I can never underestimate the therapeutic value of time on the lathe.  Besides (usually) ending up with a nice finished piece to show for my work, the focus required in turning does a remarkable job of blocking out the noise in life.

Feeling a bit stressed lately, I recently took advantage of a rainy day to turn a small lidded box.  I enjoy turning lidded boxes – they require a variety of turning skills and multiple steps to complete.  You have to be very purposeful of your cuts, as the wrong order will present a dead-end on being able to hold the piece.

I know, I know, you want a detailed how-to and some in-process shots, but I got so focused on creating this small piece that pictures were the last thing on my mind.  I’ll create a full tutorial soon, complete with instructions and pictures.

The box is polished walnut, around 5 inches tall.  It is finished in one coat of tung oil.  I’m always amazed at how nice this wood finishes out.  This walnut was from my collection of found logs from a burn pile at a local road widening project.  While not free once you consider the cost of wax, chainsaw, bandsaw and time, it’s very gratifying to take a piece of wood destined to be burned and turn it into a finished piece of art.