Well, Im back at it. Making more ornaments. I had the best of intentions to make a tutorial around Christmas, but the busy holiday season coupled with trying to finish orders in time for the big day stole my attention. This is the beginning of a series of posts Ill make to share my process for making ornaments.
The ornaments I make are typically comprised of a globe and finial. I usually start by making the globe because I can make the finials match better stylistically than making the finial first. However, if I was working from a sketch instead of designing while at the lathe, it shouldnt matter which element is made first. I like to make ornaments in batches of about 5-10 at a time so that Im not constantly taking the chuck on and off the lathe. I start off by selecting my material for the globes. This can easily become the most time consuming part for me. I get lost in the colors and beauty if Im not careful. I like to use stock that is long enough to make a few globes out of so that I can make more than one globe per piece I put on the lathe. Sometimes the pieces I select will need a glue block since the material is just large enough to make the globe.
For these glue blocks, I used 8/4 Poplar. They are all roughly 2"x2"x2". I generally make a bunch of these at a time and put them in a box until I need a new one. You can use a glue block many times before it needs to be replaced. When using a glue block I begin with the piece between centers. To aid in seating the spur drive, I cut an x on one side of each glue block (yes, the bandsaw was off).
Now Im ready to marry my glue blocks and turning material. I have a few species laid out. They include Hickory, Bradford Pear, and Eucalyptus burl. I like using superglue for this task, as it dries fast and lets me get to work without much waiting. Ive used titebond (pictured), gorilla glue, and the generic CA glues without much noticeable difference in this application. Truth be told, the titebond was closest, so... I use many different methods for clamping the pieces as long as it doesnt include gluing my hands together. You can even clamp a piece in place on the lathe with good success.
As the pieces are drying, I will being roughing the blanks and forming a spigot on the glue block so that they can be held in the chuck. You may have guessed that the need to start between centers is only present for a piece that doesnt have a spigot formed.
In the next post Ill walk you through my process of forming and finishing the globe.
Have a question? Feel free to ask in the comments section below or send me an email!
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar