I got back out in the shop today for the first time in a while. I decided to split a piece of cherry I’d been saving and turn it.

With the first piece, I had intended to make another French rolling pin, but a few unfortunately placed cracks foiled that plan. Only the middle section was useful. So I turned a dry vase!

With both ends supported, I started by roughing the piece out to make it round, then I turned it to the basic shape I wanted. Then I cut a 2×1.5in holding piece on the big end and took it off of the two centers and cut off the excess. I held the piece in the carpenter’s vice and drilled a 4in hole in the top to put stems and sticks in. Then I mounted the vase in the Nova chuck with only one end supported and sanded it with 150, 220, 400, and 800 grit, then finished it with a beeswax/jojoba oil polish. After cutting it off of the chuck, I sanded the bottom flat.

I can make a couple more of these out of the log I split as long as it doesn’t crack any further!