Thread: What are you working on?

Here is something I turned today. I was told it would be good practice so why not. I don't really need a wooden mallet but if I carry it in the truck I guess I could call it a head kno...., I mean a Tire Checker.



As the Turners Say...
Makin' Shavins

Originally Posted by Gasman

Nice job Mike. It looks like N.O.S. Steve is going to love that one!

Not really, NOS, more like....holy crap.!! Their in excellent condition, for being 200 + years old.

You know, you own some of my artwork

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Number 3 of the SMKW NOS razors. This one I turned into a stubby for another project (HDPE scales experiment). The HDPE scales didn't turn out well, so I made the original bone scales shorter and fit the blade to them. I actually really like this one. I wasn't planning on buying any more of the SMKW razors, but this may have changed my mind.

Originally Posted by Gasman

Here is something I turned today. I was told it would be good practice so why not. I don't really need a wooden mallet but if I carry it in the truck I guess I could call it a head kno...., I mean a Tire Checker.



As the Turners Say...
Makin' Shavins

That'd make a nice shilelagh Jerry.

Edit: I keep a little league aluminum bat in my van...sometimes you need something less drastic than the 9mm.

nice tire checker Jerry! looks like your getting the hang of it.

Nice work, fellas! Mike, those feathered horn scales are beautiful.

Jerry, I use my shop mallet all the time, mainly for tapping the knockout rod on stuck morse tapers, or getting the drive center blades to engage on stock. In fact, I need to make a bigger one out of harder wood.

I just got back from 10 days in the mountain cabin yesterday, and I'm practicing with my new Alan Lacer radiused "Uber Skew"-will post pics at some point.

Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

.....or getting the drive center blades to engage on stock. In fact, I need to make a bigger one out of harder wood.

Ive been using a 30 oz Dead Blow Hammer to get blades to engage. A couple taps and its done! Be looking for the Skew and pics. Im not gettig along with the Skew yet.

Originally Posted by Steve56

Wowzaa! Thank you Mike!

The pleasure was all mine, Steve. Just happy to help a fellow shaver, out of a jam. Now it only looks to be 70-80 yrs old, instead of 200+.

I'm looking to getting this in the mail today, and hearing about the shave, once you get it honed. Your about to find out how well a shave our forefathers were getting. And how smooth the cast steel was, in comparison to todays modern steel. I myself, love it.! If I had to only own one razor, it'd be from this era of time, no doubt about it.

Originally Posted by outback

The pleasure was all mine, Steve. Just happy to help a fellow shaver, out of a jam. Now it only looks to be 70-80 yrs old, instead of 200+.

I'm looking to getting this in the mail today, and hearing about the shave, once you get it honed. Your about to find out how well a shave our forefathers were getting. And how smooth the cast steel was, in comparison to todays modern steel. I myself, love it.! If I had to only own one razor, it'd be from this era of time, no doubt about it.

Mike-What is the difference, if you can describe it? Is it softer? Smoother? Easier to hone?

Originally Posted by Gasman

Ive been using a 30 oz Dead Blow Hammer to get blades to engage. A couple taps and its done! Be looking for the Skew and pics. Im not gettig along with the Skew yet.

Yeah, I need to get a dead-blow hammer too. As for the skew, it seems to be controversial in the turning world: apparently, you either hate it or make it your precious. The 3/4" standard slant skew certainly leaves no room for error, especially on that pointed toe-watch out! But some guys do almost everything with it, from moderate roughing to fine detail work-frankly, I can see me being one of those guys.

That said, once I saw some of Alan Lacer's videos on his "Uber" radiused skew, I just intuitively knew I would love it, and ordered one a couple weeks ago. We just got back from the mountain cabin yesterday, and it was waiting for me (which was a nice birthday present the day I hit the "double nickel" of 55). I got Alan to put a rosewood handle on it, and it's got the 3rd coat of TruOil drying on it in the pics (yeah, oily rosewood taking up TruOil was a gamble, but it appears to be working). So I took his already good edge and refined it to shaving leg hair with my diamond paddles yesterday-it's much easier to sharpen than my other tools, because it's so big I guess. I practiced all the different cuts for awhile on poplar. It is obviously a heavy, solid beast of a tool, the finest hand tool I have every owned, in fact-just a joy to work with, and rock steady on the tool-rest. When I handle it right in that curved "sweet spot" with a razor-sharp edge, it leaves a finish that almost doesn't need sanding, and is surprisingly capable for fine detail work. Of course a spindle gouge can get in a finer cove (like on a shaving brush), but that seems to be about its only limitation. So yeah, it seems I have joined the cult lol! A few pics:



My wife and I are taking the beginner class at Woodcraft Saturday. They have some serious turners who have helped us a lot already (probably cuz we have helped fund their retirements lol!). I'm practicing up so I won't embarrass myself too much.

Keep on makin' shavin's!