Below are four bowls (from left) in elm, cottonwood, cottonwood, and ash.
The second cottonwood bowl taken from the crotch-wood.
The Ash bowl.
woodwork
Making New Scratch Stock Cutter
In order to make a bead detail for some frame molding I could either buy a router bit or make a new cutter for my scratch stock (a traditional shop-made molding cutter or scraper). I believe that it is good to make your own tools when you can.
Below is the new cutter in the body of the scratch stock (similar to a marking guage), a piece of scrap walnut that has recieved the molding and an old triple flute cutter I made last winter.
The profile is marked on the blank before cutting. The blank is roughly cut from an old handsaw blade with a cold chisel then filed smooth.
The profile is then cut out with a dremel cut-off wheel…
then cleaned up with files.
The finished profile cutter in the scratch stock body and the resulting bead cut into the walnut.
Bowls on the Mantle.
We have been making a lot of bowls lately, here are some of them.
A row of bowls on the mantle. Some are turned on a foot powered pole-type lathe and some on an electric lathe.
One in green ash, and one in cottonwood.
One in bald cypress and one in walnut.
Bowl blanks just cut and ready to have the ends coated with paraffin. Species here are, persimon, green ash, post oak, black walnut, and bald cypress.
Two More Bowls In Ash
Two new bowls in green ash. The one on the left was turned by my wife.
Walnut Bed Update
The chest taken apart and being fitted with a floor and a till.
Detail of the till.
The bed to this point, dry fit and testing out some planks for the sides of the legs.
Two Bowls
The second bowl, in ash. I counted forty growth rings in this bowl, and it represents less than half of the tree’s radius.
The ash bowl with oiled with walnut oil.
Two bowls. One in walnut and one in ash.
Hollowing the walnut bowl on the lathe
Walnut Baby Crib
Carving of a dove-messenger on the crib’s headboard.
Two views of the baby crib in black walnut.
Turning a Black Walnut Bowl
Below are a series of pictures of turning a black walnut bowl on the pole lathe.
Shaping the sides with a roughing gouge.
Starting to hollow it out.
Walnut Headboard-Chest
The walnut headboard-chest will have a “free-edge” on the top. The lid will be “floating” within the top of the chest. So the top edges need to be balanced out and given a certain quality of surface to fit this application.
Below, I am cutting along the top edges with a medium sized gouge.
Below, a detail of the edge. More adjustments will be needed as the bed progresses.
Workshop
The School of the Transfer of Energy 