Needle cases

[Andy Pogue]

A couple of Bodock needle cases made for Amish friends. Magnet in base keeps needles from spilling and helps to pick them up when you drop one.
Triple E and beeswax finish.384093

[Len Mullin]

Andy, I like your needle cases, would you have any pics of the magnet installed?
Len

[Andy Pogue]

I gave those two away already, but I have one more to make and will post picture then.

[John K Jordan]

Thanks for posting - those should be popular. I love turning osage orange. I'm interested in how you positioned and held the magnet too.

JKJ

[Alan Arnup]

I have been making magnetised needle cases for a couple of years with great success and previously posted a photo in this forum. The kits are readily available here in Australia as "Secret Compartment Key Ring Kit". Place a 6mm x 3mm rare earth magnet in the base cap then half fill the cap with hot melt glue. This enables the user to tip out any needles/pins without them sticking and also makes it easy to pick up dropped items by pointing the base cap at the item.

[Andy Pogue]

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Here are pictures of another case made for Amish lady. Magnet is Super Glued to base (recess drilled) which keeps them from spilling and allows dropped needles to be retrieved. the base is cut short enough that needles can be reached easily, something I didn't do on the first batch.

[Thom Sturgill]

Good project. I may have to make some for my needlepoint working sister-in-law.

[John K Jordan]

Good project. I may have to make some for my needlepoint working sister-in-law.

The same little box makes a great toothpick holder. (No need for the magnet there. :))

[Jed Hefley]

Neat idea with the magnets. That wood sure turns nice, huh.

[Andy Pogue]

I love turning it, and the yellow color stands out. Someone gave this piece to me,but most folks hate cutting it.

[John K Jordan]

I love turning it, and the yellow color stands out. Someone gave this piece to me,but most folks hate cutting it.

I don't see your location listed, but if you live nearby or drive through sometime stop in and I'll give you a few pieces. I cut up some osage orange blanks that size a few months ago, some more last week, and have a couple of logs out by the sawmill. (and still have some left on the shelf, cut and air drying since about 2006.) Osage makes the world's best garden stakes!

I use it quite a bit for wands, too.
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The bright yellow will normally fade fairly quickly, turning to brown - it helps to keep it out of the light, especially sunlight.

If you like turning osage, black locust is very much like it except for the color. The harder the wood the easier I find it is to get a good surface right off the gouge. Persimmon is another good, hard domestic wood the cuts smooth as glass (related to ebony) - not as strongly ring porous as osage. Ever turn dogwood? - probably my favorite domestic wood.

JKJ

[Andy Pogue]

I’d love to see it sometime, I’m in Columbia, Tn and will call the next time we are headed up to the mountains!

[Bruce Schoenleber]

I have found that osage orange hates the skew, chips badly with a planing cut. Don't see that problem with a gouge. Or is this just my lack of skew adeptness?

[Mike Null]

A neat item and something I can probably do. Thanks for posting.

[John K Jordan]

I have found that osage orange hates the skew, chips badly with a planing cut. Don't see that problem with a gouge. Or is this just my lack of skew adeptness?

Bruce,

I don't think it's your skew skills! I noticed the same thing years ago, splinters and chips when planing cylinders, tapers, curves. I tried different included angles, speeds, skew angles, razor sharp or otherwise, very thin spindles or larger. I did notice some specific osage orange seems worse than others - I got a good supply from one tree that seems particularly bad, another still chippy but not as bad.

It's still a problem now after a lot more skew experience so I turn osage spindles with a spindle gouge, the 5/8" Thompson roughing gouge, or with a Hunter Hercules (more or less a gouge). Still, I think the wood is worth the extra effort!

JKJ