A Ginko Non-Funnel

Stuart Ablett

Member
Messages
15,917
Location
Tokyo Japan
I've been having some fun :rolleyes: on the lathe as of late, blowing up this, funneling that........ :bang:

........ but........ this one FINALLY turned out OK..........

ginko1.JPG ginko2.JPG ginko3.JPG

I know, I know, totally crap pics, sorry about that.......... :eek:

It is about 8" in diameter, and maybe 4" tall.

This wood is complete crap, I'm sorry I ever got it. It is SO soft, when buffing it, the cotton wax wheel would dent the wood :doh:

Oh well, great practice on my cuts, as it is so soft, if my cuts were not nice, it would just tear out.

I was talking to Eli Avisera about this wood, as one day when we went touring around Tokyo, he asked me what "That" tree was (typical turner eh) and I told him "Ginko", but it is really crap to turn, way too soft. He said that while it may not make good pieces, it will make great practice......... and he was right.

I started sanding on this piece at #220 :D

Like I said, not a work of art, or anything special, not really functional, as it will get dinged up in a hurry, but great practice for making nice smooth cuts, so I'm happy.

Cheers!
 
Stuart, ehhhh, bad pictures, that wood is crap, and more of that, man you did a great job, I love it. :thumb::thumb:
 
To heck with functionality...I think this is one of my favorites of the bowls you've done. Great job, Stu. :clap:

(Ain't it nice when you get the hang of making clean cuts on tearout-prone wood?)
 
Stu.....Being from a conservative state like Idaho (No US Senator remarks, please) it bothers me to have to agree with our friend Vaughn.....But I do! That may be my favorite thing you've turned. Gorgeous!

What finish did you use or did I just miss it?
 
:eek::eek::eek::eek:

Stu said the "C" word! :eek:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Great job on that spinny thing Stu. I'll never get a finish to look that good. :thumb:

DT
 
Stuart - that is one great looking bowl! If it's as soft and easy to damage as you say... then you need to put it in a display case so others can enjoy it! Seriously nice work!
 
Well thank you folks.

The finish is sanding sealer, and then a couple of wipe on melamine lacquer, then the carnuba wax and buffing wheel, nothing special or durable, as I said the buffing wheel was denting the wood, so I had to go really, really light on the buffing.

Cheers!
 
Stu,

That is a nice looking bowl Stu even if only practice. I was reading about ginko nut tree today and learned that it is a living fossil. That is the species existence is regarded as the oldest in the world at a mere 200 million years. The tree is clasified as a softwood. Any shinto shrine in Japan will have a male and female species adorning the grounds. And those trees are often several hundred years old.
 
Thanks Alex, it is from that wood that Jim, yourself and I cut, from his school grounds......... want some :D

The bowl is like balsa wood, it is so light, it is not funny.

The Ginko tree is also the official tree of Tokyo, the leaves are the Tokyo "Mark" on lots of things.........

82-1.jpg

Tokyo Symbol and Logo

The symbol of the metropolis is made up of three arcs resembling a ginkgo leaf to represent the letter T for Tokyo.
The metropolitan logo is normally rendered in a vivid green color to symbolize Tokyo's future growth, charm and tranquility.
The symbol was officially adopted on June 1, 1989.
Tokyo Crest
The crest of Tokyo represents the sun radiating energy in six directions.
82-2.jpg

Tokyo Tree
Ginkgo biloba, a deciduous tree native to China reaching up to 30 meters in height, it was designated the official metropolitan tree on November 8, 1996. Ginkgo trees are either male or female, and their distinctive fan-shaped leaves change from light green to bright yellow in autumn. The ginkgo tree is commonly found along Tokyo's streets and avenues.

The one thing no one tells you is that the female tree drops fruit in the fall, that, well, it smells like 100 sick dogs did #2 with owners who did not scoop up afterwards........ it REALLY stinks..... :doh:

The color in this piece goes from white to yellow to light brown to dark brown, and the grain is not bad looking, but man, if you squeeze it too hard, you dent it :rolleyes: :rofl:

Oh well, only a dozen or so blanks to go........ :bang:

:D :wave:
 
Ya Stu thanks for the offer but I still got some. Definitely you can tell if you are walking past a shrine in Autumn. In my first couple of years in Japan I used to pick the fruit off the ground for the nut inside. If you don't wear gloves the skin of ripe fruit has a acidy effect on your skin. Doesn't hurt but your hands peel like summer sunburn. :wave:
 
BTW, here is a pic of the bowl with it's bottom fully exposed.......... :eek:

ginko_vacuum_chuck.JPG

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Yep, that vacuum chuck thing REALLY sucks........ :thumb: and makes finishing the bottom of a piece REAL easy :D
 
Stu,
My buddy had a tree that we nicknamed "stinko ginko" from the nasty smelling fruit as you mentioned. The smell from the fruit was so bad that we couldn't party at his house during the Fall. Thankfully the ginko next door doesn't have fruit.

You sure did that wood proud!
 
Crappy photo? :dunno: Where? :huh: See my celtic knot pen for an example of a crappy photo! :D
Nice bowl by the way!! Haven't really gotten into them myself, but sure do like seeing the ones made. Wrong post, but like the snowmen also. Might be turning a few of them next week. :thumb: :thumb:
 
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