First Hollow Form - Woodworking Talk

jbksman · 01-30-2008, 04:58 PM

This is my first true hollow form! Elm 6" W X 4" H. Finish is Formby's tounge oil and paste wax buff, another first for me. I did it in one shot green and it did crack, but I "stitched" it with wire, another first for me. It also is now an oval, which is not a first.

Mitch Cholewinski · 01-30-2008, 07:21 PM

jbksman
Congratulations you did good. Keep working at it and sooner than you think you can put that wire away. (wink) Mitch

Crazybear · 01-30-2008, 07:35 PM

Very nice form. Personally I would lose the wire and replace it with a leather lace

jbksman · 01-31-2008, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazybear

Very nice form. Personally I would lose the wire and replace it with a leather lace

I thought of that as well...but didn't have any on hand. I've got some now just in case I need it.

thanks for the comments.

john lucas · 01-31-2008, 10:38 AM

Nice Job. Elm tends to move a lot and you have a lot of pith areas in there so it would have been difficult to keep from cracking even if you turned it pretty thin. It looks like you have the skills you just need a better piece of wood. If you spray it with water while your turning to keep it wet and then dry it as slow as you can you stand a better chance of saving a piece of wood like that.
Your other choices besides metal lacing or leather stitching would be to carve out the opening larger and then color the edges black. The only problem with this is that the crack never falls where it would if we carved it on purpose.

stuart · 01-31-2008, 10:39 AM

You can paint the wire darker.

jbksman · 01-31-2008, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by john lucas

It looks like you have the skills you just need a better piece of wood. If you spray it with water while your turning to keep it wet and then dry it as slow as you can you stand a better chance of saving a piece of wood like that.

Thanks for the complement. This was a crotch peice so yes there is lots of pith. I've never heard about spraying water while turning. I will try that soon.

Stuart, I had some darker wire that may have looked better, couldn't find it at the time. I think I need to clean the shop a little again. To many curlys flying of the lathe to keep up with.

littlebuddha · 02-08-2008, 10:18 AM

Hi if its your first go at hollow form then hey you not done bad at all, the crack as said by others, yes show it out more cut it out more make a feture of it, and maybe use leather thong black/dark brown whatever, i would be carefull as well as what type of wire you use if you do, that it is not going to rust and to rott out the holes over time. Oh and if you are doing the turning with wet wood and leave it to have a cuppa wrap it with clingfilm helps to stop drying so quick, sometimes woods dry so quick and crack its a joke if you did not cry. LB...