Mesquite HF Vase

[Richard Madison]

A small mesquite (thanks Robert) HF, about 6" tall w/ 3/16" walls. Still working on "form", and missed it again. Drat! A bit more curvature this time and pretty good radius to the base, but I left the bottom diameter too d--- big. And/but it gets easier and faster every time. Had some help hollowing this one from the previous occupants, now long gone.

C. and C. welcome and encouraged.

[Tony De Masi]

Richard, I'm going to agree with your own critique on this one. What did you use for the finish? Looks very nice.

Tony

[Steve Schlumpf]

Richard - that sure is some beautiful wood! Form is always a matter of taste and if you want the next one to have a smaller diameter bottom - hey, give it a shot! I like the vase as is! Very pretty wood and a really nice finish!

Starting to enjoying hollowing yet?

[Robert McGowen]

Richard, I'm going to agree with your own critique on this one.


I was going to say what Tony said, so I will just say that I agree with what Tony said about what you said. Hmmmm.....

[Jim Kountz]

Well I like it, yeah it could have been a little smaller around the bottom but its still miles ahead of me!!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Form is, indeed, as Steve put it a matter of personal taste. I find this form very tastefully done.....the wood and finish are stupendous!

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Richard
Question is do you like the form??? If your happy with it that's Great that's all that really matters anyway.;) If not next time change something about it. Start with small but subtle changes each time until you get a form your happy with. I'm actually more concerned about how I feel about my turnings than how everyone else does.
It's kinda of a self gratification thing for me when I finish a turning that I like.
Don't be afraid of changing things.
What's the worst that can happen?? Even if it's thrown away or put in the fire place. Around here we say its just a piece of wood and it grows on trees:D

[David E Keller]

Beautiful wood and finish. I agree with your critique but I'd be proud to have turned that piece

[charlie knighton]

very ncie...

[Richard Madison]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I appreciate your support. Tony it's my usual lacquer over sanding sealer finish, but not what I would call a "full-on, deep" finish. Steve, not sure I actually "enjoy" hollowing but at least am getting a little better and faster at it. Agree with what Robert said about what Tony said about ---. Joe I'm rarely 100% satisfied with a turning after it is finished. Usually see some little thing that could have been done better. Working on being able to see those "little things" early enough in the process to fix them. Always something to learn and improve upon.

Thanks again all.

[Bill Bolen]

I personally like everything about your piece. Love the high gloss finish on the dark wood. If you are drawn to that classic form with the broad shoulder and small foot try this. When you think you have the form just the way you want it leave the piece on your chuck and dismount the piece. Sit it on your workbench in the vertical, just as it will sit when completed. Pull up your shop stool and just look at it again. Going from your working horizontal view to the display vertical view sure changes the appearance. Now you can see if the foot is the right size and that curve is in place or not. ,,,Bill...

[Doug W Swanson]

I think everyone can be their own worst critic (at least I know I can be) but I like it.

The wood looks great, the shape is nice and the finish is beautiful.


JMO!
Doug

[Baxter Smith]

Richard I like it! But I can also see all your points. I will be happy to get to where you are in turning and being able to see those points will hopefully help me get there faster! But by the time I get there, you will be long gone!:) I was referring to the progression of your turning abilities by the way!

[Rob Cunningham]

I like the form the way it is. The gloss finish really brings out the grain of the wood.

[Wally Dickerman]

Richard, I agree with your own critique. You get a much more appealing curve along the sides if you you bring it in to a smaller base. I use a form that I called "tucked in' that I like a lot. it sort of makes the piece "float". I just bring in a sharper curve right at the bottom. You might like to try it. I'll include a pic to show what I mean.

Wally

[Bernie Weishapl]

Richard that is a beauty. Form and beauty is in the eye of the beholder to me.

[Richard Madison]

Thanks again guys. I appreciate it. Bill, I turned the outside between centers and did take it off and look a couple times, but my "artistic vision" is just not up to speed. Wally, nice piece. That's sorta the look I was going for, but when I looked, I did not see.

Cut some cedar-elm blanks tonight and will have at it again when the holiday activities subside.

[Curt Fuller]

Richard, the vase is beautiful. I like mesquite about as much as any wood I can think of and your finish is always like a mirror.
As to the form, this might be old info to you but over the last few years it comes up every now and then so I'll repeat it in my simple, very basic understanding of it. There's something called the Rule of Thirds, The Golden Mean, and other names it goes by. There are lots of mathematical formulas and science that go flying over my head for it but how I understand it is this. With most forms the widest point vertically would be approximately 1/3 of the way from either the top or the bottom. And the narrowest point should be 1/3 of the widest point. So in the case of your HF, the widest point is 1/3 of the way down from the top. So, the base would be 1/3 the diameter of that wide point. The rest is just creating a smooth, continuous, and flowing curve between those points. It seems that in turning we try to re-create the pleasing forms we see, usually unconsciously, everyday in the natural world around us. Someone a lot smarter than me discovered that many of those pleasing forms fall into the rule of thirds formula. So that's why the base looks "too wide" to you.
I'm not much of an explainer, but this might help..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds
or you can google Rule of Thirds or Golden Mean

[Wally Dickerman]

Thanks again guys. I appreciate it. Bill, I turned the outside between centers and did take it off and look a couple times, but my "artistic vision" is just not up to speed. Wally, nice piece. That's sorta the look I was going for, but when I looked, I did not see.

Cut some cedar-elm blanks tonight and will have at it again when the holiday activities subside.

Richard, when you take a piece off the lathe to inspect it's form, you'd be surprised at how much help it is to look at it upside down. If it doesn't look right, it probably isn't. A good form is a good form no matter how you look at it.

Wally

[Richard Madison]

Thanks for your replies Curt and Wally. Am actually familiar with the "rules", and/but am working on having it happen naturally, by eyeball, in the normal process of turning. Maybe I do need to measure, and say ok the fat place goes here, and the base must be this size. Will give that some more thought. More practice is good if one is practicing the right stuff.