Oak HF

[Curt Fuller]

This is some Gambel Oak from the foothills around here. Turned from a small log with the pith down the center. It had some wierd dark stuff in the center of the log. The finial is walnut ebonized with black ink and then partially sanded off. It's about 5" x 9".

[Ron Bontz]

I have never heard of that oak. But it looks like it just fell off the tree. Koool. :)

[Ted Calver]

Curt, You nailed that one!! Very nice.

[John Keeton]

Curt, I really, really like that!! Now, I know what a finial SHOULD look like!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Curt haven't heard of that oak either but that is beautiful.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Beautiful wood, very nice form and the finial is spot-on! Really like how the grain just pops on this one!

[Steve Mawson]

Grain on top and bottom is quite unique. Very good job on this one.

[Chris Haas]

any special way to get oak not to split on you. i have the hardest time, so i end up never turing it, after seeing your hf, i remembered how much i love the grain.

[alex carey]

Beauty, nice job.

[Brian Effinger]

Beautiful hollow form, Curt. Was that difficult to dry that particular type of oak? I recently tried turning some sort of oak, and it really moved.

[Richard Madison]

Can't see enough pixels here to comment on the finial, but the HF shape and the oak are gorgeous. We have some trees in this area with the dark center, which my wife says may be a species called Texas Red Oak. Difficult to rough and dry without cracks and splits.

[Doug W Swanson]

Curt,

That looks nice. I like how the finial color matches the dark spots in the HF. Nice dimensions...


Curt, I really, really like that!! Now, I know what a finial SHOULD look like!

John,
I think the finial on your piece is very fitting just as the finial on this one fits it. In my opinion, a smaller, thinner finial would not look as good on your piece because of the size of the piece. Also, your finial is attached to the lid so to have a smaller one would be asking for trouble if someone had a heavy hand in opening it up.

JMO,
Doug

[Jon Finch]

That turned out very nice. I'm a bit surprised you found a piece of scrub oak 5" in diameter :) .

[Curt Fuller]

Thanks everyone for all the comments.

Curt,

That looks nice. I like how the finial color matches the dark spots in the HF. Nice dimensions...



John,
I think the finial on your piece is very fitting just as the finial on this one fits it. In my opinion, a smaller, thinner finial would not look as good on your piece because of the size of the piece. Also, your finial is attached to the lid so to have a smaller one would be asking for trouble if someone had a heavy hand in opening it up.

JMO,
Doug

John, I think Doug is right on about finials. There is no right or wrong on finial shapes or sizes, just a matter of personal taste and practicality. My personal favorites when it comes to finials are Keith Burns exclamation point style. But try as I have I can't make one look like Keith can.

As for cracking with oak, this piece was roughed in about mid October, DNA'd for a couple days and has been drying in a couple paper bags until today. I took the photo with one coat of wipe on poly as soon as it was dry enough to handle because my money says this will crack. Hopefully not bad enough that it can't be fixed, but it will crack.

Jon, I actually found some scrub oak that's about 14" diameter that was cut to clear a way for a major power line coming your way. Hopefully I'll get something turned from it before it self destructs.

[Jeff Nicol]

Curt, First I must say I really like the form and finial on this one! The colors remind me of when I turn limbs from white or burr oak from here in WI. Like many have said it is tough to keep it from cracking, but persistance pays off! When I turn any of the oaks, I try to get it a little thinner than I would normally when roughing out things ( 10% of dia ) then coat it really good with anchorseal on the outside and into the opening some. Let it dry for a few days on the shelf and then bag it for a few days, then out of the bag a day or so and do this a few times until most of the moisture has stabilized in the wood. Then I just put it on the shelf until it is ready to finish. It is all relative to the size of the blank and if it has any figure or knots in it also, as they will dry much faster than the straight grain.

Great job!

Jeff

[charlie knighton]

very nice...

[Rob Cunningham]

Nice looking HF and finial