Temptation, thou doest raise thine ugly head-PICTURES

[Mark Pruitt]

The day before my carpel tunnel surgery I wanted to make sure I knew exactly where the place was located. As I approached the building I passed a huge....no, HUUUUGE...tree that had fallen from natural causes which also happened to be on a lot that is to see new construction. You KNOW what was going through my head!!! I thought seriously about firing up the Stihl and coming back that night, but my better judgement took over and I spent the evening doing eleventh-hour chores that I knew I could not do with a bandaged hand.

Fast forward to today. Two days post-op. Just now able to use caps and "peck" the keyboard with my "good" hand. I'm sitting here SMC'ing when I hear this "THUMP" outside and I knew exactly what it was. Next door neighbor just felled a tree, and you KNOW what is going through my head!!! I immediately went outside and asked my neighbor if he needed the wood and if not, could I have the larger portions of the trunks. (He was having two trees felled.) He graciously agreed, saying it would relieve him of the need to haul it off.

So here I sit, totally useless; I had already acquired a modest amount of spalted maple that I had not yet turned anything from, and now this. I do not know the species yet, I'll go out and shoot it after a while and post pics, maybe you guys can tell me. All I know is, the heartwood is a pretty shade of reddish brown and there is good contrast between heartwood and sapwood.

HUMMMMPH!!!!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

And the Devil...turning....tempts you! Stand strong Mark!:D

Take care of that hand now so you can use it later!

[Steve Schlumpf]

So how long are you to wait before you can start using your hand again? Also, got any family or neighbors that can haul wood for you? I'd put them to work and fatten up your wood stash!

[Skip Spaulding]

There is a just Lord! ( could be He turns) Heal quickly. Skip

[David Fried]

I look forward to seeing your post on turning with your feet!
Maybe you can draw shapes on the wood in preparation for
when you are completely healed and ready to go.

Hang in there. (Did I hear a tree falling? ;))

[Mark Pruitt]

I look forward to seeing your post on turning with your feet! ;)
Don't tempt me further!:eek: :p :p :rolleyes:

Actually, with all this idle time my mind has been in overdrive; I've been imagining how one might be able to use rare earth magnets to hold a gouge against a tool rest and thereby create a fulcrum for one-armed turning......:eek:

(No, I'm not going to try it but it is kind of fun imagining it!)

Steve, the doc said three weeks with no turning, which I take to mean that at approximately 12 noon eastern time on 1/25/07 I can resume.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Don't tempt me further!:eek: :p :p :rolleyes: Steve, the doc said three weeks with no turning, which I take to mean that at approximately 12 noon eastern time on 1/25/07 I can resume.

Let me guess......"But who's counting?":rolleyes:

Hang in there Mark!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Can you turn with the opposite hand and use the injured one as a pivot point?

[Mark Pruitt]

Can you turn with the opposite hand and use the injured one as a pivot point?
Believe me, I've thought about it!:p SWMBO would skin me alive. She didn't even trust me to ask the doc and just tell her what he said...she had to ask him herself! So unless I can pursuade him otherwise on my follow up visit, three weeks it is.:(

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I've got this picture in my mind.... A large WET...GREEN...BOWL BLANK chucked up...Mark with his medically-appropriately-dressed hand held vertically in the air....the attached elbow pinned in a death grip to the tool rest.....used as a pivot point while his other hand grips the bowl gouge.......:eek: :rolleyes: :D

A Monster catch happens.....bowl gouge handle comes out of hand......handle pivots upwards....catches Mark under the chin.......frees itself and continues it's upward arc....smacking the recently repaired hand........Mark is now on his knees in front of his lathe .....tears steaming down his face.......thinking......"This is fun!":eek: :rolleyes: :D

[Mark Pruitt]

Six logs total, each is about 7' long. Two different species, three logs each. These are the ones I'm trying to identify.
54451 54452

In this pic, it's the three to the right--I'm pretty sure the others are poplar.
54449

Here's another one to identify.
54450

Any ideas?

[Mark Cothren]

Dunno Mark, but congrats on the score (and take care of the hand).

The bark in the second pic the bark looks to me a little like Black Cherry. Is that end grain sealed, or is that the actual color?

[Mark Pruitt]

Dunno Mark, but congrats on the score (and take care of the hand).

The bark in the second pic the bark looks to me a little like Black Cherry. Is that end grain sealed, or is that the actual color?
That's the actual color. I might try to seal it tomorrow, but there's so much of the stuff that I figure I could just let it sit "as is" and cut a few inches off the ends once my hand heals. I might also need to cover it up since it's on the "sunny" side of the house.

[Jim Ketron]

Some shoots of the Bark would help us a little better!
I agree with Mark the ones on the right looks like Cherry to me.

[Bill Boehme]

I've got this picture in my mind.... A large WET...GREEN...BOWL BLANK chucked up....... A Monster catch happens.....bowl gouge handle comes out of hand......handle pivots upwards....catches Mark under the chin.......

Well, as long as it is only the chin ....... not a problem.

Bill

[Leigh Costello]

Mark,

RESIST THE TEMPTATION! Had similar surgery on my elbow - of my turning arm of course - 3 weeks ago. Thought I would help hubby out by fininshing some pens for him. That small amount of turning had my hand the size of a cantaloupe - using the hand as pivot only - after a very short time. So, being in denial, did the same thing the next day and voila, same thing. Once the swelling went down, I was tempted but managed to resist. Exactly, 3.5 weeks post surgery now, and have turned a bit with minimal swelling. So, resist, man, resist. And don't drool on your dressing while planning future projects! Makes a mess of things!

[John Hart]

I think it's great that you are spending your convalescence accumulating turning materials. Any chance that your wife would be willing to train on proper chainsaw usage?;) You know....to show her support for your proper healng.:)

[Mark Pruitt]

Any chance that your wife would be willing to train on proper chainsaw usage?;) You know....to show her support for your proper healng.:)
Great idea! I like it! She'd probably enjoy it too...maybe too much...:eek:

[Tom Sherman]

My wife is all to willing to try a chainsaw I have purposely not shown her where the off/on switch is to keep all her digits in the right place. Great gloat Mark, like Ken said Stand Strong son resist the temptation to jump in till at least a little closer to times up.

[Tom Sherman]

Mark another thought just occured to me, if you do give in to the temptation now, you might have to post-pone your date with Bill. Be cool my friend bide your time this too shall pass.

[Mark Pruitt]

Jim, Mark, others...

I took these today. Maybe they will help identify the species.:confused:

This one
54567
is the one with this end shot
54570
_________________________

The one at the top in this shot
54568
is one of the three to the right in this one
54574
_________________________

Here is another shot. I'm pretty sure that the one in the forefront is poplar.
54569

Any help identifying this is greatly appreciated!

Oh, and thanks for all the encouragement to take it easy. I am intent upon following the doctor's post-op instructions. Maybe when I see him for follow-up he'll clear me for an early launch. Or early descent, depending on how you look at it.;)

[John Hart]

Yep...that one that you think is poplar...definitely is. The one with the dark core though...jeez...dunno. That green coloration is really throwing me. :confused: Dunno Wood....But will probably turn into a masterpiece.

[Robert Mickley]

Nicw score Mark!!

Tom, My wife runs chainsaws all the time.

[Glenn Hodges]

Mark, sorry about the surgery. Maybe the Creek can help you get over the withdrawal shakes. When I was on vacation I could not wait to get back to the lathe so good luck.

[Mark Pruitt]

The one with the dark core though...jeez...dunno. That green coloration is really throwing me. :confused: Dunno Wood....But will probably turn into a masterpiece.
Great. I can just see myself turning my finest piece from that log, and I'll never even know what it was. Oh well.