FromTheTree Woodturning

A few sycamore forms

2012-02-04T05:09:00.000-08:00

Hello folks

I was recently asked to make a few sycamore forms- I hadn't worked with sycamore before, I suppose I'd always thought of it as being a bit bland.

I visited my local tree surgeons yard and picked up just shy of 1/2 a tonne of freshly felled wood- this timber was felled as part of a forestry management- thinning, removal of dead or dangerous trees etc. If i hadn't of bought the timber it will be used for firewood.

here are just a few of the forms i have made with it

6" wide by 9" tall

6" wide by 9 1/2" tall

6" wide by 9 3/8" tall

6 1/2"wide by 11"tall

4 1/2"wide by 4" tall

Natural edge mulberry bowl

2012-01-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

Hello folks here's a short video which shows part of the initial stages of making the mulberry bowl pictured below.

The finished bowl was left to dry for a few weeks in which time it found its own shape- I then applied a finish and here it is. 5" wide by 4"tall and weighing in at just 72 grams

Out with the old...and in with the...

2011-12-30T11:01:00.000-08:00

This might not mean much and I’m not sure I can put my thoughts from the last few weeks into any order but here goes

As one year ends and a new one is about to begin I am thinking of the future and wondering where my work is heading.
When I started turning nearly 15 years ago I just wanted a distraction to help me relax and keep my mind occupied to give me a break!! any work I happened to produce was kind off a bi product. very early on I started to look through magazines and books and I really liked hollow form work, I don’t know what it was about that style of work- (simple, organic blank canvas's to show the wood off to its full) that I liked so much but I was drawn to them- I admired spindle work and have huge respect for anyone who can turn a batch of identical chair legs or stair spindles but I have no desire to do it.
I've practiced and practiced and have lost count of the amount of forms which have cracked during drying or that I’ve broken on the lathe. I don’t break that many anymore and have reached a stage where I can produce a good form fairly consistently-

so where now?
with faster internet connections the world seemingly shrinks and the internet is full of like minded people who frequent websites and forums etc. This is great in some ways as it opens so many doors and what can be a very solitarily hobby can be made to be more sociable.... but it has its downsides
my work is being compared to some of the great hollow form turners which is very flattering but then the odd comment has undertones of plagiarism- and comments such as " great but when you find your own voice it will be brilliant" etc
hmmm my own voice??
I've thought about this allot and I don’t want to find a gimmick just to add my twist onto something, I just want to turn pure forms.

I know that no one can lay claim to a simple spherical form- and that I’m not pinning up a picture behind my lathe of any turners work and copying it.

i would like people to recognise my work- but why? why should I care? maybe it’s so I feel I haven’t wasted my time?

Maybe the earlier years of isolation were better for me?
Maybe I shouldn’t think so much and just turn what I want- and if that’s perceived as stale so be it?

I warned you it wouldn’t make sense!!

Happy New Year

Action shots!!

2011-12-21T00:22:00.000-08:00

I've been writing a few articles lately and as such have had the camera in the workshop with me allot more.
here are some random action shots i was quite pleased with.

Click the picture to enlarge

Ear plugs

2011-12-19T10:46:00.000-08:00

A fellow wooodturner and good friend of mine wears ear plugs and asked me if I would make him a few sets- what looked like a very simple project has proved to be an interesting challenge....let me explain- I'm not one of those woodworkers who enjoys lots of measuring and being precise or making things to exact measurements, don’t get me wrong I love making boxes with suction fit lids but I don't measure anything to make them!!
well these plugs have to be exact!!!- they are 14mm thick-50mm in diameter with a 52mm flare

Oak textured hollow forms

2011-12-01T10:32:00.000-08:00

hello folks

here are two forms I did a while ago but forgot to post!! Both are common english oak and have been textured and fumed till there nearly pure black.

5" wide by 4.5" tall

5" wide by 4" tall

Amalgam mutt panache pens

2011-11-21T07:13:00.000-08:00

I've decided to stop making pens to sell in outlets- but i will still make the odd one or two which I want to make for special orders etc like these stunning Rhodium panache pens with Amalgam mutt blanks.

Short youtube video (my first ever!!)

2011-11-12T10:24:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone

here is a short video of me turning a very wet piece of mulberry.

New fumed oak and ash forms

2011-11-08T11:21:00.000-08:00

hello

not the best of pictures as i rely upon natural light and its not stoped drizzling for two days so the lights not great and my pohotography isn't good enough to get around the problem yet!!

fumed oak 6"wide x 7 3/4" tall

detail of above

fumed oak 5.5" wide x 7 3/4" tall

fumed oak 5 1/4" wide x 4.5" tall

fumed oak 6 1/4" wide x 7 3/4" tall

burr oak 5.5" wide x 7 1/4" tall

close up of shotgun pellet in above form

neck detail of burr oak form

ash form 5.5" wide x 7" tall

ash form 4.5" wide x 7"tall

oak form 5" wide x 3.5" tall

Sandblasted form

2011-11-01T03:31:00.000-07:00

Hello folks

here is my first ever go at using a sandblaster to add texture, I really enjoyed trying this technique. This is an oak form which I then fumed with ammonia until it was a very dark brown/black.

Spalted olive Ash forms

2011-10-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hello folks

Here's three forms which were all made from a large crotch section of wind blown Ash. I don't normally work with allot of Ash but as soon as I seen the figure in this wood I knew I'd like it and make an exception!!

I'm very pleased to say that the group picture shown here has been made "turning of the week" on the AAW websites main page-17.10.2011 Thank you.

spalted beech forms

2011-10-15T02:15:00.000-07:00

Hello folks

here is a batch of work I've completed recently- they are all spalted beech except for one which is the first piece from a new batch of rippled/spalted Ash (more of that to come soon).
They range in size from 3" to 8"- they are all finished with woodoc 10

this.... that and the other!!!

2011-09-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

well I mentioned in my last post about a new lathe and a workshop move around delaying progress for a short while....well a couple of days after sorting that out I somehow hurt my back!! it knocked me of my feet for a day and has taken around a week for me to get back to work. so here are a couple of bits I made before my back problem.

Workshop move about!??!

2011-09-12T01:35:00.000-07:00

Hello folks

I haven't been making much lately as I have bought a second lathe to use alongside my mainVB36 lathe- my workshop is only small so I have had to do some.....er....refining to be able to fit everything in!!!
All this has meant that I haven't been producing as many items as normal but things are starting to settle now so after a few more small tweaks I will soon be back to normal!!!

Anyways here are three Amalgam mutt boxes made on the new lathe.

A pen break

2011-09-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hello folks

Every now and then I like to take a break from my more regular turning and make a batch of pens- there's something about the process of pen making that appeals to me and I love seeing the vivid colours

Two front cover's in as many months!!

2011-08-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

Hello folks

I am very proud to show these two magazine front cover's- the first is the u.k woodturning magazine published by GMC and next is the U.S woodturning design magazine published by All American crafts

Off to the woods ..to get some wood!!!

2011-08-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

Hello folks

Today I've been to one of my local tree surgeon friends to collect some more logs- I really enjoy doing this as I never know what I might find. His log pile is on the edge of a 100 acre wood he helps to manage, the logs are stored on the edge of a farm track in deep shade so stay wet longer and don't tend to suffer with too many surface cracks caused by direct sunlight.Today I collected around a 1/2 tonne of pippy burr oak- this oak is lovely as it has a slight pink hue to it and has lots of movement as it dries.

This is how I store the logs- covered in old sheets and out of the direct sunlight

Three amalgam mutt boxes

2011-08-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

Three more boxes today

First post

2011-08-16T04:04:00.000-07:00

Hello folks I've set up this blog to keep a record of my wood turning work and track the progress of it too

here's a set of 4 Amalgam mutt boxes I have completed recently

Amalgam mutt boxes