The Humble Grumble

Monday, 30 May 2011

Arbortech Art

Arbortechs come in a couple of different models. The one I most covet costs around £120 for the blade, so I make do with the baby attachment which I needed first and bought some years ago. This one fits onto a standard angle grinder by means of a plastic housing and a wheel which drives the cutting blade by means of a little rubber band.

The idea is you turn your item and either stop the lathe or start carving at it while it rotates. A face shield is a necessity, as are ear muffs and a strong set of arms to hold the dancing apparatus steady enough to make it do what you want it to do.

Sunday is the day when I turn for pleasure - the rest of the week is for production work.

Here is a 'Playtime Platter'

Name: Approaching 50
Wood: Sycamore
How it was done: Turned, dyed and ebonised, arborteched while stationary. Remounted slightly off-centre (a miniscule amount) and arborteched again while the lathe was spinning slowly to get that worn away effect. Cleaned up with a brass brush and hand sanding, then spray lacquered. The underneath was arborteched while the lathe was stationary, then ebonised and lacquered.

I was pleased with this one.

Similar items are available to buy from my webshop in Bowls, Platters, Plates and Hollow Forms