Not long ago my Dad gave me a very small turning blank he’d made with off cuts of Black Walnut and Oak. I am reasonably certain that he chose those woods to reflect the two major cabinetry jobs he has completed for me in my new house: Black Walnut cabinets throughout (kitchen, 3 baths, laundry room, and office) and Oak built in shelving with hidden Murphy bed for the Library.
I have worked with segmented blanks of this type before although it has been almost 5 years. I expect to turn 8 more later in the year as Christmas gifts for my sister’s senior staff.
Small Segmented Bowl Side View
In the earlier post I outlined the basic procedure that my Dad followed in making these blanks. I lack the joiner and planer, much less the saw type, needed to make blanks of this type.
Segmented Bowl Interior
Black Walnut and Oak are both excellent woods for turning so the piece turned quickly and easily. It’s small size, presented some challenges with mounting but all worked out in the end. This very small bowl/dish, 3″ x 2″, basically a Chinese tea cup, has rich nostalgic meaning since it represents two very large and important projects that Dad completed for me.
All cuts were made using the Easy Wood Tool system on my Robust American Beauty lathe. Forward chucking was in a Nova Chuck, while reverse chucking was done using a Nova Chuck with Cole Jaws. Sanding was with Gold and Green Wave sanding discs from Packard Woodworks. Final finish is Shellawax.
