A few more basic pieces fitted in between the chores

Chas Jones

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949
Location
Cotswolds, UK
___________ click on images for larger view
_________ ___
______________Burr Elm & Beech __________________Ash & Beech
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______________Apple 123mm__________________Oak 310mm
 
Nice work, Chaz. The apple bowl looks bigger than it really is. (I had to get out my metric ruler to check.) Glad to see the chores are leaving you a bit of playtime. :thumb:
 
..... The bowl is my favorite. Those pens are great looking pieces. .....

I have a whole load of Oak to convert Bernie, mostly as a result of mentioning to fellow turners that I was short of it, it's a mixture of several species by the looks and colouring, this particular specimen was harder to control than I expected due to the differing density of the summer/winter growth rings, any attempt to sand results in the dreaded wave effect.

On the pen front like most with a "too good to throw away" bin I've got loads of 'plain' wood blanks but have decided that from now on they will be in the main from character wood, usually salvaged whilst green from the bits heading for the firewood bag during green blank preparation, just need to cut a little extra oversize to allow for the inevitable warping.
 
...On the pen front like most with a "too good to throw away" bin I've got loads of 'plain' wood blanks but have decided that from now on they will be in the main from character wood, usually salvaged whilst green from the bits heading for the firewood bag during green blank preparation, just need to cut a little extra oversize to allow for the inevitable warping.
I've started amassing a collection of bowl blank corners...the parts left over after cutting round blanks out of square blanks. Most are bottle stopper size, but some might be suitable for pen blanks, too. I need to at least trim them up into a semi-rectangular shape though, if for no other reason than to make them easier to stow in the "too good to throw away" bin. One of my rainy-day projects, I guess. :rolleyes:

I turn few enough pens that, like you, I'd rather use wood with more character than your average piece of lumber. The majority of the wood pen blanks I use anymore are stabilized burls or other fancy stuff. It's costlier, but I tend to blow up fewer pieces if they are stabilized. :eek: (If I was turning a lot of pens for sale, I'd probably have a different attitude about buying $5 pen blanks, though.)
 
......I need to at least trim them up into a semi-rectangular shape though, if for no other reason than to make them easier to stow in the "too good to throw away" bin. .......

I was chastised last year when we had a Bash here that I had far too much misshapen stuff hoarded, a couple of days and half a dozen firewood bags for a neighbour later and I'd reduced it to a couple of bins, funny thing is although I have been a good boy and trimmed all offcuts to usable shapes as generated I now have 7 bins worth.
 
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