I've been turning lidded boxes with finials, thanks to Don Bollinger in
rec.crafts.woodturning, a form I'd unknowingly been heading for
- the Super Egg / Hyper Ellipsoid. The latter is a very tipsy 3-D
object that will always right itself.

So from Barbara's demonstration of mini-turning, seeing and finding
out how Lloyd did a small hollow bead (members of the Silicon Valley
Woodturners, a club I recently joined) and a "blew through the bottom"
attempt at turning a small bowl I had the socket/cup for a ball and
socket joint - making the ball being the easy part.

I now had a tipsy turned lidded box idea and I had a ball and socket
swivel joint. Turn a socket/cup in the top of the tipsy box, a ball
on the end of a finial, add a counter weight and I've made a playful
tipsy box with a finial that remains vertical as the box under it rocks
and rolls.

Now my lidded boxes don't have to be static. Touch the box and it
will wobble - but the finial will remain vertical. Pick it up by the
finial
and the box can pendulum below it. Pick up the box and tilt it and
the finial will pendulum.

I'm working on adding more counter balanced swivel joints to elements
around the sides of this idea.

If you want to learn more about the genesis of this idea, how to make
the parts, including an easy way to make the socket/cup, here's the
url

http://web.hypersurf.com/~charlie2/T...culation0.html

No reason why your next turned piece has to become static once it's
removed from the lathe. Try it, you'll like it.

charlie b