# Couple of pieces I turned today



## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

I turned this peppermill today along with a goblet. The peppermill itself is nothing new but the wood was very unique. It was a piece of box elder that I got from the Texan guy that runs this site. Turned out to be a nice piece of timber, as the Brits would say. The goblet was from a fresh cut log my nephew gave me. It was spitting water at me the whole time it was spinning. I am not sure what kind of wood it is. I do remember seeing the tree and it had little slender leaves like a willow or locust. I don't know what it will look like in a couple of days as it dries out. If it doesn't crack much, I will be happy. The other peppermill in the background is made from a piece of urundel.
Mike Hawkins:smile:


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## jdixon (Nov 21, 2007)

Mike, Nice job on the peppermills. That red box elder is such a unique looking wood. It just makes you stare at it.

I love the little goblet. The swirls in the wood make it look like they leaked through the cup, down the stem and spilled into the base. That is very cool. I hope it doesn't crack on you cause the grain is just outstanding! Good job.

John


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## Ken Johnson (Nov 8, 2007)

Mike,

I love the pepper mill. Very nice work! How do you plan to finish the martini glass? Is there a waterproof, foodsafe finish you can use so that you can actually drink out of it? I would love to turn some wooden pint glasses if I could actually use them for drinking.


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Ken,
I am not sure. I turned it as an exercise in making something with a thin stem. I didn't really plan on drinking out of it. If it stays in one piece when it dries, I may just try some kind of wipe on finish. I have a can of some kind of gel finish that is food safe. Maybe I will give that a try. I would think if you wanted to actually turn a set for drinking, maybe a hard shell finish would be better, like a urethane. Once it dries and the odor is gone, it won't hurt you to drink out of it.
Mike Hawkins:smile:


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## hughie (Mar 22, 2008)

I like the pepper mills excellent bead work and the colour is great.

The goblet looks like its being poured into its base, real good use of the timber with the grain features. :thumbsup:


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## Barry Ward (Mar 22, 2008)

What can I say,but beautifull work 
Ken


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

*Very Impressive*

Nice work Mike


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## nblumert (Oct 15, 2008)

Mike,
The color of the peppermill is awesome to look at, but the goblet is amazing with the wood grain swirling into the bottom. Great work.


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## Mitch Cholewinski (Mar 11, 2007)

Mike H
Beautiful work Mike. The box elder is very striking but it is the nice work you did that makes it shine.

Ken Johnson
If you want to drink out of a glass you turned Ken you can turn it seal the wood with sanding sealer then use poly urethane on it. I know exactly what your thinking now but it isn't so. Let me explain by telling you of an experience I had. Our priest asked me to make a chalice that he uses to celebrate mass in church. He mixes water and wine in the chalice to simulate the blood of Christ. I turned the chalice and had no problem but was afraid to use poly urethane but after asking a few knowledgeable people I found out it was safe to do this if you varnish and let the chalice/glass dry out for a week, all the thinners etc become inert and the glass is safe.Still wasn't satisfied so wrote the company and they told me the same thing. If you let it cure for a week plus it will be like drinking from a plastic glass. I let it cure for a month then gave it to the priest and he uses it every mass to drink the wine No problems. If your still scared you can turn the glass and use mineral oil on the glass, put several coats on and let dry. It's cheap. Mitch


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## Ken Johnson (Nov 8, 2007)

Mitch Cholewinski said:


> Mike H
> Beautiful work Mike. The box elder is very striking but it is the nice work you did that makes it shine.
> 
> Ken Johnson
> If you want to drink out of a glass you turned Ken you can turn it seal the wood with sanding sealer then use poly urethane on it. I know exactly what your thinking now but it isn't so. Let me explain by telling you of an experience I had. Our priest asked me to make a chalice that he uses to celebrate mass in church. He mixes water and wine in the chalice to simulate the blood of Christ. I turned the chalice and had no problem but was afraid to use poly urethane but after asking a few knowledgeable people I found out it was safe to do this if you varnish and let the chalice/glass dry out for a week, all the thinners etc become inert and the glass is safe.Still wasn't satisfied so wrote the company and they told me the same thing. If you let it cure for a week plus it will be like drinking from a plastic glass. I let it cure for a month then gave it to the priest and he uses it every mass to drink the wine No problems. If your still scared you can turn the glass and use mineral oil on the glass, put several coats on and let dry. It's cheap. Mitch


Mitch,

What is the purpose of the sanding sealer? Also, did you use water or oil based polyurethane? Thanks a lot!


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## Mitch Cholewinski (Mar 11, 2007)

Ken Johnson
You use sanding sealer to seal the pores on wood so you get equal coverage when you use a varnish. Different parts of wood are soft and other parts hard so they absorb a finish differently so the sealer makes the wood absorb varnish equally. End grains absorb much more than face of wood and the end grain is always darker if not sealed. I used oil based poly on the chalice. Sometimes you have a piece of wood that is light colored and beautiful and you don't want the color to change at all, so, you would use a water based. Oil based will change the color somewhat towards the yellow side. On a brown colored wood the color change is minimal but inevitable. I researched this very extensively Ken, so don't be afraid to do this on a wooden glass if you want to. Just make sure that you give the glass enough time to cure and all the thinners in poly time to cure and evaporate and become inert . Good Luck Mitch


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## EugeneInNC (Aug 18, 2008)

Mike, The color in the box elder is great and the wood grain in the goblet is fantastic. That is very inspiring for a new woodturner like me. Thanks for sharing. Tomarrow I wil try my hand at a goblet.

Eugene


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Ken,
What Mitch said is correct for the sanding sealer. It basically prepares the wood better for the final finish. I use all oil based sealers. I don't have any water based in my shop at this time. I used some lacquer on the box elder so it wouldn't turn the white to a yellow tint. Eugene, when you do the goblet, make sure you work from the topside to the bottom, a little bit at a time. Do the top and finish it through sanding. When you do the stem, work your way down a little at a time. You should support the end of the piece (inside of the goblet) prior to cutting the stem thin. You could use a soft ball on the inside with a revolving tailstock pushed up against the ball with just a slight amount of pressure. This will keep the cup part from whipping around when the stem gets thin. Also use sharp tools and light cuts when the stem gets thin. They are good practice. Have fun,
Mike Hawkins


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