I'm cheap...no, really, I am. I absolutely hate tossing ANYthing away! Consequently, my workshop has a multitude of small pieces of wood laying EVERYwhere. I often find uses for them along the way. Recently there was a discussion on Stave Turning that peaked my attention. Having purchased quite a bit of wood from Ebay that arrived as a square, I have a fair sized pile of "square donuts", the excess left over from cutting a "round" on the band saw. After the Stav Turning thing was firmly anchored in my head, I saw these "donuts" in a whole new light. They consist of 4 corners (90 degree) with a slight inward curve on one side. Measuring out from the 90 degree corner equally on two sides and connecting the marks gives me a triangle with a 90 degree corner and two 45 degree corners. Eight of these gives me what I need to turn a nice bowl/hollow form, etc.
On the lathe, as I type, is just such a project (glue drying on the end pieces) made from two "'donuts" of Flaming Box Elder, 2 1/2 inches thick. Once the triangles were cut, I decided to add some interest to the thing by inserting a piece of 1/4" spalted Poplar between each of the glued 45 degree angles. The Poplar has spalted to an almost black/very dark brown color. I must say, the resulting blank appears to have much promise. I'll post some pictures in a few days when it's finished, or, maybe later today! I am the impatient type.
ANY day I find a method of using waste wood is a good day!
Bob Crawford