18cm square, about 1cm thick at the end, and did two different bases. Finished w linseed & beeswax.

This is a piece of root burl from a fig tree. This piece had a pretty gnarly crack running almost all the way through it. I started turning it and then realized (once I roughed it out) that the side I was planning to make the bottom was more interesting. I love the variation in the color.

I recently got into wood turning and want to make a good gift for my wife. Has anyone worked with or seen some kind of makeup brush project kit? I’ve looked around and have only seen the pen, pizza cutter, ornament, and other turning project kits. Not sure where to start with this since I’m new. Any help would be appreciated

I got this Monkey Puzzle wood from our local clubs (Seattle Woodturners) “wood rats” activity we had about 6 months ago. It was dead standing and the tree service said that it had already lost the majority of its natural water. Because of that, and the nature of it being an end grain turning, it didn’t warp much after I turned it. I went directly to the thickness you see in the video.

It’s about 1/4” thick and 16” in diameter at its
Widest. Such a neat material with the way the branches grow so uniformly on the trunk.

What’s a fun, “new to you” wood you have turned recently?

The top pencil is cocobolo, and the bottom is a Maple burl. This evening was definitely a learning experience.

Hello all,
I’m looking to find a quality lathe for my dad. He is a lifelong carpenter who has quite literally worked his body longer and harder than he should have. Always to support my brothers and I and our mom. Oof, anyway, it’s hard to not get sentimental. In the last few years he has really become less and less able to do the big stuff (and god damnit he still tries) and he has wanted to try his hand at turning. Hopefully a LOT less abusive to ones body. As far as tools he falls somewhere in the middle of high end- forever quality and middle of the spectrum quality and affordability. So he’d never spend multiple mortgage payments on a tool but he abhors the throwaway junk that is passed off as quality because it carries a brand name that used to mean quality. (I really don’t know how to be succinct with words, sorry). He was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and while his doctor is quite optimistic and it’s far from the worst, it has really shook him and clarified what is important. He deserves to make beautiful things for the sake of joy rather than work. I’d really like to give this to him.

I’d like any and all advice on buying something he would approve of, maybe better than he’d get for himself? Used (well maintained- no mystery abuse) is absolutely acceptable. But that does necessitate a bit more knowledge than I have. Brands? Models? Besides the actual lathe what do I need to get for him? What questions do I not even know to ask?

We are in central to southeast Ohio.
Thank you in advance for any advice you share, so very appreciated.

I got an early start on making trees this year.

Maple from a while back. Coyote for scale.

I think it might come in really handy as a layout tool but I am hesitant to pay $50. Does anyone have any experience with it? What are your thoughts on being able to quickly make fractional measurements without caring what the actual measurement is?

https://youtube.com/shorts/kO1ASsAuc1Y?is=gszrdphD3uFhFzt1

Segmented 15 inch diameter

First off, thank you to all the voices of reason that talked me out of throwing this chunk of walnut in the burn bin. A few weeks ago I posted some photos after I blew through the bottom. I was pretty discouraged. Since that time I went through a shingles outbreak and on the back end of that I decided to at least try to finish the platter. Luckily I had already sized the inner bowl to fit a 4 cup Pyrex container since the platter is so big I didn’t think the eventual owner would want to wash it out in the sink. I ended up just cleaning up the hole with the long point of my skew. It’s around 19” in diameter turned outboard on a 14” lathe. Finished with refined walnut oil.

Edit: A lot of people are commenting to add an accent to fill the hole. I appreciate the advice but I’m not going to do that because before I had punched through I had already finished the bottom with my signature and walnut oil. The recess underneath is also not perfectly flat in the middle. It took every last bit of motivation I had just to finish turning it and get it sanded and oiled. I’m happy with it, hole and all, because it the 4 cup Pyrex fits perfectly in the middle and that also solves the problem of cleaning.

Walnut and maple with some oak inside with a spaulted  birch finial. Mistakes were made. A couple angles on the stave cuts were not perfect which made a couple inlayed leaves off to the side. But for a first try I thought it was kind of neat.

Hi I'm starting to turn bowls and other fun stuff.

I currently use my dad's workshop but I would like to have one at home to finish my smaller projects.

-My main goal it for it to be as quiet as possible.

-8" turning diameter and 12" turning lenght

-medium quality with variable speed

-could be used or new

-budget between 250$ CAN et 1000$ CAN

Hello world.

I currently have a Grizzly T25926 10” x 18” Variable-Speed Wood Lathe + 22” Bed Extension and am looking to upgrade to something that is bigger, has a reverse on it. Not looking to break the bank but not looking for something cheap at harbor freight, although I’ve seen their Bauer lathe and it looks pretty decent.
Any ideas?

My wife and I have been using cheapy tools for some time now and will probably start slowly upgrading soon. I like the sound of these but I'm having a hard time finding reviews (I probably just dont know where to look)

Hi y'all,

I've made handles before, but always for round tang tools. I'm trying to make a handle for a custom miniature turning tool and it has a square tang(1/4" x 1/4").

What should I do differently?

I currently drill a round hole for the tang, shape the handle, sand and finish, then hammer the tool into place with a sacrificial board. With a round tang I match the hole size to the tang so it's a nice tight fit, but I'm not sure what to do for the square.

This might seem like a dumb question so thank you to those who take the time to answer❤️.

So I want to get into turning, and I want to do bowls. I see lots of MIDI lathes around but most for sale on the used market are there because the current owner wants to upgrade.

Anyway, I found an old 3 phase Delta 46-400 for sale for $350. It works but is rusty and needs cleaned up (which I’m capable of doing). I figure I can clean it up, get a VFD, and get it usable for the price of a decent used MIDI. I’ll have a 12” swing but will have to turn really big stuff on the outboard side.

Am I overthinking this? Do I really need more than a 12” swing? I’d have to get an outboard tool rest, but I feel like this is the only reasonably priced way to get into a lathe I won’t outgrow.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts

I’m making a bowl and ended up getting the walls too thin. It looks fine from the outside, and you can’t really tell it’s this thin unless you put a light inside is there anyway of saving this, or do I have to take the last ring off? Appreciate any advise. Thanks

I'm making my own version of a decorating elf. I ordered all the parts about 2 weeks ago now. So far, everything but the bearing has shown up. This is about infuriating.

The first order of bearings was supposed to arrive Friday last week; it was stopped in transit and returned to the shipper, and I got refunded. So I went and ordered again, as it said they would show up today... Nope... I just rechecked shipping, and these Jackwagons shipped it via USPS, and it's coming from Oregon.... The only way they could be any further from me in the US is if it was coming from Washington State... This is literally the other side of the damn country... And they shipped it via USPS... It'll take at least 2 weeks to get here. So now I just went on and ordered from another company, and that will supposedly be here in the middle of next week. Nothing like having projects on delay because you're waiting on one part.

I really hate the false advertising about when things will show up. Absolutely disgusting business practices. I'm just frustrated with the false advertising on shipping times. They will be getting a horrible review as a result, and I'll likely be returning the previous order, as I highly doubt they will show up in the next week. If I had known they planned to ship it via USPS from the other side of the country, I wouldn't have ordered from them in the first place.

And that's my rant... 😆

People think the Mojave desert doesn’t have color. We may not have the crazy red leaves and stuff but here’s to beautiful native Vegas flowers!

Cast myself, using alumalite clear and slow, pressure pot to 60.

Blank was drilled a bit bigger than tube sizes and then used a pigment mix of white and purple added to 5 minute epoxy to hide my tubes.

I hate working with the stuff due to the tearout that happens creating a lot of sanding but I do love how it turns out in the end with the way the grain swirls beautiful wood.

Not much to see here, just some skinny pens.