End Grain Walnut Vase/Form

[Ken Glass]

Hey again,
It seemed like since my computer crashed, my turnings piled up until I could replace it. The I had to get some new hardware because the old would not work with the new 64 bit Vista. Anyway I am back up and running, although I haven't found a good Photo software as of yet. I was using Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8. This is an End grain Walnut piece I turned 3 weeks ago. It is 10" tall and 5' at the widest. It is around 1/4" thickness. Beall Buffed as usual.
I welcome critiques and comments.

[David Christopher]

Ken, that is a beautiful vase, I really like the color and the lip around the opening

[Clay Dowling]

I love the vase. I'm new to turning, and I've never seen endgrain work before, but now I think I want to give it a try.

If you're looking for cheap photo software, grab The Gimp (http://www.gimp.org/). The interface is weird, and you'll have to spend some time poking around with it, but it is very capable. It's also free, which is a hard price to beat.

If you're the kind of guy who needs a book, you can typically find -a- book in the bookstore, but not multiple. There's an online book you can see at http://gimp-savvy.com/BOOK/index.html

But the program is pretty simple. I turned it over to my daughter and she took to it very quickly. A lot of people use it, so there's good support on the net.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Ken - you sure seem to have that classic vase shape down well! Great form and wood! Looking forward to seeing whats next!

[Bill Bolen]

Another beauty Ken. That lipped rim fits so well with the chosen form. Love the way the sapwood gently turns into the heartwood..Bill...

[Richard Madison]

Ken, Nice work on both pieces. Some would suggest that you round the bottom edge into the base to give the piece a bit of "lift".

[Harvey Ghesser]

Beautiful vase, Ken. Classic.

[Bernie Weishapl]

That is a beauty Ken. Some really nice looking wood.

[Terry Achey]

Ken, that's simply a beautiful finish and form. Question - the vase seems to have a marking about a third of the way from the top in the first photo. Is it really a mark, and if so, is that mark from the roller guide? Forgive me for asking because I have zero experience with vase turning or guides.

How does one go about final sanding without the guide leaving marks?

Again, absolutely stunning vase.
Terry

[Ken Glass]

Terry,
Its kind of funny you asked that question. I can't see the mark when I hold the piece but it looks like there is a mark in the picture. When I started using my Steady rest that uses roller blade wheels, I sanded the little ridge off the middle of them so they contact the HF on a wider plane to eliminate marks. Even then they some times leave small marks that can be finish sanded out with 320-400 grit very easily. So my answer is they very well could be steady rest marks. I may put it back on the lathe and get rid of them. That is easy since the finish is only a Beall Buff and not anything harder.