Fun with Sorby texturing tool

[Bob Bergstrom]

Have been using the mini texturing tool on some bowl. This one is walnut and taller than most I turn. There is a learning curve with these texturing. Nick Agar on YouTube is a magician with the larger one. Because of the height I widen the band. I beaded the texturing with a 3/8” spindle gouge. Sap wood in the bottom runs almost rim to rim.
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[John K Jordan]

You got the texture looking good. It seems like texture in that area will help make lifting the bowl more secure. What's the diameter and height of that bowl?

I do a fair amount of texturing and it always makes me nervous - you usually get only one chance! (I use the large and small Sorbys, a Wagner knurler, a small custom tool with a sharp pointed star wheel, and some sharp point tools.)

I got started on texturing when hanging around Frank Penta - he's a texturing maniac. John Lucas is good at it too.

[Steve Mawson]

Bob that turned out quite well. Always good to define the texture area as you have demonstrated.

[Bob Bergstrom]

You got the texture looking good. It seems like texture in that area will help make lifting the bowl more secure. What's the diameter and height of that bowl?

I do a fair amount of texturing and it always makes me nervous - you usually get only one chance! (I use the large and small Sorbys, a Wagner knurler, a small custom tool with a sharp pointed star wheel, and some sharp point tools.)

I got started on texturing when hanging around Frank Penta - he's a texturing maniac. John Lucas is good at it too.

John, bowl is about 7” tall. The somewhat vertical walls made the width possible. I would not try it on a 3” tall bowl. Hard to Cary that texture that wide on such a variable sloped bowl.

[Bob Bergstrom]

Bob that turned out quite well. Always good to define the texture area as you have demonstrated.

Steve, yes boundaries must be set. I am not sure I should have put two beads on the top. One would be more balanced.

[John K Jordan]

John, bowl is about 7” tall. The somewhat vertical walls made the width possible. I would not try it on a 3” tall bowl. Hard to Cary that texture that wide on such a variable sloped bowl.

In my experience a surface with a significant taper or curve can certainly create some unpredictable (er, ugly!) spiral textures. Your's is impressive given the shape and width (and the size!). I haven't been too impressed with my attempts at spiraling on wide or curved surfaces but the sharp pointed star can make an intriguing pattern on spindles. I practice on tool handles since who cares what they look like.

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With these I rub dark grain filler into the indentations then wipe it away on the surface. (The wood is finished before the texturing.) I've never tried this texturing on a bowl but now I want to. Or on a goblet made from maple or dogwood.

JKJ

[Robert Hayward]

John, are those home made ferrules in your third picture, or did you buy them ?

[Bob Bergstrom]

John, those really give the handles a custom look. I like that and will give those some treatment. Thanks for the idea.

[John K Jordan]

John, are those home made ferrules in your third picture, or did you buy them ?

Robert, the second one from the top is one I bought. I started making these because I really like using them, I'm too cheap to buy the commercial versions, and I can make them smaller for easier grip on small tools for detailed spindle turning. I have a metal-working lathe but I have made them on the wood lathe from aluminum using standard woodturning tools. I've made them from aluminum, steel, and brass.

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I epoxy them into the handle. I drill a long hole in the handle so I can control the amount of extension at the front - this way I can keep the extension I want even when the tool gets shorter. These work well for round tool shafts but work fine for square or rectangular shanks with longer set screws. If you get up this way at some point drop in and we'll make a couple! (easy to make)

JKJ

[John K Jordan]

John, those really give the handles a custom look. I like that and will give those some treatment. Thanks for the idea.

Great! Post some photos.

I was doing a demo on thin spindles at a turning club a few years ago and used that texture method on a "magic" wand near the end. That one thing caused some excitement and questions with several after the demo wanting more info, making notes, coming up to try it themselves, and looking around for something to rub into the texture on the wand to make it stand out.

I've experimented with various shapes and can't predict what the pattern will be - curves and tapers all can look great. The pattern relies on the spacing of the points and the exact diameter at that point as well as the traversing speed. Perfect cylinders are boring. I get much different effects if I make a single, slow pass over the wood (at slow lathe speed) than if I move the tool back and forth - the cleanest pattern is with a single pass. The smaller pointed star wheels with points closer together give a different effect than the bigger Sorby wheel. The Sorby spiraling wheels with the chisel points might be interesting too. I always clean up the ends of the textured area with a v-groove with a skew and sometimes burn a line in the v with a wire. I always seal the wood well before texturing so the dark grain filler doesn't get into the grain of the light-colored wood, then lightly sand with 800 paper to knock off any raised bits before applying finish.

JKJ

[Bob Bergstrom]

Great! Post some photos.

I was doing a demo on thin spindles at a turning club a few years ago and used that texture method on a "magic" wand near the end. That one thing caused some excitement and questions with several after the demo wanting more info, making notes, coming up to try it themselves, and looking around for something to rub into the texture on the wand to make it stand out.

I've experimented with various shapes and can't predict what the pattern will be - curves and tapers all can look great. The pattern relies on the spacing of the points and the exact diameter at that point as well as the traversing speed. Perfect cylinders are boring. I get much different effects if I make a single, slow pass over the wood (at slow lathe speed) than if I move the tool back and forth - the cleanest pattern is with a single pass. The smaller pointed star wheels with points closer together give a different effect than the bigger Sorby wheel. The Sorby spiraling wheels with the chisel points might be interesting too. I always clean up the ends of the textured area with a v-groove with a skew and sometimes burn a line in the v with a wire. I always seal the wood well before texturing so the dark grain filler doesn't get into the grain of the light-colored wood, then lightly sand with 800 paper to knock off any raised bits before applying finish.

JKJ

Thanks for the tips and insight.