Crafting with a quiet pride

The reel below follows the journey of creation of two pieces I made last year.

I started with two glass domes and a couple to slabs of English walnut which gave the inspiration to make unique afternoon tea servers.

Sticking with the traditional two-tier design, but with the addition of glass domes to keep everything protected, and creating something unique and distinctive.

Step one was to cut four discs of walnut, then to turn them on the lathe to create the two bases and two shelves just the right size for the two domes.

Then more walnut cut to create the central stems, all labelled up ready for turning on the lathe, and drilled to allow a hidden threaded rod to provide strength and stability.

Next, all of the component parts are sanded and waxed using Hampshire sheen wax which is hard-wearing and food safe, and then assembled into the final products.

Having no instructions to follow, these projects were figured out step by step, taking time and a lot of thinking. Thankfully I managed to work the whole project out without any mishaps, but maybe with a bit of brain-ache at times! 

Sanding regime

Some woodworkers have looked at me like I have gone mad when I talk about sanding. Most recommend sanding items on the lathe to 400-600 grit (the bigger the number, the finer the sandpaper). Most of the time I sand wood to 10,000 grit, which can result in a gloss finish without any varnish or wax. I still add a finish to the items to protect and preserve the shine. 

Below is a reel of the changing appearance of one item as I progress through the grits, starting at 120 grit (I forgot to take a photo after the 80 grit sanding) and taking a picture after using the grade of paper shown. I can definitely see a change right the way through.