Just Skewing Around (some more)
Just Skewing Around (some more)
Turning ten magic wands (tapered spindle turnings) using primarily a skew chisel,, with most of the fun just in the 4 to 4 1/2" handles, got a little boring, Decided to practice making a piece of just balls. Roughed a piece of douglas fir round and cut a line in for the left and right ends of the first ball using the skew chisel. Then it was more skew work - lay the skew on its side, contact the wood, lift the handle up 'til the center of the edge starts cutting and sweep to the right while rotating the cutting edge from horizontal to vertical - into the cut line. Flip the skew over and do it again from the high point to the left cut line.
The original idea was to practice cutting equal sized balls down the blank. To do that I was supposed to mark out the ends and the high point of a series of balls, preferably with a pair of dividers. And IF I'd done the required measuring that's what I WOULD HAVE done. Of course I figured "I don't need no stinkin' measuring, just eye ball it". That's how the second "ball" initially turned out to be an oval rather than a round ball. But a little tapering on one end turned the oval into the beginnings of a droplet.
Hmmm - droplets! While I'm at it, why not make them reduce in size? To speed things up I broke out the Sorby Spindle Master to quickly rough in the shape and then used the skew to sharpen the shape up. Douglas fir probably isn't the best wood to try this in but it turned out acceptably. In maple, I'm sure I can crisp things up.
So here's my first Turned Snot-Tite (TM- copyrigjt protected - Patent Pending, all rights reserved). Snottite is a real word - honest. Unlike stalag-tites and stalag-mites, snot-tites are formed by secretions of bacteria that "eat"rocks rather than by the build up of calcium layers. Have absolutely no idea what to do with this but it sure was fun to turn. This could be the start of a lucrative career as an Artiste, better yet, a Turnist!
Here's the next "piece" in my "Dripping Series" . With Willy Wonka in the theaters (theatres if your a Brit), chocolate came to mind, the creation of a Candy Kiss specifically. Had a mahogany dowel I'd turned earlier for a bench do. Already rounded, it was a natural starting point for Candy Kiss at T minus 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 seconds. It's a homage to the cubist Nude Descending Stairs.
Continuing the Dripping Series, this piece of Padouk was a natural for the AB Negative piece (a blood type if the title is too obscure). A lemon oil and carnuba wax finish brought out the red in the Padouk.
Now if I can just figure out how to turn a splash . . .
