Wood Turning Frogs . . .

I had the most disastrous day on the lathe yesterday. Every frog I tried to put an off-centre mouth on just didn't work. I really need more practise using both my skew chisel and the new chuck jaws that allow me to move a piece to the off-centre position. Today I went to the workshop determined to make a better job of it. The first couple were total duds, then I worked out that I was moving the frog too much. By just moving it a little off-centre, the mouth suddenly appeared in the right place. It is amazing that by moving the frog just a little, it no longer cuts all the around, thus forming the mouth. I still can't get my skew to cut as nicely as my tutor showed me. This is definitely a work in progress and a lot more practise is required! As you can see, my ability to turn the same shape has a way to go too. Tomorrow I will make the eyes, so they begin to look more like frogs.

While I was busy at the lathe Finney decided to spread the pile of shavings I had just swept up. Then after turning herself around a few times, went to sleep in the nest she had made. However, she obviously woke up feeling cold and headed back to her workshop bed. When I checked on her, she gave me a pleading look for her blanket. After tucking her in, she snuggled down and went back to sleep. What a great life dogs have - I'm a little jealous of her rug as the workshop is like working in a refrigerator.

#WoodTurningFrogs #Off-CentreTurning #JackRussell

21st May 2024