Learning the Turning #10
And I have absolutely no idea what wood was used here.
The guys at Pop's Shed who sold me the blank had "CA" written on the bottom. I suspect that's Camphor, as in possibly Camphor Laurel. I'll see if I can find out for sure, but for now think of it as "Mystery Wood".
(Edit: I asked, and it's Cloudy Ash.)
(Edit: I asked, and it's Cloudy Ash.)
Not quite as happy with this one (although I like the shape -- a bit more subtle than usual) as there are visible catches inside. You know how I said Rosewood and Banksia are such beautiful woods to turn? This one is the exact opposite. Like a fluffy cat you bring home that spits and snarls and looks beautiful while it's eating your DVD collection. That sort of wood.
Anyway, it's half-way pretty, so it gets a post.
Orange Oil finish on this one.
ReplyDeleteIf you want us to empathize with your turning troubles, you'll have to show us the challenged inside. This just looks beautiful to me. Does it have a camphor fragrance? I am always amazed how different woods smell on the inside--like the spicy smell of magnolia, or the sharp smell of oak. How is a blank treated differently than firewood, to stop the checking and cracking? We cut a lot of firewood here....
ReplyDeleteNose wasn't working while I was, so I'm not sure. At the moment it would smell very strongly of orange. When i buy the blanks, they're almost always coated with wax on the outside, to slow (but not stop) the drying process. So I'm getting aged, and treated disks to play with.
DeleteAnd no, the catches are visible, but I may be overstating their harm to the piece. Just a couple of places that look unfinished.
At some point I'm planning on trolling the woods with the chainsaw looking for downed trees and cut my own, but I haven't run out of prepared blanks yet.
DeleteWorth noting is that blanks are not cut as a coin slice out of the middle of the tree, like chopping a carrot -- you take a lengthwise section, a bit between the heartwood and the bark. Two reasons for this -- it shows off the grain better, and you can cut around the cracks that usually show up when a tree dries.
DeleteMy mum is a potter. She took near a decade off--first my dad was sick and then passed, then she was not so well. Now, at near 80, she's returned to potting and loving it. The downside (and here's the message) is that one needs to find an outlet for one's wares, or they pile up all around you. Mum is lucky that several local stores are thrilled to carry her work.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good idea. I might check around and see which of the local Warburton and surrounds might handle them. Not your average tourist trappings, though, and Warby is definitely a tourist town.
Delete