Big nuts.

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Skye

Skye

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Joined
Jan 3, 2006
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Rock Hill, SC
So I've had these jumbo tagua nuts at the house, not sure what to do with them. I wanted to try the carving, but I lack the couple hundred bucks for the air grinder. So, I turned out an other little box from one. Nothing special, there's tool marks on the ebony finial, there's CA bubbles in the black fill, walls are thicker than I'd like, it's not as deep as it should be. But, it gave me something to do and a starting point for little boxes. If you've got any cut offs and some time to burn, they're pretty fun!

tagua2.jpg


tagua1.jpg
 
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40 views and only one reply? What were people thinking when they clicked the thread? Crazies!

I made another one, even smaller a while back. I wanted to try something with a finial though. I may need to get some turning spindles so I can try some more. Too bad they're pretty much useless items.
 
Very nice work Skye. I have wanted to try some of this material and have never found out where to get it. Send me your scraps and I will take care of them for you. :')
 
"OK what the hell are Tagua nutts"
i'm not real sure, but they are often referred to as "vegetable ivory"
i got a sack of them in with some stuff that i bought. been wondering if i should sell/trade them or just what to do with them?
 
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lookin good, skye. I appreciate your honesty about the quality of your work and the flaws we cannot see.

I enjoy little useless items like this more than big projects sometimes. May I comment that the finial makes it look a little like a spinning top? I would think either make it shorter or more elaborate/delicate if you want to keep the height.
 
We'll they're basically dried seeds that come in a big spiky pod that come from a tree similar to a palm from what I gather. I know that's kinda technical jargon there... lol

Scraps, well there's not much left of these things but dust by the time you turn one. There's not a whole lot there to being with. Most are the size of walnuts, the larger ones maybe the size of an egg. (I'm trying sooo hard to behave here.)

I've seen people use the larger ones for pen blanks, but you have to be creative because they have a void in the center, so there's some fill work to be done, but the result is a nice creamy ivory with a contrasting fill. A 'Worthless Nut' blank if you will.

Mike, CSUSA is where I got the large and medium ones. Come in a bag of a dozen or so.

Brandon, for me that was elaborate, lol! I've never made a finial on anything, never mind something so small. I have a new appreciation for birdhouses and Christmas ornaments now! I'll probably go for something more intricate next time though.
 
Skye said:
40 views and only one reply?
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Don't worry Skye, the silent majority think you're awesome :biggrin:

You did a real nice job with the tagu nut boxes! At my wood turning clubs turn-a-round this weekend one of the guys was turning those. It was the first time I had seen them, I was amazed at the color and luster they polish to. Beautiful.
 
Hmmm..now that I see it, it's cool. I'm not sure the use on it though. I do however think it would make a cool pipe! The color is very nice, like coconut, and the black is a good choice for the pipe tube.
 
Skye said:
40 views and only one reply? What were people thinking when they clicked the thread? Crazies!

I made another one, even smaller a while back. I wanted to try something with a finial though. I may need to get some turning spindles so I can try some more. Too bad they're pretty much useless items.
Click to expand...

They're not useless. I'm sure that my wife would like to have one by each sink to hold rings. Besides, people tend to display (rather than use) hand-made boxes. I think it's really cool. I've asked Santa for a set of jaws so that I can start making bowls and boxes.
 
Yeah, that helps a lot. If nothing else (for miniatures) you can use a face plate and a small waste block. I just glue my nuts to the waste block.


........oooooh boy......
 
Why yes.... yes I do.

The hard part is getting a flat surface to glue to. I don't have a bandsaw so I held one nut in my plastic saw box and went to town.

Now, I don't know if you've ever had one of your nuts in a miter box, but it's not an easy thing to do. It keeps wanting to roll around and bind up the box saw (which isnt exactly a piece of surgical equipment to begin with), so it took a while. Lots of sweat and gritting of teeth.

I slather CA on both the nut and the block, bring the tailstock in to squish the two together tightly, then shoot accelerator at the joint.

Although hysterical, this info is 100% accurate.
 
Skye said:
Why yes.... yes I do.

The hard part is getting a flat surface to glue to. I don't have a bandsaw so I held one nut in my plastic saw box and went to town.

Now, I don't know if you've ever had one of your nuts in a miter box, but it's not an easy thing to do. It keeps wanting to roll around and bind up the box saw (which isnt exactly a piece of surgical equipment to begin with), so it took a while. Lots of sweat and gritting of teeth.

I slather CA on both the nut and the block, bring the tailstock in to squish the two together tightly, then shoot accelerator at the joint.

Although hysterical, this info is 100% accurate.
Click to expand...

Dude.. best laugh I've had in a long time.THANKS!:biggrin:
 
You're quite welcome John. I'm sure you'll crack a smile anytime you see those nuts in a magazine. .... I mean like woodturning magazines.

Thanks sparkawk. If had a nickle every time I heard that, I'd have a new lathe fo sho.
 
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