‘Alien’ Seed Pods

 


Video showing the creation of my ‘Alien’ Seed Pods

I was invited by Woodworking Europe to take part in a collaboration event to celebrate European Maker Week (30th May to 5th June 2016), which is a celebration of ‘makers’ and ‘innovators’ across 28 countries.  Participants were asked to create something on the theme of a star (inspired by the European flag) and to produce a YouTube video to be published simultaneously at 12:00 UTC on 29th May 2016.  Since this may be the last year that the UK is a part of Europe I was happy to accept the invitation and help promote British woodturning and ‘makers’.

I have recently started exploring the design potential of vessel openings (the entry hole on a hollow form for example) and knew immediately that this would form my ‘star’ inspiration.  I have also just started exploring non-functional, sculptural ideas for woodturning (very much inspired by artists like Alan Adler).  From this my ‘Alien’ Seed Pod prototypes happened.  Following these I plan to go on and explore the potential of these most interesting forms.

This was my first prototype of a seed pod. It has a long way to go!

This was my first prototype of a seed pod. It has a long way to go!

I made three prototypes initially, all in Sycamore.  The first explored a basic shape and colouring idea (including the star opening) which moved me forward but was somewhat disappointing.  The second expanded upon the carved tail idea and toyed with pyrography details.  This left the third which formed the main emphasis of the required YouTube video, developed a workable colouring idea and furthered the carving of the tail details.  Following these I have a minor plan to change the tail to a method incorporating a separate piece (in a different wood perhaps) which will also require less carving and shaping.

In all three pieces I started by turning a basic flower / seed pod shape (not based on any particular species) and hollowed the interior to within a couple of millimetres thickness except around the opening area which I kept thicker to enable carving.  Using a simple template I produced a star shape around the top which I then carved and shaped to produce something almost petal like.  On the second and third prototypes I created texture, depth and definition to the ‘petals’ which added to it’s seed pod like appearance.  I expanded the size and complexity of the tail details which were carved insitu from the Sycamore blank with a variety of rotary tools and a lot of sanding!

This is the forward view of the second prototype.

This is the forward view of the second prototype.

 

After I made the second pod, I knew immediately what changes I wanted to make and how I wanted to proceed.  I put this one aside, unfinished, and moved straight on to the third.  I chose to make the video around this one so it actually took a couple of days to produce, compared to just a few hours with the first two. I had planned to use some form of pyrography on the third pod (you can see a little around the ‘mouth’ of the first), but I proceeded to colour and finish it before the pyrography plan formulated.  As I had already lacquered the piece I didn’t want to risk damage to the surface so returned to the second to pursue the pyrography.  This was my first foray into pyrography on a turned piece.  I have played around with waste wood and a simple soldering iron type in the past, but I have recently bought a ‘proper’ burner (Peter Childs Artist’s Pyrography Machine) and was itching to experiment with it.

 

Here I demonstrate the texture on the tail, produced with a pyrography pen.

Here I demonstrate the texture on the tail, produced with a pyrography pen.

After decoration, I left pod two with an unfinished surface which looks beautifully raw.  It really needs a protective coat of something, but I need to explore this further.  I played around a little with the pyrography to try and produce a ‘scaled’ appearance on the tail.  I’m not sure I achieved this, but I’m very happy with the result anyway.  Oddly I think this little prototype has become the most tactile piece I have made to date.  I can’t wait to explore the pyrography textures further.

 

 

A look into the mouth of prototype 3!

A look into the mouth of prototype 3!

Piece three is from a slightly larger blank which allowed me to open out the ‘mouth’ a little further and produce more detailed petals / folds and the addition of the stamen.  The tail is far more complex making better use of all the space within the blank, but adding a lot of work.  I planned to build upon the ‘marine’ colours of pod one but to induce a more iridescent effect with the spirit stains by over laying and merging colours.  I also wanted to explore a new medium I have just purchased, resistive / masking fluid.  When painted on to a surface it provides a latex cover which resists further colour.  Rubbing with your fingers quickly and easily removes the latex when required.  I used it here to create a mottled effect around the ‘petal’ area.  Though I like the result produced, I shall bring the effect further down the body next time and create a less defined separation between the colour zones.

The full view of 'marine' pod 3 showing the colour details

The full view of ‘marine’ pod 3 showing the colour details

 

Tools and Equipment Used

There is nothing really complicated in these pieces, but I did use a lot of tools and equipment in order to get the result I wanted.  Now lets be honest here, after the initial turning you could create the whole piece with a single carving tool and a load of sandpaper, but where would be the fun in that?  I enjoy using power tools as much as hand carving (which I like to save for opportunities when I am away from my workshop).

For hollowing the pod I used a ‘straight’ Kelton Hollowing Tool and the Crown Teardrop Scraper in the Crown Revolution Handle.  I can just squeeze both of these tools through a 16mm opening, though I had plenty more room on these three pieces.

An example of Latex Art Masking Fluid. This is the brand I used, but there are many others.

An example of Latex Art Masking Fluid. This is the brand I used, but there are many others.

For most of the ‘tail’ wood removal I used a Proxxon Long Kneck Mini-Angle Grinder and Dremel 4000 Series rotary tool with a variety of carbide burrs.  Details of these can been found on my Carbide and Rotary Tools page.   Further to these I also recently bought (and used to great effect on these pieces) a Kutzall Taper carbide burr (which has clusters of carbide ‘hairs’) and a set of relatively cheap (Chinese import?) 120 grit diamond burrs which were fantastic for sanding in difficult to reach areas but also for smaller areas over the entire piece.  These were well complimented with a set of (also cheap) diamond files which I bought from Axminster Tools in the UK, however they appear to be fairly generic Chinese tools and available from usual sources.  Not seen in the video was two sets of  ‘rifflers’.  These are shaped files and rasps for roughing and shaping in almost any direction.  I have an extremely course set, stone rifflers, and a very fine set designed for general metals and jewellers and I find these to all work well on wood.

 

 

 

A typical Chinese Diamond Burr Set

A typical Chinese Diamond Burr Set

These course rifflers, sometimes called 'Stone Rifflers' are very course and great for fast roughing.

These course rifflers, sometimes called ‘Stone Rifflers’ are very course and great for fast roughing.

A set of fine 'file' rifflers. Stone rifflers are extremely course.

A set of fine ‘file’ rifflers. Stone rifflers are extremely course.

Cheap Diamond File Set

Cheap Diamond File Set

 

I also used a few FlexCut carving tools.  I only have four, but use them all quite regularly and employed at least three on various parts of these pieces!  The ones I use have one handle and a range of interchangeable tools.  These can also be used in a Proxxon reciprocating carver which is on my ‘To Buy’ list.

Flexcut 'Craft Carver' Set

Flexcut ‘Craft Carver’ Set

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For your convenience, here are links to most of these tools etc on Amazon.

Diamond Burrs http://geni.us/XzCBB
Diamond Files http://geni.us/uZ6m
Riffler Sets http://geni.us/UtuO6eh
Art Masking Fluid http://geni.us/rtiB
Dremel 4000 http://geni.us/jLivAA
Proxxon Long Neck Grinder http://geni.us/B4LCquf
FlexCut Carving Tools http://geni.us/CdrW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Links to Amazon and other adverts may provide me with a small commision (at no cost to you) which aids the running of this site and my YouTube videos.  Though I may use products and services mentioned in my articles this does not mean that I endorse or recommend them unless explicitly stated.

Featured Artist: Alan Adler, In His Own Words

Featured Artist: Alan Adler, In His Own Words.  Alan Adler gives an insight into his creativity in both work and play.

ABOUT ALAN ADLERAlan Adler Profile

Full Name: Alan Adler

Year of Birth: Before 1950

Nationality: US

Place of Birth: New England

Where do you currently live? New Jersey, USA

What is, or was, your main job? Business founder of Cases By Source and Source Packaging (http://www.casesbysource.com/).  We design and manufacture cases and speciality packaging solutions to enhance our customer’s brand.

What would be your dream job? Philanthropy.  Having a foundation that helps people and organizations that do not have access to mainstream funding.  I have the name and business plan, just need to do it.

Other than woodturning, do you have any other notable hobbies? Family and Career.

ABOUT YOUR TURNING

Norfolk Island Pine Bowl

Norfolk Island Pine Bowl

Are you a professional turner, hobby turner or something else? Hobby turner.  My portfolio is available at http://www.AATurning.com

When did you begin turning, and why? April 2009.  After more than 30 years of designing projects for clients it was time to return to my design roots and create things that were of a personal nature. I was looking at painting, print making, sculpture when I came across a Norfolk Island Pine bowl by Ron Kent in a gallery. It was several thousand dollars and after struggling with it, I decided I would take lessons and see if I could learn this skill.  After a two day class at Woodcraft, I was fully addicted and purchased a Nova DVR one month later.  Attached is photo of a Norfolk Island Pine Bowl that I made.

Are you a member of a turning club and if so which one? Hudson Valley Wood TurnersWe meet once a month in Mahwah NJ.  www.HudsonValleyWoodturners.org.  Write me at Alan@AATurning.com for more information.

Who (or what!) has had the greatest influence on your turning? It was a Ron Kent piece that captured my attention to learn woodturning.  Also, Betty Scarpino‘s work which influenced me to cut up and reassemble turned items.  Michael Hosaluk  who influenced me to explore color, texture, carving and making a piece with personality.

Who is your favourite woodturner? Michael Hosaluk

Do you have a favourite artist, in any medium, other than woodturning? Henry Matisse and Rene Magritte

Do you have any formal training that helps your turning (e.g. Art, Design, Photography, Engineering etc)? Drop out engineer.  Master’s Degree in Package Design from Pratt Institute.

Do you have any other similar or allied skills? What fascinates me about woodturning is all the other skills we use and learn to make our work better.  I had no idea how to sharpen tools, make tools and fixtures, set up a vacuum chuck system, do pyrography, airbrush or replace motors until I discovered woodturning.  I must thank all woodturners who openly share information not seen in any other art form.

What is the most unusual thing that you have turned? On my To Do List is an Urn for my favorite cat, Weinstein.

What are your favourite pieces that you have turned? StarFish Bowl, Sea Urchin Series, Zipper Series, Matisse inspired- Dancing On Air, Jewelry pendants

 

 

 

Jewelry Pendants

Jewelry Pendants

What is your favourite ‘sphere’ of turning (e.g. Bowls, Platters, Boxes, Pens, Hollow forms etc)? I never go on the lathe without knowing what I want to accomplish.  Usually the project is supported with sketches and I do not seem to favor one area over another.  I do enjoy making jewelry from colored pencils and have never made a pen.

 

Are there any other woodturners (or artists / crafters etc) in your family?  There are several artists in our extended family mostly in print making, painting and sculpture. My wife helps me with the jewelry making and I can be found in a bead store more frequently than her.  I used to hate going into those stores, now I lead the way.

 

 

Zipper Series

Zipper Series

What has been your biggest disaster?  Nothing comes to mind as a disaster.  I have had many failures due to the wood not cooperating or my skill set is not capable of pulling off the challenge.  I put these items on the side, look at them for a year or so and then come back to them for completion.  The Zipper series was a result of a cracked vase that was not deserving of firewood.

ABOUT YOUR WORKSHOP

Is your workshop a dedicated space or shared with other activities (i.e. a garage shared with a car, art studio etc)? I have a dedicated space in the basement.  I like to call it a studio, but that would be a stretch.

How many lathes do you own? One lathe

What is the make and model of your main lathe? Robust American Beauty.

Have you had any previous lathes? Nova DVR

What is your ‘dream lathe’? Got it.  I thought the DVR was my last lathe, until I tried a Robust.

Other than your lathe, what is your favourite tool or machine? High Speed Piercing and texturing tools

Is your workshop very tidy, a ‘work in progress’ or a disaster zone? Depends who you ask.  To my wife, it is a filthy disaster zone.  To me it is Man Cave Heaven.

YOUTUBE & WEBSITES

If you produce YouTube or similar videos, what are your three favourites? Never did a video.  Been asked several times, but it is not on my list.

Do you have a website? http://AATurning.com

FOOD

What is your favourite drink and snack food whilst in the workshop?  Never eat in the workshop except for flying wood chips.

AND FINALLY…

Anything else you would like to say or be known about you and your turning life? Woodturners are the most giving and generous artists.  There are no secrets and the masters are accessible to the beginners.  The support system to learn this craft is like no other and now that I have learned a few skills I am able to give back by teaching and sharing my skills with others.


Coming up in future Featured Turner articles we have, amongst others, Sam Angelo (The Wyoming Woodturner) and the ‘Goblet Master’ himself Mike Waldt.

 


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You can find all the other Featured Turner articles here

 

Graduated ‘Flame’ Sycamore Pot

I started this 6″ Sycamore ‘pot’ in early March 2016.  It was hollowed using the Simon Hope Hollowing Jig to around 3mm (1/8th inch). By the end of April it was dry enough to colour and finish which took place at the beginning of May.  The pot was stained (with spirit stains) all over in yellow, then from the bottom to roughly the shoulder with a weak red solution.  A band around the bottom was then layered in full strength red.  The whole vessel was washed again in yellow and all colour boundaries blended.  This was one of three vessels finished to fulfill a customer request.

Featured Turner: Yuval Lahav… In his own words

Featured Turner: Yuval Lahav… In his own words.  Yuval Lahav shares insights to his woodturning methods and inspirations.

Yuval Lahav Headshot

The Man Himself – Yuval Lahav

ABOUT YUVAL LAHAV

Full Name: Yuval Lahav

Year of Birth: 1977

Nationality: Israeli

Place of Birth: Beer Sheva

Where do you currently live: Italy

What is, or was, your main job: Web and mobile multi players games programmer, front and back end.

What would be your dream job: A pilot

Other than woodturning, do you have any other notable hobbies: Scuba diving, hang gliding (both out of practice), snowboarding and having kids.

 

ABOUT YOUR TURNING

Are you a professional turner, hobby turner or something else: Hobby, more of a weekend turner, although by twists of life I have more time to turn over the week than the weekend.

When did you begin turning, and why:I started turning on August of 2012, and a year before I’ve seen a video of a guy turning a lamp shade out of a log, and I thought to myself that it was something I had to learn how to do. For a year I consumed every turning video I could find, and bought a very (VERY) cheap lathe to start with (which is why I don’t discourage people from buying cheap lathes, you’ve got to start somewhere).

Are you a member of a turning club and if so which one:  No. Italy, or at least central Italy, is terrible for turners. There is nothing for us here, a club that does social gatherings at best, not a single shop for tools or wood.

Who (or what!) has had the greatest influence on your turning: That is difficult to answer, since I’ve learned all I know from Youtube, each of the great teachers there have gave me different bits of information which I compiled into my current knowledge base. I learned to most from Carl Jacobson, but I’m in awe by the artistic turnings and carving of Mark Henry Doolittle.

Who is your favorite woodturner: Cindy Drozda.

Do you have a favorite artist in any other medium than woodturning: Salvador Dalí.

Do you have any formal training that helps your turning (e.g. Art, Design, Photography, Engineering etc):

I’ve been a student and practitioner of art most of my life, be it painting, drawing, sculpturing in clay and more, as the son of an art teacher, and the grandson of an art teacher, and the only child of four who showed artistic tendencies, I didn’t really have a choice in the matter.

Do you have any other similar or allied skills: See answer above.

What is the most unusual thing that you have turned: One of my last project was a footed torus bowl, that is by far my most unusual project to date.

What are your favorite three pieces that you have turned: Footed torus bowl, Olive emerging goblet, and spiraled vase.

What is your favorite ‘sphere’ of turning (e.g. Bowls, Platters, Boxes, Pens, Hollow forms etc): I find Hollow forms most enjoyable to work on, but I fear that is because I like adrenalin and things that scare me the most. I thrive when I put myself to a challenge.

Are there any other woodturners (or artists / crafters etc) in your family: Both my mother and grandmother were artists of sorts, my sister makes decorated cakes. 🙂

What has been your biggest disaster: While turning the Christmas ornament for 2014-15 I cut my right index finger almost to the bone on the table saw. It took me a few days to get used to not use the hurt finger, yet it took me almost a month to get myself used to use it once it healed. If we’re talking lathe disaster, I had a ring of wood detach from a plank of wood which I was parting off for an economy bowl, which went on the explode into large and small fragments. Luckily I was away from the line of fire and I wasn’t hit. Should I have been hit, I doubt my face-shield would have stopped any of the fragments.

 

 

ABOUT YOUR WORKSHOP

Is your workshop a dedicated space or shared with other activities (i.e. a garage shared with a car): My workshop doubles as my smoking room at night, as I don’t smoke in the house or much, if at all, during the day.

How many lathes do you own: One.

What is the make and model of your main lathe: Fervi 0751. It’s the same Chinese made lathe most hobbies have, but for some reason the Italian version is only ½ horse power where most of these are ¾ horse.

Have you had any previous lathes: Yes. I had a brandless lathe, super simple design, which I found on sale for 90 euros. It is what I got to find out if I would enjoy woodturning. I did.

What is your ‘dream lathe’: I would love to have one of those British made, cast iron, short bed, large bowl turning lathe, I can’t remember their name right now, but everyone knows those. I want to turn large, very large, things. Failing that I really like the Robust line of lathes. I would love a lathe I can turn a delicate finial on, but chuck a 60 cm (two feet) wide log on and turn a drum shell.

Other than your lathe, what is your favorite tool or machine: I love the angle grinder, I always wanted to start carving in logs, but I never find the time. I’m pretty sure I would have said a bandsaw if I had one, but I never did, so I might just be dreaming it’s my second favorite tool.

Is your workshop very tidy, a ‘work in progress’ or a disaster zone:  A “work in progress” is a good description. I don’t tidy up while working on something to the point of loosing a kid in the mess. But when I’m done with a project, I reset my shop in a way that will make most people scared to come near me, I vacuum the floor, I set my glues in order like soldiers, every single tool, bolt and container has to go back to its place, or else I can’t start another project.

 

YOUTUBE

If you produce YouTube or similar videos, what are your three favourites:  See answer to “What are your favorite three pieces that you have turned”.

FOOD

What is your favourite drink and snack food whilst in the workshop: Lipton green tea lemon iced tea, Romanian pickled hot peppers.

AND FINALLY…

Anything else you would like to say or be known about you and your turning life: I turn because I love it. I don’t seek fame and fortune. If it finds me, I won’t send it away. What I love the most second to turning is being able to teach others.

Yuval Lahav at Rest

Yuval Lahav at Rest After Completing His Torus Form

 

 

Many thanks to Yuval for allowing us a look into his life and for sharing his thoughts.  Please take the time to peruse his videos and subscribe to his growing YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/user/yuvallahav


Buy Coffee Logo

  If you have enjoyed this review, please

BUY ME A COFFEE!

Content will always be FREE at TOMTURNS.COM

 

 


Coming up in future Featured Turner articles we have, amongst others, Sam Angelo (The Wyoming Woodturner) and the ‘Goblet Master’ himself Mike Waldt.

You can find all the other Featured Turner articles here

If you have enjoyed this article, Subscribe to my newsletter to ensure you don’t miss out on these wonderful insights, giveaways and more!