I would be insane otherwise...

Thank y'all very much...I'm looking forward to meeting my local turner group(s)...I found a couple of different ones.

[Jim Burr]

Jeff, Jeff, Jeff...it's not a hand out...just helping out, a blessing shared is better than one kept to one's self!

[Steve bellinger]

Jeff, Jeff, Jeff...it's not a hand out...just helping out, a blessing shared is better than one kept to one's self!And we both know that's the way it was meant to be.:)

[Jerry Marcantel]

Jeff, try Craigslist Free Stuff. There is always someone who wants someone to take down a tree under the pretense of free wood.. That way yopu get to use your chainsaw. Talk to the local city transportation or streets department... They're always cutting trees........ Jerry (in Tucson)

[Eric Gourieux]

Jeff,
It wasn't too long ago that I was wondering the same: where will I get more wood without paying too much? Well, let me tell you this from experience. There is more free wood out there than you can turn. Just keep your eyes open.

Craigslist always has someone with free "firewood". You may have to do some cutting.

Tell friends that you are back into turning and you'll be surprised how many people take trees down for some reason and would be glad to give you some.

Take the time to stop and talk to a tree service worker when you see him around cutting up a tree. I did this and was given an open invitation to his tree dump property.

It may not be exotics, but you can find some beautiful wood out the.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Jeff glad to see you are getting back into turning and you have gotten some good advice. I just talked with a new tree trimmer here in town. I now have more maple and walnut than I ever thought. I gave him a pen and a bowl for popcorn. Anyway he told me he had taken down a maple and walnut. He told me to come get what I wanted. The local dump has a place where trees are dumped before they burn them. I got some nice cedar out there.

[Steve bellinger]

Jeff i cut up some scrap this am and if these will work for you i'll get them in the mail.There all hard wood, but as you can see there's some i'm not sure what they are. The popular and the light color woods will make good practice pieces. the other DKW is real nice stuff just don't remember what it is.:D234525234526

[Jeff Yates]

Well it's not so much BACK into turning, as finally getting to do things with items I've purchased over the years...*laugh*

I'm going to speak with tree trimmers as well and do some research on how to let these things cure. That's going to take some doing..storage is an issue in my shop, but I"m sure I can come up with something. I'll just have to be choosy.

But as I said, I have finally turned an actual product...a thing. It's not terrific, but as a place to start from, I am not disappointed.

This is red oak someone up in the Conroe, TX area had milled into lumber after Hurricane Ike. It sat outside for several years under a tarp. To keep my costs down, a simple dowel and silicone insert was used...
234528234529

[Jeff Yates]

Oh wow Steve...that's some beautiful stuff...probably too pretty for what I'm doing...LOL, but I'll put it to work.

Thank you, thank you very much