Turning Juniper ...

[Ron Smith ... Richmond, VA]

I had a lady at work bring me in a piece of Juniper they had cut down at her Mother's house. She said when the man cut it down, she immediately thought of me and told him "you can't have that piece, don't put it in the truck." She brought it to work and asked if I could use it. I have never turned green Juniper before and the smell is wonderful in the shop while turning. It turned fairly easily and finished nice, too. I just have a couple coats of Danish Oil on it. I know these cedar type woods are very prone to crack, but hopefully, it'll stay in one piece. I'm going to give it back to her and thank her for thinking of me and giving me some wood to "practice" on. I think she'll enjoy having it back. The tree had been at her Mother's house for many, many years. Thanks for looking, be safe and have fun.

[Jim Becker]

Outstanding! I've only turned Aligator Juniper Burl, but have heard that other juniper members are a pleasure to turn. And yes, the smell is nice during the project!

[Paul Downes]

Some guys have all the fun, :) Nice bowl Ron. Hey, how about teaching this ignoramous. I've turned lots of metal, but zero wood. How are you attaching the wood to the lathe? I hope to join the turning ranks in the near future and need some of you esteemed gentlemen to help fill the wood turning vacuum between my ears. Any book suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[Noah Alkinburgh]

Very Pretty. I am sure she will love it. what a great way to give back to her.

Noah

[Tom Sweeney]

Ron,
I really like this one - the coloration and the shape are wonderful. I also think it's a nice thought to give it back to the lady that thought of you. I might have been tempted to turn 2 smaller bowls & keep one though ;)

I also like the treatment you did on the "foot" of the bowl.
I turned my first bowl last week & am hoping to finish the foot, thanks to a jig on Bill Grumbine's web site, this weekend & I think I'll put those grooves in it.

Paul - like I said I just turned my first bowl - on a cheap used craftsman lathe with a screw on face plate. Bill Grumbine, turner extrordinair(?), has a web site <a href="http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/" target="_blank">http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/</a>. I would visit there for some tips. there are a number of other very good turners that hang out here & other forums so just ask away. Also I just found woodturner.org thanks to Jim Becker - lot's of good stuff there.

I just roughed the bowl blank with a small chainsaw - roughly found the center & screwed on the face plate with 3 short screws. Now it is all finished but the foot that the face plate was screwed to. Next I'll make Bill's compression chuck jig - 2 pieces of plywood & some carriage bolts -
Sandwich the bowl between the plywood pieces & finish turning the foot. There are expensive commercial alternatives - but as it is LOML raised her eybrows on the receipt I left for the $40 HSS turning tool set I ordered from Harbor Freight the other day ( I heard a rumor they are actually Sorby's). :D

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

Very nice Ron. The coloration and contrast of the Juniper is striking, to say the least. Also, a very nice gesture on your part to share your work with her. I am sure she will be amazed at the beautiful object that came from the wood. Most people have no idea of the beauty that is hidden under the somewhat non descript exterior of a section of timber. I have cut down a TON of Junipers and Phitzers in my days as a Landscape Contractor, and although I was always amazed by the beauty of the wood, this is one of the first objects I have seen turned with said wood. Great looking piece, and even better execution. Congratulations on a very nice job of turning, and thanks so much for sharing your work with us! :D

[Mark Hulette]

I hope to join the turning ranks in the near future and need some of you esteemed gentlemen to help fill the wood turning vacuum between my ears. Any book suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Paul- a really good source for turning information is anything by Richard Raffan (books and videos). As said earlier, check out AAW Website (http://www.woodturner.org) It's the place for turners.


Ron- nice work- I'm sure the lady will love having the bowl as a special keepsake with a lot of memories attached. What are some of the dimensions?

[Ron Smith ... Richmond, VA]

What are some of the dimensions? Mark ... thanks ... the bowl is 8" x 2 1/2 ". I gave it to her yesterday and she loved it. She says she finds any more wood, she'll grab it for me.

Paul ... like Mark says, there are lots of good books available, R. Raffin's being one of them. B' Grumbiine's site is one that got me into turning. I saw it at Badger Pond before Christmas last year and was hooked. My FIL gave me a used Shopsmith to use, and I've been turning ever since. I just got a new Jet Mini this past week, so I'm sliding deeper into the black hole.
I usually screw on a faceplate to start, rough out the outside shape and turn a tenon on one end for my Super Nova chuck, then reverse and hollow out. Since I've been practicing, I can turn a bowl now from start to finish in about 35 minutes, without final sanding. It's been a lot of fun and now I'm getting into boxes and hollow forms. Enjoy yourself and be safe.