So the holidays are past. I have worked some on the bed project but I have reached the mundane detail sanding stage. Also the finish has not been decided on yet.
So, I needed a diversion. I wanted to use the lathe again. So I stole a few pieces of firewood from my Dad. Turns out it is Elm. I set about turning a lamp base. The base is about 14 inches tall and I had to work around the split ends. My wife and I thought it was to short so I turned a "candle" for the top and now it is just shy of 22 inches. The final height is to be determined, I think it will depend on the shade and location. I stained the base with a combination of English Walnut and Light Cherry to achieve a dark brown with a hint of red. The candle is natural. The finish is furniture paste wax burnished in on the lathe. The biggest challenge turned out to be drilling the cord hole down the middle. I will have to look into a better way than the 3/8 inch super long drill bit.
