My First Box Elder HF

[Steve Schlumpf]

It’s been awhile since I have been on the lathe as my summer chore list starts off with a new deck!!! Took a break and this is the result…..

This is my first Box Elder hollow form! The wood was a gift from Jeff Nicol (Thanks Jeff!) when I stopped in and visited with him and Mike Svoma about a month ago! Have to say I love all the color variations in this wood!

The form did have one very deep crack in it that could not be turned out - but managed to fill it with sawdust and CA. The HF is 8 ¾” high with Cherry finial and 6” in diameter, sanded to 400 grit and it has several coats of Minwax Gloss Wipe-On Poly. Couldn’t help but notice in the photos that the finial has a very distinct shadow line around the base. In real life the junction is a fairly tight fit and not nearly as noticeable.

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As always – your comments, opinions and critiques are welcome!

Thanks for looking!

[David Walser]

Steve,

That's some beautiful box elder and I love what you've done with it. The form is very nice and the cherry finial completes the piece without competing with it. I think the natural cherry color is a good choice. A darker wood may have made the piece seem out of balance.

Well done.

[Chris Rae]

Wow, that's gorgeous! I love it, I love the wood, the shape, the finial, the finish, everything!

[Brian McInturff]

I love the piece Steve. BE is one of my favorite woods. I know exactly what you mean about the summer chores.;)

[Wayne Leach]

Steve,
You did a lovely job on this hollow form It looks like it is thin walled too!
Never having turned box elder, will the reds turn brown in time or ???
The finial is simple elegance but still functional.
Gotta try a HF one of these days.
Regards,
Wayne

[Ted Evans]

A superb job Steve, you did justice to the beautiful wood. Turning HFs just do not compute in my mind. Reminds me of closing your eyes and running through a mine field.

[Curt Fuller]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, that's nice! I like the color of the cherry finial with all the colors in the Box Elder. That's a beauty Steve!

[Alan Trout]

Steve, Great work! Just a beautiful piece.

Alan

[Jeff Nicol]

Steve, You did an outstanding job on that piece of box elder! The waves of color in the way you oreinted the wood are incredible! It is a good thing I have some more of that tree left to play with myself! The simple finial lid sets the HF off perfectly! Thanks for sharing it with us, I am in the process of making some mini's out of the birdseye maple you brought for us, they look pretty cool so far.

Jeff

[Richard Madison]

Nice work Steve. Very challenging (for me) to do a gentle curve like that without having flat spots in it. Yours looks good.

[alex carey]

Beautiful piece, love the shape.

[Bill Bolen]

Glad you took a break from deck building to turn this beautiful flowing piece of BE for all of us to admire. The form you chose really allows the grain to move. The simple finial adds to the piece rather than tearing the eye away from it. Steve I think you have another blue ribbon winner here...Bill..

[Maria Alvarado]

Steve,
That is a work of art. I really love the subtle shading in this piece of wood. Looks like marble, particularly with how the colors run against the form. Truly an outstanding piece!

[Cody Colston]

Great looking piece, Steve. Nice color in the BE and the Cherry finial goes with it perfectly.

[robert hainstock]

Plus, having had the pleasure of "eye balling 'It, I would add that you get better and better as your expierence broadens. This piece may be one of your best yet. I hope you will bring it to the meeting tonight for S and T.
:D:D:D
Bob

[Harvey Ghesser]

Just beautiful! And the kind of artistry I've come to expect!

[Mike Svoma]

That is a beautiful piece Steve. Nice lines in both the HF and the finial. I really like the finish. Let's see some more.

Mike

[Steve Schlumpf]

Thanks for the kind words everyone - I do appreciate it!

Wayne - have to warn you about hollow forms.... takes a lot longer to turn than a bowl, requires different tools ($$$) and it is extremely addicting! Still, you get to turn stuff that is different than most!

Mike - if you want to see more - just swing by and we'll do a shop tour! I always like Show & Tell!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Beautiful piece Steve out of some great looking wood. Finial looks great.

[Mike Svoma]

I may just have to do that Steve. I will try to talk Jeff into coming up with me. Maybe we can get Greg Haugen, from LaCrosse, to come with us too. Take care.

Mike

[Dave Halter]

That's a great piece. I love the shape and that is beautiful wood.

Dave

[George Morris]

Very nice love the form. Looks great! G

[Jarrod McGehee]

Steve, while I'd love to give you constructive criticism and I'm not the man to do it, that looks absolutely awesome and there's nothing I can see wrong with it in my eyes. I love the form and the finial.