Thread: What are you working on?

I figured now that I've done a bit of turning it was time to upgrade my tools. Talking to other turners I was told that buying the tools without handles is the way to go as the price you pay is for a better tool. I did my homework and found that Thompson Tools is where a lot of people that sell tools will buy and put their own handles on them. Also, a lot of guys on Youtube use these tools. The quality of steel is what makes a big difference.

So, long story short, I got some Brazilian Cherry as it is a very hard wood, and turned my own handles. The longest I could make is 13". This is a good enough length but longer would have been better. I used Walnut Oil and Wax as a sealer. Too bad I ran out of time on my weekend to give them a try.

1" Skew, 1/2" Spindle Gouge, and a 3/8" Detail Gouge.
The Brass Collars are Brass Nuts I put a file to and sanded to polish. The big one was just not thick enough to file down in my opinion.

Nice scales, and nice handles too Jerry.
Leaving the flats on the big one may provide predictable grip and ‘indexing’ of your hands for specific scrapes as you gain proficiency with that bad boy!,

Good to know. Thanks, Mike. I really wanted to file it round but I was afraid of going through it. The tools are epoxied into the handles so I'm hoping I will have no issues. One really nice thing about these Gouges is the Flute is a long way up the rod, The cheap ones I bought to start with were not made this way. I was running out of Flute quickly.

Nice work, Jerry. You should enjoy those tools!

Slipped-in another holster job on my Ruger MkII.
Saw the seller I bought the Victory holster had Luger holster repops.....Did some research and someone on some forum said his with 4 3/4 barrel fit great in a Luger holster. All I needed to hear!
Thing fit great, pistol is a bit narrow.
Went to the fabric store and bought the minimum of lamb's wool fabric and some of that permanent fabric tape.
Lined the inside and all worked-out. Magazine pouch is perfect for a spare too.



Relocated the 'lifter' strap to work better with this pistol. You can see where I cut the thread down low and reinstalled it up high with a barrel bolt. Works a treat now.



Pretty stoked with it. A small piece of the lamb's wool inside the top flap tomorrow and no blue will be rubbed as-carried.

Today I wanted to try something different. I'm in need of more things to send family members for Christmas so why not a few Ornaments...



I think I can knock out a few more tomorrow. It's not extremely fancy but it was fun. And doing the inside-out ornaments was kinda cool.

those are neat Jerry, do you make the hole after they are turned?

The last two are called inside-out turning. Tape 4 sticks of wood together. Chuck it up on the lathe and turn a big cove out of it. Remove from the chuck and spin the sticks of wood around 180 degrees. This makes a hole in the middle of the 4 sticks. Glue it all together and turn it leaving a thin piece of wood on the outside and empty inside.

The hardest part is to make sure the wood is all squared up on all sides then be sure to glue them up right before starting the second part. Here you can see I've turned the cove in the middle of the 4 pieces. A teardrop shape. Then rotated the sticks 180 degrees so the cut-out parts are in the middle.




It has set up overnight so now it's a matter of cleaning the glue and turning the outside as much as I can to make it as thin as possible. Christmas ornaments cant be very heavy. I saw where a guy glued a Christmas tree shape into the middle before gluing them together. Looks nice but getting heavy too. I do drill the hole for the wire afterward. LOL.

The top ornament is very simple. Drill a 1/4" hole thru a cube. Must be a cube. bevel the 1/4" holes at 45 degrees. Then drill out all four other sides larger. Makes a big empty cube. Chuck it up on a Pen Mandrel thru the 1/4" holes and thin and round it out. Make two finial shapes with 1/4" tapper and tenon for attaching. Glue one on top and one on the bottom.

Even this old man new to turning can do it.

Any thoughts on putting a turning thread together?
This is pretty cool and I’m wondering if it was all in one thread if it would encourage other turners to post there too. Perhaps in the brush makers forum?

Fantastic idea Shaun.
Even though I have never turned anything on a wood lathe, only metal, l find this very interesting and entertaining.

Pete <:-}

Originally Posted by RezDog

Any thoughts on putting a turning thread together?
This is pretty cool and I’m wondering if it was all in one thread if it would encourage other turners to post there too. Perhaps in the brush makers forum?

I think that's a great idea, Shaun-maybe a sub-forum for other turning projects, tools and techniques, etc.

Edit to add: Like Jerry, I've made so many shaving brushes, it's getting ridiculous, so definitely slowing down on those except for the occasional gift. When you've got $75 total invested in a fine wood blank and luxury badger knot (not to mention the myriad other expenses), no way are you going to make enough money selling them to justify the time. I've branched out into duck calls, pens, various kitchen tools, etc., mostly to give as gifts, with the occasional order or small sale (which I spend on more sandpaper lol!).

So a forum for other turning stuff might regenerate some interest there for the next group of guys to go down this rabbit hole. I hear Woodcraft has lathes on a Black Friday sale.