WoodisFun

Some Neat Stuff

2011-12-16T11:59:00.000-08:00

Beaver made pond near Rock Lake, Ontario. Such beauty in late summer.

Painted kids in summer.

Cedar woods near Pickering. Magical.

Nelson turning at Lyndhurst Fair

2011-09-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

Bed too short?

2011-09-19T14:12:00.001-07:00

I needed to turn a tenon on some 45 inch long legs but my lathe is only 36 inches long!
So I clamped a board to the top and Voila! I have a longer bed. This worked fine for the tenon only but if some serious turning had to be done one would have to use a much beefier board.

Sheepdog Trials 2011

2011-08-06T14:12:00.001-07:00

Kingston Woodturners is back at the Kingston Sheepdog trials. We had a good Saturday with quite a bit of interest. Here Percy is wowing the audience.

Another view.

Here I am making tops which have been great sellers at the fair. Since they are relatively quick to demonstrate they can be sold for a few bucks only and the viewers get to take home what they watched being made.

Process starting

2011-07-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the blanks after bandsawing into circles. I drape wet rages over them to keep them damp and stop checking.

Here is the first of many blanks mounted and ready to rough turn into a bowl blank. Mounted between centers with a drive mounted in a Oneway chuck on the drive end.
I tried to core some of the curly maple but my motor is not strong enough. The straight grain wood of the same specie works fine but the curly wood is just too hard and tough and continually binds or rips the wood out of the chuck jaws. (I have large jaws for this purpose but still too much strain.)

First time turning

2011-07-23T11:12:00.001-07:00

Grand daughter Victoria and her audience brother. Victoria is turning her second vase from butternut, the results are below. Good work Victoria.

I am still looking for the test tube inserts which I know I have but which have been misplaced.

Wood collecting

2011-07-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

This huge old sugar maple tree had a big branch blown off in one of the spring wind storms. The owner of the tree contacted Herb and let him know and it turned out to have some very highly figured curly grain. Trees produce curly grain to reinforce vulnerable spots and this branch was huge which created a large area of curly hard maple wood.

Yes, those saws are too small. And one will not start! On top of that my saw chain was too far gone to sharpen any more so we had to return to pick up the last pieces. Still enough to keep me busy for quite a long time!

Butterflies

2011-07-23T06:34:00.001-07:00

Just some amazing butterfly pics. Shot with my Ipod so quality is poor but the Ipod is always there, so...

Making Woodburner Pens Workshop

2011-06-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

I had ten woodturners sign up for a "make your own woodburner" workshop. We used car battery chargers connected to light dimmer switches as the power supply. Then we made handpieces on the lathe.
As you can see from the above picture my workshop is a busy looking place.
Many thanks to Harry who arrived with a completed woodburner but was a great help with the electrics. Sorry about your charger Ron. I'm sure you will get a charge out of the story sometime...

The resistance wire I used was from a stainless steel boat cable as used for stays. One multistrand cable provides a plethora of wire for the pen tips. This design is from the Graeme Priddle style self made brands. The bit of extra copper acts as a heat sink to keep the heat away from the operator. However it also reduces the operator's control over the burn. So more sophisticated burners can be made - stay tuned.
Using fine brass tubing will enable one to get the tip closer to the operators hands.
Here is a link to a full description of the woodburner we were copying: Graeme Priddle style wood vaporizer.

Brilliant Idea Brush

2011-06-23T06:55:00.000-07:00

Sometimes an idea so simple comes along and solves multiple associated problems. Here is such an idea. Not totally original but applied here it makes a lot of sense.
I have been using an oil finish on the bowls I turn for many years and have found that I like Minwax brand antique oil about the best. Once cured it is food safe. It has more durability than Tung oil and a little less shine, both factors that appeal to me.
I have been using small rags to apply the oil, usually three coats means three oily fire hazard rags that need to be carefully disposed of to avoid spontaneous combustion.
In order to apply the oil with a rag one has to use vinyl gloves to keep hands oil free. Using this foam applicator technique avoids that as the applicator can be easily held without getting oil on ones hand.

The clip is a four for a dollar paper clip. I cut the foam from a piece of 1/2 inch foam received as packaging. The used foam applicators are discarded into the empty cup I used to hold the oil.
Why didn't I think of this before?

Preparing root stock for turning

2011-06-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

Here I am washing a Japanese yew root. Colours are spectacular.
As one can see the root ball is full of hair roots that hold the soil.
I use a pruner to cut off the small roots.

A definite summer activity. One gets a bit wet.
Here is a yew root.

More On Graeme Priddle in Kingston

2011-05-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

Just some shots and comments about the demonstration evening.
Before the crowd arrived members of the Kingstonwoodturners executive and Graeme sat down to a nice dinner which Janet had been kind enough to prepare for us. With comfy surroundings it was nice to see Graeme get a chance to unwind a little before the evenings demonstration.
He talked about the safety issue around woodturning and stressed that one has to think safe rather than stress safety equipment. There have been three deaths recently all attributed to woodturning and all the turners had on the appropriate safety gear.
Remember to stand aside when you start that lathe!

Here he is. Ride em cowboy! (Actually he is a sailor. Do they windsurf down in NZ?)

Show a tool to some people and you have their attention.

Just a nice shot of a very personable guy.

Here is a view of the shop. I was worried that we would not have enough room but since we had a relatively small audience (17) all went very well.

This is Graeme in his "carving position". He reckons he uses the lathe to shape 10% and hand carves the rest.
Thanks for a brilliant evening Graeme.

Priddle Does Kingston

2011-05-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

Graeme Priddle came to Kingston for an evening demonstration. He was going to do off center woodbowl turning but when he saw my woodlathe sitting untethered, he reckoned we would be watching the lathe dance out the door, so we decided to go with a smaller demo of creating his signature small boat forms as seen in the photo below.

Some of Graeme Priddle's carved work which he brought as samples for viewing. It must be sculpture if it has a hole in it.
Graeme was a very entertaining demonstrator. He started off by telling about where he got his inspiration. I reckon NZ must be quite inspirational.

Here he is demonstrating woodcarving with his self made woodburner using an underpowered electrical source. Did raise some smoke though.

This shows the woodburner handle.

Thin Bowl

2010-12-22T07:32:00.001-08:00

This bowl is about 1/8 inch thick. It was a fun project to make. I originally intended that it should have a round base to be a rocking bowl but when it was completed it looked like it needed a little lift, so I added a ring of rosewood as a base.
Due to its thinness the light shines through the wood making it quite spectacular as it sits in the sun.
The bowl is bout 7 inches in diameter.

Small turned box with top top

2010-12-05T17:06:00.001-08:00

Here is a fun project to make and behold. The picture shows three of these boxes made from sugar maple.
The top of each box is a spinning top. Hence the title: Box with a top top.
In the picture the box on the right is actually upside down with the top spinning on the bottom of the box. Hope that is clear??
In a (much) earlier post I described how I made the tops. Each top takes about five minutes to make to completion.
The box takes longer as it must be measured as it is turned. Every time that the lathe is stopped it takes time.

Metal Spinning Demonstration at the Kingston Woodturners

2010-11-29T20:12:00.000-08:00

Photo above shows Dave mounting a copper disk on the lathe. The copper is from some sheet copper that was part of my house roof. Dave has annealed the copper by heating it cherry red with a propane torch before mounting it. It is clamped between the wood form on the headstock and a small wood plug against the live center in the tailstock.

Here you can see Dave leaning in to apply pressure on the copper. As the tool moves to the outside the speed of the lathe must be increased. The tip of the tool is held below center.

Here one can see the copper disk taking shape.

The disk was a little larger than the form so the upper edge was not held against the form hence the ripples in the form. This needs soaking in a water, vinegar and salt mixture to remove the oxide coating.

Christmas Craft Sale at RMC

2010-11-28T16:34:00.001-08:00

Had some of my woodturnings at the annual Christmas Craft Sale at the RMC gymnasium this past weekend.
Sold many small items but NO big bowls. Customers seemed scared off by anything over $20. Good thing I made a pile of tops and little boxes before the sale. Will have to remember that for next year. However one can never tell as I sold a few larger items last year at the same sale.

At least the club was not out of pocket and made enough to cover the costs for the booth.

Bur cucumber mature

2010-11-28T16:27:00.001-08:00

Earlier I had posted some pictures of the prolific bur cucumber as it spread its vines on the farm. Here are some mature seed pods to help identify this pernicious pest.

Kingston Fall Fair demonstrations

2010-10-02T08:37:00.001-07:00

Here I am demonstrating wood turning at the Kingston Fall Fair.

There were a few audience members here in the evening. I figured I made and sold more than 50 spinning tops. $2.00 each so not much profit but fun watching the little ones.

Burcucumber (Sicyos angulatus)

2010-08-19T05:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a close up of this pervasive weed vine that starts its growth in late spring. It really goes to town in good growing season weather. I have not noticed it so prolific before. Another sign of global warming as it seems to be in south western Ontario but has not made real inroads to eastern Ontario.
Its quite noticeable along the 401 highway near Toronto.
More here.

Thistleha

2010-08-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

Does not look much like Canada but this is near the village of Brougham to the north of Pickering in Ontario. This is the sun setting through the woods and undergrowth. It has been an outstanding year for plant growth and this weed vine (burcucumber) has taken over the woods. Too bad there are no wood burls (burrs) involved.

Another view but before the sunset.

Eli demo continued

2010-07-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

This bird ornament was made for demonstrating the use of the skew

Note the convex bevel on this skew chisel. Honed.

This is the "texture tool" made from a concrete drill.

Some of the tool hints that Eli Avisera left me with:

Use rounded bevels on skew and beading tool. (As opposed to the more traditional hollow ground bevels.) Eli honed his skew on a buffing wheel with green buff compound. See the video on the previous post.
Have very small bevels on gouges. The rest is just "cut away".
Use epoxy filler to fill the flute of small gouge to reduce flex.
Use a carbide tipped drill to make a texture tool filling the flutes with epoxy.
Round stock made into a "combination tool". This is a bit like a gouge with no flute and "negative rake'. Check his webpage for more details.

Eli Avisera demonstration at Kingston Woodturners

2010-07-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

Had a great demonstration about woodturning from Eli Avisera from Israel. He is an excellent demonstrator. He started by discussing tool sharpening. I include a video that is a little reminder about his sharpening tips.
To see more about him check his website. He also has some excellent videos for sale so this video is just a sample of his presentation style etc.
Check his tools here.

In later blogs I will have some of the video footage of Eli making some small projects.

Magnolia Scale

2010-07-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

This is what Magnolia scale looks like. The insect inside is soft bodied and stains cloth red when wiped off at this stage. For more information check out other websites.
The treatment we gave the tree is experimental at this stage but I sure hope it works as it cost a lot of money!

Magnolia Scale Treatment Experiment

2010-07-06T14:45:00.001-07:00

John from Arbrecare Kingston came by to treat our Magnolia tree for scale.

He used these vials that are spring loaded and injected this insecticide - organic - into the tree. It is very expensive and made for Emerald Ash borer but hopefully it will work on this "scale" which is like an aphid which protects itself by forming a grey scale over itself. It leaks honeydew all over the place including the leaves which then attract bees and wasps and flies, and makes a real mess of anything under the tree. It also feeds a black mould which discolours what it forms on.

This is the insecticide.

The picture above shows the plastic inserts which are wedged into holes drilled in the tree.

Demo day at the Museum

2010-07-04T15:12:00.000-07:00

Here I am at the MacLachlan Woodworking Museum doing the first of the five summer demonstrations on woodturning.

I made two small bowls and two spindles which I will use in the new studio.

Also made a top to give away to one small boy who had an attention span long enough to watch the operation. Spectators were sparse.
There will be another demonstration next Sunday the 11th of July from 1 to 3 pm.

Compost Bin Visitor

2010-07-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

Here is another look at the visitor to our composter. It appears to be an opossum.
Now it should be noted that opossums are not normally found in this climate - another sign of global warming? This little guy does not look very happy but at least it should be well fed as the food scraps are all gone. And of course it does not have to worry about the winter for a while yet.
Yesterday was a great windsurfing day so not much got done. Then today I awoke with a sore wrist from a previous injury - fell off my home built skateboard - so my wrist has never fully recovered. But drywall mudding is hard on the wrist so I am somewhat frustrated that I cannot do the type of job I would like to do because the wrist just does not want to work well. Of course the windsurf did not do much to help heal the wrist either. I am treating the wrist injury with Emu oil. Check it out, I am amazed at how well it works. Seems to go right through the skin and lubricates the joint.

Ceiling panelled

2010-07-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

Rented a hoist and completed the drywalling of the ceiling yesterday. Also mudded the office space today.
Drywall hoist worked real well.
Noticed that they are selling hoists for $160 at a local building supply store. Cost $40 to rent it for a day. The hoist sure is an improvement on the old T bar system that I used to use when I installed drywall before.

Windsurf day finally!

2010-06-29T06:03:00.000-07:00

Finaly got some windsurfing in yesterday after table tennis and dance class. Got to sail all the way to Snake island which is about a three mile sail. Good wind though and the Go board was working well with a 7.9 M sail.
Then went out and bought the drywall for the ceiling and office of the studio. 26 Sheets of drywall, mostly 4 X 10 s but some 4 X 9 s for the walls in the office.
A lot of loading as they had only one helper at Home Depot to load all the drywall and then I had to unload it into the studio with Rob's help.

Insulated Foundation Treatment

2010-06-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

Just a little picture to show what the foundation covering looks like after it has been painted.

Rosette in Place

2010-06-28T11:27:00.001-07:00

Here is the rosette as it was designed to be installed. This is 1/4 inch proud of the trim with the same width as the trim.
Some will be painted (In the workshop section) and some varnished in the office section.
Next big job is installing the ceiling. It has been hard to find a rainless window to pickup the drywall.

Making Rosettes

2010-06-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

This video shows how I made the 14 rosettes that I needed to complete the trim for the new studio. The tool I used is home-made from a tablesaw shaper cutter (Craftsman) which is mounted on a steel shaft set into a woodturning handle. There are a vast array of these shaper cutters available in a variety of shapes. This one was given to me by Ron (http://sawdustandglass.com/index.html) for completing bowl bottoms.

The process takes less than a minute per rosette. I mounted the rosette on the surface of the window trim in the video but for the other windows I am mounting them only 1/4 inch proud of the trim.
Advantages of using rosettes are the appearance and the ease of installation. (No miters to cut)

Little surprise in the compost bin

2010-06-26T15:57:00.000-07:00

This is what greeted Janet this morning when she went to empty the compost bin. Quite a surprise!

Before and after shots.

2010-06-24T05:39:00.001-07:00

Here is what the space looked like before the garage was built

And this is after. Grass has done well in all the wet weather.

Skylight Update

2010-06-24T05:35:00.000-07:00

What the skylight looks like from the outside.

And from the inside now that the well has been completely covered with 1/4 inch plywood. All caulked with white painters caulk.

Garden is coming along too.

2010-06-24T05:24:00.001-07:00

Here is what the vegetable patch looks like after the big excavation job.

Surface Mount Electrics

2010-06-24T05:18:00.000-07:00

What the electrical boxes look like surface mounted in the studio. All at 51 inches high to make for easy access.

Installed a Skylight

2010-06-24T05:06:00.000-07:00

This picture is of the skylight with one piece of plywood installed in the well.
Well I got a little help to install a skylight right over the "lathe nook". Does it ever make a difference! Very nice and bright down there now.
I purchased a discontinued model skylight from Home Depot for $50. Also got some sticky one side tar film by Velux. I laid down the film around the opening, applied a bead of roof mastic and set the skylight onto the mastic. Then screwed it down with 1 1/2 #8 deck screws. The skylight was the type that needed no additional flashing but I still applied a layer of the velux film over the edge of the skylight to ensure a waterproof installation.
Certainly no leaks so far and we have had quite a lot of rain since I put it in on Tuesday morning. The worst part of the job was removing the shingles but fortunately the roof is pretty new and the shingles had not set together all that hard.

Electrics Getting there

2010-06-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

Above is what the main electrical panel looked like before it was tidied up a bit.

All wiring will be external so the wires simply project out of the OSB wall panels like the ones above. This way all the wall piercings are easily sealed tight. Sealing inset electrical boxes is much more involved.

Here is an electrical box all taped over for painting.

And the main panel is looking a lot neater now.

The Lathe Nook

2010-06-18T17:44:00.001-07:00

This is what the skylight well looks like which will be directly over the "lathe area" nook.

Here is the lathe nook. My plan is to curtain this off with plastic - floor to ceiling. Install the dustcollection system outside the "nook" so that I create negative pressure within the nook to keep the dust from polluting the rest of the work area.
The wires protruding from the walls are outlets to be installed - more about that in my next blog.

Foundation Covering Treatment

2010-06-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

These pictures show how the exposed foundation wall, which is proud of the main stud wall covered with styrofoam insulation to make it even further outstanding has been covered. I used 4 inch wide by 1 5/8 inch thick spruce lumber with a recess cut on one side to top the covering and OSB to cover the sides. The OSB is glued against the styrofoam. Since the floor of the workshop is slightly sloped to the door the OSB had to be cut to fit. The spruce lumber was toenailed with screws to the walls.

OSB interior

2010-06-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

Here is what it all looks like with the OSB sheathing in place on the interior. Sorry about the mess but it is a work in progress. Next step is to cap and cover the blue foam at the bottom of all exterior walls.
The framed walls are 8 feet tall but since I wanted and interior height of 9 feet I allowed the foundation walls to stand a foot proud of the floor. This technique allows for simpler construction as all panels are precut to 8 foot. However it does mean that i have to spend a little extra time covering the foundation walls. I had kept 2 inch foam panels against the foundation walls which are now solidly held by the floor. So I am using foam adhesive to keep the OSB covers in place over the foam.

Ventilation for the Studio

2010-06-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

This picture shows how I have used a furnace fan (in the center box) to draw air out of the studio. This was important to do while I had easy access to the attic space. On the right is a box with a one way valve installed. The valve is made of styrofoam insulation so that it will keep the heat in when the fan is turned off. On the left is the air direction box which takes the outbound air and directs it to the roof vents.
The switch for this fan will be located near the entrance door.

A Little Room on the Side

2010-06-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

Here is the "office" room with its OSB (Aspenite) covering.

And without OSB covering. This small room has two windows and should be a nice little retreat from the "workshop" mess. My wife has claimed this room so it will HAVE to be kept neat and tidy.

Electrics for the new Studio

2010-06-12T05:00:00.001-07:00

This picture shows some of the wires leading to the breaker box. I have purchased most of the breakers.
I have two 30 amp 220 V breakers and three 15 Amp 110Vs.
Still to get is one 20 Amp 110V. Since I do not have the wire for that I have put it off. I will install only one of these.
Well I should be able to hook up the wires after the weekend and see what it looks like once it is organized a bit more.

Inside the Studio

2010-06-11T20:01:00.000-07:00

Lined the inside with "aspenite" flake board. Strong enough to hang stuff. I will paint it later.

Inside before lining

2010-06-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

The walls are 2 X 6 and the roof trusses 2 X 4.
The inside will be insulated with fiberglas pink.
In the rafters I have installed a used furnace fan to draw air out of the inside space and blast it up through the roof vents.

Centerfold recognition

2010-05-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

One of my wood creations has been featured in a local magazine called Kingston Life.
The bowl is a Manitoba Maple bark on natural edge bowl. It has a striking figure. You can see a better view of this bowl in a previous post entitled "Bowl for local magazine".
Now I know how it feels to have a picture right on the center fold.

Studio taking shape

2010-05-21T06:38:00.001-07:00

Here is the "garage" with all the siding in place. Just awaiting final inspection (and the eavestroughs - gutters for those of you in the rest of the world)
The pipes on the side are the utilities - phone, water and electricity.
Cement mixer is ready to complete some rock retaining walls beside the driveway.

Workshop progress.

2010-05-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

Excavators had to come back and dig a little deeper. Then the footings were poured and the concrete walls poured on top of that.

All framed and ready for the roof.

Bowl for the local magazine.

2010-05-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of a bowl featured in our local Kingston monthly tourist magazine. Always nice to get a little recognition.
This bowl from some box elder with lots of burl figure and red colour. Bark is intact too.

Workshop Foundation Excavation.

2010-04-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

Tree roots have been removed and trenches dug for the footings.

The trenches had to be deepened for the footings but this picture gives an idea of what the excavation looked like.

Clay soil!

Lumbering - Urban Style

2010-04-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

From the 5 spruce trees here I made approximately 950 board feet of lumber shown below. (That is an apple tree in the foreground which was also removed.) This picture was taken while the house roof was being replaced with steel roof tiles.

Here is the lumber with a few boards missing, used already in the new shop construction. Total cost of getting the wood to the mill and the cost of milling was $550. Thus my per board foot cost was about 60c. This does not include the costs of felling the trees which I did mostly myself but whic could be pricey if the trees could not be easily felled due to building proximities etc.

Building a Woodturning Studio

2010-04-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

When I returned from my trip to the UK I had to tidy up the remains of the lumbering operations which had made quite a mess of the yard. I had felled 5 large spruce trees which had been taken to the mill and sawn into construction lumber. 2 X 6's mainly. As it turned out I am not allowed to use this lumber as it has not been stamped approved for construction. It may have been usable in the country out of sight of building inspectors but my home is in the city of Kingston. So I will end up using the lumber for interior walls and shelving.

The digger moves in. The foundation hole was dug to a depth of 3 feet to get below the frost line. I will add another foot of fill around the wall to get to the 4 feet below grade which is called for.

My Uncle Id - Trip to the UK.

2010-04-30T05:14:00.000-07:00

Uncle Id. Less than two years from his hundredth year. I snapped many copies of his/my family photos including a picture of my grandmother who had died quite young. And thanks to my cousin Pete I also now have family trees to help tie some of the pictures to.

Took this picture of an English Robin in my uncle's back yard. His nick name was Robin.

But I had to get back to start on my new workshop. Photos of the building process will follow.

Recent UK trip

2010-04-30T04:49:00.000-07:00

Before the problems with the volcanic ash from Iceland I managed a brief trip to the UK. I visited my cousin in Oxford and she had this turned wood item hanging in her kitchen all the way from BC. The picture is a Haida representation of the beaver. This is a commercial tourist product but still very nice. Little chewed around the edges by my cousin's two parrots.

Oxford is so full of wonderful architecture and I am sure this picture has been snapped many times. I think this may be part of the library but will be happy to be corrected.

Also went to Jamie Oliver's restaurant where I had an excellent lunch.

And of course one gets around on the "tube" in London. Thankfully I had an Ipod to help navigate my way to various stations.

More on segmented work

2010-04-20T13:11:00.001-07:00

John just took such a good picture I had to put him back in. But here follow the rest of the steps to glueing up a piece for turning.

This picture shows the simple clamp that John has made from threaded rod and some scraps of wood.

John glues up the two halves first then he ensures that the mating surfaces are completely flat by running them through a table saw on a home built sled with a built in clamp. All very simple but ingenious.

Segmented turning demo at the Kingston Woodturners meeting

2010-04-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

John Downs posing with one of his segmented pieces

Segments are clamped with string and knots. OK you sailors.

Glued wood is rubbed together to ensure good coverage and penetration.

Good demo John. I could not get into the Kingston Woodturners blog as I do not seem to have the password. Thats what you get for having too many blogs...
Oh well.

Piggy Bank

2010-01-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

Made a piggy bank for grandchild #2. Now have to dream up some ideas for #1 and #3. Ages 5/4/3
This bank opens by secret peg removal. If I show you I would have to kill you so...

Apple (wood) turning

2009-12-18T12:17:00.000-08:00

I have finally got around to turning the apple tree that I had to cut down in my yard. These two bowls are both from crotches.
The trunk of the tree was too badly cracked to use for bowls but I have saved some for boxes and hollow forms.
The wood is typically fruit wood dense and hard - harder than cherry/plum/apricot woods. It cuts well when wet but smells pretty bad, a bit like swampy poplar.
The above bowls are about 12 inches and 10 inches (the bottom one) across. (diameter)
Interestingly the knots in the two bowls above dried quite differently. The upper bowl was dried just by leaving it sitting in the shop. As you can see the knot checked badly notwithstanding the thin walls of the bowl. The bottom bowl was dried inside a paper bag and the knot has not checked at all. This is quite a triumph for apple as it is very prone to check.
I have been at pains to try to get the wood turned quickly - into blanks at least - as it does not last long once cut, before it turns into checked firewood.
The figure in apple is nothing to rave about as it is quite bland. These pieces have some stress wood in them with curly grain but one has tolook carefully to even see it. Certainly not eye poppers. But the wood has a nice feel and should withstand heavy use since it is so hard.
I particularly like the way the wood has moved in the drying process leaving these bowls quite mishapen and warped.

Apple tree down

2009-11-19T05:29:00.000-08:00

The tree at the top. The wood at the bottom.
Significant date: 17/11/2009
Hopefully something nice will come of the wood.

Manitoba maple Bowl

2009-11-18T16:55:00.000-08:00

I am still doing some turnings from a large Manitoba maple tree that fell down in June in Colebrook north of Kingston.
The homeowner was not interested in the wood as "it does not burn worth a ##**". This tree was literally one big burl from top to bottom, so great for turning.
As you can see in this photo the wood was full of red streaks. And Manitoba maple, or box elder as it is also known, is very nice to turn. It finishes well with a very smooth surface. And contrary to popular opinion the wood is fairly hard once dry. The one problem is that it will not dry in this climate if left outside, which is why it does not burn well as its moisture content remains high. (Most people dry their firewood outside)
Another characteristic of this wood is that it does not shrink much when it dries. Of the local hardwoods it seems to move the least. Good for making natural edge bowls.
Today I cut down a large crab apple tree which looks to have some nice grain. I will try to get some pictures posted later. Apple checks very quickly so I will have to move fast to get some turned.
George, my father in law, passed away last night and this was my way of occupying my time to avoid dwelling on that passage. The tree was pretty old and partly rotten near the bottom so it had to come down. It was situated next to the driveway and would have been a costly accident if it had fallen on a car.

Garden Vision

2009-11-16T00:10:00.000-08:00

Some images just jump out at me. This is one. Beautiful water drop magnifiers on an iris leaf.
The Christmas sale is over and I can relax and get on with woodturning again.

Christmas Crafts Sale at RMC Gym in Kingston

2009-11-14T15:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas Crafts Sale at RMC Gym in Kingston. Nelson holding the fort as it were. Lots of people and a few sales but not the bigger items.
Ron Oastler was there too with Sawdust and Glass and he looked busy.
On again tomorrow.

Christmas Craft Sale

2009-11-12T02:51:00.000-08:00

I will be participating (along with the Kingston Woodturners club) in the Christmas Craft Sale at the Canadian Forces Community Center this weekend - November 14 and 15.
The Canadian Forces Community Center is located on Hwy 2 Opposite to the entrance to Fort Henry just outside Kingston Ontario.
If you are in the area please drop by and say hello.

John and Nelson visit John Jordan in Ottawa

2009-11-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

This is the maple blank he started with.
Lionel enjoying the joke. A man and a platypus walk in to a bar...
Looks a bit like the cross section of a blurry eyeball John.
"I'm not looking but I hope this is not in lieu of the cheque"

November 8 I went to Ottawa with Nelson and we took in a demonstration by John Jordan.
The Valley Woodturners made us feel very much at home as we were both greeted warmly. Nelson said that he was most impressed because people actually talked to him as if he knew something about the topic. Thanks to the folks at Valley Woodturners and John Jordan we both thoroughly enjoyed the presentation, and the pizza was pretty good too.

John started with a slide show of inspirational material plus a selection of some of his work.
This was followed by a lathe demonstration on making a hollow form. Watching the outside take shape was good but since one cannot see what is happening inside it was only thanks to John's informative banter that no-one went to sleep for this process (I don't think anyway)
Some quotes, hopefully mostly correct but I paraphrase liberally so...
"Accomplished turners seem to pull creative ideas out of their pockets - they have spent a lifetime filling their pockets with those ideas"
"ALL problems in woodturning are directly related to the sharpness of the tool"
"Spend as much time as you need to"
"Answer to everything - A sharp tool and finesse"
"Stop the lathe to check on progress. You can't screw it up with the lathe turned off."
"Polish the tool rest"
Finishing: Use spray acrylic from Krylon. Easy fast finish.

The finished hollow form made in Ottawa

Top Making - My Spin on the topic

2009-11-08T18:06:00.000-08:00

This is what I start with. 3/4 X 3/4 inch by four inch long (oak) glued (with epoxy in this case) to a 2.5 X 2.5 inch by 3/4 inch thick (maple) piece. The grain on both pieces runs along the axis of the lathe. The chuck is an Apprentice brand 4 jaw with pin jaws.
Using a wide flat spindle gouge the bottom of the top is shaped.
After removing the tail stock support...
..complete the point on the bottom of the top.
Replace the tailstock and attack the top and handle. Using a smaller but thicker spindle gouge.
See the next post for completion of the project.

Making Tops - My Spin on this topic

2009-11-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

Trimming the handle using a spindle gouge.

After using a vibration tool to make a pattern on the maple the entire top is sanded.
Adding colour with a pink Sharpie. After a friction polish has been applied.
Parting off with a small skew chisel.
The finished product. Takes about five minutes to complete one top on the lathe but add on preparation time and each top takes about ten minutes to finish. Spiral line is put on at slow speed.

Planning

2009-10-10T13:38:00.001-07:00

This is where it all starts. I am working out a new table design. Making the leg attachment point a bit bigger to accommodate the biscuit joiner. And playing with the pedestal design to avoid the "too thick" for the size of the table look.
I also have a different leg design which has a concave curve rather than the convex curve that I used on the last table. (See previous posts) However the concave leg will require a different style of pedestal too as it is more of a Georgian design I think. I will have to look up some furniture design books to further my education about these table designs.
More research is required.

"Pipes"

2009-10-05T15:34:00.001-07:00

Finished three "pipes" in oriental elm today. The tallest one is about 18 inches. The tops are carved to follow the grain of the wood. They were turned green and allowed to move as much as they liked, which they did.
I posted some of these in an earlier blog post which explains a bit about the process of making these. They are fun to do but I always worry about making too much of a particular item as I do not want to be "stuck" with an armload of woodturnings. My house is already creaking at the seams with stored wood never mind stored turnings.

All Growed Up

2009-10-05T15:21:00.001-07:00

Here you see the grown up frog in a pond in my garden. The pump has been shut off and the water can get quite warm in the sun. This frog seems to like that. The frogs are looking for winter hideaways and I have seen a few in the garden. One was quite large and I suspect probably a three year old leopard frog. This one is smaller and probably from last years crop of tadpoles.
For information on raising tadpoles I have an early post on that with an incorrect picture but the info is still good.

Finally Finished Pedestal Table

2009-09-30T06:54:00.000-07:00

Well it is done. One coat of wipe on Polyurethane. I will apply another later after a little finish sanding. But we have a Minwax finisher presenting to-night so I will wait and see what he has to say.
The top is quite nicely figured tiger maple. Slightly marred by dark streaks at the glue joins as I was too miserly to cut off enough of the wood to get rid of the weather darkening.
It seldom pays to be cheap with material use.

This picture shows the unfinished table outside.
And there you have it. I still have another table to make but will wait a bit before starting that as I have an order for many bowls which needs attending to.

Pedestal Bottom Finish

2009-09-30T06:45:00.001-07:00

This picture above shows the tenon left at the bottom of the pedestal.

This is the "saucer" with a hole drilled the same size as the tenon.
I inserted a small walnut piece with some inset turquoise.

This is the piece finished on the lathe.
Here I am fitting the saucer onto the tenon. This will cover all the leg attachment complex and give a little visual unobtrusive "extra" to the table.

Pedestal Table Leg Attachment

2009-09-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

Well I glued the legs using 2 inch dowels and epoxy glue. The picture shows the elementary clamping technique using a hold down strap to exert pressure on the legs.
Of course with four legs the table does not stand perfectly flat so I will have to trim off a bit off two legs. The clamps on the legs just stop the strap from sliding off.
Here are some of the things I will do to improve the next one:

Change the leg design slightly to allow for holding the bottom of each leg with an attached saucer under the column.
Lighten up the column. This one looks a bit heavy (3 1/4 inch diameter) for the size of the top. I think 2 1/2 inch will suffice for a 17 inch top.
Use three legs. Thus avoiding the "rocking table" syndrome.
Improve the dowel drilling jig with metal inserts, a clamp down hold on the lathe bed and a larger clamp to wood for holding the legs at 90 degrees.
All that said I still have to make another table of the same design as a "matching pair".

Well now to complete the finish saucer under the column and then finish sanding the table and apply a final finish.

Pedestal Table Leg Attachment Technique

2009-09-28T18:04:00.001-07:00

This picture shows how the legs were drilled using a wood jig. The legs are clamped onto the jig and the jig is clamped to the lathe bed - for want of any free space in my tiny workshop.

This is a view of the drilling jig. The "L" shaped wood piece is what the legs are clamped against when the legs are drilled. Here the jig is set against the pedestal for drilling the holes in the post.
To ensure that the holes are drilled at center I used a mallet to mark the holes against the live center in the tailstock of the lathe. The legs are attached to the pedestal with 3/8 dowels. Since the jig was a little sloppy I used epoxy glue to attach the legs to ensure filling any small imperfections. I intend improving the jig by adding a piece at the bottom to allow clamping the jig to the lathe bed and enlarging the cheek block for clamping the legs. I also ordered some steel inserts to add to the jig to make the holes more accurate.

Pedestal Table Legs

2009-09-28T17:58:00.001-07:00

Wood was cut into lengths at 45 degrees. Then these lengths were stacked and the leg template used to cut the legs on a bandsaw.

The top attachment point of each leg was cut into a concave using the circular saw and an angled fence.

Pedestal Table continued

2009-09-28T17:50:00.001-07:00

Thought I had better put a picture of the pedestal in to better explain the shape. This is actually mounted on the lathe and then turned "upright" for a better view.
I said before that there were four beads. Actually there are only three - one and a half on top and one and a half near the bottom. The top beads were made a little smaller to give a better proportional look.
If you look closely you can see a tenon near the bottom which will be used to mount a small finish saucer which should cover the bottoms of the legs and spindle.

Pedestal Table continued

2009-09-28T17:13:00.001-07:00

So I turned the top. Now I need the post and the legs. Here I have several (10) strips of hard maple glued together to make the pedestal out of. Actually this will make two pedestals since I am planning on making a matching pair. I made these pieces 27 inches long since the legs will lift the pedestal 4 inches off the ground and the table will add 3/4 inch that leaves a little extra to make a table that will be 29 inches tall when completed.

Here is the lamination turned into a cylinder.

Once I have the cylinder turned true I marked out the space to mount the legs and the space to provide the attachment tenon for the top - both essential. The top of the leg attachment will have a ridge to butt the legs against. This ridge is important for layout to mount the legs evenly and of course to establish the correct finished height. In between these two components -leg attachment and top tenon - I can insert the decorative part which will consist of four beads sandwiching an ogee curve.
The picture above shows how the layout is marked with coloured pencils. Red is left high and green is cut into first with a parting tool just to establish the depth then with a skew to create the beads. I also used a large spindle gouge for a lot of the curvey parts.

Pedestal Table

2009-09-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

A customer asked me to make a "candlelabra" from some highly figured maple that he had. I figured it would take about 24 hours to make including jigs and fixtures as needed so the price was a bit high for him.
However I decided that since I already had a few pieces of curly maple all glued up and ready to make a small (17") table I would just need to make the pedestal and legs and stick them all together.
At first I thought I would try to make a dovetail joint but the jig to cut one on a round leg was a bit too complex to make and I changed to joining the legs to the pedestal with dowel joints.
I wanted to also write an article for a magazine to help defray costs so I have documented this as I went.
I started by turning the top from curly maple and attaching a plate under the 3/4 inch thick material to make a better join.

Here is the bottom of the table top with the glued on plate to act as an attachment point for the pedestal.

Fall Fair picture

2009-09-18T05:24:00.000-07:00

Captivated audience of school children at the Kingston Fall Fair.
Lots of fun turning for these tykes.

Kingston Fall fair

2009-09-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

Made umpteen tops today for children as they came through from schools.
The tops were very popular at $1 each so I reckon if I have a chance tomorrow they will be a little more money.
I will try to post some pictures later.
Ken Waller was there in the afternoon and he turned several key chains, pens, bottle stoppers and a tipsy top. he is quite the consummate artist.

Fort York

2009-09-08T08:28:00.001-07:00

Did a little historical research at Fort York.
Took in the play at Fort York which Tanya was a part of.

Of course all the wood from the fort archaelogical digs has rotted away so artifacts were china and glass mainly.

The play was excellent and gave an historical perspective.

Golf Trophy

2009-09-05T05:32:00.000-07:00

I just completed this golf trophy base for a golfing customer. He supplied the wood and the Irish cut glass decanter.
This will be presented at an Irish Canadian tourney held at the Lookout Point Golf club near St Catharines Ontario.
The wood is a piece of highly figured birdseye maple from northern Ontario.
I am quite pleased with the results and the customer said he was too.
Alls well that ends well.

Thanks Arbre Care

2009-08-24T07:21:00.000-07:00

Got two small burls from Arbre Care in Kingston on the weekend. This is a picture of one being turned.
The shavings are flying and the camera flash has frozen them in midair.
The burl has some amazing figure and will make a beauty of a small bowl.

Chimneys - sometimes you just have to have fun.

2009-08-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

Richard Raffin started me off on these "chimneys". This tall one has only dried for about three days and already it has quite the curve. I am wondering whether it will continue to stand up? The wood is oriental elm which moves more than any other wood I have ever worked with.

I have made several as you can see in the bottom picture. I turn them into cylinders and then keep them in a bucket of water to keep them from drying till I can get around to the hollowing process using a Forstner drill bit on an extension (or two).

Nelson came around yesterday and he had a go at making one too. There is a fair bit of learning in the process. The "normal" spindle turning tools do not work that well of course because the grain runs cross wise to the length. The drilling process is a bit tardy due to all the clamping and unclamping that has to occur since one does not want to build up too many shavings in the hole or the drill will be impossible to retrieve. Of course the wet sanding is quite messy but fun when well protected in my recycled raincoat shopcoat.

Of course the usual question from MIL (Mother In Law)
"What do you put in them?"
"What are they for?"
"They look like they would make good weapons."

I told her I was making wooden condoms and the big ones were for asses er donkeys.

Sometimes you just have to have fun on the lathe and forget what you are making and especially what you are making it for...

Reminds me somewhat of the "Shopclass as Soulcraft" treatise which seems to be a recurring theme these days. Can't hear enough of that though. Here is an exerpt:
High-school shop-class programs were widely dismantled in the 1990s as educators prepared students to become “knowledge workers.” The imperative of the last 20 years to round up every warm body and send it to college, then to the cubicle, was tied to a vision of the future in which we somehow take leave of material reality and glide about in a pure information economy. This has not come to pass. To begin with, such work often feels more enervating than gliding. More fundamentally, now as ever, somebody has to actually do things: fix our cars, unclog our toilets, build our houses.

Maybe Matthew Crawford should do an article on Wood Turning as Soul Learning. Has a nice ring to it?

Trees are where you find them.

2009-08-22T08:57:00.001-07:00

Attended the Rogers cup tennis tournament this week.
I could not help myself snapping this picture that has little to do with woodturning - though at least there is a tree in the picture.
Had a conversation with a female friend who said she wanted to be a male in her next life. Of course the conversation turned to why and what the advantages/disadvantages are of being M or F.
This was the clear advantage to being male - being able to pee standing up.
I am sure there are other factors but so many are society driven.

Turn and Learn Session

2009-08-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I went around to Nelson's shop to use his "Mustard Monster" (Powermatic 20) lathe. The picture is of Nelson showing Robert how to do a honey dipper on a general lathe.
I used the big lathe to turn some elm that has been freshly felled (see previous post).
Here are some observations about turning on a Powermatic. Its nice to have the extra horsepower as my General lathe has 1 HP while the Powermatic has 3 HP. However I did not feel like I could really use the full potential of the lathe because I was unsure of the holding power of Nelson's Nova chuck with dovetail jaws. It seemed to work loose rather frequently whereas my Oneway Stronghold with large jaws has never let me down. Unfortunately the clamping mechanism on the Powermatic lathe also worked loose causing some very unsettling vibration. It took a while to figure out what was happening as I am not that familiar with the lathe of course.
However I did get two bowls turned and I think in the process convinced Nelson that he needs a way to contain the shavings as his shop was pretty well covered.
Some issues with Powermatic which I will raise here:
The design of the banjo is a cause for problems as the off center hole is off center the wrong way in my opinion. (Should be to the right not the left) Since the banjo is so wide it requires the tailstock spindle to be extended way out to allow room for the banjo when turning a bowl blank between centers. Also the banjo is very heavy which requires one to use two hands to move it. Heavy is good but clumsy is how I would best describe the set up.
The clamping mechanism for the headstock coming loose is a problem that I would want to address as soon as I had a lathe like that.
Nelson phoned me up after I turned on his lathe and complained that he could not get the live center out of the tailstock spindle. This I feel a bit guilty about as it is probably my large bowl turning that has jambed it in there.

Oriental Elm down

2009-08-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

The tree across the road from my house was taken down yesterday as it had died. Wood looks good and I have turned one big bowl from it. Someone will get a super bowl! This wood is extremely hard and tough. The chainsaw took tiny nibbles only and it was not due to a blunt chain.

Sheepdog Trials are Done

2009-08-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

Nelson Freedman had a good time demonstrating at the trials. The lathe was set up under its own tent so when it rained (on the last day it poured) the lathe operator stayed dry even though the spectators had to huddle under their own rain gear.

Here is what the table set up looked like. Sales were good though not outstanding. For our first time I think we did quite well.

Of course there were other attractions and events to see. Lumberjacks did their thing and there was a wild life exhibit with raptors and a young tiger, apart from the sheepdog trials themselves which were great to watch. The dogs were amazing.
If you missed it be sure to set your calendar for next year.

Woodworking Museum Demonstration

2009-08-05T17:16:00.000-07:00

Nelson doing his thing.

He did quite a bit of turning judging by the shavings. Where are the red ribbons Nelson?

I took some pictures of Nelson Freedman doing a demonstration at the Mac Lachlan Woodworking Museum East of Kingston.
Good demonstration Nelson. He had a rapt audience when I got there but then things deteriorated.
I should have kept quiet(er).

Windsurf Day

2009-08-03T13:52:00.000-07:00

Nice windsurf day. No turning wood just turns on the water.

This is not Hawaii. This is fully powered up with a 7.9 m sail and a 120 L board. We have to work for our sailing time.

Sailing done the wind has died. Another day, but a nice one.

I have started another blog about table tennis in Kingston. So we can make announcements about playing there.

What does this have to do with woodturning? Well woodturners have to do something when they are not woodturning.

How much wood can a woodturner turn when a woodturner turns wood?

More Sheepdog Trials Preparation

2009-08-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

This picture shows the assembly line for spinning top blanks. Square of recycled pine - thanks Nelson - with a 3/8 hole drilled in the center. Carpenters glue on the pink card at the bottom. Dip the 3/8" dowel into the glue and hammer into predrilled hole over a 1/8" thick washer - just visible under the square at left. That allows the dowel to penetrate and sit proud on the underside of the pine square.
I drill the holes into 4 inch lengths of pine 2 X 2 then cut the squares to about 3/8" to 1/2" thick.
Makes for a small top but with little wood to remove it takes shape pretty quickly in front of an audience, which is what one needs when doing demonstrations.
This is all in preparation for the sheepdog trials coming up August 7, 8, & 9.

Toads Emerging

2009-08-01T06:43:00.000-07:00

Tailed little toad floating amongst the water weeds.

Four toads emerging from the water.

The temperatures have been so cool this summer that these toads are emerging later than normal (around here.)
There are not many tadpoles left in the bucket now. Down to about six, all with back legs. Seems the frogs emerge a little ahead of the toads.
I have a good excuse for not cutting the grass now as there should be lots of little frogs and toads amongst the lawn grass. Hopefully chomping up all the nasty mosquitoes.

Sheepdog Trials Preparation

2009-07-31T10:24:00.000-07:00

Getting products labelled and packed for the Sheepdog Trials. If we get several other woodturners turning out goods we should have a super display. Along with the lathe demonstrations we should be able to make a good show of it all too.
I am not sure what type of product to take to the Sheepdog Trials but have opted for mainly small items plus a few big bowls. All priced low especially since I have little overhead for this show. Should be some great bargains for shoppers.
For more on the Sheepdog Trials in Kingston check this link.

More on Frogs

2009-07-30T06:48:00.001-07:00

I could not resist this picture of a lily from the garden. Such perfection.

One little stumpy tailed frog on my hand. Gives an idea of what size these are when they crawl out of the water.

And finally the frogs on the bark. Hard to see that there are three frogs in this picture.

Preparing Blanks for Demonstration

2009-07-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

Had a physically active day yesterday with great windsurfing (looks good again today!) and a couple of hours of table tennis so I did not have the energy to do much creative work on the lathe. Spent the time making blanks that can be used here or for demonstration.
These are all for use on the pinchucks that I have been developing.
There is a selection of woods in the box but yesterday I made mostly honey locust and box elder (Manitoba maple) blanks to be used to make small containers and test tube vases.
Frog news:
I also noticed three frogs that have emerged from the water this morning. Hopefully they enjoyed the steak I gave them yesterday.

Maple Pet Bowls

2009-07-27T06:19:00.001-07:00

Here is the first try at making pet food bowls from wood. These are being left completely unfinished and sanded to 150 only.
I have tried to keep the design completely practical making them hard to upset. Because they are from solid hard maple they are quite heavy.
Baby food bowls? A mother once asked me wether I knew of a source for wood (not plastic) bowls and plates for serving food to babies. She said that there were quite a few mums out there who might be interested since they did not want to use plastic. China being breakable is not always suitable for babies and stainless steel has that "metalic feel" which is not pleasant. So maybe this can be a new trend - feed your kids from dog food bowls. Sounds crass but could be eminently practical.
Time spent on these is not great but I still need to get $15 out of them and after the merchants take their percent the price tends to go a bit high if I have to sell through a store or gallery. Since these are going to enhance the Kingston Woodturners coffers I do not feel too bad about selling through them.
I am making these for the Kingston Woodturners booth which will be demonstrating woodturning at the Kingston Sheepdog trials being held at Grass Creek conservation area on the 7th to 9th of August this year. Should be a good show as it will be featuring the lumberjacks and jills competitions too. The Kingston Woodturners will be demonstrating the lathe and selling members goods.
Come one come all!

Frogs continue to emerge from the water.

2009-07-26T13:34:00.001-07:00

Baby leopard frogs in their developmental stages. The little guy on the bark has quite a long tail but it is folded under him and one cannot see it clearly. The frogs get to a certain stage when they have to climb out of the water and sit in the sun to warm up. This is when the tail completely absorbs into the body with just a little stump left. When they get to this stage they become poor swimmers and can actually drown if they cannot find a way to climb out of the water.

Pin Chuck Experiment Continued

2009-07-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

Completed a small pin chuck using an actual pin and not a ball bearing. I made the pin from a 4 inch smooth finishing nail and it is quite long at about 2 inches. So this is the next step to finding the ideal pin chuck.
I tested the pinchuck on a piece of Manitoba maple. Even with the hole drilled oversize by 1/32 of an inch the pinchuck held quite well. Pin chucks work better when the hole is a tight fit but this held well even though the wood was quite uneven when I mounted it on the lathe. I am happy with the results of this try.
The diameter of the pin seems to work better than when the pin has a larger diameter. (I am comparing this pin from a 4 inch finishing nail with a 1/8 inch diameter to another pin chuck that I use with a 1/4 inch diameter pin.)
In the picture you can see the pin and the top of a test tube which I used to make the small test tube vase pictured on the left.

Newly Emerged Frog

2009-07-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

Newly emerged from the water that is. It (he/she -not sure so may call it a him for now) still has a tail stump and is quite active. He is living next to the little stream in my garden for now. With the spots I would say he will grow into a very handsome leopard frog provided he can make it past all the frog predators.
The background picture is of a fallen flower that happened to fall into the stream.
I cleaned out the tadpole bucket today and replaced the water as it was getting murky. Noticed all kinds of animal pond life that seems to have got in there from the plants I placed there. Including some long legged daddy long legs type arthropods (insects?) and what looks like a nymph. Something has eaten all the mosquito larvae and there are no fish in the bucket. So I am assuming that there are some predators in there too.
Not having any fish is another story. I had two guppies that I inadvertently introduced into two buckets of tadpoles early in the spring. These buckets were discovered by a larger animal - fox or racoon? Anyway the buckets were both knocked over and I lost the fish and the tadpoles. Since it was still early in the spring I managed to collect more tadpoles but have not been able to find more guppies. The guppies had been very good at eating mosquito larvae.
I discovered this because I had two buckets and noticed that one bucket had all kinds of mosquito larvae in it while the other had none. Upon closer inspection I noticed two guppies in the water in the larvae free bucket. These guppies were about 15mm long and over the next weeks they grew to twice their original size. I transferred one to the other bucket and it cleaned out all the mosquito larvae in two days. At least twenty larvae! That was one happy guppy.
But then I lost them all! Still the fox got to enjoy some high class sushi that night.
So now I have tied the bucket up to a stake in the ground so it cannot be tipped over.