Some California Mesquite

Vaughn McMillan

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ABQ NM
Some friends of mine about 1 1/2 hours southeast of here lost a big mesquite in the storms we had in SoCal last December. I stopped by and picked some up on my way back home from NM earlier this month. (I actually stopped by their tree trimmer's place. He'd stockpiled it in his woodlot, planning to sell it as firewood once it's dried.) I could only fit three chunks (80 pounds or so each) in my loaded SUV, but I'm planning to get back down there with the pickup before too long and get a real haul. There were some BIG chunks in the pile. This stuff was still sloppy wet, and nice to turn. I turned these all to finished thickness, then let them dry a couple weeks. They didn't move much, although the flatter bowls warped a bit.

All these are finished with Formby's Tung Oil Finish and buffed with PL compound, with Renaissance wax over that.

10" x 2 3/4", with a burned and beveled rim:

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10" x 2", with a dyed rim:

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8 1/4" x 3 1/4, with a boring rim:

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5 3/4" x 5 1/2", about 1/8" thick walls:

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When I go back to the woodlot, I plan to take a pickup load of oak to give to the guy for his firewood stash. It's dried and cracked too much for me to use, and it should help make up for some of the lost potential income the guy would be getting from the mesquite. (The wood guy is a good friend of my friends through their church, so he had no qualms about me taking some of the wood. The oak will be a bonus for him.)

C & C welcome, as always.
 
All very cool Vaughn. Nicely done! :thumb:

I guess the whole mesquite scene must happen somewhat south of me. Turners in the local clubs will occasionally show-and-tell something made from mesquite, but it seems to be more rare than many imported woods. I don't know if that's because it's not an "exotic" or what, but you'd think it would show up more often around here. :huh:
 
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I will be right there to help you load some in my...uhhh....your truck:rofl::rofl:. All winners, even the boring rim. I like the grain on the HF...very flowing kinda something.
 
Fantastic. Love that hollow form one. The form just works and I like the understated beauty of the mesquite... :thumb:

I mean it's not like the grain is all that wild, but it really has some interesting variations to it!
 
That's a nice little collection of mesquite turnings, Vaughn. Hard to pick a favorite, but maybe that first one would look good in my house!;)
 
For those of you that enjoy Mesquite I would invite you to come see the Texas Mesquite Art Festival. The Art Festival is held every year in San Angelo and Fredericksburg Texas.
http://www.texasmesquiteassn.org/gallery.html

Vaughn, the mesquite you turned appears to be Honey Mesquite. You said each chunk was about 80 lbs. Here a picture of one mesquite tree I cut down. The trunk of the tree is hidden from view. It is next to the cab. The trunk was nearly four feet in diameter. I estimate the trunk weighed over 1,000 lbs. The logs you see are the limbs of the tree. I have been making turnings from this tree now for over 3 months. I have yet to turn half the tree up.

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Terry
 
Those are very nice Vaughn... a mesquite bowl is what got me into this turning stuff to begin with... I saw a bowl in Fredericksburg, TX and commented that I would like to learn to do that... the wife told my son who brought me a lathe for Christmas... never mind that it was a Ridgid spindle lathe.. slowest speed 750 rpm... but sure got me hooked.

Love the shape of the bowls and what you did to the rim of the one with dark rim.... even like the little bit of warp I see.
 
Love that mesquite, but haven't turned any green wood ..... yet! Interesting bowls and a very nice HF, all southwesterny and all.....:thumb:
 
Very nice work, I'm partial to the bowls myself, mainly because I've never attempted a hollow form!

The Mesquite has some real nice color, and that dyed rim is an excellent touch.
 
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