"Denis Marier" wrote in message
...
The word pig may be common in UK English?
I just made a salt pig as part of my learning curve.
Now the kitchen counter top porcelain garlic container is a little small.
It
has a lid and the body has 1/2" ventilation holes around its
circumference.
I am looking at making one a little bigger out of wood. I wonder if the
holes have to be drilled while its on the lathe, after or does it need
any?
Now I have a piece of spalted yellow birch on the lathe and I am looking
for
ideas. TIA


Two ways to go with the holes. Bore and fill with dowel/hot glue for
turning. They seem to punch out fairly easily afterward. Or make a jig
for boring off the toolrest. Easiest if you have an indexing head, but if
you remember your geometry and can do with 6 holes, span and mark. What
you'll want is a hardwood block which you can clamp to the toolrest, with
the proper diameter hole to guide the bit, adjusted so that the center of
the hole is at centerline.

Yellow birch has probably the greatest spalting pattern available, in my
opinion. Cutting along or across the grain? Along makes a nice goblet,
across makes a good bowl.