Post by Doug B on Nov 28, 2009 0:17:16 GMT -6
OK, here is a pictorial on how I do my Pine Cone turnings.
I'll start out with a Bottle Stopper for now, and add in a pen or two as I get some progress pics of a couple I will be working on over the next few days.
To start with, here is a picture I already had that shows a cone as it looks to start out with, one trimmed up on the Band Saw and another one glued up and ready to turn on the lathe.
This next picture shows 3 Bottle Stopper glue ups, 4 blanks to be used for making 2 classic twist pens and a single blank that will be used for making a Gatsby pen. All have been cut on the Band Saw then stabilized with a liberal dose of thin CA glue.
Here is one of the Bottle Stoppers that has been trimmed up on the Band Saw, drilled, tapped, and put on the Bottle Stopper mandrel on the lathe. The blue thing is my home made bushing that lets me get the mandrel deeper into the Pine Cone blank - I had one pop off on me once so I drill and tap them a little deeper now and get the mandrel screwed in as deeply as possible. That seems to be working for me now.
I use a roughing gouge to start out. I have a ways to go yet on this one because there is still a "flat" spot. That is because my attempt to drill the blank exactly in the middle was not quite right. It is actually pretty hard to get it exactly right and I have not figured out a fool proof way to do it yet. I have to just "eye ball it" and hope for the best.
Here is a picture showing the blank with the first coat of thin CA applied after getting it mostly turned to the shape I am wanting.
Here is the blank almost completely turned to the final shape, but still a little more to go...still got a little flat spot that needs to get turned out.
Another coat of thin CA before moving the tail stock back in order to shape the very top of the Bottle Stopper.
Taking a small step back, this is a good time to describe the two different methods I use the skew for shaping the Bottle Stopper. The top or larger diameter portion of the cone is fairly dense and can handle using the skew in a "scraping" method to get the desired shape.
The rest of the cone needs to be turned with a very sharp skew using a more traditional "planing" method and can only be turned "downhill" with the "grain" from larger diameter to smaller diameter. Going the other direction is just asking for the "petals" of the pine cone to be peeled up which is not a good thing at all.
Now it is time to show what happens when some of the pine nuts pop out during the turning operation. Some stay, some don't and leave a big hole that needs to be dealt with.
I fill the pine nut holes with thick CA. I will also fill any voids at this point - there are plenty of spots that need a little help...I love CA glue
Here it is with the first coat of thick CA applied with the lathe off - I really want to fill any low spots before I sand and start applying the final finish coats. Any low spots left at this point will collect sanding dust and be detectable to the touch - best to take care of them right now.
And here it is sanded with 120 and 240 grit sandpaper followed by 1500 through 3600 micro mesh, 4 coats of medium CA applied, micro mesh sanded again through 12000 this time and finally polished with EEE.
And now for the glamor shot
Stay tuned for the pictures and explanation of the pens.
I'll start out with a Bottle Stopper for now, and add in a pen or two as I get some progress pics of a couple I will be working on over the next few days.
To start with, here is a picture I already had that shows a cone as it looks to start out with, one trimmed up on the Band Saw and another one glued up and ready to turn on the lathe.
This next picture shows 3 Bottle Stopper glue ups, 4 blanks to be used for making 2 classic twist pens and a single blank that will be used for making a Gatsby pen. All have been cut on the Band Saw then stabilized with a liberal dose of thin CA glue.
Here is one of the Bottle Stoppers that has been trimmed up on the Band Saw, drilled, tapped, and put on the Bottle Stopper mandrel on the lathe. The blue thing is my home made bushing that lets me get the mandrel deeper into the Pine Cone blank - I had one pop off on me once so I drill and tap them a little deeper now and get the mandrel screwed in as deeply as possible. That seems to be working for me now.
I use a roughing gouge to start out. I have a ways to go yet on this one because there is still a "flat" spot. That is because my attempt to drill the blank exactly in the middle was not quite right. It is actually pretty hard to get it exactly right and I have not figured out a fool proof way to do it yet. I have to just "eye ball it" and hope for the best.
Here is a picture showing the blank with the first coat of thin CA applied after getting it mostly turned to the shape I am wanting.
Here is the blank almost completely turned to the final shape, but still a little more to go...still got a little flat spot that needs to get turned out.
Another coat of thin CA before moving the tail stock back in order to shape the very top of the Bottle Stopper.
Taking a small step back, this is a good time to describe the two different methods I use the skew for shaping the Bottle Stopper. The top or larger diameter portion of the cone is fairly dense and can handle using the skew in a "scraping" method to get the desired shape.
The rest of the cone needs to be turned with a very sharp skew using a more traditional "planing" method and can only be turned "downhill" with the "grain" from larger diameter to smaller diameter. Going the other direction is just asking for the "petals" of the pine cone to be peeled up which is not a good thing at all.
Now it is time to show what happens when some of the pine nuts pop out during the turning operation. Some stay, some don't and leave a big hole that needs to be dealt with.
I fill the pine nut holes with thick CA. I will also fill any voids at this point - there are plenty of spots that need a little help...I love CA glue
Here it is with the first coat of thick CA applied with the lathe off - I really want to fill any low spots before I sand and start applying the final finish coats. Any low spots left at this point will collect sanding dust and be detectable to the touch - best to take care of them right now.
And here it is sanded with 120 and 240 grit sandpaper followed by 1500 through 3600 micro mesh, 4 coats of medium CA applied, micro mesh sanded again through 12000 this time and finally polished with EEE.
And now for the glamor shot
Stay tuned for the pictures and explanation of the pens.
I usually don't even know until I stop the lathe to check. In fact, the pine nuts kind of appear and disappear during the turning process as some get exposed and others are turned away 
