Author Topic: Bauble  (Read 2545 times)

Offline willstewart

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Bauble
« on: September 14, 2019, 07:18:37 PM »
Another idea piece - the turning is imperfect & one ring is re-glued but this is just to get an idea. Quite quick - feedback welcome!

The centre piece is a low-cost plastic 'jewel' with hole that comes in many colours.

Diameter 120mm.  The rings are cut successively from a beech disk turned between centres with a ring-separating tool. The fairly thin rings look better but it needs care not to split the rings on separation, and the essentially scraper tool does not leave a great finish.

Offline GBF

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Re: Bauble
« Reply #1 on: September 15, 2019, 08:36:11 AM »
I really do not see the point in making something very badly as an idea piece when with a little more time you could do it properly.
I could understand it if you were then going to make hundreds it would be worth it but I doubt very much that is the idea.

Regards George
The man that never made a mistake never made anything

Offline John Plater

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Re: Bauble
« Reply #2 on: September 15, 2019, 10:33:24 AM »
No harm in exploring an idea first to get that feel for whether or not something is worth doing......then work out how to do it "properly" in my view.
ATB John
If I had a better lathe, I would be able to show my ineptitude more effectively.

Offline Les Symonds

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Re: Bauble
« Reply #3 on: September 15, 2019, 11:22:17 AM »
No harm in exploring an idea first to get that feel for whether or not something is worth doing......then work out how to do it "properly" in my view.
ATB John
I agree...but that doesn't excuse what can only be described as a very poor finish. Surely, anyone with even the tiniest degree of pride in their work would have cleaned up the torn grain which abounds in this piece, or moved on to the next stage in the development of the project and improved the finish as well as the design before photographing it.
Les
Education is important, but wood turning is importanter.

Offline willstewart

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Re: Bauble
« Reply #4 on: September 15, 2019, 11:28:38 AM »
Thanks - but the core issue is that I think this sample of (old) wood has internal stress, which is a problem with the (6mm) rings.  A subsequent effort where all the rings split in fabrication shows that even with only a single split the broken ends do not join square but significantly curled in (you can see this on the piece above). Given this a lot of effort to finish seemed inappropriate!  I will try again with another wood sample - possibly beech is not ideal anyway but I had a piece.  The gold paint was also an experiment which I am not now too sure about (so I did learn something!).

Offline The Bowler Hatted Turner

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Re: Bauble
« Reply #5 on: September 15, 2019, 04:40:13 PM »
Will if you do not experiment you will never learn. I did something similar to this a few years ago but instead of using string I used the little pins that hold your watch strap on, you know the ones that are spring loaded. Taking care to achieve a good finish and using a nice timber I think you could be on to a winner, not sure about the gold paint either.

Offline willstewart

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Re: Bauble
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2019, 08:25:18 AM »
Two tidier versions - the key seems to be the wood, these in walnut. Also slight sharpening of the ring separator tool but this is obviously limited.  Coatings are respectively plain wax and a 'sparkle' spray. 

As a practical matter it is easy to make more than one disk at a time in a thicker piece of wood since a 6mm disk is otherwise a bit wasteful, but space is needed for the tool and rings must be taken off sequentially from the disks - see pic (with first rings 'masking taped' back over the tailstock to avoid taking the piece off). Probably better than plain string would be good.

Offline willstewart

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Re: Bauble
« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2019, 03:46:36 PM »
with ribbon

Offline willstewart

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Re: Bauble
« Reply #8 on: October 04, 2019, 04:45:46 PM »
Final variant (I hope!) - with a small wooden tree glued into the central ring.  These are made on the lathe by grooving one side of a disk, halving and joining.  I imagine most know this technique but for anyone that does not I attach a picture of the set before sawing off the trees. Ideas welcome - we have some bells coming as a possible alternative/addition.