Repair and Refinishing Job - More on the History of the Wood

Vaughn McMillan

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Bud is a friend of mine from an Internet travel forum. I’ve known Bud (virtually) for over a decade, and we’ve become good buddies. He’s old enough to be my dad, and probably glad he’s not. As a WWII Navy vet and retired California Highway Patrol officer with a car racing habit, he has a lifetime of stories that are a joy to read. (Here's a pic of Bud's patrol car and the result of a deer hunting trip a few years ago.) Bud's wife passed away a year or so ago, and he's at that stage of his life where he wants to make sure some of his things will be taken care of and appreciated when he's gone.

A while back Bud contacted me and asked if I could help him with his redwood platter. He had a platter that he’d purchased years ago and it needed refinishing. He knows of my lathe work, and figured I have the tools and materials to get the job done. His only stipulation was that he wanted me to keep the platter when I was done. He felt it was a special piece of wood, and he wanted to be sure it would be in the hands of someone who would truly appreciate it. I told him I’d be honored to refinish the platter, and would be proud to add it to my personal collection of turned pieces. Well, somewhere between taking it down off the shelf and getting it boxed to ship, Bud accidentally dropped the platter, and a chunk was broken off the rim. Nonetheless, he taped the piece back in place and shipped it to me, apologizing for the accident.

When I opened the package from Bud, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Inside the box was a platter, 15″ in diameter, made out of the most stunning piece of redwood burl I’d ever seen. The gloss finish was indeed in bad shape, and sure enough, there was a chunk broken out of the rim, but it looked fixable. Here’s how it looked fresh out of the box:

Bud's Platter - 01  800.jpg

After a number of steps over the course of a month or more, here's what I ended up with. It's got a very high gloss and smooth lacquer finish over several coats of polymerized tung oil, but the gloss isn't very apparent in these pictures:

Bud's Platter - 09  800.jpg Bud's Platter - 10  800.jpg

You can see there's a sticker on the back of the piece. This is the label showing who made it, and it also covers the hole where the blank was mounted to the lathe with a screw chuck. Here's a closeup of the label, back in its original position, and also a glimpse at some of the absolutely gorgeous figure in this wood:

Bud's Platter - 11  800.jpg

I did a long write-up with a lot more pics and put it on my blog. Click this link if you're interested in the rest of the story:

http://workingwoods.com/blog/wordpress/2010/07/30/buds-platter/

Even though I didn't turn it myself, this is still one of the nicest pieces of wood that's ever been on my lathe. :thumb: And coming from Bud, it's one of the most cherished pieces in my collection.
 
Thanks guys. ;) I posted this to show off the wood...the work I did was minor compared to what the tree did. ;)

...Did you use epoxy to glue the broken piece back on?

Just Titebond II and a couple rubber bands. Luckily the break was clean and unsplintered. The glue joint has disappeared. I honestly can't find it anymore.
 
Got a response from Bud yesterday on the travel forum. I figured I'd share a bit of the history of this piece of wood...

Beautiful Vaughn !! I knew if it could be restored , you were the one to do it . I waited for years to get the burl I wanted . Rex came through . Being in burl country I had been looking for just what you restored Vaughn . I had several burl shops , factories , etc looking for my idea of a perfect , one in a million birdseye burl . I looked at countless burls as they would call me each time they thought they had my perfect burl . Each time it was not to be . They showed me some burls that would please anyone , but not Bud . After maybe 20 years I was about to give in and admit that I was just looking for something that didn`t or wouldn`t ever exist . One day Rex called me & said I`d better drive up to his factory in Eureka as he had a surprise for me . I figured just another pretty burl . When I walked in I saw the raw burl resting against a lathe . He was just getting ready to cut it into smaller pieces . The burl at that moment was about 4-5` in diameter . He made a thin slice with a chain saw & exposed the pattern . I damn near barfed I was so excited . He made 2-3 more cuts & told me to pick out the one I would like as he was going to turn it any way I wanted & it was to be a gift as I had waited so long & had the samee love of redwood burl as he did . I told Rex that I would like a tray as thin as he could make it & still have it sturdy . He agreede . I had to wait several days to see it in it`s first form , but it was exactly what I had been waiting for all those years . I think it was 1964 as I picked it up finished on my way home from Hawaii . It was the most beautiful piece of wood work I`d ever seen . I put it in a hanger type harness in my den . The darn thing broke , but the tray just slid down on to my filing cabnet . I left it there & over time we put things in it that scratched it causing Vaughn much pain & confusion . I can`t believe yuou could get it back to more than it was in beauty Vaughn . I`m also very veryt happy you will keep,it in your collection . That way I will know it will be around for a long time . I would guess you could name your own price for it & be reckless with the amount , but some collector that saw that birdseye without a knot or other blemish would pay a kings ransom to get it . You , or anyone else may not & probaby will not dever see a piece of birdeye like that again as it`s illegal to cut burl now & has been for a long time . If it`s of any importance to you or anyone else , Rex could only get four pieces of birdseye out of that one burl . He made one tray for me , kept one for himself & the other two wound up in the white house , Can`t remember which president , but it was for his own personal use . The tax payers were not hooked for those two items . Not so sure it wasn`t Ronnie Baby , but don`t quote me . Anyway Vaughn I can`t thank you enough for keeping my dream alive . I hope you can pass it along with your family tree . You did good Pal !!!

I don't know who's happier...him or me. :D
 
great story and a verty fitting end of the sage vaughn,, i have some chairs that have some similar figure.. but nothing as specail as your piece..glad you were able to be a part of its journey
 
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