One down, 37 to go

Roger Tulk

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St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
This is the first of the candles I am making for my daughter's wedding reception this fall. I am using pine, as they are to be painted, and a nice selection of my turning tools. The second photo is my tool stand, with its 21 turning tools. I have two inside scrapers not in the stand, as they came with their own roll bag. I do enjoy turning, and I guess that's a good thing, as I have a lot ahead of me this year. Oh, I know it's not perfect, but I have 37 more to make, so I should get pretty good.

firstcandle.jpg toolstand2016.jpg
 
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It's a really nice looking start, Roger and turning them will be a memorable experience. :thumb: Should the base be wider than the top for stability? Your tool stand beats the heck out of the cardboard fruit box near my lathe, but I hope your stand is raised up enough to where all those pointy sharp things sticking up in the air won't hurt you if you lose your balance or trip.
 
Looking good, Roger. By about number 24 or 25 you'll have it down to a science. I'm betting the next 4 or 5 will be the challenging ones, as you try to make them match the first one. :)
 
As Ted alluded to, how "tippy" is this in its current state? How tall is the candle that is going on top? Remember, it will be around kids and such so a large, flat diameter base for safety and peace of mind is easier to plan in now. Otherwise, looking good, did you trim out a pattern so you can check your progress?
 
As Ted alluded to, how "tippy" is this in its current state? How tall is the candle that is going on top? Remember, it will be around kids and such so a large, flat diameter base for safety and peace of mind is easier to plan in now. Otherwise, looking good, did you trim out a pattern so you can check your progress?

I made a kind of 'story stick' with the position of the beads and coves to transfer to the work as I go along. It's allowed me to do the first two and hav them look identical. My daughter says they don't have to be perfect, just very, very good, and I can try some variations if I want, as they will be on separate tables. She was delighted with this result. It seems to be fairly stable as it is. I was working with true 4x4 pine, and the base is as large as I could make it. If I have to turn 38 larger bases for these, I'll go screaming into the night.

I may have to reduce the number of tools in the stand. It is suddenly much less stable, but the problem seems to be that it is heavy enough now to slide off a counter that is not perfectly flat. I'll try putting rubber feet on it, and if it is still a problem, I'll come up with something else. The stand is a repurposed kitchen tool stand my wife was throwing away.
 
Roger,

If you cannot find yours, let me know. I'll send you mine---Gee no tax, no price, free shipping. What else could you want? --- well the one I have is not the best cookie in the jar so I guess you could want a better one. HOWEVER, the price is right.

Enjoy,
JimB
 
I bet that the 37th one will be the best of all, practice makes things better.:) But the first one is already great, so not much room for improvement I guess, but you'll speed up the whole process for sure.
 
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