Red Rum Jug

Andrew Potocnik creates a piece inspired by a Cornish ceramicist.

Close-up of dark, abstract ceramic sculpture with gold detailing.

I’ve had an idea sitting on the back burner for quite sometime for a tall and slender jug inspired by a glimpse of an Alessi product several years ago.I have many of these ideas sitting there just waiting for something to trip the switch and get me focused on converting an idea into a finished product.

Watching a Rick Stein travelogue recently where he visited a ceramicist in Stein’s home county of Cornwall, I noticed a ceramic jug with what was described as a ‘rocking base’. However, it wasn’t the base that caught my attention, but the fullness of the jug’s body and the slender curve to the spout as it opened to a broad mouth, along with a sympathetic handle.

The image stayed in my mind for a while until I finally got around to sketching out how I perceived the form as a turned object. I didn’t want a rocking base, but a voluptuously curved form that stands on an angle of about 45° with a turned circular handle.

Dark wooden vase with artistic crack and handle.

As is usually the case, the sketch was placed somewhere I would see it in passing as I go about my daily life, tempting my brain to develop the idea further. And that it did, as I worked on other projects. My mind’s eye realised that there needed to be a band of textured and coloured wood running around the belly of the form. Wonderful! Now I was at a point where I felt confident that the idea was ready to go, when time allowed.

Initial thoughts were that this piece should be about 150mm or so in diameter, even though my natural urge was to aim for something about 50% larger, but my next problem was that I generally cut ‘green’ material into sizes suited to bowl turning, so I had to dig through my stockpile to find timber suited to the project. It just goes to show that no matter how much wood you have, there will always be a time when you don’t have the right piece for the idea you have in mind.

Although I didn’t realise it at the time, this project would be one of constant problem-solving and design changes, but I didn’t foresee the most drastic change that came late in the development of this piece.

Plans & equipment

Tools & equipment

  • PPE & RPE as appropriate
  • Spindle roughing gouge
  • 10mm beading tool
  • Parting tool
  • 25mm round-nosed scraper
  • 12mm deep fluted bowl gouge
  • 12mm spindle detail gouge
  • Flat curved scraper
  • Round skew
  • Hollowing rig
  • Deep hollowing tools
  • Stepped drill
  • Pyrography tool

Materials

  • Wood of 150 x 150 x 250mm long
  • Wood for the handle about 40mm diameter x 120mm long
  • Wood for the base of about 40mm diameter x 30mm high (plus extra length to be held in a chuck)
  • Wood for a plug of about 30mm diameter x 10mm (plus extra length to be held in a chuck)
  • CA glue and accelerator
  • Gold leaf
  • Stain
Bird-shaped object with dimensions labeled.

The making

Woodturning project in progress on a lathe.
1. Beginning with a half log that had been drying for about five years, I trimmed it down to a rectangular block with an electric chainsaw to a blank of about 150 x 150 x 300mm. Mounted between centres I used a low speed of about 400rpm to trim it to a cylinder using a spindle roughing gouge. I find it best to punch the centre of each end of the blank with a nail to help in locating it between centres, and if using a conventional drive spur, it can also be beneficial to use a chisel to create an area for the spur to ‘bite’ into
Close-up of woodturning with visible defect and lathe tool.
2. Unfortunately several internal checks had developed while the log was drying, and their full extent didn’t become obvious until I began to cut a tenon with a parting and beading tool. I could have discarded the blank at this point, but I’m always up for a challenge, so I continued with this piece of wood
Close-up of cracked wood on lathe machine.
3. After a quick assessment of the possible depth of the crack, I mounted the blank in a scroll chuck and turned away some of the unwanted material to see just how far the crack penetrated. I had some wriggle room because there was plenty of wood available, but I wasn’t too happy with the size of the crack
Woodturning a cracked wooden vase on a lathe machine.
4. I had planned to make the base of the jug at the chuck end, but changed my mind due to the large crack, so a tenon was formed at the other end. I also began to trim the blank down with a spindle roughing gouge, checking to see whether any other cracks would be of concern
Wooden vase being shaped on lathe.
5. Using a round-nosed scraper, I reduced the area that would eventually be the neck, constantly checking whether there was a chance of wood coming loose, due to the crack
Wooden object with splintered, damaged section on lathe.
6. And as you can see, my concern was warranted, as a large section of wood dislodged itself. I always wear a full face shield when turning, so I was safe, even though the fragment flew away from me. Although most turners wear PPE to protect their eyes and faces, I also wear long-sleeved clothing, which protects my arms
Cracked wooden piece in shape of a vase.
7. As the form was refined, and I quietly hoped the crack would be eliminated, it became clear that this wasn’t going to happen. Instead I began to think about the opening of the jug and how to deal with the crack
Close-up of partially burnt wooden object.
8. By this stage I had decided I would fill the crack with resin, or something similar later, so I burnt its edges to remove sharp material. The area where wood had broken free would be removed when it came to shaping the spout. However, this area is a danger zone that needs to be treated with respect, especially as it simply becomes a ‘ghost’ at high speed
Woodturning vase with crack in progress on lathe.
9. Charred wood was brushed away with a brass brush and cyanoacrylate (CA) glue run into cracks to stabilise them. Some rough-drawn lines gave me an idea of where the spout section would eventually be cut away, and it was clear that I needed to do something more with the cracked area. So my thinking cap went on with a quick solution arrived at, fingers crossed
Craft glue, tweezers, wooden stick, gold leaf pieces.
10. In recent years I’ve experimented with a few different types of materials that can fill voids and find CA coupled with an accelerator the easiest and most efficient method. It produces a clear result with little mess and is nearly instant. You can also embed other materials into it, turning a void into a feature, so this was the option I went with
Wooden bowl repair with resin and gold leaf inlay.
11. A thin CA sealed the surface and wicked its way deep into fine parts of the crack. This was followed with several applications of thick CA and gold leaf, and a quick spray of accelerator to gradually build up enough material to fill the whole void. I aimed to build the surface far enough to be proud of the wood so it could be turned down to match the form. Even though accelerator sets the glue instantly, if you have large pools of glue on your wood, it’s best to give it some time to cure fully, otherwise as you cut through the hardened surface you may expose some soft or liquid glue which will spray out, most likely all over you. Apart from avoiding this, it’s worth pointing out again the value of a full face shield
Close-up of carved wood with resin filling.
12. Once the glue was trimmed down, the form was sanded through to 180 grit. I did need to top up the CA a couple of times and fill in bubbles that were exposed
Woodturning vase on a lathe, creating wood shavings.
13. The form was reversed and supported by the tailstock so excess timber could be parted free. As this stub was quite large, I reduced timber to about 6mm in diameter, stopped the lathe and twisted it free so I could begin hollowing the interior. To make the process simpler, I drilled down to the bottom of the jug, but also cut a small chamfer on the outer lip of the spout so it wasn’t sharp. When drilling on the lathe, especially as the bit was 25mm diameter, it’s best to lower the speed of your lathe (about 400rpm in my case) and withdraw the bit frequently to clear out chips of wood and sawdust. If you don’t, you run the risk of overheating it and possibly causing it to bind in the hole
Woodturning a hollow piece with a laser guide.
14. Initial shaping of the neck was performed as with any other turning of this type. I used a 12mm-deep fluted bowl gouge, but hollowing required a very different approach. I set up my hollowing rig, a very old McNaughton prototype which is not indicative of what’s available these days, so I haven’t included it in my photos. Although clumsy, it still allowed me to hollow the interior safely and with ease. Frequent stops are needed to clear the build-up of shavings in the form, which some turners like to do with compressed air. A laser pointer mounted to the top of the rig indicates where the tip of the tool is when inside the form, so although you’re working in unseen territory, you have some idea of where the tool tip is
Wooden vase with gold resin filling cracks.
15. I’ll confess, deep hollowing isn’t something I do often, nor do I do it well, so please don’t peek inside this form. Once I’d gone as far as I was comfortable with, I sanded the opening of the vase through to 320 grit, making sure I kept my fingers safely away from the jagged edge. The exterior was also sanded using hand-held sandpaper and inertia sanders. As usual, I had my dust extractor chute close to the work as well as running my exhaust fans behind the lathe
Close-up of wood turning on a lathe.
16. The form was now ready to be reversed on to a flange-shaped carrier so the base could be completed. An even-grained softwood (jelutong) was fitted into a scroll chuck and turned to a taper thin enough to slide into the opening of the jug
Close-up of wooden vase being turned on a lathe.
17. Some electrical tape was applied to the carrier to prevent any marks forming where the flange and jug opening met once it was reversed and held in place with the tailstock centre. It’s always difficult to determine how much pressure should be applied via the tailstock, but it should be just enough to ensure the form is pressed firmly on to the carrier and tightly enough to keep the live centre spinning. If it stops, give the hand wheel a small twist until the centre begins to spin again
Partially turned wooden bowl with cracks and rough edges.
18. There was an ‘oops’ moment as I trimmed away excess timber from the tenon…I think the photo is self explanatory. My calculations were way off and I had drilled much deeper than I had thought. Fortunately something had gone astray somewhere between drilling, hollowing and reversing the form, and I only cut partway into the drilled hole – a lucky mistake as it allowed the piece to stay mounted between centres
Woodturning a wooden bowl on a lathe machine.
19. After a bit of thinking, I realised I could salvage the piece by making a plug to fill the hole I’d made, but to do so I needed to cut a V-groove that I could drill to. A round skew laid flat on its side used as a negative rake scraper worked perfectly
Wood burning technique on a lathe-turned wooden object
20. The next matter to deal with was the cracks that were part of cellular collapse in the timber’s drying process. Frequently, I burn these with a gas torch, just as described earlier, however this time I opted to use a pyrography tool to darken the cracks and highlight their beginning and ending points
Cracked wooden bowl being turned on a lathe.
21. The form was sanded through to 320 grit from top to base, ensuring that any stray burn marks were tidied up. Don’t forget to use appropriate breathing protection and dust extraction
Cracked wooden sphere with saw and wood shavings.
22. Removed from the lathe, the remaining section of stub was sawn away, in this case with a Japanese-style pullsaw
Drilling into a cracked wooden sphere.
23. The form was set up on a drill press table and a hole drilled with a stepped drill, initially using its side to widen the hole to the V-groove cut in photo 19, then deepened to ensure a round opening was created for a plug to fit into
Wood lathe turning a wooden finial close-up.
24. To make a plug, I mounted some red gum into a scroll chuck and trimmed the end to a tenon that matched the hole’s diameter, with an undercut shoulder so the outer edge could fit snugly against the jug form. A skew with freshly sharpened tip and sides enables accurate cutting of the tenon and shoulder, checked first with Vernier callipers and then by test-fitting to the drilled hole
Close-up of a milling cutter blade in action.
25. Once correctly dimensioned, the plug was cut free and reversed into another chuck so the outer surface could be shaped, sanded and some decorative V-grooves cut with a diamond-shaped scraper
Wood being shaped using a belt sander.
26. Now it was time to begin setting up the final shape of this project. Waste material was sawn away from the spout of the jug, which was then shaped on my belt sander, aiming to blend the bulbous shape with the spout and eliminating cracks left from cellular collapse. This was followed with hand sanding to blend curves and easing edges to ensure all surfaces flowed, both to the eye and fingertips
Woodturning on a lathe in a workshop.
27. After setting the form up with a few mock supports and potential handle options, I settled on proportions for a stand. A couple of sketches based on many years of visualising balanced shapes guided what I felt would suit this form. Unfortunately, this method doesn’t always work, but you need to go with a gut feel for what is suitable, so some red gum of a bit over 60mm diameter was mounted in a scroll chuck, and trimmed to about 30mm long, 60mm diameter that tapers to 40mm. CA glue was run into cracks
Close-up of woodturning on a lathe.
28. The inner portion of the stand was initially hollowed with a 12mm-deep fluted bowl gouge, then checking the stand’s size against the jug, gradually adjusting its height and outer shape. To get a true impression of proportions, I find it best to take the wood and chuck off the lathe, stand it upright, place the jug on top, and take a few paces back to view the proportions from a distance and in their eventual position, i.e. upright
Detailed close-up of a wooden lathe project.
29. The base was shortened, narrowed at the top and base, and sides curved with frequent trips back to the vertical position it would take under the jug. Once I was satisfied, the inner area of the stand was hollowed to a consistent wall thickness of about 4mm, and sanded inside and out
Wooden piece on a metal lathe.
30. Parted free, the stand was reversed and held in expansion mode on stepped jaws, but without exerting too much pressure so the wood wouldn’t split, but just tight enough so the lower portion could be trimmed to size and sanded
Woodworking tool shaping a wooden ring on a lathe.
31. Using the indexing divisions on the pulley, I drew four equal divisions at the base of the stand so I could later carve away portions to leave a ring with four ‘feet’. Using the toolrest as a platform to support a pen, I was able to ensure all markings were consistent
Close-up of wood carving tool with sawdust.
32. I removed the chuck so I could remove unwanted material, first with a coping saw, then a microfile and then sandpaper wrapped around a suitably sized piece of PVC pipe. Sometimes dowel will work, but it’s a case of using what suits and going with the flow
Woodworking project with stain and painted parts.
33. Once it was shaped to satisfaction, sanded through to 320 grit, and edges eased, I began the process of staining components with black spirit stain. Don’t forget to use suitable rubber gloves to protect your fingers from any chemicals that may cause problems to skin. Looking at the stained components placed into the jug, I realised the main form really needed to be stained as well. This wasn’t something I had planned to do way back in developing initial sketches for the project
Wood spindle being shaped on a lathe.
34. Setting up all components and taking a few steps back to see how the piece looked from a distance, I struggled to come up with a suitable handle. I considered circular options, traditional tea set possibilities, before seeing something simpler and I mounted a piece of red gum into a chuck, trimming it down to a form flared at both ends with a curve that resembled that of the outside of the jug’s profile
Close-up of smoothing wood with chisel.
35. The end was hollowed to almost match the exterior profile, using a variety of tools, including a scraper that just managed to get into the tight curve
Wooden piece being carved on a lathe machine.
36. The interior and outside of the form were sanded through to 320 grit, followed by a couple of V-grooves being cut with a skew to create a visual break in the sweeping curve
Wooden object being shaped on a lathe.
37. The form was parted free from wood held in the chuck and reversed into another scroll chuck, so it too could be hollowed and sanded smooth. You can see that I used thick electrical tape to protect the completed end from any potential chuck marks
Wood carving tools with wood shavings on work surface.
38. To complete shaping of the handle, I cut the flared form in half along its length, carved away some material between the hollowed ends with a microfile and sandpaper, before shaping the upper profile of the handle in a belt sander. By hand sanding I could thin edges here, round edges there, and refine the form to suit the profile of the jug form
Drill bit creating a hole in a marked surface.
39. To join the handle to the jug form, I drilled holes of 2mm diameter on my drill press to accept a stainless steel pin of the same diameter. I use masking tape for accurate marking of any drilling needed, which is very helpful when correct markings on dark wood is required
Black wood vase repair supplies on a table.
40. And now for a final application of appropriate finish, which in my case is a wipe-on, wipe-off polyurethane
Bird sculpture repair tools close-up.
41. The plug and handle were glued in place, but to attach the stand, which needed to be centred, I transferred it to a mini rotating table which allows the project to be viewed from all angles with ease. To ensure glue is applied only to required surfaces, I squeeze a small amount on to a scrap of wood then use a sliver of veneer to place it just where needed. And the project was complete. As for the masking tape? This was used to mark out roughly where the stand needed to go

Conclusion

During the making of this piece, whenever I thought things were going according to plan, another problem arose. As they say ‘anything that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’, so lessons learned are added to my arsenal of solutions I can fall back on in time to come. My envisaged concept changed due to the material I had access to, mistakes made and seeing a new design option. I’m happy to admit to mistakes, but I also enjoy digging myself out of a hole, and if sharing this information with you, the readers of Woodturning, helps you see that we’re all fallible, then I feel my role as a writer is fulfilled. And now for my next potential muck-up!

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