the evolution of a shape

The evolution of a shape

I thought I would show three boxes that I have made recently, these boxes show how I prefer to work by slightly altering the shape and design of each box from the previous box. 

Essentially I look at the first box and take the parts of the box I really like and try to incorporate them into the next box.

This olivewood box was the first box that I made

I liked the shape of the concave base and thought it could repeat and work well for a stacking box.

olivewood box

olivewood box

This pear wood box was next and although i really like it i had made each section bigger than the previous by 5mm in height and I wanted to try a smaller increment to see how that looked.

pear wood box

this ash box is the last one I have made, this box has an odd number of sections and has 3mm increments

ash box

I hope you can see how I prefer to work not just with boxes but anything I make on the lathe. 

I know some makers sketch or do detailed drawings first but I prefer to see the item, try to understand what it is I do and do not like, then make alterations with the next one I make.

new oak vase/vessels

New oak vase/vessels

Here are two oak vase/vessels that I have finished recently.

I'm not quite sure what to call them as to me a vase is a practical item which can be used for flowers, which these cannot, but when I hear the word vessel I think of big ships like the titanic!!

These are turned from green/wet wood to a wall thickness of about 4 or 5 mm then allowed to dry and distort for a couple of weeks in my home then I mark out the design I want with a pencil and then cut and shape them using a tenon saw,rasps and sanding drums.

I then apply an oil finish.

Hybrid masks

Hybrid masks

This past week I have been finishing off a batch of 4 hybrid ornamental masks, I say finishing off as the process to make the masks started a few months ago when I buy the Australian burr and start to process it ready for casting.

I have made some of these masks before a few years ago and spoke about how the original idea was based on seeing an ornament (prop) in the background of the TV show Fraiser.

I looked at the shape and quickly seen how simple it would be to make, the first couple I made in wood weren't perfect but I soon developed the process and improved the proportions.

I post all my work on instagram, its a kind of daily blog and I have been a bit gob smacked by how many requests (sometimes demands!!) I have had publicly and by private direct message to make a video showing how these are made.

what is the difference in the culture from the first time I made these a few years ago to now where people think that they MUST be shown how its done and get annoyed when I politely decline?

Its not a secret, the design is not unique and they are not protected in some way, its simply a made up design, but why should I spend my time showing step by step how I make them for others to copy when i am trying to make a living and do not get paid for youtube, in fact I have had to turn the comments of on my current youtube videos due to the hate comments I was receiving!

I think part of it is the difference between a hobby person and a full time person, but there is also something else going on that I cant work out.

hybrid & stabilised confusion!

Hybrid & stabilised confusion!

Its come to my attention that people seem to be getting mixed up between a hybrid blank and stabilised wood, and in some cases even selling a hybrid blank as a stabilised blank.

What is a hybrid blank?

In general terms a hybrid blank is a resin blank with something (usually burr wood) embedded within it.

like this example that I have made

what is stabilising 

stabilising is a way to make soft or punky woods hard, this is done under vacuum where a special resin is drawn in and then after the vacuum process is over it is heat cured essentially making a piece of wood which will no longer gain or loose moisture.

I have blogged about the process before here and here

Some woods cannot be stabilised as they are already very dense and the resin under vacuum simply does not penetrate.

and just to confuse matters more you can have a hybrid blank which features a piece of wood which has been stabilised.

In summary

just like casting with resin stabilising wood is a very labour intensive process and costly when done correctly, unfortunately there are some ways to cut corners and make it look like the wood is stabilised when actually its not!! so beware of what you are buying and specially how it has been made.

turned box design

Turned box design

I tend to work in batches and I have been making a batch of turned boxes for a few weeks now.

one of the designs I like to make is the shape shown here in this hybrid box

Hybrid box

hybrid box

I was asked if I could keep the concave shape on the side of the lid but increase the width of the opening to make the box more practical for my customers storage needs.

This spalted beech box was my first attempt.

spalted beech box

spalted beech box

and then I went on to try tow more boxes in olivewood and camphor burr each time slightly altering the proportions.

olivewood box

camphor burr box

I enjoyed exploring this design and will hopefully make more in the future.