Restored Block Plane

 I found an old block plane at a garage sale. I wish I took a "before" picture of it. It was covered in dirt and rust but I could tell that the blade was good quality. I gave the guy a couple of bucks for it. 

I took it home and soaked it in vinegar for a couple of hours. The I gave it a good cleaning and rubbed it down with steel wool. I gave it 3 coats of paint. I refurbished the blade. The wooden knob at the front was missing, so I made a new one from a small piece of Plum wood. There's a part missing from the plane; the left/right adjustment lever is missing, which makes it pretty difficult to adjust the blade. I works OK. Nice little plane for chamfering corners 'n stuff.

Green Apple Wood Cup

 

I turned this cup from a piece of green (wet) Apple wood from some recent pruning. It's Gravenstein apple.
The cup measures 3.5 inches in diameter and 2.75 inches tall. The darker color shown here is from just below the surface of the bark. On the inside of the cup the darker color is the pith at the center of the branch. I expected some warping and crack since this was very wet wood when I started turning it. I tried speeding up the drying time by heating it in a microwave for 30 sec. at a time. The only cracking so far are the small crack in the pith.This was left unfinished. Only light sanding. No oils or wax.

Small Walnut Wood Bowl

 

This 3.75 inch wide by 2.75 inch high bowl was turned from one of many pieces of Walnut wood given to me by my good friend, Ned Lycett, a truly gifted Bonsai master. This wood is a dream to turn, with beautiful grain. This was wet sanded as usual, with citrus/beeswax up to 400 grit, then high-speed burnished with Micro-Mesh abrasive cloth up to 3000 grit. The wood is now smooth and polished like stone. I used my Sorby texturing tool for the decorative incisions. I added a bead at the rim and shoulder. I made my own curved cutting tool to do the under cut on the inside of the top of this bowl.   This is one of the best turnings I've done so far.

Ovoid Pear Wood Box

 

This Pear wood box is 1.25 inches in diameter and 4.5 inches tall, topped with a blue glass marble. The cap fits tightly and opens with a pop. The wood was wet sanded up to 400 grit with citrus/beeswax oil. The box has a 3-footed base.

Small Plum Wood Bowl

 

This 3 inch diameter by .75 inch high bowl is made from a piece of Plum wood from what I salvaged from a dead Plum tree from our yard. The color and grain of this wood is beautiful. This bowl was wet sanded with citrus/beeswax oil up to 400 grit.. The texturing was done with a Sorby texturing tool. I still have some of this wood left. Not sure what I can make with it yet. Stay tuned. 

Pear Wood Bell-Shaped Box

 

Here's a Pear wood box measuring about 1.75 inches in diameter by 4 inches high. The entire cap is the finial, topped with a green glass marble. The cap fits tightly. The wood was wet sanded up to 400 grit with citrus and beeswax oil. It feels like satin to the touch. I used my new Sorby texturing tool to add the band of cuts on the cap and base.

Another Small Pear Wood Box

 

Here is a Pear wood box I turned today. It measures 2.25 inches in diameter and 4 inches high. It was wet sanded with mineral oil up to a grit of 320. I used a home made texturing tool in the top of the lid, and I used a Sorby texturing tool on the sides of the lid and the canister body. That crack was not visible when I started turning this box. It was exposed as I cut away the wood to shape the sides. I decided to leave it. The lid doesn't fit as tight as I'd like. You win some, you lose some. There will more of these boxes made from this Pear wood. It's a pleasure to turn, finishes nicely. I like it a lot.