Silver Poplar HF

Keith Burns

Member
Messages
57
Location
Collierville, TN
Have not posted in awhile so I thought I should. The wood for this piece came from a night time raid on Mark Cothren's stash. I don't think he will miss it unless someone tells him. Anyway it measures 4-3/4" dia. x 5-1/4" tall with walls at 1/8". This wood has so much going on with it. Finish is antique oil and three steps of Beall buff. Comments/Critiques welcome and thanks for looking.
 

Attachments

  • hfs 012 (Medium).jpg
    hfs 012 (Medium).jpg
    40 KB · Views: 31
  • hfs 016 (Medium).jpg
    hfs 016 (Medium).jpg
    28 KB · Views: 15
  • hfs 017 (Medium).jpg
    hfs 017 (Medium).jpg
    27.9 KB · Views: 14
  • hfs 018 (Medium).jpg
    hfs 018 (Medium).jpg
    28.6 KB · Views: 20
Keith

That is certainly a great looking piece.

As a beginning turner, I am trying to develop a sense of "form".

Can you discuss how you decide how to shape the bottom? It may be the photograph, but it seems that a light tap near the top edge would tip that vase over. To me, a piece should present an image of stability, not precarious balance. I have noticed other turners producing forms that have similar characteristics and wonder if I am missing something in evaluating the work. Are there any general height/diameter guidelines that you follow? Does the small base highlight your skill in creating a uniformly thin wall in the HF? Did the blank's size lead you to this shape? Help me understand! :eek:

Thanks for putting up with my questions which flow from my utter lack of experience. I know it is a bit cheeky of me to ask this type of question when I don't yet have the skills to create something of equal craftsmanship. However, if I don't ask questions I'll never learn what to try to accomplish.

Thanks for your patience and understanding

Jay
 
Keith

That is certainly a great looking piece.

As a beginning turner, I am trying to develop a sense of "form".

Can you discuss how you decide how to shape the bottom? It may be the photograph, but it seems that a light tap near the top edge would tip that vase over. To me, a piece should present an image of stability, not precarious balance. I have noticed other turners producing forms that have similar characteristics and wonder if I am missing something in evaluating the work. Are there any general height/diameter guidelines that you follow? Does the small base highlight your skill in creating a uniformly thin wall in the HF? Did the blank's size lead you to this shape? Help me understand! :eek:

Thanks for putting up with my questions which flow from my utter lack of experience. I know it is a bit cheeky of me to ask this type of question when I don't yet have the skills to create something of equal craftsmanship. However, if I don't ask questions I'll never learn what to try to accomplish.

Thanks for your patience and understanding

Jay

Jay, I appreciate the questions and I will do my best to answer them. I
try, notice I said try, to look at a piece of wood and pick a form that will fit it best. I have my "favorite" forms but always try to expand my horizons. With this piece of wood I could see the "flame" and knew I wanted to keep it. With the shape of the blank I didn't have a lot of choices so I decided to try this form, which by the way is the first form like this I have done. Of course, once you start turning, your original idea may change because of something buried in the wood. Design opportunity.

As far as form, there are general rules out there but I've never quite understood them. I try to always make my pieces pleasing to my eye. I try to always make my curves continuous without any flat spots. As far as the size of the foot, I try to make it so that it is pleasing to look at. Bigger bases tend not to be quite as pleasing, to me anyway, on this type of turning. As far as stability, this one is more stable than you might think but if it were to be used to hold flowers it would be unstable. For unilitarian pieces you have to make the turning more stable. The majority of my turnings are "useless" turnings not meant for daily use.

As far as wall thickness, it has nothing to do with much of anything to me anyway except that it matches the piece. If I had left the walls on this one at 1/4" thick it wouldn't have fit the piece. On a 13" diameter salad bowl I would not use
1/8" walls as it wouldn't fit the piece.

The most important part of turning to me anyway, is to have fun and I always try to "turn for myself". If other people happen to like my work, it's just icing on the cake.

I hope I have helped and not just bored you to sleep.
 
Keith

Thank you so much for the reply, no I'm not asleep and I REALLY appreciate the summary of your thought process and how you took those thoughts forward to the finished work.

I look forward to seeing more of your work!

Jay
 
This is A-1 top shelf work, Keith. :thumb: Really impressive!

Next time you go shopping I'm looking for some walnut. Mark's been known to have some now and then.
 
Great... thanks, Keith... that was a piece of wood my grandmother gave me right before she died... it came from a tree her grandfather planted when he was a boy... she wanted me to turn something special from it in her memory... hope you enjoyed it.





:wave:






Seriously......nice piece!!! :thumb:


Did somebody mention Walnut? Here's a quick pic of part of the stash I hauled home yesterday....:D

MalnutStash.jpg
 
Mark, might be my old monitor, but I could not see your stash so well, so I lightened the pic..........

walnut_stash.jpg
Now that I've done that all I can say is..........

YOU SUCK!

:D :thumb: :wave:
 
Top