Preparing blanks for bangles

My bangle stock was running low, so I rummaged through the burn pile for some offcuts and leftovers. I came up with a half round of black walnut, some 8/4 maple and cherry, and some boards of maple and poplar. (In the photo: top and left, black walnut with bark; upper left and lower right, maple; the small red chunk is cherry, and the long board under the cherry, maple, and walnut is poplar.)

I've posted previously about how I make these. To make it easy to remove the bore with a hole saw after turning, I establish the groove from both sides. The centre hole will be reamed out to 3/8" for the lathe screw chuck, and trying to use a hole saw with an oversize guide hole is dangerous and disastrous for workpieces. The groove ensures that the saw doesn't wander later.

After the bores are established, I cut the blanks free with a larger hole saw. Sometimes I cut flats on the tablesaw instead, for polygonal or faceted bangles.

Once a blank is screwed onto the lathe, I use a bowl gouge to true and shape the bangle. I turn one side of the bracelet, then turn the blank around and shape the other side before sanding to remove the gouge marks. The hole saw leaves a coarse finish on the inside of the bore, so I use a sanding drum to smooth and polish it before final hand-sanding and finishing.

Walnut rarely disappoints with its figure, but often it's the offcuts and reject pieces that show the most dramatic  grain. Voids, bark inclusions, splits and knots all look great finished but are usually avoided for most work. I really like redeeming these unwanted scraps.