1st turning...please be gentle :)

[Troy Donson]

Well since I am a mechanic as my "regular" job, the folks I work with kinda have their eyes glaze over when I talk about my wood working...

In a rare lucid moment, I glued up a bunch of scraps from other projects and made this "Wood Demonstrator" to show what the different woods look like and to try my hand at using my late Father-in-Law's 45 year old craftsman tube lathe... :o

Sorry about the poor quality photos, still learning digital cameras, too! Soda can is for purposes of scale.

Figured this to be a "dried flower vase" whatdya think?

Top to bottom:

Zebrawood
Chechen
Yellowheart
Tropical Walnut
Purpleheart
Makore

Tung oil and wax...

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Very nice first turning Troy! Welcome to the Creek and the Vortex!

[Tom Hamilton]

Troy, welcome to the Creek and to the wonderful world of turning. Your first project looks great and indicates you're off to a fine start. I'm sure turning will bring you much satisfaction.

Best regards, Tom

[David Walser]

Troy,

That's very nice; there's no need to qualify the compliment with "for a beginner" or some such. To me, it looks more like a pencil cup than a vase. I mean, wouldn't you rather have a pencil cup on your desk than a vase? On the other hand, if you're going to give it to your wife, I'd say it's definitely a vase and a darn pretty one, too!

I note you're in Surprise, Arizona. Consider joining the local woodturning club, the Arizona Woodturners Association. We meet monthly and it's a great chance to learn more about turning. Here's a link to the club's webpage:

http://azwoodturners.org/

[Steve Schlumpf]

Troy - Welcome to the Creek! Nice first turning - quite the wood combination you have working there! Lots of color and a nice finish! Looking forward to seeing some of your work!

I still have my 1953 Craftsman mono-tube lathe - great way to start out in the vortex! If you have the time - check into a local turning club - the knowledge gained there will really shorten the learning curve!

[Brian McInturff]

Excellent first piece. Great colors, very vibrant. I like the shape too. I'm wandering when you say dry flowers if you mean popouri. My wife seems to think it goes into all my turnings;). And to think that as a first, you decide to do a segmented turning really shows you have the skill already!!

[Scott Lux]

Nice work. It makes a nice reference piece. When trying to explain what a given wood looks like, you can just grab the cup/vase. I like the pencil cup idea myself.

Lux

[Bernie Weishapl]

Troy welcome to SMC. Very nice first piece. I like the different woods. Make sure you hang onto it so down the road you can look back and compare.

[robert hainstock]

That's a very good way to start. The finish is excellant. One of my "first projects" was a Flat sample glueup of eleven differant woods. I often wish I still had it. Keep that cup/vase you will alwys remember your first turning. :):)
Bob

[Ben Gastfriend]

Welcome! I just joined back in fall of last year, but already I've gained a humongous amount of knowledge from some of the people here.

That vase is really cool, and your sanding looks really good. No tearout, and the different colored woods didn't bleed into each other. Always my problem....

Are you planning on getting yourself a lathe? A bunch of people here will help you make an informed and un-biased descision. I wish I joined before I bought!

[Troy Donson]

Well, thanks ever so much!!

Been quite the "Lurker" for a while, glad to have something to post that meets with approval.


This was actually first designed (by me) as a "pencil holder", then I figured I would give it to The Girl Of My Dreams (after showing it to the guys at work) to take to her work as a "vase" for dried flowers ( because I am a SENSITIVE kind of mechanic :D :D )...

She has now designated it as a "Decrative Candle Holder"!!! ( not to worry she knows not to light a candle in a wooden vessel )

She is telling me I need to make some more of these to show and (gulp) sell !!:eek::eek:

And all I wanted to do was show the guys at work so they would understand the beauty of wood...

By the way has the wind picked up? What's that sucking sound? :p

[Tom Sherman]

Welcome Troy to the Creek and to the Vortex. That sucking sound you hear is the vortex claiming yet another victim.

[curtis rosche]

nice suprised it looks so well with the purpleheart i wouldnt think a person never having turned before would use it

purple heart didnt tear out to much on ya did it?

if you do another one and you want to make it simple cut the bottom peice at a 45 andgle so that all the peices are slanted it looks neat

[Troy Donson]

nice suprised it looks so well with the purpleheart i wouldnt think a person never having turned before would use it

purple heart didnt tear out to much on ya did it?

if you do another one and you want to make it simple cut the bottom peice at a 45 andgle so that all the peices are slanted it looks neat

Well, I had some 5" square odds and ends laying around, so I used what I had... I wish I had thought it out more. It was nerve racking to have soft and hardwoods next to each other!

The purpleheart was not a huge issue, just went real slow with a 1/2" gouge...

Sorry, don't follow you on the 45 degree angle cut... I am new AND slow! ;)

Can you explain it in a bit more detail?

Thanks again for all the kind words from all of you.