A Learning Adventure in the Workshop: First "Hollow-Turned" Bowl

Photos of the transfer of the H.K. Porter Locomotive and Bobber Caboose to Riverfront Park, Sewickley, Pennsylvania. The Porter Locomotive was built in 1897 in Pittburgh Pa. Photos of the transfer of the locomotive and caboose from Station Square in Pittsburgh to Riverfront Park are courtesy of Peggy Standish. Click on the images below for full-size photos.

I put the finish on my first hollow-turned bowl last night. I made it out of a piece of still "green" black walnut from my in-laws tree pruning, so it needed a couple of weeks to dry after turning. I had actually done the turning a couple of weeks ago, but couldn't finish it till now. I used standard turning tools, and they limited my reach inside the bowl a bit, but for a first effort it turned out OK. A couple of drying cracks formed near the rim from my microwave drying. I got a bit impatient.

Great Books

Christopher Schwarz: Workbenches: From Design And Theory To Construction And Use
Great book! Do not buy unless you want to make a workbench...this book will FORCE you to do it! (*****)
Mike Burton: Veneering: A Foundation Course
Mike's book is out of print, but you can get it used through Amazon. Excellent starter book on veneering. (*****)
Michael O'Donnell: Turning Green Wood
Great book on turning green wood...my favorite way to turn (****)
Jeremy Adamson: The Furniture of Sam Maloof
Great overview of Maloof history and style (****)
Leonard Lee: The Complete Guide to Sharpening
Practical and worth every penny... (*****)
Robert W. Lang: Shop Drawings for Greene & Greene Furniture: 22 Projects for Every Room in the Home
Excellent book of Greene and Greene drawings by Robert Lang. Good tips on reproducing G&G details too. (*****)
Mira Nakashima: Nature Form & Spirit: The Life and Legacy of George Nakashima
Excellent photos for learning more about Nakashima's style (****)
Ashley Iles: Memories of a Sheffield Tool Maker
Only available from the Tools for Working Wood website (www.toolsforworkingwood.com) as it is now out of print. I love history, woodworking and tools and this book weaves all three together into a fascinating portrait of life in Sheffield England in the first half of the twentieth-century. (*****)
Make: Technology on Your Time
Great new magazone for techo geeks and DIYs...I love it. (*****)
Darrell Peart: Greene and Greene: Design Elements for the Workshop
I love Darrell's interpretation of Greene and Greene! Don't build in the style of Greene & Greene without this book! (*****)