A very small piece of Penola redgum meets its fate

The previous post features a sizeable lump of Penola redgum.

I left most of it in Aldinga, but smuggled a sliver home in my hand luggage. (Photo)

I then cut it in half, and the result is a clock insert, as you can see.

What is interesting from a woodturning point of view is that the timber, which had not been neatly cut but just rough-split, could not, due to the rough and broken surface, be turned down to a nice, neat item.

I turned it to a round, more or less, but retained much of the broken, split, damaged surface.

Whether it is a successful piece I'm not sure. But it is interesting, and I had fun with it.

I have another little piece, which might get a similar treatment. Not sure yet.

The photos aren't terrific, but if you douoble click and enlarge them you'll get a better view of what I've described.

All the best

vsquared.

Acquiring timber, honestly

Recently we went holidaying, and drove many miles. First stop was Penola, and pretty and friendly town with an unfortunate climate.

But its climate, wet and cold, makes for beautiful timber.

We did the touristy thing, looking through some old and historic cottages, built of timber slabs, plus whatever else they had to hand. It was genuinely interesting.

Stacked, ready for burning in the open fire, was a collection of local timber. I confessed to the kind lady who who had opened the cottage that I had a shameful habit, i.e. reducing perfectly good timber to shavings, and please ma'am could I have a piece of your firewood.

"Poor doddering old fool" she thought. But what she said was, "Sure, help yourself".

So I did, to a big lump of Penola redgum. Most of which now resides in a shed in Aldinga, waiting for a fellow wood butcher to have 'a nidea'. A little bit followed me home to Darwin, and I'll post a photo soon that will reveal its fate.