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Zebrawood Ginger Jar

Mike Stafford

Mike Stafford

Member
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2,352
Location
Coastal plain of North Carolina
I've had this piece of zebrawood collecting dust for quite a while. It was left from a much larger stick from which I made several boxes. I decided that I would use it whole and make a ginger jar.

Ginger jars were originally designed by the Chinese to hold and protect spices. Well, you don't want to put any spices in this stinky zebrawood ginger jar. If you haven't turned zebrawood you are not in for a treat. It smells like a wet dog and to further isolate the origin of the smell it comes from just under the tail joint.

Anyway, you get my drift. This ginger jar is about 6" tall. The grain in this wood is very straight and rewards the turner with an almost perfect grain alignment between body and lid when assembled.

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Ryan Mooney said:
If it smelled as nice as it looks it would be all roses.

The grain alignment is amazing, just perfect.
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I was lucky that this piece of zebrawood was very straight grained. That always helps. I look for box turning stock that has straight grain.

Here is another box from the same piece of wood. Sometimes lucky is just picking the right piece of wood.:)

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Man, oh man, Mike. There are turners, and then there are turners! Your pieces are alway impeccable! And they do not include fancy segmenting, or fancy finishing... it is just form and preciseness that sets yours apart... Seriously your work is always A++. I always look forward to seeing it.
 
Paul Douglass said:
Man, oh man, Mike. There are turners, and then there are turners! Your pieces are alway impeccable! And they do not include fancy segmenting, or fancy finishing... it is just form and preciseness that sets yours apart... Seriously your work is always A++. I always look forward to seeing it.
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Thank you Paul. And thanks to everyone else. I think there is nothing more rewarding than having your peers say something nice about your work.

I appreciate all the comments.
 
Haven't turned zebrawood in a while, but don't remember the smell... do remember it's pretty hard wood.

LOML has suggested I do some turnings like yours..... don't know if I can compete with you beautiful pieces. Plus most of my woods now are rather non-de script... not much grain pattern.
 
Like the simple but precis rim treatment, to me the abrupt change in contour from the curved shoulder to the neck collar accentuates the body form.

Most of the Zebrano I've ever acquired has been in large slab form and from the outer seconds area of the trunk (budget limited) and therefore short on close grain sections, never the less it has always looked attractive with the contrasts and holds its colour well over the years.
 
Chuck Ellis said:
Haven't turned zebrawood in a while, but don't remember the smell... do remember it's pretty hard wood.

LOML has suggested I do some turnings like yours..... don't know if I can compete with you beautiful pieces. Plus most of my woods now are rather non-de script... not much grain pattern.
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Chuck, there is not a competition for me when I am turning. I turn for the fun of it. If I didn't enjoy the process I wouldn't do it.

There are things you can do with nondescript wood to liven them up. I started turning by turning red and white oak. I made them more interesting by dying the wood and wiping on liming wax or Rub 'n Buff. I have done both successfully. There are a myriad of available dyes out there. Shoe and leather dyes, Rit dyes and of course there are dyes specifically formulated for wood. Texture, grooves, and beads can add character to a piece. Add a little dye to those features and suddenly you have art.

When I was turning a lot of oak I used to dye the turning black and it bore an amazing resemblance to wenge when finished. Light colored woods dye easily and can mimic exotics.
 
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