Not a Clue

[JohnB]

G'day all,
I finally got around to making up a couple of these desk sets, that I'd seen a photo of many years ago.
I haven't a clue where to post this as only the bases are scrolled, and actually they are the only real work I put into the product.

If you are a lathe person you could turn the apples, but I bought about a dozen of them 18 months or so ago with this project in mind.

Anyhow, hope you are inspired.

[thecopperfish]

Those are neat John! You come up with more good ideas than anyone I know. Even without a lathe you could glue up or cut a block and carve or sand it to shape. It would make a great gift for a teacher.
Chris

[minowevie]

Shazammmm. John. that is so pretty. I just love the apple. and the color of it. looks so deep. the base is grand for sure. you just amaze me little brother. Wow. your friend Evie

[Steviegwood]

Hi John, those are some very nice looking desk sets. Steve

[oops99]

Hey John,

Looking good, that is a cool idea, how about a scrolled worm comin' outta one?


Tom

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by minowevie

Shazammmm. John. that is so pretty. I just love the apple. and the color of it. looks so deep. the base is grand for sure. you just amaze me little brother. Wow. your friend Evie

G'day Evie,
Sometimes I amaze myself
I am very please with the apples polished up. They are oak, I think. I made a gadget with rubber buffers to go on the spindles in my Lathe and clamped the apples between. This allowed me give sand out the machine marks which they had and sand them up ready for finishing.

I stained them with a rosewood stain, then sliced a piece of on the band saw for the clock.
Drilled the hole for the clock and gave them 3 coats of gloss lacquer.

The remind me of the Toffee Apples we used to get from the apple festivals and fairs when I was a kid. They always fascinated me with that deep, high gloss toffee. Sometime it'd be so hard that you could give the apple a tap on your front teeth and the toffee would craze like broken glass.

Thanks Chris and Steve,
I really like the white pen and stand, with the red apple.

Tom,
A worm is something, I'll have to think about. It'd suit my quirky sense of humour.
I made a kiddy's puzzle once that I turned on the lathe, It was in the shape of an apple and made up of about 6 segments that you stacked on a centre peg.
All the segments had to be rotated to the same point and then a dowel, with a worms head on it could be inserted into the apple. I may hve to revisit that when I get some more time.

[Rolf]

You know John you are really starting to frost my a__ . Because of your brilliant ideas I keep getting further and further behind in the projects I really would like to do.
I am very glad that you don not live here and sell at my fairs, your work would put me out of business. But then again if you did live here I could buy you a brew and pick your brains.

[Chase]

Very nice Aussie Dude. Would you share the brand name of the Rosewood stain.

Chase

[Doc249HMCS]

JohnB,
I agree with Chris about the apple. The would probably be better carved.
These should have been posted in the "Bragging" section. Nicely done!
DonO

[jigsue]

John

When do you have time to eat, drink, sleep and s****? I am not only impressed and inspired by your ideas but by the labour saving devices you dream up! They say that necessity is the mother of invention, you take this to the n'th degree and seem to invent whenever you can. Shame you don't live closer, my hubbie could do with someone like you to assist him with his boat project! (he has just designed and made a steamer to "bend" the ribs for the side of our boat - will post pictures, when I have them). With the pair of you, together, inventions would mega!!!

Keep them coming, you inspire us all!

Cheers

Sue