I want to be just like the one on the right

[Andy Hoyt]

Took a few pictures of the latest batch of ornaments that I previewed the other day. If you recall a previous post (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=26070), I asked you guys to vote (oops, and you gals too) on which of the four you liked best and the overwhelming response was, "The one of the right". So I cut up twelve more four inch long chunks of this Yellowheart and Padauk glueup (and finally got rid of the last of it) and the intention was to make all twelve look as close to identical as possible for the body, the finial and the icicle. Finish is nothing more than a coat of friction polish.

The best part of this exercise is that I discovered another very good reason for the existence of the SMC Picture Police Dept. An unregistered lurker contacted me after seeing the original post and ordered four ornaments, "just like the one on the right - or as close as you can get".

I sent the four most identical ones to that lurker earlier this week and forgot to take any pics - Doh! So what you're seeing are the rejects. I also tried a different lighting set up and do not like it at all. I'm gonna revert back to the old way for sure. They appear to be different lengths in the photo, but they're actually all with 3/8" of each other. The strings I use to tie them up with are causing the visual difugilty.

So, how'd I do?

26518 26519

And while I've got your attention, here's a backscratcher I made. The cherry spindle is 19" long and 3/4" at it's thickest. Turning this without a spindle steady thingie was a terror. Enjoy

26520

[Bob Noles]

Andy.....

That back scratcher could be a dangerous weapon in the hands of my wife :p

Nice job and thanks for sharing.

[Chris Barton]

Those look great Andy! I will have to try my hand at some of the ornaments.

[Dick Parr]

Great job Andy. I personally liked the second one from the left:D But they all look great and would hang anyone of them proudly on my tree.

Very nice job.:)

[Dennis Daudelin]

Hello Andy,

I've love them all and not sure why they need to be so similar? I think that it's just great to see so many of one thing!!

What is the actual glue-up (meaning what are the woods and how are they configured)??

Thanks,

Dennis

[Andy Hoyt]

Bob - What's your wife's address?

Chris - Yup, they're fun. I especially like to see the different colors merge when the lathe spins up. And it's really cool to see the effect the finish has at speed.

Dick - Yup, that one is pretty close to the ideal form.

Dennis - The notion of identicalness was my idea at an exercise in skew control. I love that tool, but it is my nemesis. practice practice practice. The make up is all 3/4" by 3/4" stock. A piece of Yellowheart at the core, with four more pieces of YH at outside corners and four pieces of Padauk in between.

I learned a big lesson last summer when I did the glue ups for these. (Yeah yeah, I know, what's the rush - hey it's Maine) I sawed out the stock and then drum sanded all to achieve equal and square dimension. That was okay, but I did the nine piece glueups in 3' sections. This takes a lot of clamps! But the trouble is that I ended up with unseen gaps at various points along the length - probably where there were no clamps. Those gaps don't surface until the turning process and are mostly unfixable. CA and dust will fix teeny ones, but only if they're caught early on. When I made some of these last year, I did the glueups in one foot lengths and never had a problem. Live and learn.

Thanks, Andy

[Ernie Nyvall]

Rejects??? Send them to me...I'll be the judge of that.:D

Great looking ornaments Andy.

Ernie

[John Hart]

I think they look wonderful Andy. I'm going to make ornaments this year...maybe today. Just to take a break from the other stuff. Yours are very inspiring.

Oh...set your white balance on the camera and pics like those will look just fine.

[Bill Stevener]

Andy I like all of your ornaments.
Now that back scratchier. That's defentally on my immediate list of things to do. I don't know if the arms are getting shorter, but I know the back is not getting longer.
Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>:)

[Andy Hoyt]

I think they look wonderful Andy. I'm going to make ornaments this year...maybe today. Just to take a break from the other stuff. Yours are very inspiring.

Oh...set your white balance on the camera and pics like those will look just fine.

Fancy that! I'm tired of spindly stuff and getting on to bowly stuff; and you're gonna do the opposite.

And..... Doh!!!!!!!!!!! Made so many setting changes on the camera with this suggested technique that I forgot the most important one. Here are the new replacement images. But now I need more light. Ahhhhhhh!

[Jeremiah Jordan]

Just wondering, how do you set up to take your pictures? I have been trying a few different methods and I have no found one that i have like so far. Thanks

[John Hart]

Fancy that! I'm tired of spindly stuff and getting on to bowly stuff; and you're gonna do the opposite.....

Well...not exactly. I just glued up some spindly things and I'll turn ONE ornament. I convinced myself that I should make one for the tree and then get back to the bowly stuff.... I'm bowled over by it!:rolleyes: :)

[Andy Hoyt]

Just wondering, how do you set up to take your pictures? I have been trying a few different methods and I have no found one that i have like so far. Thanks

Jeremiah - I've got this set up in my finishing room upstairs in the barn. It's a work in progress - still need to get some umbrella floods one of these days.

John - Nothing to show for going through three chunks of HK cherry today. Explosions, catches, no focus. Nice shavings though.

[Jim Ketron]

Nice projects Andy!
Been wanting to try a few ornaments myself:)

[John Hart]

...John - Nothing to show for going through three chunks of HK cherry today. Explosions, catches, no focus. Nice shavings though.

Oh good...cuz I made a really crummy ornament today. I'll post it in a couple of minutes.

[Jeremiah Jordan]

Nice set up. Is that just plain old poster board for the background? Thanks.

Jeremiah

[Andy Hoyt]

Nope. It's a "seamless graduated background" and the color is called "Studio Gray". Feels like movie screen material. The other one (on the roll up above) is the same color, but just a heavy paper.

The graduated one starts off white at one end transitions to dark gray at the other end.

[Mark Cothren]

Nice work, Andy! I like 'em all!

Thanks for the pictures!

[Chip Sutherland]

Andy.....

That back scratcher could be a dangerous weapon in the hands of my wife :p

Nice job and thanks for sharing.
I saw some back scratchers yesterday at the Homestead Heritage Fair near Waco, TX that were made from naturally shed deer antlers. :eek: YIKES:eek: . But the shafts were nicely turned mesquite and walnut.