Glad that's over!

[Les Symonds]

If there's one thing that I'm not, it's a copy-turner. To date, my experience of reproducing the same shape extends to a few pairs of candlesticks, but a very valued customer wanted 20 bowls for serving bread rolls at their restaurant. A sample bowl was produced and accepted, then the fun began. The wood came from a sycamore tree that I was given recently....all ready planked and air dried....so I rough-turned 30 bowls and put them to one side for several days, when the moisture content reached 16%. Not one bowl distorted or cracked, so I went ahead and finished them in the last couple of days (despite a club meeting yesterday). There was some amazing ripple and spalt in some of them, which really made them too good to just be functional bowls, so I kept the spectacular stuff to one side for the shop and will send the rest off to the restaurant.
All finished with a few coats of BLO....out of 8.5" x 2" blanks.





....some lovely colour in these!

C&C always welcome...Les

[Bryan Milham]

Awesome work.

Well done Les.

[seventhdevil]

gets boring doesn't it. the 120 chequer pieces i've just done are not high on my to do list again...

for me it's ok doing skittles as at least there is variation in sizes species and shape but every now and then i have to do ten or more sets and that does get on my nerves...

these were done about 18 months ago and boy was i bored by the end of the week.

.

[bodrighywood]

I am not a fan of those repetititve reproduction cmmisiions either. I have great admiration for Richard Findlay and Steve Jones. My latest commission has been to make three finials for a roof, originals made from pine 150 years ago, falling apart, held together only with copious layers of paint. Meaurements a guess work, design who knows. Fortunately they will end up 40 foot above ground painted white so whether they are exact copies will not be a huge issue. One has fallen apart literally in the workshop it is so rotten.

Pete

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

I know some of the repititious work can be mind numbing but I just think that while I am  doing it I am not getting hungry. It puts food on the table and used to pay the mortgage.

[edbanger]

well they good from where I'm sitting Les

Ed

[Richard S]

I was of the understanding that Boiled Linseed Oil is not Food Safe?

BLO is not in fact boiled but is Linseed Oil + Chemical Dryers that give the same result as if it had been boiled, these additives are Toxic.

Data sheets warn against Skin contact and Ingestion of BLO.

Richard

[Les Symonds]

I was of the understanding that Boiled Linseed Oil is not Food Safe?

BLO is not in fact boiled but is Linseed Oil + Chemical Dryers that give the same result as if it had been boiled, these additives are Toxic.

Data sheets warn against Skin contact and Ingestion of BLO.

Richard

That's an obvious major concern....until you read the spec sheet from Fiddes, which states this...

"Boiled Linseed Oil is traditionally processed by the controlled oxidation of raw linseed oil. It is safe for children's items as well as all surfaces which may come in to contact with food".

Les

[julcle]

The closest that I have done to repeat  turning was 20 tealight holders, I treated it as a training exercise. They get easier the more you do. I think the shape on these is quite modern and the banding really sets them off, a very nice job Les.

[Les Symonds]

.... I think the shape on these is quite modern and the banding really sets them off, a very nice job Les.

...and today I had the very great honour of being invited to lunch at http://www.palehall.co.uk/as part of their pre-launch preparations. What a pleasure it was to see my work in such surroundings.....and what a novelty it was to have a four-hour lunch in such a beautiful house.
Les

[Bryan Milham]

4 hours away from the lathe!

That'll put your backlog of work, back further.

But good to see you were invited so you could see your work appreciated in such a way.

[John D Smith]

  Hi Les,
              Beautiful bowls I like the shape and finish I guess you are quite proud that an establishment like this is giving you commissions

   I have just looked on the link you put on your posting Wow top class.

                                              Regards John