JackRobbits Ramblings

After reading the suggestions and advice in my first Pin Oak posting, I took another crack at it.  I did a lot of reading about the benefits of turning green wood as well as the drying process. I was concerned that my lack of patience would overtake the need to put the pieces  up on a shelf before finishing them, but so far I’ve been able to resist the temptation!

OK, back to the Pin Oak. I cut another small piece off of the log and got to work on a little trinket box. Turning the bottom of the box went smoothly and I was happy with the outcome.  I wanted the top of the box to be fairly small. I had a mental image of the outcome and yet the more I worked on it, that image drifted away; which, come to think of it, that’s how most of my projects end up.  I finished the top of the box and set it down next to the bottom and moved onto other things. About an hour later I looked at the lid and there was a small crack running from the edge to the center. I decided I’d make a new lid the next day.

I turned a new lid to look like the previous one, looked it over for cracks and set it with the bottom. It’s been almost a month now and both the top and bottom are crack free. I’m resisting the urge to put it back on the lathe and finish it. It’s such a small piece it won’t be much longer. I love the grain pattern in Pin Oak  so I’m glad to have jumped back on the horse after the first piece cracked and give it another try.