Shrink Pot Project

I selected a nice straight log of birch for this project that was free from knots and cleaned up the bark to keep the work from becoming dirty. I then selected a nice sized bit, the one shown is an unusual type as the blade sweeps back on itself.

I then used the bit to drill right through the log.

I then drilled a series of holes making sure that I did not have the wood too tightly gripped in the vice as these can put massive amounts of pressure on the timber and split it.

I then cleaned up the log with a sharp knife, some carving chisels and my Ben Orford crook knife.

 with a bit more cleaning up it was then time to cut a grove into the base in which the pot bottom would sit. I marked this out using an old carpenters marking gauge.

This has a little scratch pin on it which marks the wood. I then used this mark to make a grove using a Frosts carving knife, and the Ben Orford crook knife which is a knife with a bent blade that is wonderful for shaping the insides of bowls.

The next job was to select a section of sycamore and split it down with an axe and wooden mallet until I had created a thin board. I then marked it with the shape of the inside and outside of the timber.

It was then a case of carefully cutting the board down until it resembled a thin oyster shape thinner on the edge so it would fit into the grove I had made. It was then a case of gently tapping the base into the end of the Birch tube until it slotted into the grove.