Flacer22’s piece

Brandon Sloan

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Good ole Andy sent me a box of burls that arrived today. We agreed to a trade, I get some maple burls and in return I’ll make him something out of a piece of cherry burl that he included. First off, it’s not easy making someone something from a piece of their wood. You only get one chance, so of course you tell yourself to play it safe.... but that’s no fun.

I didn’t take a before picture, maybe Andy has one. It was basically an oval shaped burl cap. Maybe 5” x 8” x 3”, thick bark, lots of cracks below the bark. I chased a few cracks and some bad bark sections and ended up with something. I’m not very thrilled with it. I usually like to make people functional items. Plus, it’s just blah. I’m gonna glue the cracks and revisit it in the morning.

Thoughts welcome, I know it’s probably better if it’s a surprise. I have a different surprise that I’ll keep hush hush.

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woodtickgreg

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It's a good start. Sometimes you just have to make do with what the chunk o wood offers you and do the best you can with it.
I might remove the foot to shorten the height up a bit. May look better with the rim and be more proportionate. Dunno:whatever:
 

Nubsnstubs

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Brandon, I don't see anything bad other than it looks too tall. Possibly cut the bottom off where the flare starts, then redo the foot. Those cracks are crying out for you to fill them with something to make them attractive. You have the talent, so use it.................. Jerry (in Tucson)
 

DKMD

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Maybe a little bead at the junction between wing and bowl? Agree with the others about making the bowl section a little shorter. I’d probably shape and burn the edge of the rim all the way around to blend the natural edge with the cut edges.

It looks promising!
 

Brandon Sloan

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Thank you for the responses. I wasn’t a fan of the wings, but if I just made this round it would have been very small. Plus the grain across the face of the piece is pretty nice. It isn’t hollowed yet, so I have plenty of flexibility. I’m going to listen to the majority, remove the foot and shorten. I like the idea of blending the edge and torching it. The wings can’t be undercut anymore or I’ll wind up too thin. I’ll update after I’m done with it.
 

Brandon Sloan

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Some progress. Please don’t flame me for the tenon I was using. I’m aware it’s not the right way to do it. I felt very confident in its holding power for what I needed to do.

The goal was to try and make it look like the edge rolled into the bowl portion. If I would have left more wood yesterday, I might have been more successful. When I got to the depth I wanted I ran into a nasty little inclusion. The kind that you can’t really feature. So I had to go a little deeper, hopefully I left enough meat on the bones to get a nice shape when I remove the foot.

I’m going to do a little sanding on the face before I jam chuck it and tackle the base. We shall see.

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Brandon Sloan

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Any suggestions on what I should use to fill the cracks. I have copper powder, sawdust, coffee grinds and some silver powder.
 

trc65

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I'm always partial to coffee grounds. I think they would accentuate the dark grain/patterns/colors already present in the form. The copper and silver might not be a good color match for what is already there.
 

Brandon Sloan

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@trc65 thats a good point. I started turning in April 2018 after getting laid off from work. Yesterday I read an article by John Jordan where he says that before he turns anything, he does lathe maintenance. He said something about sanding and waxing the tool rest. :ponder: I don’t think I’ve sanded the tool rest since I’ve owned a lathe, and I’m 100% sure I’ve never waxed it. I felt like such a fool. It’s amazing, the tool glides without having to manipulate it as much. No sudden hiccups, I hope everyone already knows this.
 

Brandon Sloan

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Didn’t work on Andy’s piece today. It needs some epoxy work. I did grab one of the small pieces of burl he sent. I guess I needed another challenge. This piece was a little lopsided and had some flats from the chainsaw to deal with. I think it’s good to try stuff like this. It’s not a functional piece and it’s not that pretty, but it does look cool. I removed the bark because it was missing in a few places. It’s completely natural edge.

Tell me what you think

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trc65

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I like it! Its the perfect little "stage" to show off a small collectable, some wooden eggs, some wooden acorns, or any other seasonal decoration. Having a few of those around to set things in makes for a nice centerpiece.
 

Brandon Sloan

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I like it! Its the perfect little "stage" to show off a small collectable, some wooden eggs, some wooden acorns, or any other seasonal decoration. Having a few of those around to set things in makes for a nice centerpiece.
I’m sitting here holding it and reading your comment and a lightbulb went on. That’s a damn good idea. Now you have me looking at it totally different. Thanks for the idea!
 

barry richardson

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I do a few arts and craft shows and and sell in a couple of local galleries, that's the kind of stuff that sells great in my experience, the wing top is very cool too, I would not fill the cracks with anything, I like the rustic look, and customers seem to as well...
 
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Brandon Sloan

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I do a few days and craft shows and and sell in a couple of local galleries, that's the kind of stuff that sells great in my experience, the song top is very cool too, I would not fill the cracks with anything, I like the rustic look, and customers seem to as well...
Barry, all I read was “galleries” and “that’s the kind of stuff that sells” Haha. I wish, maybe someday..
No fill it is, less work for me. You guys have me looking at this differently. It was pretty cool to turn. I could see the thickness of the walls through the voids. Thanks for the comment!
 

barry richardson

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Barry, all I read was “galleries” and “that’s the kind of stuff that sells” Haha. I wish, maybe someday..
No fill it is, less work for me. You guys have me looking at this differently. It was pretty cool to turn. I could see the thickness of the walls through the voids. Thanks for the comment!
Ha ha, darn spell check, shoulda proofed it....
 

duncsuss

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I like it; I think it would look great with one or more turned to the same design but having different amounts of solidity/void. If you have one that is complete, one with voids in a couple places, and this one -- all placed side by side -- it would look like a sequence showing the growth of the form. (Or the decay, if you look at the sequence starting at the other end.)
 
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