I like the creativity of doing the inkwell stands, there aren’t many practical constraints on form. Here are three vaguely based on chess pieces.
These are cool! You’ve given me some inspiration... now I just need the time to get back into the lathe room!
I-X collet chucks incoming! Direct from Beall, which seems like a nice little operation. Can’t wait to use them, but I do have a project to finish turning first. I am particularly looking forward to being able to hold a brush handle, then rechuck it to tweak the shape for the perfect feel. (Or to totally destroy it if I get sloppy or try to rush - ain’t turning great!) This will motivate me to dive into the woodpile and make up more brush blanks to season. Plenty of blanks so far, half a dozen knots waiting to be set, but no brush handles have made it any further than the reject bucket. Well, one was drilled deep to convert into a really tall razor stand. Thanks again for pointing me to them. ‘I-X’ was the key to unlocking the internet.
My I-X collet chucks are here! Now I need some good weather for some outdoor turning. Another plus, my mother-in-law pulled out a sizable chunk of black walnut and gave it to me. Plus she told me about turning a lamp base from a used bowling pin when she was 8! Her dad taught shop. She still uses the lamp. The black walnut chunk came from a large mature tree that was in the side yard of her former home. Apparently she has been seasoning/ignoring it for a couple decades. It is a large but odd shaped chunk from the bottom of a large branch that fell. I know there are a good number of brush handles and inkwell stands in there, but I hope to get a couple small bowl blanks out of it as well. We’ll see...
Under close inspection, my black walnut chunk turned out to be a section of a crotch. With a lot of work, I got it to split along the lines of the old bark that was now deep in the interior where the two branches grew together. Next step - visualize the many blanks hiding inside the four chunks that I might actually get through my saw. A friend with a big band saw would be a plus. There is a boot toe in there for scale.
I am way over-excited, but... I just had the opportunity to use my I-X collets for a first test run. Still some details to iron out, but I am loving this tool. I cut myself a low-quality fruitwood blank (my pear tree) to exact length, gave it a taste of the 1 1/8 Forstner, and did all the turning on the collet. I owe a guy a 28mm knot boar brush, so I rushed off in that direction immediately. He wants a stubby sort of handle, but this is practice. Here is a photo of the unfinished piece, with the knot lofted mid 50’s, about where I think it should go. My JT33 chuck does not hold the I-X collet securely, so I have some shopping to do. I’m doubtful that I will finish this handle, since the blank was not fully seasoned and this knot is not my size.
I’ve been watching this thread for a several weeks. Last spring I was able to score a few pieces of equipment from a retiring coworker. One being a jet lathe. I’ve only done a few brushes. These are my first try at using a wood lathe, and as an avid wet shaver, I am thoroughly hooked on this hobby!
Technique? Shoot, I don’t know about a technique. I watched a couple YouTube videos and started playing around. I found a couple pics online and blew them up on my phone to a similar size and measuring with a ruler. From there I just kind of went with it.
Thank you all for your kindness. Honestly, I’ve just been playing with this lathe and got lucky I think. But it sure is fun.