The Woodturning Forum - Woodturner's Resource - What unusual items do you turn?

Ed Weber

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What unusual items do you turn?
Aug 28^th, 2017 at 10:35am

Many turners start with pens, stoppers and small items. This seem work up to turning bowls, platters or hollow forms. This is just a small fraction of what can be and is turned everyday. What about all the oddball stuff like furniture parts, picture frames, and architectural pieces, just to name a few. Let's keep it to things that don't have a "kit" associated with them.

QOTW
What things other than the 'norm' do you regularly turn.

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Ed Weber WR Administrator WR Patron Offline Posts: 8,939 Wilton California USA Gender: JET 1642 Grizzly G0584	Re: What unusual items do you turn? Reply #1 - Aug 29^th, 2017 at 8:56am I suppose I'll start. Off the top of my head, in the last year or so I turned, Finials and post caps for outdoor planters. A handle for my wok A few turning tool handles A carvers style mallet Anyone else turning things that don't get talked about much or doesn't have a kit in a catalogue?
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Ron Carrabotta Senior Member Offline WR Rocks! Posts: 450 Dawsonville, ga Georgia USA Gender: Jet 1014 VS Jet 1642 -2EVS Lindow -White Rose Engine	Re: What unusual items do you turn? Reply #2 - Aug 29^th, 2017 at 12:39pm One of the first things I turned when we got our 1642 were legs for the tool bench that I built for the shop.
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Rick Caron Senior Member Offline So many logs, so little time! Posts: 456 Greer South Carolina USA Gender:	Re: What unusual items do you turn? Reply #3 - Aug 29^th, 2017 at 7:02pm One of the hardest thing to turn is a tippi top, and have it flip Seems no 2 work alike.........
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Ron Sardo WR Administrator WR Patron Offline Chief cook and bottle washer Posts: 9,674 Drums Pennsylvania USA PM 3520	Re: What unusual items do you turn? Reply #4 - Aug 30^th, 2017 at 7:55am I made some MDF bats for my wife's pottery wheel.
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Grant Wilkinson

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Re: What unusual items do you turn?
Reply #5 - Aug 30^th, 2017 at 12:20pm

I turn quite a bit of soapstone - small bud vases and lidded boxes. They may not be what you are thinking of, Ed, in terms, of the "thing" being unusual.

I turn "bolt" pens from aluminum and brass - no kits.

I've fixed the neighbour's chairs by turning new rungs for several of them.

Finally, like you, Ed, I turn most of the handles for my turning tools.

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Grant Wilkinson
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Tom Coghill

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Re: What unusual items do you turn?
Reply #6 - Aug 30^th, 2017 at 12:40pm

TOOLS, Tools, tools!!
I recently gave a demo on vacuum chucking to the local AAW organization. In that demo I showed how to make chucks for use with the vacuum system. At the center of all this effort is drilling and tapping a threaded piece of wood that will adapt the headstock to the chuck (usually metal adapter when taking about scroll chucks and the sort). I do all this on the lathe. I made one in the demo. I made one that I sliced in half so everyone could see the overall construction of the chuck and I have made about 10 specialty chucks that I use for various types of turnings. I have also made about a half-dozen threaded soft touch ends to go on the live center of the tail stock.

Tool handles of all sorts. One was for a chainsaw. I needed to the tune the saw and I found out that the adjustments can only be made with a special tool (not sold in stores here) that you make called a D-socket. I made this (from metal tubing), but it needed a handle that had indexing on it. I turned a standard handle, the carved indexing into the handle so I accurately adjust the saw.

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« Last Edit: Aug 30^th, 2017 at 12:41pm by Tom Coghill »

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Tony Rozendaal

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Re: What unusual items do you turn?
Reply #7 - Aug 30^th, 2017 at 5:37pm

I turned a wheel (from oak) for a Weber outdoor roll-around portable fireplace. Sure rolls better now.

I turned a grommet for the exhaust system on my BMW motorcycle. Started with a large rubber stopper purchased at the hardware store, and whittled on it until it fit and I could get the threads started on the bolt that goes through it. Interestingly, when I compressed it in the chuck and drilled a hole through it, then took it out of the chuck - the hole was round!

File handles, turning tool handles, also I made a handle for a countersink to use to de-burr the ends of pen tubes after I use a barrel trimmer on them.

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Turnin' and learnin'

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David Moeller Senior Member Offline Old chiseler Posts: 314 Linden Michigan USA Gender: LAGUNA REVO 15X24 CONOVER 15 x Infinity Long gone: Shopsmith, Myford ML8, Homebuilt bowl lathe, NOVA benchtop, Delta 46-715 and a Unimat.	Re: What unusual items do you turn? Reply #8 - Aug 30^th, 2017 at 7:10pm Drumsticks for Stan Kenton's (oldsters know the band) drummer. 5 pair of 5 styles, all in Bubinga. Very precise work.
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Chris Neilan WR Addict Offline OUCH! Posts: 999 Waterford Connecticut USA Gender: Powermatic 3520 Delta 46-460 Shopsmith 10 ER Shopsmith Mark V Shopsmith Mark 7 Powerpro	Re: What unusual items do you turn? Reply #9 - Aug 31^st, 2017 at 9:10pm Has anyone turned a chunk of Himalayan Salt? A spice store has some large solid pieces that look like they would make a cool jar! I would do this outside so the salt could kill some of my weeds....
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Grant Wilkinson WR Addict Offline Posts: 783 Ottawa Ontario Canada	Re: What unusual items do you turn? Reply #10 - Sep 1^st, 2017 at 10:36am Chris: I don't know how Himalayan Salt compares to canadian rock salt, but I can confirm that you make a hollow form from Canadian rock salt. For me, it was similar to turning soapstone and amber. No grain to worry about, but fractures can be problematic.
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Arlin Eastman

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Re: What unusual items do you turn?
Reply #11 - Sep 2^nd, 2017 at 11:43am

I turned some pins for a ukulele for a guy in Hawaii and made some balusters for another guy. Being an old machinist/welder/sheet metal worker I will try most anything.

Now the thing I love doing is teaching other disabled vets turning to help reduce the suicide rates for us. If you are thinking what I think you are thinking Yes I was at a very low place in live just after I go home from the bombing. I spent a lot of time confined to bed in Germany, Maryland, and local hospital. When I was stable I was sent home in a ambulance with a hospital bed already there and another 6 months confined due to my injuries.

I had to listen to my wife doing all the chores outside and then my dog died a few months later. If it was not for God and family well....

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It is always the right time; To do the right thing

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Arlin Eastman

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Re: What unusual items do you turn?
Reply #12 - Sep 2^nd, 2017 at 11:46am

I turned some pins for a ukulele for a guy in Hawaii and made some balusters for another guy and some legs for a civil war era stool for another. Being an old machinist/welder/sheet metal worker I will try most anything.

Now the thing I love doing is teaching other disabled vets turning to help reduce the suicide rates for us. If you are thinking what I think you are thinking Yes I was at a very low place in live just after I go home from the bombing. I spent a lot of time confined to bed in Germany, Maryland, and local hospital. When I was stable I was sent home in a ambulance with a hospital bed already there and another 6 months confined due to my injuries.

I had to listen to my wife doing all the chores outside and then my dog died a few months later. If it was not for God and family well....

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It is always the right time; To do the right thing

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