Elm Vase and Rippled Ash Bowl

[Turn It In]

Hi All,
I have been busy turning and not very active around the forum but from a thread of Johnny T he asked when I was going to produce something with the elm he kindly swapped for a piece of walnut when we met in the summer. So at last I have cut it up and turned this vase out of one piece so far and a very pleasing result has come out of the block, so much so that a visiting friend has asked to buy it as a Christmas present for his sister while it was still on the lathe. So that was a good result!! Sorry the lighting is not very good but the snow has prevented outside natural light photos.

I bought this piece of rippled ash as a bowl blank with a bad chainsaw miss cut and also a band saw cut into the side and managed to turn both out on the underside. The bowl was turned with a broard rim to allow for decoration and when I stopped the lathe I could not believe the superb grain structure as can be seen although the pictures do not do it full justice and i decided that the bowl would be left natural and given a coat of orange oil.
This bowl was turned for a club competition last month.

All comments are welcome, enjoy.
Regards,
Ian

 

[johnny.t.]

Hello Ian, glad to see you've used some of the Elm How have you coloured it,spirit stain? Is it one or two piece? Very contemporary design and well done on selling it even before it was finished!!
The bowl is a beautiful piece of Ash, the only thing is I don't understand why you made it flat bottomed and then added legs? When I do these I make the bottom round, I think it makes them look a little more elegant(?) Your drilling jigs are great for doing these though 8)
It was good to find you on FB should make keeping in contact easier

Look forward to seeing what you turn from the other bit of the Elm block 8)

Johnny

 

[CHJ]

Did the Elm proud Ian, the vase trim sets the piece off and turns it into a classic, and the Bowl makes a statement all of it's own.


Go along with JT on the bowl bottom, I think curved would have looked a little more elegant as would a thinner rim but no doubt it's more than acceptable in the flesh so to speak and the wood features far outshine any personal preferences for form.

 

[Blister]

2 nice items , well done :wink:

 

[Turn It In]

Hi Johnny,
The bowl has a ring that the feet go into and the bowl base was going to have a downward facing squat sort of finial to cover the chucking piece also in ebony as the legs so a sort of space ship style if i was going to decorate the rim. BUT common sense prevailed when i saw the grain and changed the minds eye design on the way. I spent a long time on the piece and although it did not gain first place in the competition the joint winning entries had 118 points and mine gained 115 although one judge placed it 1st. So i am very pleased with the result.

Now the vase is a two piece and based on the one you showed me is joined at the gold band.
The joint is central the would is textured with a burr and painted matt black, then gold paint from Jo Soja's iridescent colours applied which produces an excellent result and gives it a nice antique look. The top and bottom of the band is groved and burnt in with friction wire.
The rest of the block will produce another vase and something slimmer from the third piece.

Reading between the lines i reckon you have followed my footsteps to Nicks??

Hi Chas,
Thank you for you comments and i do agree that most of my bowls are round bottomed or shaped but i hope you can see from my explanation why i followed that profile. Also i don't think the photo gives it full justice as much as having it in your hands.

Hi Blister,
Many thanks for your comments, these pieces have brought me pleasure from the finished result and admiration from those who have handled them.

Regards,
Ian

 

[callumlovatt]

Two really nice pieces there, i especially like the bowl.

 

[Turn It In]

Hi Callum,
Pleased you like the result they were both very satisfying to complete.
Regards,
Ian

 

[johnny.t.]

Reading between the lines i reckon you have followed my footsteps to Nicks??

You're in the wrong business Ian, you should become a detective! :lol: :lol: I spent the day with Nick last Saturday mainly focusing on my bad habit of using a round nose scraper far too much and getting me out of that habit!! (hammer) A day well spent it was too I keep meaning to do a thread on it but I'm running about all over the place this week, trying to get the 'batcave' sorted out and looking after Dylan while Mummy's out!!
Speak to you soon mate and looking forward to seeing what you come up with, with the other piece of Elm.

Johnny

 

[Turn It In]

Hi Johnny.
I read between the lines in FB and gathered from a comment by Nick you must have been.
It was money well spent and a very interesting eye opener to some of my techniques, beliefs and practices and i feel i have come back and stamped my foot if I find myself straying.
Hopefully the result is seen now in what I produce. Yesterday's display of my work at the hospital proved to be an eye opener for a lot of colleagues who did some Xmas shopping and very rewarding it was too and my friend who had seen the vase has just been and bought that for his sisters present so another successful result.
I bet you are rushed off your feet so take care and I will catch up with you soon.
Regards,
Ian