November Turnings

Here are a few of the smaller projects I've been working on in the shop. Christmas presents that will surely get some mileage. It has been a fun break from cutting boards.

Beer bottle opener made from cocobola.

Coffee scoop made from coffee beans and acrylic.

Ice cream scoop made from marblewood. Huge and heavy.

Mach 3 razors made from maple burl. A crowd favorite.

Those Cheesy Cheese Boards

A giant sigh of relief after many months in the wood shop. The largest set of edge grain cheese boards I have ever created, seventeen in all. Now the disclaimer is that I took my time and worked on these in my spare time, which seems like a precious commodity these days. A few hours here, 30 minutes there, a tip-toe into the shop here before being called back inside for any one of the many daddy-duties. However, I'm done and I'm thrilled with the outcome. They look awesome.

I decided to stick to an interesting shape I created in the last round of cheese boards. Heavy rounded opposite ends with offset routed grips. Just gives the boards clean lines and shows off the pin striping a bit more in my opinion.

The boards are a mix of exotic and domestic hardwoods. Tons of sawdust created in the making of these. I will do my best in the captions of each photo to name the species used. Sorry for the so-so photography, I was running out of light and snapped a few quick photos with my iPhone.

I can't promise anyone a certain board as they tend to sell quickly. If you want to claim one for your own, please email me with the board # you want and I will do my best to update the site with SOLD signs to avoid confusion.

Thanks for looking.

All 17 cheese boards lined up. I typically let them sit in the sun for a day or so to "color up." Some of the woods intensify in color when exposed to sunlight. I did this a few weeks ago and thought they looked really cool lined up like this.

An aerial shot so that you can see the ends as well as the routed grips.

Two stacks of incredibly heavy hardwood. Had to move one stack at a time.

Below are the numbered boards. I did my best to order them from lightest to darkest. Just helps when people are selecting the boards they want to buy. Have at 'em.

SOLD - All domestic woods. Maple, walnut and black cherry.

SOLD - All domestic woods. Maple, walnut and black cherry.

SOLD - Maple and purpleheart.

SOLD - Maple, murado, bloodwood and walnut.

SOLD - Very similar to #4 but with slight variations. Maple, walnut and bloodwood.

SOLD - Maple, padauk, cherry, murado, bloodwood and walnut.

SOLD - Maple, bloodwood, murado, padauk and black cherry.

SOLD - Maple, bloodwood, sapele, walnut and black cherry.

SOLD - Curly maple, purpleheart, walnut, padauk and black cherry.

SOLD - Bloodwood, maple, walnut an black cherry.

SOLD - Bloodwood, maple, walnut and black cherry.

SOLD - Bloodwood, maple, purpleheart, black cherry and murado.

SOLD - Purpleheart, maple, walnut, black cherry and padauk.

SOLD - Walnut, maple, bloodwood, black cherry and sapele.

SOLD - Sapele, maple, purpleheart, black cherry and walnut.

SOLD - Purpleheart, black cherry, maple, sapele and walnut.

SOLD - Sapele, maple, padauk and walnut.

Claro Walnut Bowl

I wanted to post a few photos of the claro walnut bowl I've been working on. After lots of sanding, a few coats of Antique Oil finish, and a buffing of steel wool, the bowl is finally finished. Super smooth and ready to display. Looking forward to getting started on my next bowl.

Claro walnut bowl. Overall dimensions around about 5.5" wide and 3" tall.

Claro walnut bowl finished with Antique Oil finish.

Claro walnut bowl. Very cool swirling grain patterns.

My first bowls on the lathe

Before I even got into wood turning, there were a few projects that I was anxious to try. Turning pens (check!), turning wine bottle stoppers (check!) and finally turning bowls (check!)

The process of turning a bowl is completely different from pens, razors, wine stoppers, etc. Takes a bit more time, a bit more control and a few more tools.

The first attempt at a bowl didn't even make it to the lathe. I decided not to pre-drill my holes to mount the face plate to the chunk of wood and had a screw break off in the wood. So I threw the piece away. No need to have a chunk of metal in the wood waiting for a tool to hit it.

My second attempt resulted in a DOH! moment when the screws I used to mount the face plate were too long and I ended up having 4 nice holes in the bottom of my bowl that I just couldn't carve away.

While they may not win any awards, my first few attempts have made me proud. Really excited to keep at it and continue to learn and experiment. Below are a few of my firsts that actually turned out well enough to consider a finished project.

My first successful bowl that I turned from a piece of curly maple I had laying around the shop.

The above photos shows a blank of claro walnut that I rounded off on the bandsaw before mounting on a face plate. Easier to get it somewhat round before trying to turn it.

Same claro walnut bowl blank after turning the outside and bottom. Sanded down a bit and ready to flip around and carve out the inside. This one will still need a good bit of sanding to smooth out.

My first try and turning "green wood" from my firewood pile. This was a small oak log that was split and ready to burn. I kept the live edge (bark) and turned it down to about 3/4" thickness before putting away to dry for a few months. Need to let the moisture content drop down before turning to final dimensions and sanding.

Some wine bottle stoppers

I haven't ever run into this problem, but I hear it happens. Let's say you open a bottle of wine and can't finish it (gasp!) What does one do? Well, you could put the original cork back in, but that would be so passe. How about adorn the top of your bottle with a custom hand turned wine bottle stopper? Great idea.

I have turned a few of these and use chrome bottle stoppers with two silicone rings to get a nice air-tight seal. They are fun to make and allow me to experiment with different shapes and wood combinations. I have also started lining them up on my mantle piece as nicknacks. Plenty of folks comment on their resemblance to chess pieces. I have no interest at this point on making chess sets.

A few of the wine bottle stoppers I turned on my lathe. Different wood species and shapes. Notice the top two stoppers have the hardware attached. The bottom (rosewood) version doesn't have the chrome piece installed.

I played around with laminating a strip of maple in between two pieces of sapele for a pinstripe effect. These do not have the chrome hardware installed. Just playing around with shapes. They are drilled out on the bottoms so that I can add in the hardware later.

Here is a small maple bowl I turned with a collection of wine bottle stoppers thrown in.

More Mach 3 burl razors

I put on a mini turning class on Saturday for a few of my friends that were interested in learning the basics of the lathe. We had a really fun time and they both went home with incredible pens that they made themselves. I played a supervisory role and let them get the feel for the tools and the steps involved. I was really impressed with what they were able to make on their first attempts.

After they left, I spent some time working with some new chunks of burl I had purchased and made a few more Mach 3 razors. The wood was fantastic and had amazing color and grain patterns. They make for great presentation pieces and something that the average Joe can use on a weekly basis. If you have to shave, why not shave in style?

I still have a few left for those looking for a very unique Father's Day gift, or just a thoughtful gift for the gentleman in your life (including yourself).

For those of you unfamiliar with what you're looking at below: These are kits that accept Gillette Mach 3 replaceable razor heads for shaving. Very common and easy to find at your local grocery store or pharmacy. These will last for many years and require new blades once dull.

Burl Mach 3 razors made from eucalyptus burl (1 and 2) and some new red mallee burl (3 and 4)

A very lengthy finishing process ensures a long-lasting razor and an amazing glass-like finish.

You can see the swirling grain patterns and bark inclusions that make each razor unique.

Eucalyptus Burl Mach III Razors

Just finished up a batch of gorgeous eucalyptus burl Mach III razors. Really cool wood to work with, but plenty of finesse involved. Lots of incredible grain swirls and internal bark patterns. Make for very elegant contrast to the chrome razor parts. I experimented with different profiles and finishes along the way. Burl is pretty expensive given its rarity, but makes for an excellent display piece.

Finished 7 eucalyptus burl Mach III razors of different profiles.

Caryn's Rollerball - Aqua Acrylic

Caryn put in a request for a rollerball pen. Can't deny the woman who allows me shop time any request. Below is a photo of the pen. I used an aqua swirl acrylic. So far, I love the rollerball pens. Write very smooth and less stop and go than the fountain pens.

Caryn's rollerball pen.

Fountain Pen - Acrylic

On Monday, I turned my first fountain pen. I was experimenting with the shape a bit and wanted to create a thicker body with more heft. I used an acrylic body called "tie dye" which has a bright orange translucence with thin swirls of black and white mixed in. The finish on the acrylic is amazing. Lots of wet sanding with micro mesh and top coated with high-gloss polish.

The fountain pen body is plated in Sterling silver and the iridium nib plated in 24 carat gold. A fun conversation piece if nothing else.

Fountain pen turned from "tie-dye" acrylic.

Photo showing the overall shape with the pen cap screwed on.

Mach III Razor

I got to spend my Monday working in the shop on a few small projects. I turned a few pens, a wine bottle stop for a friend out of olive wood, and this cherry burl Mach III razor for me. I love it. Shaves like any other Mach III does, but just looks really cool.

Photo quality suffers a bit, but you can see the basic shape and fitness of the razor.

Had such a great response to the above cherry burl razor, that I decided to make another one on Tuesday night after work. Finished it just before bed time. I had some Bolivian rosewood in stock and just loved the contrasting grain patterns of it. I took it over to the table saw and cut some blanks at a 15 degree angle so that – when turned – would show off the colors. Deep chocolate with blonde streaks.

Mach III razor made form diagonal cut Bolivian rosewood.

Refurb - Antique Mahogany Dresser

Last Spring, Jacob and Taryn made a trip down from Michigan with a special package. An antique mahogany dresser from Paige and Adam's house. Caryn's mother had purchased this particular piece at an antique dealer a few decades ago and it was showing its age to say the least.

I decided that it was worth taking a stab at a refinish job. At first glance it appeared to be structurally sound. One of the feet was broken off, one of the drawers stuck a bit, the finish was blotchy, the bottom was banged up pretty bad, a few of the drawer pulls were broken, and it suffered from a botched refinish job (or two) at some point in it's over-century-long use.

The project took over year to complete, but it was mostly due to competing priorities in the shop. Christmas presents, cutting boards, wooden boxes, a few pistol grips, and odds and ends.

I won't bore you with the intricate details, but will state that I tried my best to keep the original look of this piece. I wanted it to still feel like an antique and kept the original lines and design.

The only new pieces were a new base made of matching mahogany, new custom turned mahogany bun feet, and a new set of (antique) Victorian drawer pulls that matched the originals.

Here are some of the photos of the process. In retrospect, I wish I had taken more.

Original condition of the dresser propped up on an old 2x4. Notice the broken foot, with part of the busted base stuck to it. Also the finish was a bit too orange for my liking. Mahogany is usually a rich red.

Another photo of the main pieces showing an old banged up finish of most likely varnish.

The broken foot. Original design used wooden dowels, but someone in recent decades had banged in some nails to "help" sure it up. Sometimes nails just won't cut it when it comes to structural integrity.

Starting the job. Sand sand sand. Months (not-cumulative) of sanding from 80 up to 320 grit paper. Very slow and messy process. I did, however start to see the beautiful wood beneath. If you look real close, you can see where someone had filled some cracks with wood putty and spackle. I used a dental pick to painstakingly pick it all out scratch by scratch.

Took a break from sanding to build a new base. Bought some mahogany and created a 3 faced base. After the sizing was correct, I mitered the corners off and hit it with a cove bit on the router to give it a nice profile.

Here is the dresser after all pieces had been sanded, including the drawer interiors. Still a bit dusty, but ready to install the base and feet.

Here is a photo taken a few nights later, after I installed the new base, new mahogany bun feet, and the decorative back board. Starting to come to life. You will also notice the second to the last drawer that still needed one of its runners repaired.

Here is a close-up photo of the new profiled base I made, along with the new bun feet. Pretty cool bun foot design from Matthew Burak of tablelegs.com.

This is during the finishing process. Finished with 3 coats of Danish Oil. Sanding in between all coats. 3 coats of Arm-r-seal clear coat. Sanding in between. Then finished with 2 coats of paste wax to provide a smooth and durable finish.

And here is the finished product, with the new (antique) pulls that matched the originals. I'm really happy with how it turned out. Looks beautiful in the sun light.