2 recent turnings - maple bowl, square quilted maple platter.

Messages
42
Location
Frisco TX
Here are two recent pieces. Sorry for the pics but that's what you get with an iPhone. I have a great photo tent with graduated background but I have absolutely nowhere to set it up anymore. So I hung an old sheet from the kitchen rack.

First piece - Silver maple from a neighbor's tree that came down in a micro-burst. I guess it spalted a little bit. I started turning this piece the morning of my mother's memorial in Jan. I needed something to occupy my time and get people out of my face. Spinning wood at 1000 RPM makes people keep their distance. All the wood from this tree has been fascinating with wild figure, spalting/staining, etc. I pyro'd the rim lightly because it seemed to need something. The original thought was to do a heavy/dark pyro band. I'm still undecided. Sanded to 800. Finished with mineral oil to limit any coloration. Size 5 1/8w X 1 7/8h on a 1/8 in high foot.
IMG_0076 resize.jpgIMG_0080 resize.jpgIMG_0081 resize.jpg

2nd piece - Quilted maple. This is an end cut of a board so there is only a limited amount of figure. This piece was done for my turning club's quarterly challenge last night. However, I should have read the rules because the finished piece is 14 5/8 in diameter and the rules allow 9-11in entries. Although, it is 10.5 in on the short-side...I was DQ'd. Doing a square platter was strictly a whim. I had laid out for a 10.5 in round platter. It is a decent piece. Wish I had used a fourth color. More figure would have made this a prettier piece. I encountered a fair amount of flex in the corner wings right at the transition to the body. As a result, I didn't go as thin as I wanted. Consequently, I can feel a little thickness variation. Sanded to 3200. Finished with Deft Spray-on Semi-gloss lacquer (rattle can). You can see the chatoyance a little better in the last picture which was with the flash turned on. Size: 14 5/8w X 1 7/8h on a 1/8 in high foot.

IMG_0082 resize.jpgIMG_0084 resize.jpgIMG_0083 resize.jpg

FYI...Both pieces were finished on the vacuum pump that I posted as a process thread on this forum a few weeks ago. I had to make a smaller vacuum chuck for the bowl. The platter was on the vacuum pump for 2 straight hours while I sanded and finished the bottom. solid 17 in/mg...19 in/mg when I finally finished it.
 
Last edited:
i am not a turner but i was under the opinion that you needed to have the blanks cut so the pith was out of them but on your bowl i see the pith is about a inch or so below the rim of the bowl.. if that is what i see then for a crotch section one would want the to be cut like that as well to get he most out of a crotch???
 
You are absolutely correct on cutting the pith out. This piece is basically a scrap piece from a tree limb that had been sitting around for 5 yrs. So it was completely dry and stable. I guess the stresses in limbs is less; I did cut the pith out of the trunk sections of this tree. I didn't really notice the pith until I was applying the finish and it would not take any. For a crotch piece, I would cut the pith out, too.
 
Chip I like them both, but like Mohammed, I'm not a fan of dyed pieces. I tend to go thicker on bowls and that first one is great! I think the pyro looks good with the figure too. Thanks for sharing! :thumb:
 
Nice work on both. The first is my favorite, with the wall thickness, the pyro work and coloring of the wood make it look to me like something from the ancient times. back in the days of Rome.
 
Wow Chip!! I like the symbolism of the bowl. The platter is really cool! Takes some stones to color that kind of wood...I like it a lot and will be sending M&M's so it's not alone!
 
Very nice, Chip. :clap: Mohammad and Jeff obviously need glasses, because the second piece is clearly superior. :rofl: (Seriously, that's only personal opinion because I like to color nicely figured maple.) ;)
 
Top