How to make a kuksa on the lathe - Woodturning

 

Tools and materials I propose:

Lathe

Wood turning tools set

Chuck kit

Tormek T8 Sharpening System

Tormek Woodturner’s Kit

Table saw

Flexcut starter carving set

Pyrography Pen Wood Burning Kit

Buffing kit

In this video I make a kuksa mug on the lathe. Usually this is made using hand carving knives. But I thought it would be a good challenge to make it on a lathe. It actually involved a few really interesting techniques. I made it out of basswood.

I begun by preparing my stock on the planer and table saw. 

With this this technique I will actually have two blanks after the first stage of woodturning. 

After preparing my two blanks I added a few guide lines. I also had to consider the pieces of wood that would had to be removed because of tool marks from the chuck and tailstock.

To glue the two pieces together I added a piece of paper in between. This would help me separate the pieces later on. 

At this point I started turning the outer shape of my kuksa. Once I was ready I split the two blanks in half with a chisel. 

The I took one blank and put it on a screw chuck to make a tenon on the other side. 

I then chucked it on the jaws and hollowed it out with a bowl gouge. 

To clean the bottom I used my bowl bottom cleaning jaws. 

Next I did some fine tunings on the shape with a carving knife. 

I carved a flower on it’s handle and used my wood burner to decorate it. 

Finally I buffed the mug with carnauba wax.

And my kuksa was ready. 

It was a really interesting project, but that was it. 

See you soon with a new project video. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

A few interesting pyrography techniques and woodturning drink coasters

 

Tools and materials I propose:

Pyrography Wood Burning Tips

Pyrography Pen Wood Burning Kit

Soldering iron

Alcohol based markers

Lathe

Wood turning tools set

Chuck kit

Tormek T8 Sharpening System

Tormek Woodturner’s Kit

Bandsaw

Buffing kit

In this video I make a few drink coasters out of basswood. This was a nice excuse to try out a few simple but really cool 

wood burning techniques. 

I first turned my coasters on the lathe. I got three coasters from one blank. This was mostly bowl gouge work. 

I cleaned the bottom with my bowl bottom jaws. I made the bottom a bit concave so the coaster can sit nicely on a flat surface. 

In the first technique I created shading by adding burned dots. I set my burning station at a high temperature and went for it. To color my work I used ink based markers. They work really nice on wood and are very easy to use. 

For the second technique I changed the tip on my wood burner and added shading with a more traditional manner. I went slow here so I reduced the temperature of my burner. When colouring I like to leave the wood as my highest light. Especially on basswood this works really nicely.

On the third technique I used the classic soldering iron type of burner. By changing tips I tried to give different textures to my work.

I finished all my coasters with carnauba wax on my buffing wheel.

I am really happy with these three new techniques. But that was it. See you soon with a new project video. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Making and woodcarving a picture frame

 

Tools and materials I propose:

Flexcut starter carving set

PFEIL Carving Set

Trim router

Tormek T8 Sharpening System

Tormek Hand Tool Sharpening Kit

Block plane

Miter box

Hand saw

Table saw

Picture frame clamp

Chisel set

In this video I make a hand carved picture frame out of basswood. 

I first planed and cut my stock to size. 

I then created a groove on the table saw. The glass will sit on this groove later on. 

I then used my miter box to cut the sides of my frame. I glued the frame’s parts using a picture frame clamp. 

To reinforce the corners I cut 4 blocks of mahogany. 

Then I used my router to remove most of the  material. I finished the pockets with a sharp chisel. Using a chisel I added small chamfers on the bottom of the blocks so I could drive them in place easier. I glued the blocks in place and used a plane to trim them flush.

I filled the imperfections on my miters, using glue and saw dust. 

Then I sanded my frame.

I drew the design on my frame using a paper template that I made. 

I used the router to remove most of my material. 

I used my carving knife as a v chisel to cut on the lines. You basically use the knife at an angle and make two cuts opposite to each other but on the same line. 

I then carved my design and sanded it. 

I finished the frame with clear water based varnish. 

I also made the rest of the parts of the frame. 

My frame came out really nice. But that was it. See you soon with a new project video.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

How to make a wooden guitar slide - Woodturning

 

Tools and materials I propose:

Lathe

Micro mesh sanding pads

Wood turning tools set

Chuck kit

Tormek T8 Sharpening System

Tormek Woodturner’s Kit

Forstner bit set

In this video I make a wooden slide for guitarists out of hard wood. In the video I used mahogany.

I begun by turning my piece between centres on the lathe. 

I then made a tenon to fit my chuck and mounted it on the chuck.

With a forstner bit I drilled the finger hole. 

Then I finished shaping it.

In order to sand and polish the slide I had to make a mounting rod.

This was basically a conical piece with two cuts in the middle like a cross.  You basically mount the slide on the cone. Then you push the tailstock against it and it makes the slide fit tightly. Just like you do when you make rings. 

The slide needs to be really shiny in order to work properly. So I sanded from 100 to 400. Then I wet sanded from 500 to 1000 and then polished it with my micro mesh sanding pads. 

I don’t think any finish would last against the strings so I just added mineral oil to keep some moisture off. 

And that was it. My little slide works really nicely and has a really warm sound compared to glass or metal. But that was it, see you soon with a new project video. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.