my first NE

[Stephen Hibbs]

I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out. This is from the first log I've cut up on my own (just got a chainsaw), and I did a pretty poor job of it on most blanks, but this one came out nice and square. It's ironbark eucalyptus, 6.5" D and 3.5"T, .5"thick at largest points. It's kind of oval since I let this one warp out, but ironbark doesn't move or crack much. A few coats of minwax polyurethane and some brushed onto the bark too. MM'd through 12000 after for a ncie soft feel. The pics don't really do it justice, but I thought I'd post anyways. Kind of thick, but not bad for my first, and it has more color in person.
56799

56800

56801

[Mark Cothren]

Man, that is some wild bark, Stephen! You picked a great piece of wood for your first NE... nice work and keep on "twirling"...:D

[Bernie Weishapl]

Nice work on your first. Like Mark said the bark is wild. Little thick for my taste but overall ya did good. Keep'em coming.

[Joash Boyton]

Hmmm....ironbark eh?? Congrats on making it to the finish;)

Nice piece, a smaller base, and sweeping out under the outer wing, would have made it more of an "art" piece

Overall, you did good, with a first NE;)

Oh, and congrats on the Chainsaw....an excellent piece of equipment;)

Joash:)

[Neal Addy]

Really nice work! Looks better than my first NE.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Very, very nice first NE Stephen! Aren't they a kick? Congrats and now for the next one!

[John Hart]

Way to go Stephen! Yup...1st step into another world. NEs can be addicting. Congratulations.

[Mark Pruitt]

Aren't they a kick?
Indeed they are! In fact they can have a way of kicking you right in the hindermost parts...:eek:
But yes, they are a lot of fun when you get them right!

BTW good job Stephen. Keep 'em coming.

[Stephen Hibbs]

Thanks guys. The next one will be thinner, but I was so afraid of ruining the bark on this one i left it, but as the neame suggests, the bark is pretty hard. As for getting kicked by it, I learned to put a glove on my sanding hand pretty fast. I acutally got bark jammed inside my fingernail. I think I'll try to avoid so much warp on the next one.

[George Tokarev]

Big fan of reinforcing the bark, regardless. The final product will be less fragile, and the turning less difficult. Keep in mind that you will have differential shrinkage between the wood and the bark, so you'll almost always have to sand to even the surfaces. Means leaving things a tad thicker initially.

Best way to keep warp out of your way when turning is to do the whole thing one session. That's pretty obvious, though. Let it dry and change shape after you're done.

Try a bit shallower form on your next one. Easier to keep the bark when you can peel rather than enter steeply and risk chipping.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Very impressive first NE Stephen! Haven't tried one of these yet but when I do I hope it turns out even half as nice as yours. Very well done!

[Keith Burns]

Great 1st NE Stephen. Ya done good!:) :)

[Tom Sherman]

Steven that's a pretty good form and NE keep up the good work.

[Skip Spaulding]

Very nice! I forget to adjust my rest and wipe out half the bark.

[Jim Ketron]

Looking good!
Nice first NE bowl!