bowlathon

i've been trying to work through projects a little faster. i tend to dwell on little things or get too caught up in one part of the process to the detriment of all the other parts. or i move between projects so much that progress on everything slows way down. so yesterday i had a marathon wood turning session to see how much i could accomplish in a single day.

i prepped 5 blanks the night before:

(pine blocks are glued to the bottom so the faceplate screws go into cheap scrap instead of good wood)

unfortunately, the walnut blank was a little too wet, so i could only rough out the shape. but by about 5:00, the other four pieces had been waxed and parted off the lathe. and the results are pretty good:

clockwise from the big one (which is about 7.5 inches across, if you are looking for some scale): mulberry, sycamore, plum, bay laurel. all are finished with beeswax.

i'm really pleased with how well these species cut. the more i work with different woods, the more i find the old standbys to be lacking. oak's open grain is prone to massive tear out and chipping, walnut creates clouds of choking superfine dust and often grabs the tool, leaving massive divots. sycamore, on the other hand, was left smooth by the tool making sanding so much easier.

when all was said and done, a rather successful-athon.