RetiredUSNChief
Member
Glad to contribute!
My first wooden cartridge.
- Thread starter GunnyUSMC
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Good Ol' Boy
Member
Thanks.
I've been turning for a while now. That picture is a drop in the bucket as far as what I've done.
I give all mine away to friends and family. If someone comes over and is really interested in one on the shelf and I know they'll really appreciate it its theirs. So pieces on the shelves get rotated.
I work in a mill/wood shop so I don't really want to make my hobby a business as far as selling, or feeling pressured to sell. But there have been more than a few people that say I should set up a side business selling turnings.
Anyhow this is part of my office every day...
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troy fairweather
Member
Gunny got that cherry cut for you, should have 4-5, 2"x2" I have to see the size of a medium flat rate box is for when I cut them down.
Speedo66
Member
There's more than one shape of medium flat rate boxes. Aside from the usual "square" type, there is also a longer flatter one that might work better for you.
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GunnyUSMC
Member
I’ve given away several bowls to family and friends. My mom is 81 and loves the bowls I make. I think she has five or six now. A few weeks ago I finished a bowl from a 6x3 piece of Box Elder. My mom comes by every Saturday. When she saw the Box Elder bowl, she picked it up, but then set it down. The next week she picked it up again. She said that she really liked it. I told her, “Well, Take it home with you. “ she did.
She looked at the wooden bullets and said that they were nice, but I don’t think she wants one.
I’m still waiting to build my new shop. The plan is to make it 16x20’ , that would give me almost four times the space I have for woodturning right now. And getting my woodturning stuff out of my shop would give me more space for working on guns.
I’m still feeling under the weather, but will try and turn a 50 cal bullet tomorrow.
troy fairweather
Member
Gunny do you have walnut down there.
whughett
Member
Bought numerous 3x3 hardwood blanks several tropical hardwood species for turning Christmas ornaments. I’ll have to look up the dimensions for 50 cal or maybe a 20MM round. Less than a year turning but practice makes perfect.
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GunnyUSMC
Member
Not much Walnut down here. A the walnut that I’ve turned so far, I’ve had to order.
troy fairweather
Member
To bad it would cost so much to send you a log lol, we got a lot of walnut here. My buddy that does the firewood his small 30 some acre farm is like 95 percent black walnut.
I had a killer slab of curly maple with tiger striping but it checked so bad for some reason it's not usable any more. Maybe I should make a table from it lol.
Airborne Falcon
Member
I've been thinking (I hear my wife laughing in my head) .... but I have a very very close friend, goes by the business name of Mad Scientist Knife Scales. He is literally the absolute best in the world at what he does ... he stabilizes wood for use as knife scales and he is in demand by the finesr knife makers in the world.
Look him up, Mad Scientist Knife Scales .... he's like a brother to me. I am godfather to his beautiful precious daughter.
Anyways, I am wondering what these wooden bullets might look like if the Mad Scientist stabilized some using his magical pot process. Stabilize them then turn them again I think.
Hmmmmmmmmmmm .... makes me wonder. Mad Scientist Knife Scales on FB and Instagram Gunny ... tell him I sent you. (He looks just like this.)
Look him up, Mad Scientist Knife Scales .... he's like a brother to me. I am godfather to his beautiful precious daughter.
Anyways, I am wondering what these wooden bullets might look like if the Mad Scientist stabilized some using his magical pot process. Stabilize them then turn them again I think.
Hmmmmmmmmmmm .... makes me wonder. Mad Scientist Knife Scales on FB and Instagram Gunny ... tell him I sent you. (He looks just like this.)
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GunnyUSMC
Member
NY. state would be a long drive to pickup some logs.
I’ve got a bunch of different wood that I’m cutting into bowl blanks. I’ve started going through the scrap piece to salvage wood for making more wooden bullets.
troy fairweather
Member
You ever glue wood squares together and turn, don't know if there's a name for it. We still have a bowl my dad make like 40 years ago, believe it cherry and Mahogany. We keep nuts in it, even has a holder under the lide for the nutcracker. I'm always surprised it lasted so long and the glue has held up.
whughett
Member
I started that way last January. Practice until I could turn a shape with out either shattering the piece or ripping it out of the chuck.
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GunnyUSMC
Member
It’s called segment turning. You have to have your angles cut just right. I’m not good with angles.
But I have glued some boards together to make some bowls.
Been thinking that I can glue some light and dark color wood together to make some bullets. When I get some smaller jaws I will be able to turn the cartridge case with one type of wood and the bullet with another.
I didn’t get any bullets turned today, just not feeling good.
JCooperfan1911
member
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It’s called segment turning. You have to have your angles cut just right. I’m not good with angles.
But I have glued some boards together to make some bowls.
View attachment 1020119 View attachment 1020120
Been thinking that I can glue some light and dark color wood together to make some bullets. When I get some smaller jaws I will be able to turn the cartridge case with one type of wood and the bullet with another.
I didn’t get any bullets turned today, just not feeling good.
Hope you feel better!
I’ll bet some turned 40mm Bofors rounds would be cool. Have you considered doing larger rounds?
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GunnyUSMC
Member
Been thinking of doing larger rounds, just need to find a nice looking wood that is stable and doesn’t cost to much. I have some White Limba in the shop that might work.
troy fairweather
Member
Is firewood a thing down there, I know when I lived in Alabama they sold it. If so they always have rounds and can get them cheap,
It maybe cool if you got some old beat up ammo crates, I wounder if you can glue them stacked in away the cool writing will show if turned into a bowl.
It maybe cool if you got some old beat up ammo crates, I wounder if you can glue them stacked in away the cool writing will show if turned into a bowl.
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GunnyUSMC
Member
I like my ammo crates, not going to pull them apart. Plenty of firewood around here, mostly oak.
Howland937
Member
Are you able to get your hands on any of the cypress they make such a fuss over? Isn't it indigenous to your area? No clue if it's a hard or soft wood. Seems like a dense grain would be better maybe?
*Disclaimer* Aside from trees that squirrels cut on, I don't know much of anything about wood, including working with it. I built a dog house once.
My old beagle slept under it instead of in it.
*Disclaimer* Aside from trees that squirrels cut on, I don't know much of anything about wood, including working with it. I built a dog house once.
My old beagle slept under it instead of in it.
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GunnyUSMC
Member
Cypress is one of those odd woods. It’s soft and lightweight but strong. It is very abrasive and you have to keep your tools very sharp.
I was giving a bunch of Cypress beam cutoffs not long after I started turning. It pretty much forced me to get better at turning.
I turned these the first week of January. A lot are Cypress except the lidded box which is pine.
I should have some pics of Cypress that I can turn some bullets from, just need to dig some out.
Good Ol' Boy
Member
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GunnyUSMC
Member
That’s pretty big.
Good Ol' Boy
Member
It was "roughly" based off the M778 30mm round the Apache choppers ran. Thats a .300 BO beside it.
I made it for my dad for fathers day several years ago. He's former MIL although I'm technically not.
Glue up of Walnut and Maple.
Good Ol' Boy
Member
I've got more than a few nice pictures of turnings I could share but I don't want to hijack your thread, which you are already blessing us with wonderful finished products.
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GunnyUSMC
Member
That would be around $50 or more in wood at today’s prices.
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