Here's a chance to improve on your investments...........

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I want to turn some wet cherry sent to me by John Hart. I've got 4 4"x33" pieces of sealed cherry. Looks like some nice wood to me.

I figure I can get about 5 chances of a good goblet out of each piece.

That means I have about 20 opportunities to get one goblet that will be worth entering into the Hart-Fitzgerald Old Geezers and Others SMC Goblet Extravaganza Challenge...............

Some new firsts for me in this upcoming event....


1. First time mounting and using my chuck..........should I clean the gunk off it with MS?

2. First time to use a bowl gouge..........After I break the news of the purchase to the LOML..........

3. First time to use a scraper..................After I break the news of the purchases to the LOML...........

We need some rules for this event.

I have some experience turning wet wood. Andy's bonker was turned wet and it subsequently warped after drying a while so..........I've got to find a way to dry this stuff so the goblet will appear to be functional and maintain a recognizeable form.........Of course that would mean I lose my only excuse for poor craftsmanship!

Help me answer some of these numerous questions and fill in the voids of my knowledge base! And of course in the meantime you'll be increasing the return on your recent investments!

[Don Baer]

Come on Ken... can't you figure it out. It's a contest. Since you started this mess I think youd be cheating to get outside help...:D

[Cecil Arnold]

What Don said, but there's all kinds of information on turning wet wood right here on the creek--seek and you will find.

[Dennis Peacock]

The biggest deal about turning wet wood? Ya gotta grin REAL BIG while turning it!!!! Those big wet curls are FUN!!!!!

[Stephen Hibbs]

stand to the side when roughing it or they curls jump all inside your shirt. Also don't get too carried away with making long strands or you will be left with a toothpick (I ruined a good cup blank my first time that way)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Isn't it amazing! The very guys I'd normally expect to provide help.....Mention a contest and they become sharks in a feeding frenzy!:eek: :D

[Martin Shupe]

Ken,

Are you going to make goblets out of that beautiful cherry? I thought it was for bedposts, or Shaker round stand columns!!! How dare you cut such stock into small pieces!!! Oh the humanity!!:eek:

Seriously, I asked John to look for stock for me last summer, but he either forgot or didn't think I wanted it anymore since I didn't bug him about it. (John, if you are reading this, can you find some more cherry about the size of what you sent Ken?, and yes, I will pay for the wood and shipping.)

Ken, you'd better make some good goblets if you are going to "waste" such good cherry by cutting it up.:D

[John Hart]

Hey Martin! Sure...ya know, I had a 4X4 beam of cherry that I had set aside for you and it ended up splitting completely down the the entire length. A complete loss. But since then, I've developed a pretty good relationship with the sawmill guy and he lets me pick and choose from the stacks. I'll be getting more in the next coming weeks. Haven't made it out there much this winter.:(

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Martin..........I'm worried about turning the spindles for the shaker style tables wet....and then having them warp as they dry. I talked with John about it and I think I'm going to glue up some dry stock and turn the spindles.

How many pieces do you need?

[Robert Mickley]

Martin: I may have what your looking for. I'll have to go rumage around in the stack but I think theres a cherry 5x5 down there that should be 12 feet long.

I can cut a sample off and send it to you since there may be some heartwood in it. Seems to me I saved it for a reason. But who knows what that reason was now :rolleyes: