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!

Oak Doggy Bowl

A few months ago a friend asked me if I would donate a bowl for the Animal Rescue Leagues annual auction. I immediately said yes, but then realized I hadn't turned much this year do to other commitments and the hot, hot summer we've been having. (also why I haven't posted much)

I was able to find a good sized bowl that I finished earlier this spring made from oak. It's about 10" in diameter and 4" tall. The base was left a bit rough and then burned with a torch. I then oil the entire piece with several coats of my homebrew danish oil. Hopefully it will bring enough of a bid to buy a bag of puppy chow or a chew toy or two.

Vase Comission Delivered

In the last post I gave you a teaser photo of 1 of 3 vases that a couple who are great friends ask me to make and deliver before Thanksgiving. I delivered them this past Wednesday, just under the deadline. All three are oak brought down in a wind storm locally at Wakonda Club. The husband of this couple is in charge of the grounds at the club so him getting the oak back is all the more special.

The tallest and smallest vases are 2 pieces turned seperately and then epoxied to the bases. The tallest vase is 22" tall and the small one is about 14". Due to time constraints and not yet having a good steady for longer pieces, these are not hollowed completely. Instead they have a 2.5" cylinder cut out with a forstner bit. This allows a space to add dried flowers or something similar. They are very happy with them and I am very happy to have had the opportunity to make them.

Some Vases For Friends

A few weeks ago a good friend asked me to make 3 large vases to display on a shelf in their family room. "Can you do something about 2 feet tall?", she asked. I said I'd give it a go to see just how big a vase I could turn. Her husband had given me a huge amount of burr oak just over year ago from storm damage. I have the first and largest vase almost ready for final finish. It is right at 22" tall with the cap and she loved the pictures I showed her this weekend. The other 2 are 75% done, just need to turn the caps for them as well. I will show pics of them ones complete. That will be soon as they must be delivered before Thanksgiving as my friends will be hosting 27 family members for dinner.

Oak Commission

A few months ago I was asked to make 2-4 pieces from an old oak tree that was taken down due to disease. I finished them last week and met with the customer showing her 8 pieces to choose from. She couldn't decide which ones she liked the most so she bought them all! Below are a few pics of the pieces.

Some Free Wood And A Commission

Last nightI picked up some oak logs from a friend of my sister in law. I had met Anne (I think there is an "e" at the end) and her husband Steve at the opening of the Wandering Gallery Auciton and she had mentioned a big oak in her front lawn would be coming down soon. She got in touch and I picked up some nice crotch pieces and a couple of straight logs that were just over 2ft long. (see pic 1)

It turns out that Anne's neighbor across the street, Kathy, had a large oak taken down the day before. Anne had mentioned to her that I turn logs into bowls, vases and such. Anne gave me Kathy's number and we finally got together last night. The wood from her tree has knots, knobs and burl all over it. (see pic 2) She mentioned when her family first moved into the house, 15 years ago, they had taken breaks from tearing out carpet resting on the front steps with her husband and kids, and watched squirrels climb all over the bumps on the tree. I will try and create something that includes the bumps as well as some simple form bowls. They will become Christmas gifts for her kids who are now in college. I'll take pics along the way to document the process as well. I'm looking forward to see how it will turn out.

Ebonized Oak w/Copper Wire

I stumbled upon Mike Kaplan's website a few weeks ago, after bookmarking it months ago. These two vases caught my eye and I wanted to give it a go with one of my own.

My version is shown below. I have lots of burr oak around and it takes vinegar/steel wool ebonizing quite nicely. This piece started out as a vase about 6 months ago, but was to long to hollow without a steady rest which I haven't bothered to make yet. A few weeks ago I cut the bottom 1/3 off and started again. It was cracking, but that along with the interior that I left rough adds to it's character making it another rustic or primitive piece as well. A small void was created when a small burl popped out as well. It's about 8" tall and 6" wide at the top with 3 coats of danish oil and buffed. I will be doing more of this style.

Thick Oak Vase

Continuing with my fascination with burr oak, I turned this thick and heavy oak vase recently. It is about 9 inches tall and just over 6" at its widest. The interior was just drilled out on the lathe with a 2" forstner bit. I'm looking for a tall 2" glass vase to insert into it so fresh flowers can be used in it. During the drying process of this piece quite a few cracks have formed adding to to it in my opinion. I like the simple form but I think the next one will have more of a curve towards the bottom.

Oak Ensemble

It's been awhile since my last update...I've been busy prepping for the upcoming show in Sept. I have lots of work to show, I hope the shows attendees like what I have to offer.

My good friend is the head grass cutter (superintendent) at Wakonda Club here in town and they lost quite a few oaks this spring to a bad wind storm. He told me to come get as much as I want. They had 6 semi trailers hauled out eventually, but I only loaded my car once. His wife gave him a bowl made from the score for their anniversary. Here are a few others that I have done with the oak.

Oak NE Vase

When I first started turning bowls, I happened upon a large pile of oak logs. All of them were at least 15" in diameter and 10" high. I struggled with them, but was able to load 5 of them into the back of my car. I turned my first bowl with a chunk of it and a few weeks ago I turned this natrual edge vase with another of the logs. It had been sitting out in the back yard for over a year and had some spalting show up and the wood darkened quite a bit as well. It stands 9" high and 5" wide at the rim. The finish is danish oil and buffed past wax. I hope to turn lots more oak in the near future.