Woodturning a rosary with a wooden cross and beads

 

Tools and materials I propose:

Lathe

Wood turning tools set

Bandsaw

Chuck kit

Tormek T8 Sharpening System

Tormek BGM-100 Bench Grinder Mounting Set

Tormek Woodturner’s Kit

Diamond Grinding Wheel Dresser

In this video I make a wooden rosary. I turned the cross out of iroko wood. The beads are made out of ebony and iroko.

First of all I installed the zero clearance insert on my table saw. I had to deal with really small pieces so that was a must. 

After cutting my stock to size I created the half lap joint of the cross. 

I then glued the pieces together. I started turning the cross. This was mostly skew work. Once I finished the first side I remounted the piece to do the other. 

I then blended everything using a flat sanding block. 

To make the beads I had to make a special tool to make my life easier. I first used my diamond stone flattening tool to roundover the wheel of my grinder. Then I made a beading tool using an old chisel. I kept dipping the tip in water to cool it down. 

Then I started making my beads. I first established the size using the beading tool. Then I used a parting tool to remove material form the sides of the beads. Then I used the beading tool again to shape the bead. I then drilled the hole and cut off the bead with a saw. 

I sanded the beads on the lathe using a disc sanding attachment. 

I finished all the pieces by dipping them in mineral oil.

Then I connected all the pieces with a leather string.

And my rosary was ready. It was a pretty interesting woodturning 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.

Turning a green mulberry bowl blank

About a month ago, a neighbor cut down a mulberry tree from his yard. Instead of throwing it away, he gave it to me. 

I don’t have a chainsaw so I split a log in half using several tools as wedges. The log was pretty straight so it split really nicely.

I used a small axe to flatten the piece a little. 

I then clamped the piece on the bench and cut it to size with a saw. 

I used the axe again to trim the sides so it fits on my jointer. 

Then I passed the piece through the jointer. When I finished jointing I immediately cleaned the jointer to preventing it from rusting. After all the wood was really wet.

Next I marked the area of the bowl. I used my axe to reduce the material’s height so I can remove as much material as I cut on my small bandsaw.

Then I screwed the face plate on the blank and started the turning process. I used the bowl gouge.

This was a really heavy piece for my small lathe. So I first set the lathe speed at minimum.

I like to use the palm of my hand as a guide, to drive the savings away from me.

Then I made a mortise to fit my chuck’s jaws. I used a small bowl gouge to remove material and then finished the mortise with my skew chisel. 

Then I just mounted the piece on my chuck and started hollowing with the bowl gouge.

I set the lathe at an average speed now.

As I go deeper I change the angle I use the bowl gouge. I try to let the bevel of the tool’s grind follow the curvature of the bowl.

When my blank was done, I put it in a paper bag full of shavings. I will let it dry for several months and then I will turn it to it’s final shape. This is why I let it rough and thick.

I really enjoyed turning this mulberry. It is a beautiful wood. That yellow color it has is so beautiful.

I hope you enjoyed this one, 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.

Experimental, DIY, floor lamp from a log

I had a sour orange tree log laying around and I decided to make a floor lamp with it.

I begun by cutting some extra branches with a hand saw. I then Trimmed a few parts of the log with an axe.

I removed the bark of the log with a sharp chisel and a mallet. 

The log was two old and had a few worms in it.

I wanted the cord of the lamp to go through the log. In order to to that I had to split the log in half.

I made a starting point with a hand saw. I then used wedges two split the log. I also used my axe as a hammer.

When the log was split, I used my router with a straight bit, to create a groove for the lamp’s wire.

I used a big carving gouge to clean up the groove a little bit.

I glued the log back together using clamps and glue. 

The hand saw created a gap. To fill that, I cut a few splines on my table saw. I fine tuned the splines with a chisel and glued them in place. I flush trimmed them using my flush trim saw.

I used my chisel to round over a few edges and carved out some worm marks. 

I used wood filler to fill the remaining gaps on the log.

I trimmed the legs with my circular saw and a hand saw.

I used a sanding disc on my angle grinder and sanded the log. I finished sanding with regular 120 grit sandpaper.

I marked the area for my lamp on the end grain of the log. I used my router to open up the hole.

I applied a coat of wood preservative to kill any remaining worms.

I then applied three coats of walnut wood stain while sanding between coats.

To create the lamp’s hat, I used a balloon as a mold. I mixed wood glue and water in a container and dipped a twine ball in it. I wrapped the twine around the balloon and when the glue was dry I had my hat. I was also careful not to cover the holes on the two ends of the balloon. This way I can add the lamp’s base and a light bulb when I have to.

For the electrical parts, I used wire, a socket with an on off switch and a light bulb base with two collars. I assembled everything with a screw driver. I have also soldered the wire with the on off switch end cable.

I glued the lamp’s hat with the log base with hot glue.

I really enjoyed this build. I learned many thing making that lamp. I will probably fine tune a few things on it in the future.

How to make a wood castle tea light holder

I had a piece of log (I think it is sour orange tree) laying around and I decided to make this candle holder. I wanted it to look like a haunted tower. 

First of all I cut the log to size with a saw, while holding it on my vise.

Then I used a carving gouge to remove the bark.

I used the saw again to create a starting point for my axe.

Then with an axe and a hammer I spilt the log in half.

I made a few along the grain cuts with my saw and then used a chisel to remove big pieces of wood.

I used the carving gouge to smooth the inside a little bit.

I hand planed the outer side.

I used a round scraper to smooth things inside the piece a little bit.

With a small coping saw I made the along the grain cuts of the battlements. Then I used a chisel to carve out the rest.

For the windows I removed some material by drilling a couple of holes. Then I carved out the rest with chisels and gouges.

I glued the piece. I trimmed the outer side with a mini luthiers plane.

In a scrap plywood piece I made a few traces with a pencil and cut out the base on the scroll saw.

I glued the base pieces together.

I sanded the piece with 100 grit sand paper.

I wanted my castle to be haunted so I carved out a few cracks with a v chisel and a woodcarving gouge.

I stained the piece with water based wood stain in the color of walnut.

My little castle is ready! 

Little prince on a log slice wall art - Entry for the tree challenge

This is my entry for Dominic Bender’s tree challenge More info on the challenge here.

Watch all the entries of the challenge here.

I had a pine log slice laying around and I decided to make something out of it.

First of all I removed the bark with an old cheap chisel.

Then I created two stop blocks with my jigsaw to hold the piece in place. Then I set up a jig to plane my slice to thickness with my router. This technique also flattens the piece. I made a specie base for the router which slided over the log piece on  two wood rails.

Then I used two part epoxy glue to fill the cracks on my log piece.  

I sanded the piece with 50 and 120 grit sand paper using my sander.

I added a hanger in the back.

The I used my wood burner to burn an abstract childish design of the little Prince. I really liked the grain of the wood and I wanted a minimal design that wouldn’t dominate over nature’s design.

Then I applied a few coats of my home made beeswax and olive oil finish. You can watch how I made this here.

My piece is ready, I love it’s grain pattern and the finish did a good job in piping it out!

Another DIY log box

Actually Ι've made a similar box in the past. But I had not made a video of it. For more info about this project go to my past blog article.

DIY log stool made of fire wood

 

 This is a stool I made out of some pieces o pine we had laying around on our fire wood pile.

First of all I selected a piece with a flat surface for the top and four cylindrical pieces for the legs.

Then I remove the bark from the top piece. The wood is dry and as a result the bark comes off easily with a mallet.

Then I drill some holes to the bottom with a 38 spade drill bit. I try not to drill the surface of my stool while drilling as deep as I can.

Now I clean up the legs a little bit, using a small axe.

I also use my axe to make tenons to fit in my cylindrical mortises.

I glue the legs.

To secure the legs a little more, I drill pilot holes and add screws.

With my circular saw I cut the legs so that the stool will stand fairly OK on the floor. I just eyeballed where to cut.

  

I used my rasp to round over some of the edges and I sanded the top with 100 grit sandpaper.

I apply a couple of coats of water based wood stain in the color of Oregon pine.

My stool is ready. I think this is the perfect woodworking project to make in your country house with limited tools.

Make a log picture frame

 

One day I found a fallen branch in the woods, during hiking. I had it for sometime until I decided to make a picture frame out of it. 

First of all I used an old chisel to split the branch in half. Then with my saw and a miter box I cut my pieces to size using the 45 degrees setting of the box.

Then I lay the piece on a piece of 9mm plywood and trace around the frame. Then I cut the basic part of the frame. Now I trace a line 5mm less than the inside of the frame. This way  I will have a rabbet for the glass and the picture to sit in. 

To cut the inside of the plywood, I drill a hole for my scroll saw blade to fit in. I cut the piece with my scroll saw.

Now I secure my block plane backwards on a vise and I plane my pieces to flatten them a little bit.

I use my glass cutter to cut the glass.

I glue the branch pieces on the plywood and apply some pressure for a couple of hours.

After the glue is dry I use my block plane to trim the plywood and the log pieces flush.

Because the branch  isn't split right in the middle, the edges do not match. So I use my chisel to even things up. This way I give the piece an axe cut look which I think looks nice with log woodworking projects.

I fill some gaps with glue and wood saw dust.

I assemble my picture frame and I use a few nails to hold everything in place.

My frame is ready. Now I can add something for standing on horizontal surface or a hanger for mounting it on the wall.

Make a bandsaw style box without a bandsaw

 

 

 

It all started with a piece of pine log I had.

 

I cut a piece of the log by eye.

 

Then I remove the bark of the wood. First I used a chisel to remove big chunks. Then I scraped some bark with a knife and lastly I used my block plane to smoothly remove the last bits of bark.

 

I cut the bottom and top cap from my clean log using a saw. To do that I clamp the piece on my bench.

 

Then I cut the the cylinder that remained in half to be able to hollow it easily.

 

Here comes the trickiest part of the project. To hollow the inside of the box, I traced the line I want to cut, clamped the piece on my bench and used my scroll saw to cut out the inside really really slow. This is the part that a bandsaw would be really helpful. This is a test my little scroll saw blade.

 Time to glue the body o the box. I used some scrap pieces of plywood to avoid clamp marks.

 

I used my scroll saw to  cut a lip for the boxe's top.

 Time to glue the top to it's lip and the bottom to the body.

 

I decided to add dowels to the top which fit to holes on the body, so that the box will close tight.

 

I also added a few dowels to the bottom to increase it's strength. After the glue dried I trim flush the dowels with a flexible flush saw.

 

I trimmed flush the side with the top with a chisel.

 

I finish the piece with water based wood stain in the color of Oregon pine. I applied two coats and light sanded between them. I applied the stain along the grain.

For a video of a similar project go here.