need advice

Karda, I make cylinders exactly like that when making what I call “spice jars”. Basically turned wood ” boxes”. These are a few that haven’t been gifted yet. The woods are cherry and walnut.
Regards, The Kentucky Toolsmith!

-- "Good enough" is just another way of saying "it could be better"...

those boxes are nice and about what I would make but these blocks are about as wide as they are short. The unturned one I can turn down but The other I am stuck because I have already remove the lid

My go to for short is alway something with a curve to give it some character. Starting at the lid line just cut a sweeping curve on the bottom and top. The top will obviously be a little flatter, but you have enough meat on the bottom to give it a nice curve.

It should end up with a nice look.

-- No honey, that's not new, I've had that forever......

Also I have added to the design of a plain item by “burning” in accent lines with a “burning wire”. I use a twisted stainless steel wire used for shark fishing leaders but most flexible steel wire should work…some picture hanging wire is multi strand and flexible.

It helps to make a slight thin groove in the wood where you want the line(s) to be so the wire doesn’t wander and then hold the wire in the groove as the item spins on the lathe until it smokes. Leaves a nice black line(s)....grouping of 3 lines look nice. Equally spaced or varied spacing.
Plenty of instructions on the internet…search “burning lines on lathe”.

Another accent is to cut in small half round beads. They work well where the top and bottom meet and even help disguise the actual joint.

-- Les B, Oregon

thanks for the suggestions, I didn’t think of the burning wire I’ll try to remember that

Here is something I turned a short red oak ‘cookie’ into – a potpourri box. For those paying attention, you may notice that it’s just a pretty typical end grain lidded box, but with some fancy scroll work on top. I was looking to do one without using one of those metal potpourri top insert things that you see everywhere. Oddly enough, this one also has two lines burned into it like Les mentioned – made with just a piece of long wire held against the piece as it was turning. And yes, turning a very small groove first does make it much easier!

Cheers,
Brad

-- Brad in FL - In Dog I trust... everything else is questionable

that is a nice box the detail on the top must have taken forever

ok i have the box done the bowl tenon has been removed, by the way Jerrys steady rest work well on large boxes. i am working on the top. The above picture on the right is the shape I stayed with my problem is a knob, the tenon isn’t to deep so I can’t get much from that and I don’t want to take to much from the top, any suggestions. thanks

Id probably make the knob from some other stock and just turn a small socket for it to glue into.

-- No honey, that's not new, I've had that forever......

Here is one I did a while back. I put a couple of beads to sort of hide where the lid joint was but a groove would work too.

This was before I sanded and finished it.

-- Nathan, TX -- Hire the lazy man. He may not do as much work but that's because he will find a better way.

thanks fore the idea, whats the wood

Easter Red Cedar.
BTW, the nob was shaped from the tenon I used to mount it on the chuck.

-- Nathan, TX -- Hire the lazy man. He may not do as much work but that's because he will find a better way.

ok thanks i have never seen cedar done with all red wood

ok I am shaping the top and I can’t get enough for a nob so what I want to do is shape a place for a knob and glue a piece on and finsh turn the knob. How can I glue to end grain and have it hold especially if it is end grain to end grain

Turn a small recess in the top like a socket so the knob slips in 3/16 or a 1/4”. Leave a matching tenon on the knob.

More or less like you did for the box lid in the body but keep it tight. That will give you a centered knob as well as being plenty strong.

-- No honey, that's not new, I've had that forever......