Tag: oak

Small for the Great

On By CarynIn Craft, Uncategorized

The Great Wheel I spun with in the basement of the Doss had one accelerator wheel support bearing missing. The previous spinner’s solution was a bit of dowel and a pin, which worked just fine, but I wanted to try to make a replacement bearing.

Photo description: original bearing for the accelerator head on a great wheel next to a tape measure

I took a picture of the original bearing next to a tape measure so I had the measurements. Sorting through my stash I found some copper pipe that was about the right internal diameter of the side hole. This is the main point of friction, so having it lined with metal gives it a longer wear time. I drilled a hole through a 1/2” oak dowel and friction fit the copper pipe (hit it until it went through), then sanded the ends flush with the wood. Since carving small bits of wood is difficult, I worked with a long piece of dowel and carved the shaft at the end next.

Photo description: end of the dowel carved down to a quarter of an inch using a straight blade on a utility knife

My lathe needs assessment and all the bands broke on my belt sander, so I used a small round file to carve the decorative grooves on the bearing, then a coping saw to cut off the new part from the dowel “handle”.

Photo description: roughed in bearing for an accelerator wheel on a great wheel made from oak and copper

I did some more sanding, then stained the part with dark wood stain to get it closer to the color of the other bearing.

Photo description: stained bearing laying in a white paper towel

Now it is time to line up a meeting with The Doss to see if the part fits and works with the great wheel!

Throwback Thursday: turned pen holder

On By CarynIn Craft, throwback

In February 2025 I made a turned wood pen holder for my Dad. A month later my first child was born. What is the correlation? When I saw the pen holder at my folk’s house I didn’t remember it. At all.

Photo description: cylindrical wood pen holder with turned bead accents at the top and bottom, filled with several mechanical pencils
Photo description: bottom of the holder with a glued on non-slip ring (maybe leather?), and hand written “CJH 2005 #1”

I used the information on the bottom to find the original picture, that is how I figured out that it was a month before my first child was born.

Photo description: original picture of the turned wood pen holder taken on a kitchen countertop

There are small indents on the bottom of the cylinder which are likely marks left by the lathe. The two beads carved at the bottom and one at the top also would have been done on a lathe, because the precision is very difficult to achieve without a lathe. The wood grain looks like white oak, which is a common hardwood and one that I had access to at the time. I can’t remember how I hollowed it out, but since the piece is marked #1 and there are no others in the following month, I imagine it was difficult. I know it is difficult to hollow out a form even with a lathe. Getting the wood secured and balanced is tricky, and the angles are awkward for a beginner, which is what I was in 2005. The finish is likely to be a store bought urethane, because that is also what I was using at the time. I didn’t discover tung oil until later.

I do think it is interesting what my brain retains and what it jettisons. This is why I take pictures and mark my work.