Woodturners Resource

Hand Spindle

Mon, 25 May 2009 19:13:32 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: A basic spinning spindle, nothing fancy. 13" long overall, 3" diameter oak whorl, mahogany spindle. Brass hook, and a small brass nail in the bottom end to protect the tip when dropped. (That's "when", not "if" as anyone who has used these watched someone use them knows).

6 comments

A couple more letter openers

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:45:09 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: 6" long, Maple The one without the bead in the handle is my best attempt I think. I like that bead but didn't get it centered good. Oh, well...

1 comment

Letter openers, turned and carved

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:52:15 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: Some of us guys are turning letter openers upon seeing Mustard's post in the forum here: http://www.woodturnersresource.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1213567952/0 This is my latest attempt, not ready for prime time but getting close. After turning the handle and the blade's shape, the blade was roughed out on a belt sander, then finished with a carving knife and file. The longest one is 7", they're both Maple.

4 comments

Spiraling Examples

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 21:33:42 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: These were done with the Serious texturing/spiraling tool, which is pretty much the same as the Sorby. For the benefit of Jim (kidcolumbia) and his post asking about the Sorby. It's difficult to get a really clean cut with this, unless you're using hard wood like Maple and the wheel is very sharp.

1 comment

Box Elder Trumpet Vase

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 04:56:05 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: The branch this piece was turned from sat on the ground a few months, resulting in some interesting mineral stains in the grain. A hole through the center takes a 3/4" x 4" glass test tube with flared lip. As the vase dries, the hole shrinks so I have to ream these out a couple times over a period of about a week before they get sold or given away. If I leave the glass tube in the vase while it's drying, the tube will be squeezed until it breaks. BTW, these trumpet vases make great megaphones and also hearing aids :d 11" high, 4 1/2" across the rim, finished with wipe-on poly and power-buffed.

7 comments

Fluted Sconce on Butternut Base

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:25:13 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: I snagged a variety of glass candle sconces at the St. Vincent de Paul's thrift store a week ago, with some kind of turning project in mind. Usually looking for old peppermills to rob the mechanism from but haven't had much luck with that. This is a piece of Butternut which was to be a Trumpet Vase but the rim blew apart on me and it hung around on the shelf way too long. Glad I saved it though! 7 1/4" high, with a thick coat of Minwax brushing poly plus some elbow grease and white diamond buffing compound.

2 comments

Ash Bark-edge Bowl

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 22:28:48 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: I got the order for this bowl from www.wisconsinmade.com yesterday morning, where I have some turnings listed for sale. First order since before Christmas, when most of them occur. 7 1/2" diameter, 5" high, wipe-on polyurethane finish (Minwax). Only one coat so far, nothing on the top of the bark edge. The bark is surprisingly well-attached to the wood, considering it was cut during the warm months of the year if I remember right. It was from a neighbor's big ash tree cut down about 15 years ago.

9 comments

Calyx Vase #7

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 01:58:38 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: My most recent inside/out turning, of Black Cherry. Cut from a solid chunk of wood, sliced into four segments on a bandsaw with a brand new blade using a ripfence, and glued back together as it was cut for the final turning. The tips were wider than the outermost parts before carving to shape. Partly finished with two coats of wipe-on polyurethane, I wanted to keep the gloss down for the picture. 6" high, and 4" maximum diameter. A better photo for printing is available, just in case ;-) And this has a bit of a lean which I would straighten out.

7 comments

Box Elder vessel, spiraled rim

Wed, 03 May 2006 04:40:24 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: 2" diameter, 2 1/2" high, 3/4" opening.

6 comments

Detail, spiraled lip on HF

Wed, 03 May 2006 04:37:59 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: The finished spiraling on the hollow form shown in the other pics. The opening is 3/4", size of a penny.

2 comments

Maple mini-vessel

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 02:44:51 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: 2 3/4" diam., 3 1/4" high of spalted maple burl. I was afraid of making a funnel when finish-turning the bottom, so I step-cut it out a bit to make the base wider. Just for kicks, I carved flutes into the base but I can't call it a work of art--looks a bit sloppy, in fact.

6 comments

Elm goblet C & T

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 18:44:05 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: You can't see in the photo, but I wish I could have done a better job on the detailing--there's some grain tear-out here and there, and a crack in the rim was CA glued (can be seen on the back side of the rim in the pic). But overall, I think it's OK. Got some chatter while turning the bowl exterior, it looked cool so I left it. Looks like spiral carving. I'm afraid to sand that, don't want to knock down the detail but the grain is slightly fuzzy so I may try 1200 grit in between the ridges. Gotta warn you Phil--this piece is kind of fragile, at two spots: where the bowl meets the stem, and where the stem meets the base. Guess I'd call it an upper-shelf item, away from the toddlers and dogs ;) 6 1/2" high, 2 7/16" diameter rim, 4" long stem which is close to 1/8" thick in some spots! Will be finished with Minwax wipe-on poly.

16 comments

WR challenge bottom

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 02:39:48 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: Here are the bottom cracks, for all to see. I decided against filling them, didn't think it would improve the looks. I did try the white glue method, but the cracks didn't close up. I could only find two 8 oz bottles at Walmart, just enough to fill a quart plastic cottage cheese container along with water. The piece was just small enough to fit. The next day when I went to take it out, I couldn't budge it out of the container--it was stuck tight! Had to gently pry it out with a butter knife. No damage to the wood, not even a scratch. Just a slightly flat bottom, nicely balanced overall so that when it's set on it's side, will sometimes right itself up on the base but it does a little dance first!

WR challenge piece, finished

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 02:30:41 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: And sent off to Chris today! The wipe-on poly didn't soak into the hard Ash at all hardly, so I just wiped a couple thin coats on. I'll show the bottom with the cracks next. Looks like it's not sitting flat, but that's just the camera (and the dufus behind it).

3 comments

Ash vessel

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 04:26:30 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: This piece is teetering on the edge of disaster, mainly because of a crack that developed on the bottom around the pith. It was turned from a piece of branchwood, and I meant to have the pith right on center but somehow it ended up off center. The opening forms a square when viewed from the top. Obviously not finished, needs a little work on the edges. This was a great challenge for me, I've never tried doing a shaped rim before. I'll definitely be trying this idea again.

15 comments

Oak Calyx Vase

Mon, 28 Nov 2005 07:38:30 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: "Calyx" being the outer whorl of petals, usually green, of a flower. A fitting name for this series of Inside/Out vases I'm making, this one with an inside curve at the tips is 10" long, and 2 3/4" across the widest part.

9 comments

Inside-Out Petal Vase

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 21:09:03 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: A vase done by the inside-out method, of White Oak. 9" high, 2 1/2" across the petals. Sanded to 1500 grit, only one coat of wipe-on poly so far to keep the gloss down for the photo.

8 comments

sumac lidded box

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 06:31:38 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: repost with better pic.

5 comments

Pear Box, spalted Birch

Sun, 30 Oct 2005 22:24:41 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: Reposted as a new image--the original is here: http://www.turnwood.net/Photopost/showphoto.php?photo=588

3 comments

Box Elder bowl

Mon, 20 Jun 2005 15:43:52 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: 5 1/2" diameter, 3 1/2" high with wipe-on poly finish. I used a carver's V-gouge to incise two lines below the rim, following the grain line, then filled between the lines with a red Sharpie marker. Just a small flat spot for the foot, signed with an electric engraver. I had trouble getting a nice surface on the inside with the scraper, and can't find my 2" velcro sanding pad for the drill (time to clean up the shop!) so there are some tool marks on the inside--not too bad, though.

8 comments

Chestnut lidded box (white backdrop)

Wed, 15 Jun 2005 16:32:07 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: The backdrop is pure white, but is tucked inside of a cardboard box to give the graduated effect as shown in my photo booth posting in the Tools & Equipment Gallery.

7 comments

Chestnut lidded box (grey backdrop)

Wed, 15 Jun 2005 16:25:11 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: This pic was shot in my hi-tech photo booth, seen in the Tools & Equipment Gallery. Spalted chestnut, about 4" high with a Holly tenon on the lid. Finished with wipe-on poly (Minwax).

2 comments

Elm Trumpet Vase

Tue, 31 May 2005 20:33:23 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: This is the type of vase I like to turn using my lockpin spindles, which I just posted a pic of in the Tools & Equipment Gallery. 10" high, about 4 1/2" diameter. It holds a 5/8" glass tube insert, and the hole is drilled right through the pith. David Ellsworth handled this piece when he was visiting our club, giving a critique on our instant gallery. He liked it for the most part, but in his words "the bead at the bottom doesn't send me". I was kinda thrilled just to have him pick it up, didn't care what he actually said! :d

5 comments

Bottom detail

Sun, 08 May 2005 21:11:21 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: The sig was done with an electric engraver, the handheld buzzy type. I also used it to texture the center area, in an attempt to disguise some tearout.

5 comments

Pear Box, open

Sun, 08 May 2005 21:07:53 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: The Birch was quite soft and punky, and there was some tearout of the grain inside the lid and body plus small areas on the exterior but overall, I'm happy with this piece. Almost reluctant to give it away LOL!

1 comment

Pear Box

Sun, 08 May 2005 21:02:45 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: Spalted Paper Birch, 4" high and about 3" diameter. Walnut "finial" or stem, as are the accent rings which form the box joint. This was turned from a 4" branch, with the pith on center of the box allowing me to drill the pith out for the stem of the lid.

10 comments

Walnut with Holly, open

Tue, 03 May 2005 04:26:35 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: The pic makes the lid look bigger and heavier than it really is.

5 comments

Walnut with Holly

Tue, 03 May 2005 04:23:34 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: This started out a year ago as a box with my locking dovetail lid, but I screwed it up. Couldn't throw away such a beautiful piece of walnut, so I just put it on the shelf until the solution to fix it came to me recently. I still had the chuck tenons on both halves, fortunately--so I turned off the male dovetail which was on the lid, glued a piece of holly in it's place, and turned a new straight tenon to fit into the base. The thickness of the holly was just enough to make up for the wood lost in the parting of the two halves. Then I turned an egg finial from the same piece of holly. 2" diameter, 3" high. One coat of wipe-on poly.

9 comments

Lidded box, locust

Sat, 23 Apr 2005 03:30:10 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: Don't know if it's honey or black locust but most likely black because it's common to our area. 2" dia., 3" high.

9 comments

Sumac lidded box

Sat, 23 Apr 2005 03:28:35 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: 2" dia., 2 3/4" high with a snug fitting lid, finished with one coat of wipe-on poly. The outside was turned only with a skew, but I sanded from 320 to 1500 grit.

6 comments

Lidded box, Ash

Fri, 15 Apr 2005 17:22:03 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: This is from an almost rotten piece of ash that's been sitting in my back yard for years. The outside is all done with the skew chisel, no sanding whatsoever. Our AAW chapter hosted Alan Lacer this past weekend, I learned some tips on grinding and using the skew which made it a lot less scary to use. Just a little one--2" diameter, 2 1/2" high.

7 comments

Cherry paperweight

Wed, 02 Mar 2005 02:29:11 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: Turned on my eccentric chuck adapter, with about a 3/8" offset from center. After getting down to the base, I made a 45 degree cone-shaped cut to part off what I'd done, so the base could be hollowed, filled with lead shot, glued back together, and finished.

6 comments

Eccentric turnings

Sat, 13 Nov 2004 20:39:13 +0000

by: kengrunke

Description}: Sample turnings from my eccentric chuck adapter attachment for my 4-jaw scroll chuck. Photo by Art Ustby

2 comments