My First Woodturning Effort - A Table Lamp.

[Joe]

Seeing as David has shown us his first turning Job I thought I may as well show you mine:-

   

I made it at school during the 1984-5 academic year.

It is made of beach, the base being part of a school desk and the stem a leg.

- Joe

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thanks for sharing your first woodturning attempt Joe.

As expected with a first attempt the design is simple but demonstrates a brave attempt at adding some character; I bet you needed fierce determination to complete the turning as woodturning is not easy for a novice. Practice will of course improve style but you've shown aptitude in tool handling right from the start with no obvious signs of monumental "dig ins" or tear out which plague a novice turner.

For a first attempt Joe I would give 7 out of 10 for the actual turning but give 10 out of 10 for producing a very useful item after all it is a light and light it produces so nice one as its fit for purpose.

I've not seen one of the brass three screw threaded adaptors for many years; the last pair of bedside lamps I turned have brass double threaded inserts for securing the lamp holder; one end screws directly into the wooden lamp having a coarse thread the other end has a fine machine thread to match the plastic lamp holder.

How did you bore the hole for the wire and do you recall what lathe you used to turn it on; perhaps a Union Jubilee or if posh a Union Graduate?

I used offcuts for both my lamps and didn't go mad trying to make them too pretty because so long ago I simply needed a pair of lamps that were cheap and worked. I also made a pair of matching bedside tables from offcuts costing nothing. Both lamps and both tables are still in active service and pleasant to look at whilst being highly functional. Unlike you Joe I had already done quite a bit of woodturning by the time I made these items but I was very short of time or I would have refined the lamp shape. These were turned on my Record Power DML24" lathe which I still own and use.

I hope you didn't get six of the best Joe for vandalising your school desk in order to obtain raw material to make your lamp; fit a decent shade and put it into service Joe as it's something to be proud of; success at the first attempt; well done.

I'm sure now you have your own lathe you will be spending time on it as they are wonderful machines to own and use; I'll never be without either a woodturning or metal turning lathe.

My first woodturning efforts were very similar to yours Joe in fact mine had a few nasty dig ins with the items being dumped.

Kind regards, Col.

       

[Yorkie]

Well done Joe!

I guess most of us don't appreciate it at the time, but the little projects we made at school are worth keeping to treasure later in life.

The only aretefact that I have from my childhood years is a little copper vase about 3" wide at the base and 2.5" tall. I was 12 when I made it, and stamped my name underneath it using a series of centre punched dots. I have to admit looking at it now, that it did make a mess of the base - it wasn't even neatly done and of course, it dented the base, so the metalwork teacher when balistic and told me to put the hammer through it and chuck it in the scrap bin. I didn't know then, but I do know now, that had I wanted to punch my name on it, the correct way to go about it would of course have been to punch it with the base resting on a flat metal plate before I silver soldered the base to the vase, so as to not distort the base. But that's how we learn from our mistakes. I defied the teacher's instructions to destroy it and have kept it to this day - it's 60 years old this year! On leaving school, I became an apprentice with the then 'Gas Board' and for the first ten years of my working life, earned a living working with brass, copper, lead and iron pipe, and lead sheet, so despite the teacher's misgivings, he did help sow the seeds and imbue basic metalworking skills that became the basis of my career.

Apologies for drfiting off the topic of woodturning and onto childhood craft skills. Apolgies too if I've posted the pics or told the tale before, as I might well have done at some time.

[Joe]

I don't remember it being at all difficult and, as I said in an earlier thread, the whole thing was done with a scraper chisel.

We had a long twist drill about which had had a bit of plain bar brazed to the end and this was used in the pillar drill to drill lamps out.

The three-screw plates to mount lamp holders are still available, in fact they are the only type I can find on sale locally.

I still use the centre punch and fish slice I made in metalwork and a bench-hook, which was more re-cycled desk.

- Joe

[pwdrive]

You will have to rig up a pole lathe in your garden Joe and do some chairleg bodging, I built and used one once, very theraputic., cost = not a lot.

Lawrence

[Joe]

I've often thought about doing just that, Lawrence. I don't have a young willow tree to use but I've seen people these days using bungees to provide the spring.

- Joe

[pwdrive]

Joe, I originally used a lath of straight grained Larch but it was a bit heavy on the pedal, that was substituted by a Hazel rod which worked wel, I used bailer twine. I always wanted to do some big artistic turning using a home made lathe driven by a car or small truck engine, there are a number of people that do this I think, full size archectural columms would fetch a good price, also fancied doing full size Totem Poles to flog to the those that have a home in London, a manor in the countryside and 10 BMWs in the driveway.

Lawrence.

[AlanBeckett]

http://www.go4awalk.com/userpics/adrianhoskins1.php

Alan

[Joe]

Holy Moly! That's a whopper, as the Actress said to the Bishop.

- Joe

[pwdrive]

I've got the trees so lets get a deal going and earn some cash!

Lawrence.