Bill Hudson 792 Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 If you are reading this please respond with comment. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WeekendMiniaturist 288 Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 Today, instead of working at work, as I should have been... I snuck into the workshop with dear husband and turned a way too tall hat stand from a lovely piece of honduran rosewood that was meant to be a pen blank. I usually warm up with turning by turning two hat stands from a pen blank handpicked from the inventory of my local privately owned hardwoods store... and have collected bunches of blanks of exotic wood. I experienced some obsessive - ness with my mini chair build and just have a couple more chairs to complete, but finding I lack the energy to finally finish and to finish; I suspect it is work that is the energy sap right now, but it takes priority at this time of the year. I bought myself a set of new midsize Sorby tools and thought I would try them out today; I hope to do some faceplate turnings, and hopefully the additional single tools will work to hollow a vase. I love this particular piece of Rosewood! If I could make my staircase from this particular larger piece of rosewood, I would be the happiest miniaturist; the grain is so fine and in perfect scale of this hat stand. I have already parted it off the lathe, when I accidentally broke the other 2nd stand with the skew chisel, so this one is off the lathe and has been sanded and ready for a finish. It is too tall though for a miniature hat stand, so I wonder if it can be incorporated in a turning for a stair, ie a newel post. (normally I finish with on the lathe, but not today!) Best wishes for a Safe Holiday! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WeekendMiniaturist 288 Posted December 24, 2020 Report Share Posted December 24, 2020 Please prove me wrong. Is the forum broke and no one can post to the FMF? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MeezerMama 40 Posted December 25, 2020 Report Share Posted December 25, 2020 Perhaps your too-tall hat stand can be made into a pedestal for a small table? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bill Hudson 792 Posted December 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2020 Picture of stand please. I am having problems visualizing it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WeekendMiniaturist 288 Posted December 29, 2020 Report Share Posted December 29, 2020 Yes, there are three of us reading the forum! Meezer Mama, no, I put a headshape at the top of it for a hat... but have great disc sander and can easily get rid of the sphere. It isn't like I don't have two rulers and a pair of calipers on my table with my lathe... just turning with no concept of height for some unknown reason. I think I was mesmerized by the luck of this beautiful wood grain. I was imagining a vase, then the elements from WRR's Needlework stand and just free hand turning without a care in the world... then SCREECH, this is too tall for 1/12th scale. It is just a too tall turning- if I cut the ball out, drill down the center, I could wire it for a light on a staircase - but my nagging brain says honduran rosewood and Cherry are two different species... and then the other side of brain says - getting hundred pieces of honduran rosewood pen stock with great grain, probably isn't going to happen....double drat on STILL not shopping in person. Is anyone else out there in miniature land dreaming of things to make in 2021? Now where is my phone...? Happy New Year! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mesouth 39 Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 I’ve been busy teaching youngest granddaughter first grade, but still getting some minis in - mostly catching up on unfinished projects and updating my inventory. So, there are four of us still reading! I wish we could get something going on here. Martha Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WeekendMiniaturist 288 Posted January 23 Report Share Posted January 23 I was doing a little Amazon shopping tonite... Just a reminder, that we can get the bazillion dollar company to donate to the guild... There are soooooo many things to do in 1/12th scale that I don't know where to begin... I think I should try and finish a couple of my guild school projects though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WeekendMiniaturist 288 Posted January 25 Report Share Posted January 25 I updated my 100 hours topic with the two most recent wood turnings. I need a miniature tool to get inside of these pieces to figure out how thick the wall is; I know it is too thick. The rim is nice and thin though of the vase. Do these come in miniature size? Does anyone know of a resource for me? The 1.5 hours on the vase is because I was little scared of blowing out the wall from the inside in an attempt to hollow it out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MeezerMama 40 Posted January 29 Report Share Posted January 29 I have the register calipers from Lee Valley - smallest I've found but IMO still not usable for what you're describing. I find a super bright penlight flashlight to be the best wall thickness checker there is. Shine it inside the turning with the flashlight all the way up against the rim. While it won't give you a calibrated answer, you'll be able to locate places where your walls are thinner than other places. If you can't see any light at all, then you're not in danger (yet) of punching through (ignoring of course the possibility of a tool grab ...) EDIT: What I was trying to say was that the wood becomes translucent as it gets thin ... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WeekendMiniaturist 288 Posted January 29 Report Share Posted January 29 Thank you for the tip. That is a very pretty caliper, elusive but pretty. I had to google search it to find it at Lee Valley as I could not get any search result on the US website, initially. There are so many wonderful tools to buy at Lee Valley! I will try the flashlight first; if you here someone screaming over the weekend, it's me, and I blew out the wall. But days later.... I'm pleased with the rim. Rosewood is sooooo hard to hollow. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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