This weekend's turnings......

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Saturday........I turned 5 more bottle stoppers.........Sunday I was going to do some more Christmas gift pens......to many distractions (free wood included) and mishaps.....last one of a kind pen blank cracked while finishing........3 pens and that was all I got done.

Here for your critiques and comments......

52810

52811
3 pens.....2 bocote...1 cocobolo
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cocobolo bottle stopper
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bocote bottle stopper
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[Ken Fitzgerald]

grab the next frame for more photos..

tigerwood bottle stopper
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carob bottle stopper
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I can't remember ....pasand?....pasauk?? bottle stopper
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[Karl Laustrup]

Wow, Ken. What I said in an earlier post bears repeating, You've come a long way in a short time. Pens, stoppers they look great. Perhaps you have come accross a secondary profession? I have a name if you go in that direction, "SpringBoard Creations". :)

The recent proliferation of turned objects leads one to wonder if you are chained to the lathe/diving board? Are you going for a record? Most turned objects in "X" amount of time? ;) I do hope you are getting sustinance and libation? :eek: :)

Keep 'em coming.

Karl

[John Hart]

Nice lookin' pieces all Ken! Don't cha just love turning cocobolo? Kinda makes my nose tingle....but it sure is nice stuff.

[Mark Pruitt]

Ken, you sure spend a lot of time drinking and writing, to need so many bottle stoppers and pens....:p :p :p

The bocote bottle stopper is my favorite. I really like the round shape and the detail. You're really crankin 'em out these days! You tryin' to wear that Mini out so you can tell the LOYL it's time for Mustard? (Don't tell Andy I said that!)

[David Fried]

You've come a long way in a short time.
Karl

Yeah, cut that out! You're making the rest of us look bad!!! :eek:

Nice stoppers! I think you need to try the fruit shapes next!!

[Steve Schlumpf]

A lot of really nice turnings there Ken! Quite the variety of woods and styles! Nice work!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ken those are some beauties my friend. Nice turning job.

[John Miliunas]

Jeeeeeeeeeez man...You tryin' to make me feel bad or sumfin'? :mad: You been busy, my friend. Very nice on all of them. Need to make a few more bottle stoppers myself, though they'll have to be the 'el cheapo's, as our store is all out of the good chrome kits. (Yeah, I took the last 4 we had!) :D Well done, Ken! :) :cool:

[Gary Butterfield]

Nice looking bottle stoppers Ken. Good designs! I think I will go down in the basement and turn so myself.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

This may sound a little fat headed on my part......I've reached the level with my turning that I can now somewhat plan what I want to do with a particular piece of wood. I've been buying bottle stopper blanks from Crafts Supplies in Ogden, UT. in an assortment pack of 10 for $10. The first thing I do is cutoff the sealed ends to expose the grain. Depending on the grain, I can determine what I want to do with that piece of wood. The cocobolo stopper above....I saw the extremely contrasting grain in the end so I put as many sweeping curves into to it as possible. My wife likes that design and the sweeping curves exposes more grain and somewhat highlites it..........The same was true with the bocote blank and the stopper above. If the end grain doesn't show a lot of contrasting grain then I use a basic "chess castle" outline and then I can turn in some "v" grooves and friction burn the grooves to spruce them up and add a little decorative detail.

I do most of my bottle stopper work with the dreaded skew. The more I use it ...the more I like it.

OF COURSE....every once in a while the dreaded "catch" occurs and then the design changes.........:o :D

But the more I use the skew the less often it happens.

[Tom Sherman]

Nice looking stuff Ken, sure are getting familiar with that diving board.

[Keith Burns]

Ken, I have the feeling that you at some point in time secretly moved south ! :D You are doing absolutely great ! Love them all:)

[Corey Hallagan]

Wow, nice bunch of stuff there Ken. Your really turning out those pens and stoppers. Nice work!

Corey

[Barry Stratton]

Great stuff Ken! well done.......Do you need my addy since Christmas is coming ???:D

[Jim Ketron]

Nice stoppers Ken!
Beautiful work!

[Ernie Nyvall]

Those look great Ken. You did do a good job on popping the grain out.

Where do you get the stopper part?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Ernie.......I've been getting the stoppers from Craft Supplies but I think after I'm done with the ones I have, I'm going to try the stainless steel ones from Ruth Niles. Eventually I'm told the chrome ones will develop a white oxidation.