Very artistic! I imagine you spent a lot of time experimenting with the spiraling tools and the elf to achieve that level of perfection. Most impressive!
I'm impressed. You are absolutely correct. I Have had a lot of fun figuring out what I could do with the Sorby spiraling and texturing tools as well as the decorating elf and have easily made over 1000 tops. Burt
Awesome work! He really figured out every step to perfection! When to stop is a good skill to reach👌really detailed explanation and thouhtprocess. I love it! Thank you Sir! Greetings from Germany sends Carpenterbe@ 🇩🇪👍😁
Lovely tops! At 5:15 I believe you have the wheel rotating as if to unscrew the bolt holding it in place. Strictly speaking it should always rotate as if to keep the right hand thread tight, so you may wish to re-mount the wheel in it's holder. The decorating elf is really best used on end grain, but you use them much better than I do anyway & to great effect, well done. Parting off the shaft to a point, means a good top will also spin upside down- see Richard Raffan. Great job, thanks for posting.
You are very observant. I believe you are right. I have ignored whether I run the wheel forward or backward and I have never had a problem. That may be due to a fluke in the way I made the tool or that I really tighten the screw. I did put a thrust bushing in it. Maybe that is the reason. Burt
Thank you for sharing this video! I'm a beginner and my tops look pretty awful. Our woodturning club donates them for breast cancer. Maybe this year my tops will look like this!!
Thanks for your comment. I got roped into turning tops by my club, too. After a few hundred tops I could see some real growth in my control, especially the push cut with a bowl gouge. I started with a chatter tool and then moved on to the sorby texturing tool, and then later the decorating elf and then the wagner knurling tools.I started making bowls at first, but it was making tops that taught me the most. I'm sure I've made at least a couple thousand tops by now and I can't recommend a better way to learn. Keep making those tops! I hope they will teach you as much as they have taught me. Burt
I recently started woodturning, and fell in love with turning spinning tops. I've learnt so much from this video! Thank you so much! I might have missed the explanation for it but why can't you put wax on the gold sharpie?
I'm glad you found it helpful. In the video you will notice that I did put wax over a gold sharpie which is a metallic type of ink that is different from the regular colors. And that meant I had to reapply the gold to bring back the color and the sheen. I think the problem is that the metallic colors(gold, silver and bronze) take a long time to dry and I'm never patient enough and I'll wax it and/or buff it right away which takes away the sheen as well as changing it to a very drab color. I did buff a top with metallic colors about a week or so after having made it and it didn't seem to affect the sheen nor the color. Well, of course, I mean , it made the whole top shine with no ill effects. In short, I believe it takes the metalic colors much longer to dry as opposed to the regular colors. How long does it take? I don't know. That's the real question. So If you rub it before it is dry you will smear and remove some of the ink. Try it and see what happens. You can also remove some of the regular colors if you don't wait for them to dry. But 30 seconds with a hair dryer is enough to adequately dry the regular colors. Or just wait 5-10 min. Happy Turning Burt
loved watching it. I am new to turning and was enthralled. Question: Where does a person find your texturing tools? I have been watching videos for over a year and never once did I see any other turner use text tools. Please make more videos.
Todd, You can buy the tools from craftsupplies for $87.70 each. Just a cutting wheel is 17.75. I buy the cutting wheel and make the rest myself. Woodcraft also sells them. Check out my other video - woodturning sorby spiraling and texturing tools. In it I have documented everything I know. I need to add that I made these videos to document what I have learned so I have something to refer to when I forget something. So I probably won't make anymore videos using these tools. It will take you a while to learn to use these tool. Have fun and be patient. Try the easy ones first. Burt
Not a silly question at all. I used Big Leaf maple that was aged less than a year. I prefer it to dry for at least 2 months, but after a year it starts to get a little brittle which makes making clean cuts and textures more difficult. However, even after 3 or 4 years it still works very well. I just prefer it to have been drying 3 to ~9 months after I have cut it into 2 1/2 " square billets that are 14"-16" long. Have fun turning. Be safe. Is it save for you? Burt
A child's delight! Put it in your pocket and go! Drive the teacher crazy!! You are very clever, beautiful workmanship! Are they available for purchase? If so, how?
I just turn for fun and haven't really considered making things to sell. If I looked at it from the standpoint of collecting and processing the wood and then spending more time making something, no one would want to pay a decent hourly wage. I am very flattered that you would be that interested, but... it is probably best to give them away to friends and family. Burt
Great video!! thanks!! I have a few questions: 1. You said several times you should not cut towards the head stock…. I always thought in spindle turning the only real rule was to cut downhill, why not downhill towards the headstock? 2. It looks like you have a Robust AB lathe? You added something to your stop button that looks very helpful/intriguing… can you share? 3. Also regarding the lathe - if that is in fact a Robust AB you have a different tool rest, is that an aftermarket tool rest? Easier to use for small work like this? The tool rest on the AB is so difficult to move due to it’s size. Thanks very much!
Amy, Thanks for your comments and questions. When cutting on the back side of a top I will often cut downhill away from the headstock to form the handle and will even cut a little uphill to clean up the transition of the handle to the top body. The problem is that at this point I only have a half of an inch or sometimes as little as a quarter of an inch of wood at that transition and that could mean unsupported wood with a lot of vibration, so if I'm not careful I could break the top. In this situation cutting toward the headstock would give just a little more support. 2. On every machine I've ever used, the stop button is proud of everything around it. That is not true for the Robust AB lathe. I am so used to slapping the button to turn off a machine that I added a rubber ball for me to hit to turn off the lathe that does stand proud of everything else. To hit the metal around the off switch would hurt. I just used a piece of PVC pipe to hold the ball with a metal and wood lever that strikes the off button, all held together with some wire. It's not perfect, but it works for me. 3. I have the stock banjo and have the Robust 15" and the 6" tool rests. (I wish I also had the 9", but when I tried to order one, they were out of stock.) I admit that I have to frequently apply paste wax to keep the banjo moving smoothly. And yes, it can be heavy especially when it gets sticky. Nothing is perfect. I have to add that one of my pet peeves about the banjo is the clamping mechanism. You change the tool rest and you often have to stick your finger down the hole to aline everything and in the process get your finger dirty so you have to go and wash your hands. If only Brent had added a spline and a spring it would have made this OK mechanism into an awesome one. For the high price of the lathe I can't understand it. And I don't think there is a current patent that would have stopped him from doing that. All in all the Robust AB lathe is very good. But with this and just a few other changes it could be GREAT. Have fun, and be safe. Think it through. Is it safe for you? Burt
Craig, I only use the micro set. With the larger set I have to remove too much material to complete the pattern, and that doesn't work for me since I am using it on little tops and the bottom of bowls.
I used my 5/8 IN. BOWL GOUGE for the majority of it and then a 1/2 in. Dway spindle gouge and on the back side I used a 5/8 IN. HENRY tAYLOR SPINDLE GOUGE with a 25 deg. bevel. Happy turning burt
Beautiful work Burt. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for the kind comment
Burt
Very artistic! I imagine you spent a lot of time experimenting with the spiraling tools and the elf to achieve that level of perfection. Most impressive!
I'm impressed. You are absolutely correct. I Have had a lot of fun figuring out what I could do with the Sorby spiraling and texturing tools as well as the decorating elf and have easily made over 1000 tops.
Burt
Перевести
Best video on tops with great approach. Very clear instructions and thought process.
A beautiful top , lovely shape and color choices
Thanks for the comment.
Burt
Excellent video,well explained,thanks for sharing,cheers Colin.
Glad it was helpful!
Most enjoyable video, love your personality, clear detail voice, and no music..Best one i watched today
Thank you very much for the most kind comments.
Good luck with the tools.
Be safe.
Think it through.
Is it safe for you?
Burt
Spot on comment, most enjoyable, clear n concise, excellent detail.
THANK YOU for such detailed work. Best I've seen.
You"re welcome and thanks for the comment. It is nice to know that it was worth posting.
Happy turning
Be safe
Is it safe for you?
Burt
Wow just pure art form..I just saw these tools used in a class...love your idea color first....
Excellent video, thanks for sharing!
Beautiful job and well explained with good technique well done 👍
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. I had fun making it.
urt
Oops! That "urt" was supposed to be "Burt".
Love it!
Nice work. I make a lot of tops and love how you put the checker pattern on. Thanks for the tips.
Thanks for the kind words. Keep on turning.
Burt
Awesome work! He really figured out every step to perfection! When to stop is a good skill to reach👌really detailed explanation and thouhtprocess. I love it!
Thank you Sir! Greetings from Germany sends Carpenterbe@
🇩🇪👍😁
Thanks for the kind words!
Burt
Excellent job, thanks for sharing
Thanks
You're awesome man!
thanks for the kind comment
Burt
I really liked your presentation of making a great and beautiful top. Thanks
And thanks for your comment. Much appreciated.
Burt
Loved the "need more clearance Clarence" line! I'll be saying that to myself quite a bit I'm sure!
Thanks for appreciating my silliness. You just made me chuckle too.
Be sure to have fun
Burt
Ótima técnica.
Ficou linda demais esta peça.
Parabéns. Gratidão
Me alegro de que te haya gustado. Gracias
It looks beautiful!
Thanks!
Absolutely beautiful! Nice job!
Beautiful!
Thanks!
Burt
Lovely tops! At 5:15 I believe you have the wheel rotating as if to unscrew the bolt holding it in place. Strictly speaking it should always rotate as if to keep the right hand thread tight, so you may wish to re-mount the wheel in it's holder. The decorating elf is really best used on end grain, but you use them much better than I do anyway & to great effect, well done. Parting off the shaft to a point, means a good top will also spin upside down- see Richard Raffan. Great job, thanks for posting.
You are very observant. I believe you are right. I have ignored whether I run the wheel forward or backward and I have never had a problem. That may be due to a fluke in the way I made the tool or that I really tighten the screw. I did put a thrust bushing in it. Maybe that is the reason.
Burt
Oh a dryer, I was wondering how to dry the markers faster, thank you!
Thanks for the comment. I use a hairdryer on high for 30 seconds. The metallic colors need more.
Burt
Gorgeous
Thank you. I had a lot of fun.
Burt
Very nice 👌.
Thank you
Thank you for sharing this video! I'm a beginner and my tops look pretty awful. Our woodturning club donates them for breast cancer. Maybe this year my tops will look like this!!
Thanks for your comment. I got roped into turning tops by my club, too. After a few hundred tops I could see some real growth in my control, especially the push cut with a bowl gouge. I started with a chatter tool and then moved on to the sorby texturing tool, and then later the decorating elf and then the wagner knurling tools.I started making bowls at first, but it was making tops that taught me the most. I'm sure I've made at least a couple thousand tops by now and I can't recommend a better way to learn. Keep making those tops! I hope they will teach you as much as they have taught me.
Burt
I recently started woodturning, and fell in love with turning spinning tops. I've learnt so much from this video! Thank you so much!
I might have missed the explanation for it but why can't you put wax on the gold sharpie?
I'm glad you found it helpful. In the video you will notice that I did put wax over a gold sharpie which is a metallic type of ink that is different from the regular colors. And that meant I had to reapply the gold to bring back the color and the sheen.
I think the problem is that the metallic colors(gold, silver and bronze) take a long time to dry and I'm never patient enough and I'll wax it and/or buff it right away which takes away the sheen as well as changing it to a very drab color.
I did buff a top with metallic colors about a week or so after having made it and it didn't seem to affect the sheen nor the color. Well, of course, I mean , it made the whole top shine with no ill effects. In short, I believe it takes the metalic colors much longer to dry as opposed to the regular colors. How long does it take? I don't know. That's the real question. So If you rub it before it is dry you will smear and remove some of the ink. Try it and see what happens. You can also remove some of the regular colors if you don't wait for them to dry. But 30 seconds with a hair dryer is enough to adequately dry the regular colors. Or just wait 5-10 min.
Happy Turning
Burt
@@burthovander4873 thank you so much! That makes sense. I'm definitely going to give it a try!
loved watching it. I am new to turning and was enthralled. Question: Where does a person find your texturing tools? I have been watching videos for over a year and never once did I see any other turner use text tools. Please make more videos.
Todd, You can buy the tools from craftsupplies for $87.70 each. Just a cutting wheel is 17.75. I buy the cutting wheel and make the rest myself. Woodcraft also sells them. Check out my other video - woodturning sorby spiraling and texturing tools. In it I have documented everything I know. I need to add that I made these videos to document what I have learned so I have something to refer to when I forget something. So I probably won't make anymore videos using these tools. It will take you a while to learn to use these tool. Have fun and be patient. Try the easy ones first.
Burt
I was just thinking about just getting the wheels and crafting some kind of handle, do you have any suggestions?
Thanks. I am learning everyday and appreciate your vids. @@burthovander4873
Wonderfully inspirational, thanks. Sillly question, what wood is it you uae here?
Not a silly question at all. I used Big Leaf maple that was aged less than a year. I prefer it to dry for at least 2 months, but after a year it starts to get a little brittle which makes making clean cuts and textures more difficult. However, even after 3 or 4 years it still works very well. I just prefer it to have been drying 3 to ~9 months after I have cut it into 2 1/2 " square billets that are 14"-16" long.
Have fun turning.
Be safe.
Is it save for you?
Burt
🌟🌟🌟🌟
A child's delight! Put it in your pocket and go! Drive the teacher crazy!!
You are very clever, beautiful workmanship!
Are they available for purchase? If so, how?
I just turn for fun and haven't really considered making things to sell. If I looked at it from the standpoint of collecting and processing the wood and then spending more time making something, no one would want to pay a decent hourly wage. I am very flattered that you would be that interested, but... it is probably best to give them away to friends and family.
Burt
Great video!! thanks!! I have a few questions: 1. You said several times you should not cut towards the head stock…. I always thought in spindle turning the only real rule was to cut downhill, why not downhill towards the headstock? 2. It looks like you have a Robust AB lathe? You added something to your stop button that looks very helpful/intriguing… can you share? 3. Also regarding the lathe - if that is in fact a Robust AB you have a different tool rest, is that an aftermarket tool rest? Easier to use for small work like this? The tool rest on the AB is so difficult to move due to it’s size. Thanks very much!
Amy,
Thanks for your comments and questions. When cutting on the back side of a top I will often cut downhill away from the headstock to form the handle and will even cut a little uphill to clean up the transition of the handle to the top body. The problem is that at this point I only have a half of an inch or sometimes as little as a quarter of an inch of wood at that transition and that could mean unsupported wood with a lot of vibration, so if I'm not careful I could break the top. In this situation cutting toward the headstock would give just a little more support.
2. On every machine I've ever used, the stop button is proud of everything around it. That is not true for the Robust AB lathe. I am so used to slapping the button to turn off a machine that I added a rubber ball for me to hit to turn off the lathe that does stand proud of everything else. To hit the metal around the off switch would hurt. I just used a piece of PVC pipe to hold the ball with a metal and wood lever that strikes the off button, all held together with some wire. It's not perfect, but it works for me.
3. I have the stock banjo and have the Robust 15" and the 6" tool rests. (I wish I also had the 9", but when I tried to order one, they were out of stock.) I admit that I have to frequently apply paste wax to keep the banjo moving smoothly. And yes, it can be heavy especially when it gets sticky. Nothing is perfect. I have to add that one of my pet peeves about the banjo is the clamping mechanism. You change the tool rest and you often have to stick your finger down the hole to aline everything and in the process get your finger dirty so you have to go and wash your hands. If only Brent had added a spline and a spring it would have made this OK mechanism into an awesome one. For the high price of the lathe I can't understand it. And I don't think there is a current patent that would have stopped him from doing that. All in all the Robust AB lathe is very good. But with this and just a few other changes it could be GREAT.
Have fun, and be safe.
Think it through. Is it safe for you?
Burt
Are you using the micro texturing tools or the standard size texturing tools?
Craig,
I only use the micro set. With the larger set I have to remove too much material to complete the pattern, and that doesn't work for me since I am
using it on little tops and the bottom of bowls.
Bonjour, belle réalisation, avec quel types de feutres quel marque mettez vous les couleurs?
Bonjour,
J'ai utilisé "fine point Sharpie pens".
Buena suerte.
Burt
Burt,where do you buy your sharpies,and are they just the regular kind,thanks Colin.
They are regular fine point sharpie that you can buy anywhere. I often get them at Michaels. Good luck and have fun!
Thanks Burt.
Love the work, what size spindle gouge did you use ?
I used my 5/8 IN. BOWL GOUGE for the majority of it and then a 1/2 in. Dway spindle gouge and on the back side I used a 5/8 IN. HENRY tAYLOR SPINDLE GOUGE with a 25 deg. bevel.
Happy turning
burt
now does it spid
Thanks for the kind words. It spins ~1min 15 sec. If it were heavier wood it would spin longer. I believe this was Big Leaf Maple.
Burt
that most be a thausand dollard top
An obvious exaggeration but thanks for saying so.