A little bit of turning in this very white cold winter after a Cuba vacation

[Leo Van Der Loo]

We took a couple of weeks out to warm up and break up this cold winter with lots of the white stuff, it has taken a good chunk of my time to still be able to move around.

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Anyway while enjoying Cuban hospitality and warmth, I found a couple hand-fulls of Palm nuts to take home for using in the making of my Mini Birdhouses.

Made 8 and still have 6 left over, the Mini Birdhouses are really liked and I'll be busy making more when I have time and feel like making them, made also a couple hand mirrors while turning.

Any and all comments welcome as always :)

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[charlie knighton]

you are still getting around, like you birdhouses

[Jim Underwood]

I'd forgotten what shoveling that much snow was like! No wonder you needed to get away! I just let the sun do my shoveling these days.
Good to see you've got some turning done anyway.

[robert baccus]

Nice nut houses--I thought people only lived up there in the summer.

[Roger Chandler]

Wow..........that is a load of snow! Glad you were able to get a break from it Leo. No shop time here, over the last couple of weeks.........we had about 10 inches yesterday on top of a layer of ice.......it was below zero here in the Valley this morning!

Too much shoveling, etc to be able to turn, but I do have the itch! When it is this cold, that little electric heater will not make my shop anywhere near bearable. Kerosene heater helps, but not likely get to turning today!

Nice birdhouses from the palm nuts......they are cute! Mirrors are nice as well. Stay warm!

[Rick Gibson]

Didn't like the first picture much Leo. Reminds me to much of what I see when I look outside and I'm in the banana belt of Ont. I really like those little birdhouses. My son and his wife are always going someplace warm in the winter so I think I know what I'll have them looking for to bring back for me.

[Ed Griner]

Did you happen to notice any "Cuban Mahogany" on your vacation?

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thanks for the comment Charlie :), yes I/we are still getting around, though it has taken many hours so-far this winter, the old snowblower is also reluctant starting when the temps go down to -40, we have had just one day this year where the temperature rose above the freezing mark, to +1.8C, average temp has been -20C = -4F , I hope this winter will end soon :D

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thanks Jim :), the sun is shining brightly here Jim but the temp right now is still only 14F and it feels like 0F out there, still, much better than it has been for a while :)

I've been to the shop for a couple of hours today and will go back in a bit, nice and warm in there and it's still good to be able to turn a bit :D

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thanks for taking the time to comment Robert :), It is a nice country here Bob, and yes the snow does get in the way some years, however I take that over tornadoes any day, we are well prepared for the white stuff up here, still, a few weeks of nice warm weather and relaxing in the sun does make the old body feel good :D.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Roger thanks :), forecast is for another 6" tomorrow with the temp rising from 0F to a balmy high of 24F, things are looking up ;).

You got to insulate that shop of yours Roger, helps both winter and summer you know, I have mine at 60F right now and let it go down to about 40F overnight or when I'm not there, takes about 1/2 hour to get it warmed up.

It has to be fun to turn, and freezing cold isn't fun at all :rolleyes:.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Didn't like the first picture much Leo. Reminds me to much of what I see when I look outside and I'm in the banana belt of Ont. I really like those little birdhouses. My son and his wife are always going someplace warm in the winter so I think I know what I'll have them looking for to bring back for me.

Hi Rick, thanks for your reply :), I used to live on the North side of London Ont. and we would get those heavy snowfalls some winters when the wind would turn Northerly and send the snow squalls down our way, then the slush and freezing rain, we don't get that here, just snow from November on that stays till spring, though this winter we have had just so much more than normally as have you in southern Ontario.

For the nuts, they have to look for younger trees Rick, or else they cant get at them, but then still might be able to pick them up from the ground, picture here of what to look for, the red husk falls off first then the nut and it has than still a covering of tough stringy fibers around it that you have to remove, HTH

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[Leo Van Der Loo]

Hi Ed, I've never been looking for turning wood, but I know the mahogany cutting is strictly controlled by the government, there are all kinds of sculptures for sale from different tropical hardwoods, and if you ask for what kind of wood it is, then you get no Latin or English names, often more the likes of "break the axe wood" ;)

[Marc Himes]

Leo, I live in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (about 20 miles form Steve Schlumpf) and we have had quite a winter here, but your snow piles exceed those in my neighborhood by quite a bit. Nice bird houses. Those nuts look like an interesting material to turn.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Leo, I live in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (about 20 miles form Steve Schlumpf) and we have had quite a winter here, but your snow piles exceed those in my neighborhood by quite a bit. Nice bird houses. Those nuts look like an interesting material to turn.

Thank you for commenting Marc, yes the Palm Nuts are quite nice with the markings they have on them, light and very thin-walled, they make quite a nice birdhouse if I may say so myself, and yes we certainly have one pile of snow this winter over here, everyone is sick and tired of snow and this winter, I show you 2 pictures of a chimnea we have, one in summertime and one as sitting here in our back yard, gives you some idea of the snow depth :eek:

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