My lathe's working again!

[Les Symonds]

My new set of bearings arrived in the post today, so a quick half hour and the lathe was up and running. To test out the repairs, I turned this bowl to compliment the set of bowls that I turned several days ago (see raspberry and apple crumble). It's a piece of spalted ash, which tore out quite badly, so I drenched it with sanding sealer and gave it an hour to harden off (thanks, Andy, for the hint!)







Diameter is about 85mm and height 110mm

C&C welcome, as ever....Les

[woodndesign]

Hi Les, Can't keep a good man down .. glad the parts had come and now repaired, that that had been the problem.

You've done well in dashing off a quick piece, not an easy one from the spalting, but one of you current forms, wonder on the tall foot .. I keep looking at it ..

Cheers  Dewi

[Les Symonds]

Cheers Dave/Dewi....the new bearings certainly make a difference, although there is still some slight vibration, but we have to remember that I paid only £130 for the lathe, including a dozen assorted gouges, chisels and scrapers, as well as an expanding collet chuck and loads more bits and bobs. I aspire to greater things, but I'll need to start selling some of my output and keep putting a percentage of it into my 'New-lathe-fund'
Les

[Bryan Milham]

Les,

I like the way the foot makes it up-stand, tall and proud. You've done well.

And well done on your new-found mechanical skills.

However I think I can see a ripple in the rim, spalting makes for soft wood and it abrades a bit easier and faster than the un-spalted timber. It takes a gentler sanding action to get right.

[woodndesign]

Cheers Dave/Dewi....the new bearings certainly make a difference, although there is still some slight vibration, but we have to remember that I paid only £130 for the lathe, including a dozen assorted gouges, chisels and scrapers, as well as an expanding collet chuck and loads more bits and bobs. I aspire to greater things, but I'll need to start selling some of my output and keep putting a percentage of it into my 'New-lathe-fund'
Les

  ... We all try to aspire to greater things ..  How has it gone with your hopes to sell at the Hotel, did the idea get off the ground or not ..  Aaaah when it comes to saving funds .. keep them safe .. no sooner than I've got some together, than someone finds a use for them elsewise..  ..

Cheers   Dewi

[Les Symonds]

Bryan....you're too darned perceptive; yes, there is a bit of a ripple in the rim caused by exactly what you said. Isn't it odd how we tend not to notice these things when looking at the artefact, but when we study a photo we see all the blemished! I guess that we're not distracted by the possibility of picking it up and handling it, so our senses work purely according to what they can see. I'll have the knowledge of what spalting can do to rims fresh in my mind the next time that I try one like this.

David....I've not yet spoken to the managers at the hotel. I want to take a couple of bigger pieces with me and have been putting this off until I'd got the lathe bearings fixed....so now I've got my work cut out - no excuses any more!

Thanks for the kind words about the form...Les

[Bryan Milham]

Les,

Sorry to have noticed the 'ripple'. Take it from me it's a lesson I learnt from experience, not your photography!