Beech root No 2: Critique welcome

[Bodrighy]

Another piece of beech root. As I hope you can see I have left it deliberately thick on one side in order not to cut right through the other.

7" dia at top 3" outside height 2 1/2" deep inner. Finished with sealer & wax (carefully.) No wax on the bark.

Side views




Top view


Bottom



Pete

 

[CHJ]

Hi Pete, sorry to say but that is not my cup of tea; difficulty is in trying to determine if it is just the rustic nature or problems with the form that does not gel, I think it is the latter.

On the positive side your tooling and finish of turned surfaces looks good.

I have doubts about leaving the bark unwaxed and buffed, currently I think it makes the piece look unbalanced.

I do not know just how thin or sharp it would be possible to turn the top edges without it all flying to pieces but I think the rim looks too heavy as is.

Looking at the figuring on the base, in my opinion this is showing the timber off to its best, I could see a solid spherical form out of similar wood looking great.

 

[Bodrighy]

I had a feeling that it wouldn't be to your taste Chas

I had a good look at it before turning and was intending to turn it as thin as possible. There is a large split in it that was hidden by the bark however and if I had turned it any thinner I would have lost one half of the bowl so had to leave it as is. It doesn't look too bad in real life IMHO and the LOML likes it (which is always a plus) though it is pretty heavy.

I have one more of these roots at the moment, a big one. I'll post a pictur of it before turning to see what ideas people might have as to how to use it.

(Firewood is not an option :lol

Pete

 

[CHJ]

.... the LOML likes it ......

job done..../=D>

.... I have one more of these roots at the moment, a big one. I'll post a pictur of it before turning to see what ideas people might have as to how to use it....

That could be interesting.

 

[ctb]

I have to agree with Chas, suffice to say to have tried to make a silk purse from a sow's ear piece of wood, good effort, trial and error is the only way to learn.

Chris


It's wood that keeps the world turning

 

[TEP]

Mornin' Pete. I'm sorry to say it's not my thing what you've done with the root wood, too clumsy looking. Only my personal opinion of course. Take heart though, you've probably done as much as you could with that piece as it was, and gained some good experience. Gorgeous coloured piece of timber as well.

When ever I've had a root ball I always remove the bark to expose the sap wood beneath, then try and decide what to do with it. Sometimes you just have to say no if it looks too 'iffy' to put on a lathe, because they can come apart just with the centrifugal forces.

One suggestion for the future on timber like that is turn the outside and partially finish. Then bind the whole thing with PLENTY of masking tape to give it the support for taking out the inside. It is a lot harder to finish a piece like this but you can sometimes get a very unusual piece from the exercise.

 

[Paul.J]

Not sure about this one meself Pete :?
One of those as you say will look better seeing in the flesh.
Some lovely grain pattern/colour.
Must have taken a lot of effort on finishing.
Paul.J.

 

[mudman]

You know, I just don't know. :?

I looked at this piece and thought the same things as posted above, not my cup of tea.
But, I keep coming back to it and thinking that this is a more tactile piece, not a visual thing. I keep wanting to pick it up and explore it with my fingers. I think this would give a completely different impression.

 

[Bodrighy]

You know, I just don't know. :?

I looked at this piece and thought the same things as posted above, not my cup of tea.
But, I keep coming back to it and thinking that this is a more tactile piece, not a visual thing. I keep wanting to pick it up and explore it with my fingers. I think this would give a completely different impression.

I have been selling a few pieces at a charity sale for people with visual impairment and the feel of something is what they judge it by. I am a sucker for the contrast between rough and smooth, natural and created. I have to admit that looking at it in hindsight I agree with much that has been said but I still like the fact that when you pick it up it is full of contrasts, Thick and thin, smooth and rough, straight and curved. Maybe those of us who are turners forget that many people who don't turn judge something just as you have said, by the feel as much as the look.

Pete

 

[Mark Hancock]

Pete

It's difficult with a piece of timber like this of knowing where to start and often you just don't know what to expect inside it. It might have been better just carving the bowl form similar to Paul(?) Caton's work (isn't hind sight a wonderful thing :lol: ). That way you can create the form without the limitations imposed by the lathe and concentrate on the contrasts of rough and smooth which as you say are wonderful to feel in a piece.

 

[dickm]

I have been selling a few pieces at a charity sale for people with visual impairment and the feel of something is what they judge it by. I am a sucker for the contrast between rough and smooth, natural and created. I have to admit that looking at it in hindsight I agree with much that has been said but I still like the fact that when you pick it up it is full of contrasts, Thick and thin, smooth and rough, straight and curved. Maybe those of us who are turners forget that many people who don't turn judge something just as you have said, by the feel as much as the look.

Pete

I don't normally go for natural edged turned stuff, but in this case, I think it works very well. As you say, the contrasts within the piece, and its robustness all hang together. Especially like the contrast between the regularity of the turned surface and the naturalness of the splits and the bark. Making it thinner might appear more "elegant", but to me that would not be in the spirit of the thing.