"Arch" wrote in message
...
My daughter wants something different (made by dad) from the usual
slotted rectangular blocks or magnetic strips for her kitchen knives.
Something elegant, turned to hold about six knives, all the way from
butcher to chef's to paring sizes. Also a special holder for two special
carving knives.

I'm trying to conceive a glued up turning blank with slots made with
separated vertical strips or dadoed planks and sides thick enough to
allow for turning the holder into a cylindrical or oval shape, Also
trying to conceive of a turned holder incorporating magnets. I'm getting
nowhere. I'd sure appreciate any ideas or references. Or just send
encouragement!

Awhile back I posted questions for ideas about a knife block, though not a
turned one. I've ended up with too many other projects in front of that
one, so the knives are still sitting out on the counter.

In the meantime my wife's parents showed up with an ancient crock pot her
grandmother used to use to hold utensils. (Now it's cluttering up the
counter next to the knives, too.) But I've been thinking I'll just make a
wooden protective disk for the bottom, and put a wooden ring or another
wooden disk for the top, with slots for the kinves to hold their edges away
from the pot. I can make this much more quickly than the other block that I
drew up (which is nice, but will be time consuming to make).

For your needs, maybe you can make the same sort of structure that the crock
pot has, but without filling in all the sides. Kind of like a turned
lattice work, or a coopered basket missing slats (staves? I don't know what
they're called). Add inlays or laminate contrasting veneer for extra
effect. Put the staves on an angle, if you like. Make them curved to give
a twisted effect. Add a removable lid with slots as I described above.

To make it, maybe make a solid blank that fills the interior, attach the
(removable) staves to that, somehow, turn it, then remove the blank when
you're done. Ask here for more experienced advice about the implementation
part of the project.

Just a thought, anyway. Do what you like with it.

- Owen -