How I Do It - Wall Hanging

Step 1

As a first step, I Band saw a 3 in x 48 in piece of Alaskan Yellow Cedar in preparation for the lathe. A piece of edge grain cedar of this size and quality can cost upwards of $1000

Step 2

The band sawing is complete and I'm now installing the white face plate to hold it on lathe. This particular platter will be a very large size as my tools will give you the feel for.

Step 3

I'm now doing the rough turning of the bottom of the platter. At the start this piece weighed about 100 pounds. I find this Alaskan Yellow Cedar from the Queen Charolette Islands exceptionally pleasant to work with and the scent is very nice.

Step 4

This shaping of the bottom of the platter is finished and the next step is to reverse the piece in order to turn the inside. The shavings give you a feel for how much wood has been removed from the original round.

Step 5

On this shot, you can see the tool rest on which I hold the chisel while working the piece. At this point, I've shaped the face of the the platter. The platter now weighs about 50 pounds, half its original weight.

Step 6

Here's the finished wood platter. The next step is to apply a finish, in this case a painted motif. In the background, you can see some of my other work set out to dry. The drying process for all fine wood turnings is very complicated. They can't be allowed to dry too quickly or they will crack. Thinly turned pieces will dry within a week, whereas the thicker pieces will require upwards of a year to dry before finishing.

This the finished platter. The scene an impression of one of my favouite coastal areas in British Columbia. The painting is my own work done with an airbrush. I've had a floor stand built for displaying this 46 inch diameter piece. Other smaller pieces are used as wall hangings or as decorative plates on table tops.