Holy Madrone Burl, Batman!

Vaughn McMillan

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This piece of madrone burl was checking faster than I could turn it. I got it roughed to shape and bathed in DNA for a couple of days, then wrapped it up in newspaper for about a month. I unwrapped it a few days ago and it had cracked like a...well, like something that's cracked a lot. It also had a number of worm holes that seemed to fit with the theme.

I decided to try finish turning it, so I puckered up and and got the outside in pretty nice shape with the bowl gouge. Then I got out my square scraper to smooth out the curves a little bit, and the first touch of the scraper blew the piece up into three chunks, two of which went flying. I put it back together with CA, then finished shaping the outside with the 80 grit gouge. I also decided about then that I wasn't interested in trying to lighten up the rim or finish the inside. I know some guys have turned much more dicey pieces of wood, but I'm new enough to this game that I chicken out pretty easily. In the end, I kind of like the chunky collar, and the wall thickness is actually pretty decently thin.

It's about 5" wide x 4" tall, finished with Antique Oil and de-glossed with 0000 steel wool.

HF4aT 800.jpg HF4hT 800.jpg HF4dT 800.jpg HF4eT 800.jpg

Comments and critiques are welcome. :wave:
 
STUNNING!!! My luck would have had one of the three pieces blown to Kingdom Come - rendering it useless to try to glue together. I'm still hunting for one piece of a recent blow-out that I thought I'd be able to salvage.

An absolutly gorgeous piece of wood!
 
I'm thinking you were looking for a full face goalie mask or something while doing that :eek:

I would have bathed it in CA not DNA :rofl:

The results are great! :thumb:
 
Vaughn......Gorgeous piece of wood. Name this one "Vaughn's First Primitive".....One thing you might consider in the future if you want to finish something like that. I live in the Lewiston Orchards. Fruitwood is readily available and as several very experienced turners have asked of me "If you ever figure out how to keep it from cracking, let me know". I've been successful using epoxy and crushed instant coffee crystal to fill cracks and gaps.....Let it cure for a few days and finish turn it. On large cracks I take painters tape and seal the inside of the crack and fill it from the outside.

Turning anything with cracks and crevices takes some courage!
 
Excellent job Vaughan. I have the same problem I got a load of maole last fall sealed the ends and it is splitting faster then I can turn it. You can see some of the cracks i've sealed in my bowls.Anyway great job on saving the piece.
Ken
 
That's a very unique turning, Vaughn. I certainly wouldn't fill the cracks. They "make" the piece IMNSHO.

On future potential "bombs", wrap the piece tightly with plastic stretch wrap before turning the inside. That will help keep it from disintegrating and will capture the pieces if it does decide to come apart.

Thanks for showing.
 
Well Vaughn, you asked for it...

You must have done something right in your next lifetime, cuz the dance between a rookie turner and an old burl that resulted in that holey hollow is truly serendipitous.

Awesome!
 
Thanks for all the nice comments. :wave:
...I've been successful using epoxy and crushed instant coffee crystal to fill cracks and gaps...
I've used that trick quite a bit on the onesy-twosey cracks, but in this case I was reveling in the cracks, and there was no way I was gonna fill them. ;) The epoxy/instant coffee trick does work nicely, though. Taster's Choice Decaf, for me. (Only because that's what LOML has in the cabinet...I don't drink the stuff.)
...On future potential "bombs", wrap the piece tightly with plastic stretch wrap before turning the inside. That will help keep it from disintegrating and will capture the pieces if it does decide to come apart...
Funny you mention that...about two days :doh:after I'd parted off the tenon on this one I read something on the web about using that trick (and also with glass filament strapping tape). Next time I get a dicely one like this I'll be sure to remember that technique.
 
This piece of madrone burl was checking faster than I could turn it. I got it roughed to shape and bathed in DNA for a couple of days, then wrapped it up in newspaper for about a month.

Vaughn,

  • What is DNA?
  • What does it do to the wood?
  • I have some spalted maple, spalted to the point that it is soft and peels almost like rot. Will DNA help, should I try something else, or might it be too far gone??

Here are some pic's of it ........
 

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Vaughn,
  • What is DNA?
  • What does it do to the wood?
  • I have some spalted maple, spalted to the point that it is soft and peels almost like rot. Will DNA help, should I try something else, or might it be too far gone??
Here are some pic's of it ........
Tony, DNA is denatured alcohol. If you soak a roughed-turned piece of green (wet) wood for a day or two in DNA, then wrap it in paper, it'll dry in about a month instead of the 6 to 12 months I've heard it takes non-treated wood to dry. Dennis Peacock had a good write-up on SMC about how he does this method. (I think it was in the Articles section...not sure, but he could probably steer you in the right direction.)

The DNA doesn't strengthen or harden the wood, which is what it sounds like you need for your spalted maple. For cases like that, I've read of folks using wood hardener. Minwax (or at least I think it's Minwax) makes one that's a liquid about as thin as water, so it soaks into the fibers nicely. I've used it to repair dry-rotted trim on the exterior of a house. It was available at the local hardware store or the Borg. Another suggestion I've seen if for the "epoxy coctail". It's a mix of regular 5-minute epoxy and DNA, mixed to the consistency of thin maple syrup. It soaks in pretty well, and once it's cured, the wood's nice and hard.

I have some spalted birch that's about as soft as your maple looks, but I haven't tried any treatment on it yet.

Hope this helps -
 
Thanks for the info Vaughn, I'll see if I can find a hardener, and also try an "epoxy coctail". There's a lot more of that stuff in my firewood pile. LOML couldn't figure out why I was gatherin' new firewood this winter when I already had some :D :D
 
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