It Seems To Be Addictive

After not making any candleholders for some time I can’t seem to quit making them now.  Since my last post I have turned a few more on my Craftsman Router Crafter.

The hollow spiral on the left was made from a piece of oak firewood.  It stands 16 inches tall and allows for a large pillar candle to be placed on top.  Here is a close-up photo.

The second from the left, pictured above, is made from Eastern Red Cedar and oak.  This was the first time I tried laminating two species together and then turning them.  Here is another photo of this 13 inch candleholder.

The third candleholder from the left is made from a piece of dogwood.  The piece had an unusual light portion running down the center of the limb.  This piece is about 9-1/2 inches tall.  Here is a picture of it by itself.


The final set on the right are turned from the Mimosa (Silk Tree) that grows about everywhere here in Kentucky.  These are small, only about 5-1/2 inches tall.



Maybe I’ll find something else to do for awhile. Read more...

A Few More Projects Made on the Craftsman Router Crafter

I keep playing with my Craftsman Router Crafter.  In the last couple of weeks I’ve turned out a few more items.

I made two of these candlesticks.  The basic part was turned several months ago, shortly after I got my machine.  The top was too small to allow me to drill a hole for the candle so I just let them sit.  Recently I purchased some brass candle cups and I just fastened them on the top.  I also made a base for each of them.  The effect is often called a “pineapple” pattern.  It is achieved by turning both a left and right spiral.
This is a close-up so you can see the effect.

This is a candlestick with 3 flutes and a hollow center.  I think it is kind of neat.



These two candle holders are just simple, short turned pieces of cedar with a candle cup.

This is a mug tree made from the cedar.  The “limbs” are made with shaker pegs.  They are almost too large.  I’ll have to try and find something else.

Which item do you like?

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Black Walnut Hollow Spiral Candlestick

I turned another candlestick on my Craftsman Router Crafter from the black walnut salvaged from the old sill log from under the old house I tore down.  This stick has the hollow spiral, like the cedar candlesticks made on my brother-in-law’s Legacy Ornamental Mill (see my blog post).

 

The candlestick is approximately 11” tall.

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Spalted Maple Candle Holders

Perhaps you have never heard of spalted wood.  I know I was unfamiliar with the term until just recently.  From Wikipedia: “Spalting is any form of wood coloration caused by fungi.  Although primarily found in dead trees, spalting can also occur under stressed tree conditions or even in living trees.  Although spalting can cause weight loss and strength loss in the wood, the unique coloration and patterns of spalted wood are sought after by woodworkers.”

A few years ago Darryl and I cut a maple tree that had blown down into logs, planning to mill them into lumber.  But, time passed and we didn’t get the milling done.  Late this winter we finally decided to check out the logs and decided that the wood was not as solid as it was when the tree fell.  Consequently we cut up part of the logs for firewood and I have burned quite a bit of it.  However, I noticed the discoloration in the pieces of wood and after some research found that it was spalting.

I decided to try turning some of it with my Craftsman Router Crafter.  The resulting candle holders are quite beautiful—not my work necessarily but the wood itself.  Here are a few photos.


These two are 4-3/4 inches tall and have been drilled out on top for a tea light candle or a small votive type candle.  Below is another view.


Pictured below are three candle holders I turned from another piece of maple from the firewood pile.


The tallest of the three is 4-3/4 inches tall.  Here is a view of it by itself.


The next tallest one is 3-1/4 inches tall and the shortest one is 2-1/4 inches tall.  These three are drilled to hold a regular taper candle.

 



The finish on these candle holders is clear spray shellac and then a polishing compound.

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A Couple More Candlesticks

I’m enjoying my Craftsman Router Crafter and am feeling more confident in using it.  I recently completed a couple of candlesticks made from the Eastern Red Cedar we have an abundance of here on Cedar Ridge.

This candlestick, pictured to the left, is 6-1/2 inches tall.  After turning it on the router crafter I sanded it, sprayed it with several coats of shellac, and put a coat of wax on it.








The candlestick on the right is 10 inches tall.  It was finished in the same manner as the one above.  I’ll post a picture below of both together so you can see the size difference.

















I’m working on some other turnings and will post photos when I get them done.

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Black Walnut Candlestick

The old house I tore down was built on sill logs supported by foundation stones.  Some of the sill logs had completely rotted out, some partially rotted, but others were quite solid.  As far as I could tell they seemed to be oak and I decided to cut them into firewood.  As I began to cut into one of the sill logs I discovered that it wasn’t oak but was black walnut.



This log had been hewn by hand, although some of the others had been cut on a sawmill.



In the above photo you can see the stash of black walnut pieces I have to use for small projects.  Which leads me to the first project I have completed using the black walnut.

I plan on giving this to the fellow who gave me the old house to tear down.

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Cedar Candlesticks

On our visit to Connie’s mom and her sister in South Texas three years ago I saw some candlesticks that my brother-in-law, Roger, had made on a new piece of equipment in his woodworking shop.

This photo is a bit dark but hopefully you can see the beautiful spiral candlesticks. (Click on the photo to enlarge.) The one set is made of pecan wood and the other from mesquite. When I first saw these I told Roger I’d like to have a set made out of our Kentucky cedar.

It was while we were there visiting that Connie’s mom suffered a stroke and Connie felt she needed to stay for a few weeks. I came on home and went back a few weeks later to get Connie. When I got ready to return I went out to our woodpile and pulled out a few pieces of cedar that had been cut up for firewood and took with me.

When we went for our visit this Fall Roger told me that I needed to make my candlesticks. He pulled out the cedar pieces (and got wasp stung doing it), designed my candlesticks, set up his Legacy Ornamental Mill to make them. As he got each step started he instructed me in the operation and let me run the machine. After getting them made he showed me how to sand them. After I had the sanding done he sprayed shellac on them (several coats). After letting that cure for a couple of days he showed me how to go over them with steel wool to take away the shine and then put a wax finish on them.

Here are some photos of the end result.



































Even if I did part of the work I think they turned out pretty nice.

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