Recently got into turning and am looking for some feedback

[u/BurritosAndBicycles]

Received a small lathe for Christmas this past December and have been getting into making segmented bowls (jars?). I’m a few months in and am looking for some feedback. Anything look terribly wrong? Should I be worried about wood movement when making the lids (and the bottoms)? Friends and family are being too nice and say they look great. I need some internet bullying to help me improve.

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[u/rbrkaric]

Looks like you got the hang of it. Good work

[u/snakeP007]

Got back into turning? It doesn't look like you ever left!

[u/BurritosAndBicycles → u/snakeP007]

Lol thank you! I'm on month 3 of trying to figure out this machine

[u/HollywoodTK]

Awesome, love the wicker look! Keep it up

[u/no_no_no_okaymaybe]

These look great! i would love to see what the blanks looked like before you started turning them.

[u/BurritosAndBicycles → u/no_no_no_okaymaybe]

Thank you! Unfortunately, I didn't document much of the process. That said, I found a photo from my IG that includes the last bowl before I turned it: https://www.instagram.com/p/DGMkGTFNbhG/?img_index=5

[u/SubsequentDamage]

Pretty neat! Now, just add the M&Ms.

[u/rbrkaric]

Looks like you got the hang of it. Good work

[u/Iridefatbikes]

Did you make a wedgie sled to cut these pieces? They look great.

[u/BurritosAndBicycles → u/Iridefatbikes]

Thank you! Yes, I definitely spent the better part of a weekend dialing in a tablesaw sled to make repeatable cuts.

[u/grrrimabear → u/BurritosAndBicycles]

After months of unsuccessfully trying to dial in my table saw, i caved and made a wedgie sled. Now, it's hard to make the rings not fit. It's amazing. You just need to buy wedgies on Etsy to go with it.

Good on you for getting that thing dialed in. I'm using a dewalt jobs item table saw. Not really meant for precision.

[u/TheBattleTroll]

Pretty advanced segments for a beginner. Well done!

[u/richardrc]

The lid should do alright because it is either rift or quarter sawn. But the bottom is flat sawn, so it will have some seasonal movement.

[u/Exact-Gazelle-2845 → u/richardrc]

Agreed. Lid won’t move much at all. Especially since it’s finished (sealed). Bottom should be fine since it is thin and attached well.

[u/RegularJoe62]

Friends and family are being too nice and say they look great.

Your friends and family are right.

[u/Old_Gas_1330]

Good work. Question: what software do you use to calculate the wicker? I've tried doing it by hand (yeah, I'm a bit of a masochist) with poorly results.

[u/BurritosAndBicycles → u/Old_Gas_1330]

Truth be told, it was guesswork with pen and paper. Everything I've made so far has come from the scrap pile. Both the walnut and cherry wood used for the wicker pattern were already roughly these dimensions. All that said, before making anything on the lathe, I did spend a lot of time dialing in a table saw sled, which allowed for repeatable cuts.

[u/Old_Gas_1330 → u/BurritosAndBicycles]

I guess you're better at math than I am! Thanks, and again, great work.

[u/BurritosAndBicycles → u/Old_Gas_1330]

Me during every step of making that wicker pattern: "I thiiiink that looks right.... I'm going to give myself a 40% chance of success here."

[u/QuietDoor5819]

Very impressive 👏, I really like how the lids on both fit neatly inside the bowl rim

[u/BurritosAndBicycles → u/QuietDoor5819]

Thank you! Do you think I am overthinking things being worried about wood movement? They're a pretty snug fit right now.

[u/HomeGrowDude → u/BurritosAndBicycles]

If its really very snug, the lid will probably bind in the summer months, so no, I don't think you are overthinking. The segmented parts will not move much at all. If you wanted to maintain a snug fit without binding in humid conditions, you could gently sand off half a millimeter on each side of the lid along the grain and leave the endgrain alone to maintain the fit. The lid shouldn't expand much in that direction.

[u/BurritosAndBicycles → u/HomeGrowDude]

That's a great idea! Thank you for the tip!

[u/QuietDoor5819]

You can always re turn it later if it binds up. I don't have a lot of experience, but I don't think that your segmented bowl would move much. From what I understand, timber moves across the grain, wider pieces = move movement than narrow pieces. This is a great group, n I'm sure others with more experience can offer some pointers 😊

[u/BurritosAndBicycles → u/QuietDoor5819]

Great to hear! Just want to ensure that if I give this to a friend, it won't blow up on them or get stuck a few months later.

[u/HomeGrowDude → u/BurritosAndBicycles]

Doubt it would blow up, your glue-up looks solid! But get stuck is absolutely a possibility.

[u/Stressed1_2]

Looks like perfection to me

[u/1-719-266-2837]

Very nice.

[u/Torkin]

Basket pattern is fantastic!

[u/Infinite_Winter4299]

I've been turning for years, but I don't make stuff this nice! Well done!!

[u/74CA_refugee]

It looks to me like you are on the right track! My “beginner” work was Nothing this great! You should be proud of your accomplishments and don’t look back!

[u/DiogenesSearchParty]

Dude these segmented bowls/jars/holders of things look fantastic! Awesome job 👏

[u/rebuonfiglio]

Nice turnings.

[u/Luckydog12]

Beautiful work!

[u/No_Statistician5572]

These are fabulous my friend! I’ve started doing glue up turning cos I love the patterns but need to spend more time in the prep and aligning to make them come out this good. Definitely an art form in its self

[u/GardnersGrendel]

These look great. Your segmenting work is excellent and the finishing looks really solid. If you want bullying, the closest I can get is, it would be nice to see some curve to the sides of your pieces. If you really like the straight sides maybe some sharp angular transitions? Right now the forms themselves are less interesting to me. This is of course subjective, whereas your skill in setting up your blank is objectively excellent. Keep having fun.

[u/BurritosAndBicycles → u/GardnersGrendel]

Hell yeah, thank you for the feedback! I'm hoping to introduce more curves/complexity in my next few pieces. I appreciate both the light bullying and the genuine compliment. Cheers!

[u/Hard_Purple4747]

I'm also new...and jealous on how thin you got the sides...mine are still chunky...I think they look great!

[u/Andy6601]

looks really nice, segmented turning is something I have not tried yet. looks like you nailed it. looks like your pieces are small which is fine, so the detail is really good.