"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
I've been playing around a little with making some small turned boxes
with lids, and while I've had some sucess, there are also a number of
things I just haven't figured out yet.


You have to plan ahead, no doubt. For instance, if working from green to
get something which demands a precision fit, you have to turn, dry, turn.
With the pith in, survival nods toward thin, which isn't really compatable
with TDT, so you make it thin in the bottom and what will become the top,
with thicker walls. Then you have to dry it down slowly to hold the end
grain at the same MC as the walls. Your initial hollow can be with whatever
gives you comfort. I like pointed gouges with long wings, you may prefer
less grab and use your mild fingernail or one of the ring/hook tools.
Scrapers work, too, but they're taking as big a bite as the point gouge on a
duller face, so use a small scraper if you're catching.

You also have to make your hold over/under size, because it will distort.
You may then take advantage of the fact that end grain will keep the top and
bottom pretty well parallel as you chuck inside, turn for your bottom hold,
and then procede with final dimensioning. For your narrow mouth hollow you
can make a shouldered taper to help with recentering. Of course your prior
planning left the original spur center mark underneath to help you?

One thing I've found with the pith is that if it's contained within a slope,
it makes it through drying better than if it's within a flat area.