Bombarde16 Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Again with my resolution to conquer my fears of the far side of the lathe. Found a chunk of bone dry Douglas fir and am turning a piece into a goblet. Shown here after excavating the inside and soaking it with shellac. Knock on wood, shaping the outside will be a cakewalk compared to hollowing the inside. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Man, that is smoooooth! Can't wait to see the outside! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Amazingly huge grain pattern! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 When you get through, it's gotta look good. Was gonna be a turner but decided on bull fighting. Gotta be safer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted January 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2015 And here it is. I carved the base by hand to mask the four points where the chuck grabbed the wood. Four kerfs, coping saw to get the shape, then lots of faceting slices with a chisel to blend the surface. I like the way the facets contrast to the sanded surface of the upper half. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 27, 2015 Report Share Posted January 27, 2015 Very original ! Base is a nice contrast to the cup. Think the finish will hold some mead ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 27, 2015 Report Share Posted January 27, 2015 Wow! That grain is so pronounced, the rim almost looks scalloped. Really nice work you did there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I'm impressed you got the Douglas fir that smooth I tried it once and it just riped and tore none stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I'm impressed you got the Douglas fir that smooth I tried it once and it just riped and tore none stop. Yup, softwoods do that. You just have to find the right tool for each area of the project. Parts that are nearly parallel to the axis take a skew chisel. As the line curves towards perpendicular to the axis and you get into end grain, a scraper is your friend. Lastly, the secret weapon is a coat of shellac. Once the form is close, slather it with a good soaking of shellac, then once that's hardened, come back for a final pass with a freshly sharpened blade. After that, sand and you should be set. The base of the goblet was another story. After shaping on the lathe, I took a broad chisel and whittled the whole surface. Didn't remove much material, but each slice of the chisel left a gleaming little facet. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 One other trick that occurs to me for perhaps saving a softwood project where the early wood gets all ripped up is a blowtorch. IIRC, There's a traditional Japanese finishing method that involves lightly torching the surface of a coniferous wood. The late wood just gets toasted but the early wood gets incinerated. Come back with a wire brush and scrub it out, leaving a pronounced ridged surface. Having a piece on a lathe should make it easy to get an even char all around and that would eliminate any patches of torn grain. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 like the idea of the shellac might give that a try some time. I usually only use it on high gloss stuff and to seal wood before I put inlay on the piece to prevent the super glue from staining the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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