What To Do With The Small Bits Of Wood...

Every woodworker struggles with saving or throwing out scraps of wood. Some say if it hasn't been used in a few months it's gone. Others (like me) hold on to even the smallest piece of wood if it has amazing character to it. I have boxes and boxes of bits of wood that are the size of a golf ball or even smaller. A few years ago I made some necklaces from some of it, but the boxes of bits continued to grow. I'm participating in Market Day next month on the 18th and I needed some smaller, lower priced items to go along with my bowls, vases, bottle stoppers, etc. What I came up with were earrings, necklaces, key chains, tops, buttons, fridge magnets and a few other items.

Below are a few pictures of some of them. Stop by my booth at Market Day inside of Gramcery Tap at 400 Walnut St. before or after you enjoy the Downtown Farmers Market on May 18th from 8am-1pm and you can see them for yourself!

Spalted Hackberry Hollow Form

One of the online forums I belong to is having a holiday exchange. I turned this spalted hackberry hollow form for it and it's now on the way to TN. It's about 7" in diameter and 4.5" tall. The spalting is beautiful and I left some worm tracks in it as well. While it was drying a small but long crack developed and I used some sawdust and CA glue to seal it up. Now I just have a few more small projects left to finish for the holidays!

Another Spalted Hackberry Bowl

This is the other half of the log that also produced this bowl. This one is a little smaller in diameter, only 10" but just about the same height, 4". Pics were taken quickly because I was running late to a house warming party, and I needed to get pics taken fast. It now sits atop a counter in a friends newly built home and they want some more pieces too!

Spalted Hackberry Bowl

Recently I was asked by a group about what piece would be my favorite turning. This led to some reflection and thinking. I decided this oak piece is my favorite. During my look backward, I realized I'd gotten away from the type of turning that I enjoy the most, thicker bowls and ebonized oak. I went to the shop/garage and found a crotch hackberry log that my dad gave me last year buried under curlies, bark and dust. I cut it in half and turned this with one side. 11" wide and 4" tall. Finish is danish oil.

As always, comments/critiques please. PS...Dad do you still have some of the hackberry?

And Now For Something Completely Thinner....

I've been turning quite a bit of thicker stuff lately. I will in continue to do so in the future too, but here is something thinner. I think it is hackberry, but not sure as it was found along the road on the way home from work last week. It's about 8" wide and 3.5 high. So far just danish oil finish, but I will be spraying some rattle can lacquer on it soon. The lip is just shy of 1/8" thick and the rest is just a little thicker and no signs of splits so far, some warping but that will add character IMO.