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Some time back, I got a large slab of Michigan chocolate from Larry. Although most of that slab will become a table of some sort, part of it ended up on the lathe.
A bit over a year ago, I turned a large platter out some of the allotted lathe wood. It looked nice, had a good finish on it, but something about the form didn't really hit my buttons. I intentionally left it pretty thick. Although I showed it at a couple of shows last year, I wasn't completely happy with it for some reason. It just didn't feel right in my hands.
Within a few months, the platter had warped quite a bit...about 1/2" within the 15 1/2" diameter. It wouldn't sit on a table without rocking. I had obviously hurried too much to get it finished and not let it dry after rough turning it.
A couple of weeks ago, I finally decided to take it back into the shop to see if I could turn the warp out of it. Long story short, I was able to make it flat again, I simplified the form, and ended up with a thin (about 3/8" thick) platter made of some of the prettiest walnut crotch wood I've ever seen.
Here's the before:
And here's the after:
It's much simpler now, which I think shows off the figure in the wood much better. It's also much lighter, which, at least to me, feels better in my hands. Now I'm happy with it.
Comments, critiques, and questions are all welcome.
And thanks, Larry!
A bit over a year ago, I turned a large platter out some of the allotted lathe wood. It looked nice, had a good finish on it, but something about the form didn't really hit my buttons. I intentionally left it pretty thick. Although I showed it at a couple of shows last year, I wasn't completely happy with it for some reason. It just didn't feel right in my hands.
Within a few months, the platter had warped quite a bit...about 1/2" within the 15 1/2" diameter. It wouldn't sit on a table without rocking. I had obviously hurried too much to get it finished and not let it dry after rough turning it.
A couple of weeks ago, I finally decided to take it back into the shop to see if I could turn the warp out of it. Long story short, I was able to make it flat again, I simplified the form, and ended up with a thin (about 3/8" thick) platter made of some of the prettiest walnut crotch wood I've ever seen.
Here's the before:
And here's the after:
It's much simpler now, which I think shows off the figure in the wood much better. It's also much lighter, which, at least to me, feels better in my hands. Now I'm happy with it.
Comments, critiques, and questions are all welcome.
And thanks, Larry!