# First Bowl (almost) and a Surprise Visitor! very pic heavy



## NeilYeag

Finally got to the weekend house and fired up the new lathe. I don't have the proper hook tools to really do the job, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. A friend of mine gave me a hunk of Mango wood about 7" in diameter and 4' long, so i cut off a chunk of that to try. It is fairly fresh cut so I would say it is still "wet". I never worked with Mango before but why not. 

First step, I tried to just use my froe to cleave it in half. No way, this stuff doesn't split at all. So tried a bigger club. No luck. So I thought what would Brink do? The guy that attacked the half ton slab of Oak? Would he let this little chunk of tropical fruit tree defeat him? Hell NO. So I sawed the thing in half, most of the way:

http://i1161.Rule #2/albums/q509/neil33ny/HPIM0765_zps32fdef82.jpg 

http://i1161.Rule #2/albums/q509/neil33ny/HPIM0766_zps42f2ab0b.jpg 

Then I took another whack at it. This time success, in half it goes!

http://i1161.Rule #2/albums/q509/neil33ny/HPIM0767_zps13881a0e.jpg 

Did a lay out for the bowl:

http://i1161.Rule #2/albums/q509/neil33ny/HPIM0768_zpsf3516831.jpg 

Then roughed it out:

http://i1161.Rule #2/albums/q509/neil33ny/HPIM0769_zpscea4af91.jpg 

Chucked it up and had at it a while. Kind of coming to shape:

http://i1161.Rule #2/albums/q509/neil33ny/HPIM0772_zps4676c5ff.jpg 

The outside is pretty close in shape. All be it Nasty looking. 

http://i1161.Rule #2/albums/q509/neil33ny/HPIM0774_zps9313fa04.jpg 

I did end up getting it fairly smooth. Nor sure what happened to that pic.

Then tried to tackle the inside. As said before, a standard bowl gouge is really not the right tool for this. But.... Tried:

http://i1161.Rule #2/albums/q509/neil33ny/HPIM0783_zpsfa166b58.jpg 



Then we had a surprise visitor. I seem to remember seeing some of you guys having some "wildlife" in your yards, I think a moose, wild turkey, maybe a snake. But NO this is my visitor:





http://i1161.Rule #2/albums/q509/neil33ny/HPIM0776_zps129acddc.jpg 

And to make it better he left us a great gift:

http://i1161.Rule #2/albums/q509/neil33ny/HPIM0781_zps1ad7ed0b.jpg 

Here it is very lucky if an elephant comes to visit you. And very very lucky if said elephant poops in your yard. I am not making this up! And three poops, 100% good luck! (yes it looks like 4 but one broke on impact!)

Any way that was my weekend. Did not finish the bowl, will try again next weekend!

Neil

Reactions: Like 2 | Way Cool 11 | +Karma 1


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## SENC

Great pics, thanks for sharing! As they say, some guys just get all the luck.

Reactions: Funny 3


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## eaglea1

How cool was that! Great pics. Loved the whole story about the bowl, the elephant, pretty neat. Thanks for sharing


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## ironman123

Great story. Will be watching for more. I don't think I will ever have your luck here.....I don't have any mango. Like to see more of your lathe.


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## Mike1950

COOL pics neil- Thanks!!!


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## David Seaba

Very cool !!!


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## Kevin

That's cool Neil. Is that guy a neighbor or did he just happen along?


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## BarbS

Great story, Neil! I hope you'll show the finished bowl, too.


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## calcnerd

Nice job. I'd like to see some pics of your lathe as well.


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## Johnturner

Great post!! I'm with Tim, I would like to see pix of your lathe? What is the rope for???


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## TimR

Wonderful pics Neil. I spend a couple months in Saraburi and remember getting my haircut in town and seeing an elephant walking by the front window. I heard some folks say it was good luck to walk under them, but I felt lucky enough at the time to pass. Wonderful creatures, no wonder they're so honored.

John, if I recall from earlier post by Neil, this is a spring pole lathe. The rope is wrapped enough times to provide torque and the lathe is powered by a combination of foot power and a spring pole on the other end that returns it back for another couple rotations. The ones I've seen essentially have a forward/reverse motion you have to get into the groove with to get any chip production. Neil, a bigger overall pic of the lathe may help. I recall you posted these, but they may not give a big picture of it. http://woodbarter.com/threads/new-lathe-and-first-turning.17122/#post-209011

Reactions: Like 1


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## Brink

I love the entire story, Neil.

Except...

I did tackle big slabs with a chainsaw.


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## NeilYeag

Kevin said:


> That's cool Neil. Is that guy a neighbor or did he just happen along?



No Kevin this guy is just a transient. They just walk around from village to village now, many times stopping at the temples to offer good luck to people. People give them 10 baht or so ( $0.30) and the elephant will give you a blessing by tapping his trunk on your head. Of course there used to be a lot of elephants used in the logging industry. My place is in the North East part of the country near the Cambodia border. But if you go to the far north near the Burma border there are still a few elephant camps. I have visited them and they do demonstrations of how they used to handle and move the logs. It is amazing they work in teams two or three elephants moving and stacking these gigantic teak logs. Very cool stuff. Unfortunately of course there is no more work in logging, so most of the remaining do what this guy does and walk around, or they are in tourist camps. But Thai people are very respectful and caring and they take care of the animals quite well.

Reactions: Like 2 | Way Cool 3


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## JR Custom Calls

Very cool... just curious, what's with the chain looking thing around the elephants ankle? Some sort of restraint?


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## NeilYeag

JR Custom Calls said:


> Very cool... just curious, what's with the chain looking thing around the elephants ankle? Some sort of restraint?



Yes Jonathan, just a leg chain for night time, they chain him up. Not as if that little chain would hold him back if he wanted to go. But I guess that is how they are trained.


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## NeilYeag

A pic of my pole lathe. Actually more appropriately a bungee lathe as mine uses a bungee cord as opposed to a long pole. The rope in this case is around the spindle and in the pic of the bowl it is wrapped around a mandrel that is attached to the bowl. Push down on the treadle and the work rotates toward you, the bungee then provides the "power" to return the treadle upright. It is actually quite effective. But for bowls in particular, you really need specialized tools. I have built a small forge and will be making some tools probably over the Christmas break.

http://i1161.Rule #2/albums/q509/neil33ny/HPIM0755_zps53506a28.jpg

If you are interested here is a video of a real professional guy turning a bowl. Ben Orford







And another interesting guy Robin Wood.

Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 2


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## NYWoodturner

Neil - Way Cool on all levels.


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## Johnturner

Thanks guys and Neil.


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## DKMD

Very cool! I'd take those elephant turds over to the neighbor's yard... Share the luck!

Reactions: Agree 1 | Funny 1


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## NeilYeag

DKMD said:


> Very cool! I'd take those elephant turds over to the neighbor's yard... Share the luck!



Ha no way. We just planted some banana trees so used them as "special" fertilizer. Maybe I will have a great crop some day.

Neil

Reactions: Like 3


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## MikeMD

Ok, you cut, split, and turned some mango. (Where is my YAWN emoticon?) Now, show me pics of you turning some of that dung and I'll wake up! Might want to wait until it dries a bit... Wet dung may not 'hold together' well enough to turn.


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## CodyS

MikeMD said:


> Ok, you cut, split, and turned some mango. (Where is my YAWN emoticon?) Now, show me pics of you turning some of that dung and I'll wake up! Might want to wait until it dries a bit... Wet dung may not 'hold together' well enough to turn.



I thought that's what he was using for the finish LOL

Nice bowl mate :)


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## justallan

Neil, great pics and story.
I imagine the methods you are using are local tradition and am wondering if you are tackling your projects how things are done there or is that the only option available in that region?
I don't have any idea if you've been their all your life or not and certainly ask with respect.
I can see myself building a lathe like that and using it once or twice just to see how it's done, but it would be like me making syrup out of box elder sap last spring. I did it, I now know how, but I doubt I'll do it again.


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## Tony

NeilYeag said:


> Ha no way. We just planted some banana trees so used them as "special" fertilizer



Great story and pics Neil! I've never worked with mango, would like to see pics when you finish it! My father has always said that elephant poo is the best fertilizer you can get. When he lived in town, he would go to the grounds when the circus came to town and get a pickup bed full for his yard.


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## elnino

I have some 9/16 and 3/8 O1 steel that might make a good hook tool. my folks headed there on the 4th of December let me know if you need my Dad to bring it over to you in Bangkok.

making a pole lathe bowl is hard work i did fine until i really needed the hook tool.


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## NeilYeag

MikeMD said:


> Ok, you cut, split, and turned some mango. (Where is my YAWN emoticon?) Now, show me pics of you turning some of that dung and I'll wake up! Might want to wait until it dries a bit... Wet dung may not 'hold together' well enough to turn.



Not sure Mike, but I am happy to collect some and send it your way if anyone wants to take a shot at stabilizing it!

Reactions: Funny 2


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## NeilYeag

elnino said:


> I have some 9/16 and 3/8 O1 steel that might make a good hook tool. my folks headed there on the 4th of December let me know if you need my Dad to bring it over to you in Bangkok.
> 
> making a pole lathe bowl is hard work i did fine until i really needed the hook tool.



Matt, that is a very nice offer thanks. I finally located a source for some O1 rod. Over Christmas break I will try to fire up the forge and see if I can fabricate o couple of hook tools. BTW, if you want PM me and I will give you my mobile number. If your Dad needs anything while he his visiting here, be glad to help.

Neil


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## NeilYeag

justallan said:


> Neil, great pics and story.
> I imagine the methods you are using are local tradition and am wondering if you are tackling your projects how things are done there or is that the only option available in that region?
> I don't have any idea if you've been their all your life or not and certainly ask with respect.
> I can see myself building a lathe like that and using it once or twice just to see how it's done, but it would be like me making syrup out of box elder sap last spring. I did it, I now know how, but I doubt I'll do it again.



Allan, for sure this is not any local method that I know of, I really don't know of any historical uses of a pole type lathe here. Seems most historical furniture would have ornate carvings, but not really any turning to speak of. I really have tried to set out to do as much as possible by hand, no power tools at all. That was the reason to build and try the lathe. I think once I fabricate the right tools I can do reasonably well with the bowls. My real goal is to turn components for chairs. I want to be able to make post and rung chairs, no reason just because. So let's see, everything is a process.

By the way, actually the people in the village that see me working on this thing think I am 100% crazy. Outside, pushing on this thing in 35% + temps. Guess they are right.


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## justallan

Very cool. I'd sure like to see more pics of the lathe and how your bowls turn out for you when you get some time if at all possible.
I do understand doing things "just because". My retirement plan is to build myself a log cabin using all hand tools.


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## Tony

The "hand-powered" lathe idea has been bouncing around in my head for a few years now. I'm with Allan, not sure I would continue to go powerless, but it is an attractive idea to try out. Looking forward to seeing your continued experience with this! Tony


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