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This is a pen blank bowl. It is very thin and made from
cocobolo and flame box elder.
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Here is my Woodturning!
by Bruce Hoover
Midland, TX
Note: Click any picture to see a larger version.
My name is Bruce Hoover and I live in Midland, Texas. I am a member of the Comanche Trail Wood Turners Club in Midland. I first tried turning in 9th grade and didn't try it again for 36 years. I heard a radio spot for the woodturners club having an event at a local park. They called it "Turning in the Park." The public was invited to come learn about turning and get some hands on help from the club members. I have been hooked ever since!
I started making pens and calls from mesquite that I would find out in the oil field where I work. Most of it had been lying around for years and was very dry and hard, but once I uncovered the rough exterior the beauty really came through. I have made everything from pens to boxes, hollow forms, vases, urns and even an Indian flute with the help of my friend, Ernie. The CTWT club has been a blessing as there are a bunch of people there that go out of their way to help everyone learn and grow in our works.
Here are a few of my projects that I have turned on my woodturning adventure:
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I made this vase for a friend. His father bought the redwood
log and had a flat cut on it so they could put the family
name on the beam. It was to be put up over the
entrance at their ranch. His father passed away before the
beam could be placed. My friend gave me a piece of the log
to make something out of it. The lid is spalted pecan
threaded into the redwood. The flat on the vase was left
there as his fathers contribution to the vase. It is now a
prized possession of my friend.
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This cigar holder was made from a piece of cholla cactus
with alumalite and dye cast, then drilled and turned like a pen.
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This is called Twisted Mesquite. This was the most difficult
thing I have ever turned. The branch was split where the
opening is and I hollowed it out. The proportions are not
exactly as they should be but this is what I had to work with.
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Several of us club members visited another club members
shop (Buddy Compton). He gave me a nice piece of green
mesquite and let me loose on his awesome Robust lathe.
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These are a collection of urns made for some of our
beloved pets.
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This platter started life in my in-laws front yard as an ash
tree. The bores got the best of it and they cut it down. I took
a huge crotch and made them a 12" bowl. The blank was
too deep for the bowl I had envisioned so I cut off the top and
made this platter. The center was messed up so I decided to
place a star there, pour Alumilite resin in the middle, and
then finish turning. This is the result.
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A small sycamore hollow form. I think some of my favorite
turnings are vases and hollow forms.
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Mesquite vase with worm holes.
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Thanks to all of the people in the Comanche Trail Woodturners Club who have helped me along the way. If you have a club in your area it is a great thing to join and get involved in the fun!
You can email Bruce at
wtxrcdog@gmail.com
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Submit your own woodturnings or woodturning shop to this column! Simply
SEND US PHOTOS
of your woodturning
projects or shop along with captions and a brief history and description of your woodturning. (Email photos
at 800x600 resolution.) Receive a $50 store credit if we show your turning in a future issue!
