Anyone Turning???

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Is there anyone doing some turning out there?? I am finally getting back into the shop and started playing with my lathe again. I will be making some birdhouse ornaments for Christmas. When I get them finished I will post some photos.

[William Young]

John .
I have been doing very little turning in this heat. But I did post in my own site today what I am pasting below because I like to get opinions from turners that visit various sites. The Topic was . . *Does This Bowl Look Bad ?*
I am open for suggestions pro and con.

W.Y.

I rough turned six juicy green walnut bowls on the 8th of this month from some free wood that was donated to me.
Now with it being though the alcohol drying process they are all ready for final turning.
I purpously picked out one where the a log was chain sawed in half off center to the pith in order to save the other half which would make a more attractive looking turning. The pith was way off center in some of those logs.
We had a discussion about this in another thread and it was discussed as to why I didn't saw the logs exactly through the center of the pith and was it a case of accuracy or on purpose.
Here is the result of one pice that I finish turned this afternoon.
Does this destroy the value of this bowl because the pattern is not symetrical in all directions ??? . Or does it add some character to the turning by not making it look picture perfect. ???
There was no sign of cracking or even checking in all six of the pieces so being off center to the pith like this had nothing to do with stresses that were supposed to have occured by not sawing them exactly through the center. But then that might have something to do with this particular walnut and I may not get away with it in another kind of wood. ???
That walnut sure is a great wood to work with both when green and when dry.
W.Y.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y231/WillysWoodcrafting/BWalnut1.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y231/WillysWoodcrafting/BWalnut2.jpg

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Bill

I am not good enough to be able to tell if that is a good bowl or not. I know from being part of a few turner's forums they always shoot for thinness and uniformity throughout. So if it meets those criterior I guess it is fine. One thing I will say from what I have been reading that walnut is a very toxic wood to many. I know myself I have to limit the dust when I scroll it or when using it in flat work. I use extra dust removing equipment and now have a Trend airfilter shield and it helps tremendously. I was reading on another forum afew people had to seek medical help because of the rash on the skin and got into their lungs. One guy had to actually trade or is looking to trade a whole walnut tree for other woods. They also got into the discussion of why they do not use this for horse beds. I guess some people it does not affect them at all. Anyway as far as I can tell it looks like a fine bowl.

[William Young]

Ah Gee ! ! John.
Does this mean that I am going to have to clean up all those nice walnut shavings ? ?

W.Y.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y231/WillysWoodcrafting/ShopCleanup1.jpg

[wisconsinwoodch]

Hey. :) :) :) thats how my whole shop looks like.


the wisconsin wood chuck :) :) :) :)

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

It's your call Bill and with all your health issues that you say you have ,maybe you should be a little more careful. One other thing that gets brought up with green wood is the insects that are still alive in them. Then again who am I. :)

[bronco]

John,
I will also like to caution anyone on the hazards of Walnut.I have used Walnut 2 times on my saw and both times I ended up with a sinus infection.
I was using a dust mask but, apparently thats not good enough. I will either not use Walnut again or use more precautions when working with it.
Bill

[William Young]

Interesting comments about the health hazards of walnut.
So far the only wood I have severe reaction to is aromatic red cedar so I never have it in my shop any more..
Because of my emphysema I have overkill on dust collection. A 2HP DC , the largest shop vac available, an over sized overhead air filter and the best Niosh approved dust mask that I have been able to find in a reasoable price range.
So far so good with walnut. The lady that I got that walnut from seemed very certain that it was black walnut. I told her it looked like english walnut because it wasn't dark enough to be black walnut but she emphatically said it was black walnut because of the nuts it produces. So I said no more to her. Who am I to argue with a person that is giving me free wood :eek:
When I deliver a nice big bowl to her in appreciation of her giving me the wood , the color of it will speak for itself.
When doing the roughing out with green wood I don't use a mask. But I do have to wipe the moisture off my face shield a few times from it spraying on me. But I use the dust mask when I am doing the final turning once they are dry. I don't know if ther is any difference in the various kinds of walnut as far as alergies etc goes. I am having no problem with this particular walnut so far but I don't think real "black" walnut even grows anywhere out west here.
But I have used some smaller quantities of real black walnut in some of my segmented turnings (at $14.00 bd ft) and didn't have a problem with it either.
I love the smell that walnut gives off while machining it and it is one of the nicest woods to work with and it sands and finishes beautifully.
I will be aware of your precautions and hopefully I will be able to continue using it with adequate protection.
I know of several people that make a lot of fretwork clocks and prefer to make them out of all solid black walnut. I have not heard them complain about any problems with using it. Perhaps it is a case of some being allergic to it while others are not .
But regardless, I will heed your suggestions about it and continue using it until I feel it is causing a health problem.
W.Y.

[wisconsinwoodch]

black walnut has a lot of different shades, black walnut grown in wisconsin is a lot lighter than the walnut grown in mo. I try to buy my walnut from mo. or the appla. mountains. lot darker . It is very toxic to horses. I am lucky as it dosent bother me, I use alot of it in the toys I build, :) :) :)
the wisconsin wood chuck

[William Young]

Thanks for the info on the shades of black walnut and their relation to where the trees are grown. That's a new one on me and makes a lot of sense.
Also glad to hear from someone that is not allergic to it.
I got some appalation black walnut pen blanks from ebay and it was real black so I can now understand what you are saying about regions.
I have known for many years that red oak shavings are never to be used for horse bedding or for mulch but this thread is the first time I have heard about it concerning black walnut.
I know if you use red oak as mulch in a garden nothing will grow there and if you mulch it around shrubs it will either kill them or nothing will grow in the ground around them.. Perhaps the same holds true for walnut
W.Y.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

I know you have seen these links Bill but for others that would like to read more on toxic woods and their hazards here is a bunch of links that may be of interest. Different people are allergic to different woods so it is always good to be on the safe side and use proper safety precautions when working with any wood dust.

http://www.awwg.org/awg_woodtoxicity.htm

[Ex19k]

Nice wood shaving pile there Bill!
Well I have been turning a few items. Made a mini vase that was promtly "claimed" by my grandmother. Also have been tinkering with making some backscratchers, and some coffee scoops. As you can see I like nice and easy! Also just purchased a new Rikon "mini" lathe. All I can say is I love it so far. Here is a picture of the Vase...I did get a picture before it was, shall we say claimed? the wood is spalted and burled black walnut. I love it when Dad resaws! I get his scrapps!!
As to the alergens with woods. With walnut i use a dusk mask. The only problem that I have incountered is that I tend to sneeze alot after turning certain woods. other than that I guess I am lucky. My Dad has to wear a dust mask when working with any wood due to health resaons. I guess it is a small price to pay to do something you love. but that is my humble oppinion.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Lytle

Nice to see you posting again with us. I think you forgot to include the picture of your miniture vase you said you made. Would be glad to take a peek at it. I see you bought a new Rikon. They have gotten few good reviews after they worked all the kinks out. Seems like a nice lathe with a lot of good features. Is is a Electronic Variable Speed lathe???

Hope you enjoy turning for it is alot of fun. As far as a dust mask it is always a good idea to wear a dust mask working with any kind of wood or dust making product. Your lungs will thank you later in life and you won't have to say I wish I had used one when I was young like many I read about these days. There are people who have to give up working in their shops and have to sell their tools because their lungs can not handle any form of dust any more. So be careful when it comes to dust. Woodworking is a very enjoyable hobby if done safely.

[Ex19k]

Thanks John!
Nope John the lathe isnt a vari speed. It's just a standard belt. The way it is made it is pretty simple to change speeds. The one feture that it does have that is pretty neat (and that my Dad is jelous of) is the indexing feature. It comes in handy hen i want to mark certain parts of to carve latter. The other thing is that the price was pretty good. Now all I have to get is a chuck for it! :D .
As for the picture....well having issues with the picture posting. have to scale down the size a little. will post it in a few days!

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Yes that indexing wheel is a definite plus. But I would be lost without my variable speed Jet mini. I am currently making some birdhouse ornamaents and it requires drilling different size holes in the body and the roof. If I had to stop and change the belt every time I have to do this I would probably not even make these things. As you probably know already you drill wood at a slower speed when using fostner bits. I am not too familar with tht lathe being it is new on the market but if it does not have a VS model they will shortly. It is a plus for sure especially on a mini. Like to see some of your work so if you get a chance maybe you can post some pictures.

[Ex19k]

Well John I can say that I do miss my VS control. Said good bye to the Grizzley today. Younger brother is getting ready to play with it. Was actually wanting mine but brotherly love only goes so far! As soon as I can figure out the Dang camera out and make the pics a little smaller in size will post some pics of my stuff for ya. Had to do some research on some items for brother this week. Going to tackle some chess peices with a metal top and wooden middles. figured that should keep me busy for a bit. Should be fun to do. Have decided on some different colors though. Cocabola and Tulipwood. This will be for the pieces and the chess board.
Until then happy turnings!