Lidded Boxes

Hi all,
I've been doing a bit more work on the lathe and have managed to turn three lidded boxes, which I am very pleased with even though I do say it myself.
Here is a picture of the first one I did.

The wood is mahogany and I finished it with sanding sealer and black bison wax polish. Actually, the polishing up is better than the turning for me I just love the way the wood comes to life when it is polished up. Obviously mahogany is too dark for doing any pyrography on, but the wood was a free from a friend so I thought it would be good to practice on. Once I get a bit more confidence I will buy some lighter wood which will take pyrography well.

Here is a group picture of the boxes I have done so far.

I guess any seasoned turner seeing these can pick them to pieces, but seeing as prior to these I had only done 4 practice spindles, a candle stick and a rolling pin (see previous post) I think I've done pretty well. However, having said that there were several issues mainly concerned with the hollowing out. I tried doing it with a spindle gouge but after several catches, one of which saw a lid destroyed and another where the wood almost went into orbit, I resorted to using a scraper. Using a scraper to hollow out isn't ideal because, not only is it a slow method, but it also creates sack loads of dust. By the time I finished doing a box my workshop looked like an explosion in a paprika factory.

 Dust is something my lungs can do without, so I'm in the process of making a dust catcher for the lathe out of some guttering. I let you know how I get on with that in my next post.

To improve my skills I'm going to try and master hollowing out with a spindle gouge and I will again let you know how I get on with that in another post. I need to stop getting catches otherwise my confidence will never grow.

By the way, for those of you who read my books, I will have another free download coming shortly, so watch this space if you want to take advantage. In the meanwhile, if you are turning wood, cutting it with a scroll saw or decorating it with pyrography, I hope you are having fun.