http://www.truffuls.com/news.php News + Updates on your favorite turned delights. en-us The names Trufful™ & Truffuls™, all pieces created and all images, photos and artwork used are completely and solely owned and designed by the artist. No one may use, copy, duplicate, resell or otherwise distribute my work, or profit from it without my prior written permission. Please respect the work of all artists, including Mother Nature! Without them our world would surely be bleak. melissa@truffuls.com http://www.truffuls.com/truffmin/_files/rss/blog/5f59f_apple-pink200.jpg http://www.truffuls.com/news.php 88 31 News + Updates on your favorite turned delights. http://www.truffuls.com/news.php?blog_id=28 ... the battle zone haze across the far field. The battered and torn soldier slowly limped into view, dragging her chainsaw limply behind her.<br /><br />Yes, gentle readers, I have returned! A week shy of 13 months after my 3rd spinal surgery I am finally back in my shop. While I did do a few tiny projects last November at the Long Island Woodworkers Show and 1 ornament and a small bowl in December while visiting my folks in Florida I haven't touched&nbsp; my lathe since then.<br /><br /><img height="200" width="150" align="left" alt="new bowl" src="http://www.truffuls.com/truffmin/_files/Image/PJ1.jpg" />I grabbed a cheap block of Ambrosia Maple and slapped on a faceplate. Figured I'd use it to warm up, refresh my David Ellsworth workshop skills and try out what I learned from a Jimmy Clewes bowl/platter demo at AAW's recent symposium in Hartford, CT.<br /><br />It was just getting a touch punky in spots and the end grain was real dry. What the hell, it was just supposed to be a warm up piece.<br /><br />Initial shaping done, I slapped on a coat of sanding sealer and it suddenly came alive. Seeing this and the happy cheers of my Twitter pals I continued.<br /><br />Finished and sanded the inside, flipped it over, shaped and sanded the outside and parted it off.<br /><br />Here are a few phone pix of it with its first coat of oil.<br /><br /><img height="150" width="200" src="http://www.truffuls.com/truffmin/_files/Image/PJ2.jpg" alt="" /><img height="150" width="200" src="http://www.truffuls.com/truffmin/_files/Image/PJ3.jpg" alt="" /><img height="150" width="200" src="http://www.truffuls.com/truffmin/_files/Image/PJ4.jpg" alt="" /><br />It even has a touch of birdseye figure. I just now put on the third coat of oil. Probably will give it another 2 coats of oil and let it cure. I will be applying some decorative touches to this as soon as the supplies arrive.<br /><br />I've also started making pendants with a new off-center %28eccentric%29 chuck I got at the Symposium. I'm still in the exploration stage but here is my first one.<br /><br />This is Tulipwood<br /><img height="187" width="200" src="http://www.truffuls.com/truffmin/_files/Image/tulip1a.jpg" alt="front" /><img height="183" width="200" src="http://www.truffuls.com/truffmin/_files/Image/tulip1c.jpg" alt="back" /><br />I'll post more soon. I have a second one that I embedded some crystals in but haven't taken a picture yet. More will be on the way soon. I'll spend today making more and finishing my new high power wood burner. Sanjay & I are converting a car battery charger into a more beefy burner than the one my son, PJ, made for me. I use that for more delicate work with commercial pens & nibs. The new one is more for completely covering a piece in larger patterns. <br /><br />So, I'm back! I hope you'll stay subscribed to my blog to keep up on the happenings in Truffuls Woodturning Studio! AAW's Symposium really got the juices flowing and I learned so much I want to explore. So much wood, so little time!