First turning for 2012

Had a good rest during December in Jongensfontein but shortly after my return I was back in Germany again. Returned yesterday and on my arrival I found a large piece of  Cape Ash in my garage which my fellow woodturner At Smit had left in my workshop. It had been cut during the week and I could not resist the temptation to put it on my lathe. The piece was about 30kg and I started on a large bowl.

After a while the workshop was filled with shavings which will take some time to clean. The wall thickness is about 15mm which will take some time to dry without cracking. My recipe is to cover it with the shavings and newspapers and then seal it in a plastic bag. The newspaper is replaced every day untill the weight stays constant. So lets hold breath and see what the result will be in a few weeks.

Holzleute

On my way back from Ulm I stopped in Munich before going to the airport and passed a shop called 'Holzleute' or directly translated 'Wooden people'. They sell some woodturning work which is mostly fairly commmercial, i.e. christmas decorations, peppermills, etc. They however had one piece that I really found very interesting and a real piece of art. It is made of oak and about 50 to 60cm in diameter.

New Vicmarc

I have heard some rumours that Vicmarc is developing a new lathe that has some similarities to the Stubby. I discovered the following photograph on the internet. Judge for yourself

Green wood in Ulm

Unfortuantely I did not meet with Andreas from the 'Drechslerforum' as he was attending a course and I had to work over the weekend. One evening after work I was having a walk and not far from my flat they were busy taking down some trees in a park. I could not resist having a photo and longing for my lathe.

Finished London Plane

Last Saturday I started turning some of the London Plane. I did not have much time for turning and decided on a few simple forms that I could complete. Apart from this, I am not very creative at the moment due to my busy time at work. I completed what my wife calls an open vessel and a fruit bowl. I am on my way back to Germany again and hope to meet with one of the German woodturners I met on the 'Drechslerforum'. So hopefully next week I can post a report on his workshop

Turning London plane

Eventually I managed to get a piece of wood on my lathe (Saturday afternoon at 5) A few weeks ago I collected some London Plane in a street close to the famous rugby stadium, Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. I have never turned this wood before and was keen to see what it is like. It dried quite quickly but turning was still very pleasant. Seen here I am busy turning on my Stubby. I did not plan the project properly so lets see what the result will be.

Munich airport

Eventually I managed to make my way back from Germany. As woodturners we are all familiar with a chainsaw but I saw these sculptures at the Munch airport (created with a chainsaw) which gives a new dimension to what is possible with a chainsaw

The following is a description of the artist