I finally got myself a proper lathe!

For those who remember, I cobbled together a home made “lathe” a couple of years ago. This summer I bought myself a real one for my birthday (best presents are the one you buy for yourself) and over the last few days the bits and pieces have arrived.. the lathe itself, a chuck set, some carbide cutters, odds and ends. Lacking piles of proper blanks, I’ve been reducing two-by-fours and other pieces of scrap wood to wood dust over the last few days. Tonight I made my second attempt at a hollowed out form, from a blank I glued together from two offcuts of two-by-four. And while not beautiful or well proportioned by any stretch of the imagination, I am pleased with it.

Sanded up to 180 grit (since that is the finest sandpaper I have in stock) and with a mineral oil finish. The lines around it is in part to help hide the glue-joint.
The bottom of the piece. It stands on a lip instead of the entire base, meaning I didn’t have to be dead on straight across the bottom.
To make a hollowform, simply remove all the wood that isn’t part of the finished product… i.e.: a lot of wood chips and dust.
And off course, don’t forget to pack everything away when play time is over.

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