Made from a Yew Root with Pewter inlay 8 inches high with Cocobola Finial

Coral Mallee
10 inches dia turned carved and textured

An Article that just appeared in The AAw woodturning magazine thanks to the editor

This article was just published in Creative wood spring addition I can highly recomend these toys from King Arthur's tools
Click on Article to enlarge

Home Run

Description: Home Run

Measuring 1.4m long 700mm high this is my entry for Off The wall in Kawerau Wood Skills my interpretation of the rules as my piece hangs off the wall.
I have had this piece of Horopito http://www.lovelyhealth.com/horopito.htm
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/horopito-pepper-tree/1
For a few years as it was only 40mm thick I was hesitant to cut it up into smaller pieces for platters or clocks.
The inspiration for this piece came about on a cold winter’s night the kids and I were playing silly beggars in the lounge while mum was ironing. Picking up a silk sheet Mum had just ironed(yes not the done thing), we held it taught between two of us and proceeded to throw a baseball ball into the sheet .You had to be there but the shapes and wrinkles caused by the ball made a night of laughter
The only thing turned is the Olive ball the rest was carving with King Arthurs tools, dremel’s die grinders, orbital sanders, and hand sanding and sanding and just when I thought I had finished a bit more sanding.
The finish is I estimate about 30 coats of lacquer sanded to 4000 grit between coats
The finished effect is one of looking into a pond or like a silk sheet.
I could know commit a burglary without any fare of getting finger printed as I have no tread left on my fingers .They maybe able to get my Dna from the blood however
Well we shall see how we go the piece gets taken on a drive to the event tomorrow
I suspect though that the competition will be very stiff if Robbie’s piece is anything to go by. Being by Public vote will make it interesting

Fruit de Mer

Its time to let this one out of the bag
Thanks to Kurt Bird who came up with the name.
I think this is black walnut but if I am wrong please correct me.
This was one of those pieces of wood that kicks around from spot to spot in the shed as you are aware that it is nice pieces but hesitate to use until the light bulb comes on.
At Christmas I took the family over to our holiday home. Each night before dinner id go down to the beach and have an entre of rock oysters well maybe a few more than an entre some nights I could hardy eat my dinner .
While sitting on a rock waiting for my kids to bring the next oyster (yep I have them well trained, bonding time) they don’t like them much but they like getting them for dad. The only problem with them supplying them is they always have a bit of shell in the oyster.
So hear I was sitting on my rock and I saw the largest oyster yet, I had to get this one myself .Oddly enough inside the shell this pacific oyster had a small pearl inside More like a lump attached to the shimmering shell.
When I arrived home at xmas with obvious Dts for woodturning I went into my shop and tripped over this bit of wood yet again. The light bulb went on big time
I mounted this piece on a faceplate to start and turned a spigot but then mounted on my trusty Mdf fly wheel so I could turn out the waste on 3 centres
The next step was a teaser to turn the v groves of the outer clam after the 2 out side ones 1 gave up and proceeded to carve with different bits from my new King Arthur tool range.
Then sanded and sanded and sanded ,the out side was sanded to 600 grit then painfully textured with a fine dremel bit being carful not to end up with any lines in the texture . You could say this has pixels to the inch as they are so concentrated
The pearl is made from Olive bleached then airbrushed with a pearl translucent paint ,then again with a reflective medium .The inner clam has been sprayed with 20 or more coats of lacquer to give depth to the grain
The mallee burl was airbrushed with 5 or 6 different colours to take on a simmering effect like coral in clear water
I hope you like this piece because I sure do
Comments appreciated good or bad
Size 350mm long 14 inches

Manta ray and leather

Pohutukawa gaggle

Pohutukawa hollow forms turned wet so as they have crinkled and distorted

Black Maire Box

Black Maire Box with antique button inserted in the lid

Woodturning design feature showcase

Woodturning design Magazine feature summer article is yours trulyhttp://www.woodturningdesign.com/

Big Leaf
This ancient kauri bowl was a bit of an undertaking as it is 14inches across, turning a thing of this size and trying to keep the form allowing for the carving was a teaser.
I had to ring Andrew and order an extra long tool rest as well as I had 12 inches of overhang on my bowl gouge, not a thing I want to do often
The leaf templates I made by picking leaves off my favourite exotic tree A magnolia Grand flora .I just love the way the leaves turn up in the wind exposing the brown under side .The flowers give off a beautiful smell almost overpowering. I have planted 30 or more of these trees around my property.
I turned this piece the day I cut it up in the swamp down the road .at ¼ of an inch thick it was finished sanding and then I turned a jamb chuck and left it to dry for a couple of weeks with the tailstock pulled up on my spare lathe .
I drilled a hole down the centre of the jamb chuck and had a fan blowing up the spindle to help dry the timber from the inside .I placed a bucket over the fan cut a hole in the bucket and ran a hose to the spindle .
Every couple of days I would turn some off the jamb chuck so it had a loose fit as the timber shrunk A good inch around the circumference smaller after two weeks
Most of the external carving was done while the bowl was still between centres
Air brushing and prisma colour markers were then used to achieve the shimmer that the leaves have in real life
My wife says the carving detail is not crisp enough, But hey my view is this is my stile (ruff and ready)
I am really enjoying my carving journey at the moment

Comments welcomed

These stacking boxes are a challenge to see how many I can get to fit inside each other These started from a 90mm x90mm cub the goblet with captive ring is 8mm high

Rocking bowl series ,I turn these of cuts of burls so when touched they rock and wobble around ,this one if you give it a spin has a grand movement

Flying High

Muilty Axis turning and a bit of carving ,Jus having fun trying new things

Triangles 2

600mm dia made from New Zealand Rimu

Trumpet Burl

Burl tree 2 is finally finished
I am calling this one
The Trumpet Tree

The Art of Turned bowls

If you happen to get a chance to get one of Richard Raffans latest I recommend it ,My work features in six places in the book

A long way to go ,i estimate another 10 hours but am happy with the progress

Burl tree 2 on the way

I have started another burl tree this one is bigger and has More burl bowls

Swamp Totara
copper leaf and then sponge effect to rim 180mm dia