How about a Wood Hard Hat?

[Thor's Hammer]

http://gearjunkie.com/wood-sports-helmets

 

[MasterBlaster]

I'd like to have one, just for the halibut. I bet it's an expensive, heavy mofo!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I would like to see Stig turn one out of his pretty Burls.... Or Jay out of something exotic.

 

[canadiantreeman]

Those sure are purdy. If I ever got into climbing comps, I'd definitely rock one of those!

 

[woodworkingboy]

Stay in the sun too long and it seems like it would crack.

 

[OTGBOSTON]

Those sure are purdy. If I ever got into climbing comps, I'd definitely rock one of those!

There is no way it would pass gear inspection.

pretty cool though!

 

[stig]

Stay in the sun too long and it seems like it would crack.

Nope.
I assume they are made the same way as other turned headgear. Turned thin, and wet-formed.
Lots of turners here make hats. I don't.
Johannes Michelsen came up with the wooden hat idea, and I don't like to plagiarize, so I never got into turned hats.

 

[Husabud]

My father has been turning hats for about 8 years now. There isn't a huge market for them, mostly show. Pricey too. I'll see if I can get a few pics of his.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Stig, what do you mean by "wet formed"?

 

[stig]

Turned wet, then pressed into shape while they dry, so they fit a normal persons head.
Not many of us in the western world have perfectly spherical heads, though it is probably going to be the "in" thing in North Korea, judging from the pictures of their new grand supreme leader.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Thanks. I'm also curious why the hats wouldn't respond the way wood normally does to direct heat or drying winds, by the end grain checking? Would that potential have been eliminated somehow in the making process?

 

[stig]

If you turn wood thin enough, it won't check. Instead it'll bulge.
Like if you imagine making a bowl from a whole log, center included.
Normally that would split, but if you turn it wet and make it thin enough, the center of the log will make a bulge and get rid of the force from radial+tangential schrinkage that way.
Let me see if there are some pictures of Bert Marsh's work to steal from the internet.
He did a lot of bowls like that.
I took a course with him about 15 years ago, he was one of the great English master turners, sadly he died this year.

Here is an example, you can clearly see the bulge in the log center:



Go check Bert's stuff out here, from a Del Mano exhibition.
I think you'll like it, very clean forms, no frills, just lovely woodwork:http://www.delmano.com/exhibitions/2010/mainExhibitions/BertMarsh2/exhibition_01.htm

 

[woodworkingboy]

Thanks, I get it, the wood can move to eliminate the stress.

 

[canadiantreeman]

There is no way it would pass gear inspection.

pretty cool though!

Tha bastids!

 

[Marc-Antoine]

I'd like to have one, just for the halibut. I bet it's an expensive, heavy mofo!

for the expensive side :

We are hoping to have the helmets available within the next 2-4 months, with prices varying between $350-$400 for the standard line and more for the “custom” line.