Cracked, Warped, and Worm-Eaten

Vaughn McMillan

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ABQ NM
This is madrone burl, about 5" wide and 4" tall. In the past, I've had madrone burl crack while drying, so I turned this one to finished thickness and sanded inside and out to 220 grit while it was still wet. After the DNA bath and a few weeks of drying, it cracked nicely (as I was hoping it would) and warped a bit. I didn't re-turn it...I wanted it to be warped. I only sanded the outside by hand to 600 grit and picked out the worm tracks to open up the tunnels. It's finished with Formby's Tung Oil mix inside and out, and buffed with tripoli only, then Renaissance Wax.

The outside surface has lots of subtle (and not so subtle) variations. I left the inside just as it came out of the DNA, so it's relatively smooth, but a definite contrast from the outside. Lots of tactile stuff on this piece. It's fun to hold and study.

Once again, I couldn't choose just a couple pictures, so you'll have to wade through a stack of 'em. :p

HF17 - 05 800.jpg HF17 - 12 800.jpg HF17 - 03 800.jpg HF17 - 13 800.jpg HF17 - 14 800.jpg HF17 - 07 800.jpg HF17 - 06 800.jpg HF17 - 16 800.jpg

I've got three more blanks about this size that I plan to turn soon. Something to break up the monotony of the red eucalyptus. ;)

Comments or critiques are welcome.:)
 
"Cracked, Warped, and Worm-Eaten"

Don't be running this down Vaughn....It's a beauty! That wood really has some character!
 
Yer gettin kinda good at this turnin stuff! :thumb: That's another, in a long line, of very nice pieces. Thanks for sharing!
 
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