Trees, trees, trees!

Brouhaha is posing with three of the seven cherry logs given me by Chris' coworker. Word has gotten out about me and wood turning, and trees have been coming in from everywhere. And you would not believe the work that goes in to cutting up logs like this for turning blanks, even part way.

The problem with trees is that once they are separated into log chunks and the sap stops flowing, the wood begins to split. Look at any piece of firewood that has sat around for any length of time and you will see it splitting. This is problem number one, and it is a big one. If I get a piece of tree onto the lathe and that tree has splits that I haven't dealt with, that chunk of wood is liable to fall apart and go flying off in all directions - possibly clocking my noggin in the process.

So the first thing that needs to be done is to cut off anything that might have split, and to remove the very center of the tree, called the pith. Go look at that firewood again, and you will see that the splits begin at the center, at the pith. So that has to go. Then what is left can be cut up into blanks. I could chainsaw one of those cherry logs into usable chunks in the space of a day. One day, one log. So that is a day spent with the chainsaw, and NOT with the lathe. And when someone gives me a quantity of tree parts, this has to be done NOW. The longer you wait between falling the tree and cutting up the tree, the more of the wood gets thrown away. BUT, it does make for nice firewood.

I've been blessed. I acknowledge that. Trees have been coming at me from all directions, and I now have a variety of types of wood for turning. And the leftover bits go to the firewood racks that we have all over the place. I even had to go to some auxiliary storage out behind Rudy's shop. We now have enough firewood stored to keep us warm for the next several years. And I have enough blanks cut up and sealed. I probably have more blanks than I can use in my lifetime. So it is time to say, enough. I have enough apple, maple, black walnut and cherry to last me for years. Then there's the misc. department, which is substantial. Unless you have a variety of tree that I don't have, and it is spectacular, I can't take it. 

But thanks.

Physically demanding

I don't know what I was thinking. Could there BE a more physically demanding hobby/pastime/pursuit than wood turning? 

The turning is hypnotic, with the shavings flying and the bowl taking shape before your eyes. But there is the tool to hold, in just the right way. All the voices from massage therapy training whisper in my ear, "Relax. Drop your shoulders, bend your knees. you don't need a death grip on the chisel." but it is hard work, however you tend to your body mechanics.

Then there's the acquisition of the wood for turning. Which means going and purchasing it (yeah, right) or getting out there with the chain saw and harvesting. I have been very blessed in this department and now have more blanks than I can probably turn in a lifetime.

Turning stock comes in logs and branches that I first have to schlep home to my little corner of the back yard. The shocks on my car are just about shot since there have been many occasions when the car has been stuffed from back to front, side to side, floor to ceiling with trees. These tree trunks and assorted branches then must be converted to turning blanks. With a chainsaw. Which is heavy. And there is plenty of lifting, heaving, bending, twisting, hauling, pushing and pulling involved. 

The Tenth Annual Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival

Ed and I had a great time at the craft sale. So now we are focusing our efforts on the 10th annual Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival.  www.pghknitandcrochet.com TENTH! And I was there for the first. At the time, I was serving on the Board of Directors for The Midwife Center for Birth and Women's Health. Several of us Board members and volunteers sold snacks and beverages as a fundraiser for the Center. It was held at Ursuline Academy, and the place was jam packed. Who knew there were so many yarn fiends in Pittsburgh?

The Festival has continued to grow during all these years until now. 2014, we celebrate the tenth annual. And this time I will be vending something other than snacks and drinks for a non profit. This year, Annie's Hands will be an exhibitor! Ed and I will be there, selling yarn bowls, swifts and spinners. 

I'd better get back to the shop - I got inventory to make!

A Craft Show - My FIRST!!!

Ed and Chris were the best helpers ever at our first craft show. This was at a church in Wilkinsburg, which is in Pittsburgh. We had a lot of fun and met a lot of fun people. And most fun and most surprising was that there were friends who came out to visit, having heard of the whole bowl turning adventure. 

And my favorite bowl (so far) was sold to a very dear friend. John, I hope you will let me come visit it sometimes.

Annie's Hands are Turning

 

 

It was starting to look like wood turning was to be the next big thing for Annie's Phalanges. So a bigger lathe was got. This is the Powermatic 3520b, which I got used in an unbelievable deal. Don't you just love when things fall together like that? It makes all this feel so 'meant to be.'

Let me take you on a stroll through some of the features. See that face shield? It keeps junk out of my eyes. And when turning, there is plenty of junk flying around.

Earmuffs are not so dreadfully important when turning, as that is a relatively quiet activity. Sanding, however, is another matter altogether. But these earmuffs are so easy on the ear I just forget to take them off.

The red apron is made specifically for turning. It comes up into a turtleneck so as to keep shavings out of my shirt, and from there to my bra. Many times in my pre apron days there would be a goodly amount of shredded lumber spilled out of there. And there are pockets! My friend Anna Troxler custom made this for me, so it is all kinds of comfy. 

And this brings us to the grid arching over the workspace. Wood is unpredictable at best, and outright dangerous at worst. A piece that you have worked on for hours will suddenly turn on you (pun intended) and flat out explode. This happened to me once.

 

And here is the bowl that did it.

 

It's walnut, it's heavy, and it was seconds from being finished when it blew up. Lesson learned. LISTEN to the still small voice when it tells you to stop for the day and finish tomorrow. IGNORE ego when it insists that you can take it home to show Chris in just a few minutes more. 

 

That was mid September, and it is now mid November. The swelling is gone, but there is nerve damage that may or may not resolve. You just never know with nerve damage. 

Ernie Conover - mine for a week!

Me with Ernie Conover and SOME of the bowls I made

The two day class on bowls whetted my appetite, so I signed up for the five day training. I showed up, and was The Only Student! Once my jaw got picked up off the floor, we got to work. In the picture I am holding my bowl gouge. I hadn't had one before the first class, so Ernie loaned me one. And boy, did I get to use it!

Rudy, Judy and Ernie

Here are Rudy and Judy Fazzini. When they attended massage school many many years ago, I was among their teachers. We kept in touch over the years, and when I moved to Wheeling, our friendship kicked up a notch or two.

You see, Rudy has a workshop. A full on, all the bells and whistles, wood shop. And he was willing to teach me! He gave me rights to the shop, to come and go as I please, and believe me, I have taken advantage.

In that shop, over in the corner, covered in junk and clutter, was a lathe. Could I maybe play with that? Sure! And a new passion is born. Annie's Hands are turning wood.

Since we heat our house with firewood, there is always something with which to practice. These two sticks are from a particularly nice pallet, and one of those sticks has been turned into a candlestick.

Along with the lathe were some tools, and I used most of them making this. Looking back, after having taken a class and reading a lot, I don't know how I came up with this. I doubt I could do it again.

So let the bowl turning begin!

These are some of the little bowls I have been knocking out. I play with shapes, and finishes, and wood. It's mostly been scraps of wood, but now learning has begun in earnest. Which means classes!

First training, really, was and continues to be Cap'n Eddie Castelin. He posts videos on You Tube, and I eat 'em up.

Next was a two day beginner class on bowl turning. Looky what I made.

 

Using a tool that was made for turning bowls was a revelation. The excitement was too much, so that when Ernie Conover strolled over to see how I was getting along, he was grabbed  into a bear hug before he knew what hit him.

The bowl is walnut, and we watched as Ernie cut our blanks from a log.

Next step is to round off the chunk of wood into a real bowl blank, and from there to the lathe. Ernie is using a breathing apparatus to get fresh air from behind himself as he saws.