Tool tips

A simple tool tip.
This is great if you do not have much space in your workshop. I have a large workshop but do not have room for everything to be out all the time.
My bench grinder is screwed to a plank of wood so that it can be stored and moved around easily. The plank can be G clamped to any table and bench.

I have engineers vices that are not used all the time and I also want to take them away from the workshop, eg when running workshops. The vice is screwed onto a plank of wood and again this can be G clamped onto any surface.

Depending on what you are doing with the vice you may not even have to clamp it to the table.

Larmer tree

I had a weekend at Lamer Tree Festival, courtesy  of Lucy who was performing her poetry there. We had a very enjoyable time.

The Lostwood stage

Lights set up in a yew tree next to the Lostwood stage

I met Mace again who will be helping to organise the Bodgers Ball next year, in Devon. At last a Ball that I do not have to drive for hours to get to.

One of the finest eateries there, was a African Arabic food stall. They served cakes up on these lovely wooden disposable plates, made from a softwood veneer about 0.5mm thick. Great to see more people using wooden cutlery these days. I do like the simple but very effective design of the bowls, made from a rectangular sheet of veneer with 4 spots of glue to hold it together.

Got me thinking: disposable, even of the more sustainable utensils, is something to be avoided. It really is criminal that after 5 to 25 minutes use, that these are then just landfill. We should have to bring our own eating utensils. All vending stalls as a matter of  course should encourage the serving of  food and drink onto the customers own plates, bowls and cups. Or you could purchase a bowl, spoon or mug from a local green woodworker - you can usually find at least one at such events.

Love birds

Just made, a couple of birds. Made from ash, 16 cm long by 9 cm high.

These are for sale at £50, inclusive of UK and Europe postage. The size is likely to vary a bit, and in future they are probably going to be a bit longer.

Bowl lathe

I have recently finished a new bowl lathe, made from odds and ends of wood around my workshop. The only metal in the lathe is at the centre points to hold the bowl and mandrel in place, 2 bolts for the treadle and the pivot for the return spring. It seams to work very well and is extremely stable in use. Made mainly for bowls, it is also good for spindle turning and will take competition-size chair legs for when I race next year. I use bungee cord most of the time, and not using a stick or pole as my spring, but I need to set up the lathe in all sorts of the situations and sometime indoors when demonstrating to turning-clubs. Setting up a pole on hard standing can be an issue and usually involves a very heavy lump of wood. I carry enough weight in the van as it is.

Click on any image to enlarge it.

Dan turning a walnut bowl.

 

I do not know if you have noticed, but most of the joints are sliding tapered dovetails. The lathe will go together and very easily knock apart whether it is bone dry or sopping wet. No more desperately trying to get round tenons out of round mortices at the end of a show.

 A few of the bowls we have turned whilst demonstrating at the last 2 shows. All bowls turned from beech apart from the square one which is sycamore. Dan and I are not that fast yet but we can certainly finish the bowls well, with very little grain tear out on the 2 quarters that go against the grain.

The shows are really bad this year with takings down again. I am glad that I no longer rely on them like I once did. I have some big commissions going on, so probably not so many blog posts in the near future, and not so much more bowl turning either.
At one of the shows Dan made a bowl after messing up the axing of the blank, have a look here to see the beautiful bowl he made from a bit of wood I said to throw away

APT Devon meet at Escot House

The local group of the Association of pole lathe turners and green woodworkers met up at the Anglo Saxon village at Escot House as guests of Alan Bruford and Richard Devaney. The local group organiser is Tony Vokes.

Around the fire

Dan got straight into hewing a large oak log. Alan has a fair collection of GB axes and it was good to give them a try.

One of the Anglo Saxon houses

A House being built

Richard with one of his carved spoons, I was particularly taken with this hare spoon

Above and below is Richards bowl lathe, in a hut of its own

Another carving  from Richard

We met some great people, and both Dan and I would have been quite happy to have stayed for the next 30 years or so, living and working in these small houses. I really love Richards fox and liked the way he painted it as well. Richard also showed me some of his turned pots with lids. I managed to turn my first one at a show the other day. I have a feeling I will be turning quite a few lidded bowls in the future.