zapotillo? bowl

This was a work in progress. Does anyone recognize the wood?

Photo Details

grey hackle

Registered: March 2007
Location: Elgin, IL
Posts: 49

0

Date: Fri March 23, 2007
Views: 1,468
Keywords: zapotillo bowl

Comments

Chuck Beland

Grey,
That looks like it's coming out beautiful so far. To bad about it's demise though.

Chuck

#1 Fri March 23, 2007 2:44am

Rev. Doug Miller

Rev. Doug Miller

Beautiful stuff. I can't imagine how you could have broken the bit of the termite tool. You said on the board that the foot broke. Was it this foot? Did you have this foot on the chuck in expansion mode? If so we've just found your issue. Expansion needs some meat to push against. A pretty good turner told me that you should always leave 1" of wood to expand against. I've got a 12" piece of WET Ky Coffee on the lathe right now. I using a recess with a 1" border for it. There is no problem with the recess trying to break. Just something to think about for the next one. 8)

#2 Fri March 23, 2007 3:02am

SkyJ

Looks alot like bloodwood

#3 Fri March 23, 2007 9:33am

grey hackle

Rev- I was using the chuck in expansion mode. However, I re-turned it for a compression foot, and that broke. I re-turned it again, and that is when it broke the tool.
Sky- the photo is redder than the actual wood. Sorry about the photo color.

#4 Fri March 23, 2007 3:07pm

Rev. Doug Miller

Rev. Doug Miller

I thought so. You really need more meat on the outside of your recess when using the chuck in expansion mode.

I really cannot figure out how you broke the termite bit. Unless you've sharpened it a lot and it was really thin, I've never even heard of one breaking. Then again, I've not spoken with everyone who uses the termite.

I hope you're able to save this piece. The wood is fantastic. I'm still betting that it's a dry piece of madrone. 8)

#5 Fri March 23, 2007 7:12pm

grey hackle

Rev- Actually, the recess for the expansion mode was deeper than it looks; I wanted the chuck to be supported by more than just the foot itself. The termite wasn't that old--the wood was just that tough. I've never worked with madrone, but, no, I did not save the rest of the piece.

#6 Sat March 24, 2007 12:58am

grey hackle

I just looked up madrone at hobbithouse (exotic wood website), and all his examples were much lighter in color. However, I stumbled on santos mahogany--which looks and sounds more like the wood I had.

#7 Sat March 24, 2007 1:07am

Bob Hamilton

Rev, when I broke my Termite bit it snapped off clean at the shoulder between the stub that goes into the recess in the tool shaft and the base of the ring. That said, I don't beleive I have ever used it on face grain work. I thought they were specifically intended for end grain?

#8 Sat March 24, 2007 11:39am

grey hackle

OK, it's not santos mahogany; I turned a piece of that recently, and it was not nearly so hard as the mystery wood.

#9 Sat March 24, 2007 3:58pm

Jim King

I can tell you this is not anything like Zapatillo that we have here in Amazonas. It does have a lot of Bloodwood look to it. Santos Mahogany/Estoraque is not that dark even after exposure to light.

#10 Sat March 24, 2007 9:23pm