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Dominic Greco
12-20-2006, 10:19 PM
Hi Everyone,

Here is a photo I just took of (4) spoons I turned/power carved, and (2) scoops. These are Christmas presents for my Mom and MIL. Although my wife has indicated that SHE would like a full set of these as well!:D

All are made from cherry I found along the side of the road, milled into flat stock, and allowed to dry for 2 years. The really nice part is that just about all these items were turned from scrap wood that was cut from the flat stock. I knew I was right when I didn't discard those pieces!;)

The spoons all measure about 12" long and have varying sized heads. The scoops are about 5" to 5 1/2" long and are just under 3" in diameter.

Before turning the scoops, I finally broke down and purchased a copy of Richard Raffan's "Turning Projects" (http://www.amazon.com/Turning-Projects-Richard-Raffan/dp/0942391381/sr=1-6/qid=1166670998/ref=sr_1_6/103-2766190-4883833?ie=UTF8&s=books). It was well worth it! His method for turning scoops was the easiest I've seen so far. I was able to turn a scoop in half the time I did before.

The bowl section of the spoons were power carved with a rotary rasp purchased from PSI's showroom in Phila PA. I was lucky they had any left. Since this was a discontinued item, I think I got the last pack they had. With the spoon clamped firmly to the top of my workbench I chucked this bit into my trim router and used it to hog out the material. Before I started I sketched out the perimeter of the bowl to be a guideline. I'll say this about rotary rasps, they sure can hog away material FAST!

When I was first researching how to turn spoons, I used the link provided to me when I was looking for information on scoops. It lead me to Woodturning Online (http://www.woodturningonline.com/Turning/Turning_projects.html). What a fantastic resource that site turned out to be! I have Bill Turpin to thank for that link. (Thanks Bill!)

One gent on that site suggested using ball end mills to hog out the material. I purchased one from ENCO and made the mistake of getting a double fluted version. It takes too fine of a bite and clogs up WAY to easy. I should have gotten a single fluted version. Oh well, better luck next time! Luckily PSI had these rotary rasps on hand.

The finish is Mineral Oil followed by buffing and a liberal coat of bee's wax.

Jonathon Spafford
12-21-2006, 2:33 AM
Hey, I love those... I turned have turned a couple of those before. I made a spoon with a narrow deep head and another with a wide shallow head and a stir-fry spatula! They make nice sets. I really like the look of these though. The handles are simple, but they look comfortable! I really like the shape! The cherry has a nice warm look to it! You did a really nice job!!!

John Hart
12-21-2006, 6:23 AM
Nice Roadkill Dominic! Just amazing what we can do with stuff that other people see as debris.:)

Christopher K. Hartley
12-21-2006, 6:37 AM
Dominic, nice work on these, this is a great collection! I really like what you've done.:)

George Tokarev
12-21-2006, 6:39 AM
Sharp carving gouge is the quickest, safest way to make the bowl of a spoon if you have a method for holding the work. With turned handles I find poplar -the real poplar- V-blocks and hold downs to be the right combination. Bruises not at all or so little that a bit of damp cloth brings things back. Carving the bowl when the piece is not yet circular is much easier to get a good hold.

Like to suggest a tool which will prove useful regardless your hollowing method, and even useful for scraping the button off the bottom of a bowl. http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32641&cat=1,310,41069 I have two, in case I misplace one, but I hand carve my spoons.

Keith Burns
12-21-2006, 8:06 AM
Great pieces Dominic:) :) I like them all:)

Steve Schlumpf
12-21-2006, 9:33 AM
Dominic - weren't you trying to figure out how to make scoops just a couple of weeks ago? Man, you sure figured that out!

Very nice work! I like the details on the handles. You did a good job hollowing out the bowls on the spoons. Beautiful warm cherry color!

Jim Becker
12-21-2006, 10:15 AM
Nice work, Dominic!

Bernie Weishapl
12-21-2006, 10:17 AM
Those are some beauties. Nice work.

Dominic Greco
12-21-2006, 7:44 PM
Thanks for all the compliments. If I can get some free time this weekend, I may be able to turn some for my wife. And maybe even some spatulas ala Richard Raffan.

It's funny. I never would have thought I would enjoy making utilitarian stuff so much! But it's pretty cool once you get the hang of it.

Ernie Nyvall
12-21-2006, 8:56 PM
Very cool Dominic. Nice job... they all look great.

Ken Fitzgerald
12-21-2006, 8:57 PM
Very well done Dominic!

John Miliunas
12-21-2006, 9:52 PM
Whew...Sure is a good thing the LOML doesn't visit out here! :eek: Those are great, Dom! :) May have to venture out to the online site and check out the process. Might even surprise the Boss one of these days! :D :cool: