Some garage made art projects/gifts

[jere]

Thanks Christophe!

Hollowing at all is something of a problem right now. My lathe is a shopsmith, a multipurpose wood working machine not a dedicated lathe. One of its biggest limitations is its lowest speed is much too fast for out of shape pieces and deep hollowing. I made a steady rest tool with roller blade wheels and a jig to rough out and help with hollowing but still there are some limitations. And last my chisels are not for hollowing jobs and a too short to get very deep into pieces. Because of this I have cracked the bowls above before I could get them hollowed as much as I wanted, and could not keep turning them.

While looking for a way to hollow pieces deeper ( mostly looking at chisel designs that others have made, to make one of my own), I found an old way natives hollowed bowls. This method was with fire, there wasn't very much detail or any examples but I gave it a try. The process helped with the drying of the oak, which was still green/wet. Undried the wood has been splitting even if it isn't cracked while turning. I also liked the way the flames burned with the grain of the wood.

I don't know any others that are makers or artists of anything let alone lathe workers and am teaching myself as I go.