Vase, Learning!

[Roland Martin]

I wanted to try something different and keep learning. Hit both marks head on!
I thought I'd try laminating a block consisting of 4 squares of ash & 5 squares of S.A. rosewood and combine some segments of each for some more detail. I really didn't know what I was going to dream up as far as a peice, but as I started turning, this is what I came up with.
The vase is 7 3/4" x 4 1/2", the rosewood lid is 1 1/2" x 3", one finial is 1" x 1 3/8", the other is 3 1/4" x 1 3/8", narrowest point is 5/32".
First time making a vase, first for a lid & first for finials.
I've only put on 1 coat of BLO so far, & thought I would post some pics for your honest thoughts, critiques.
One major thing I learned with this project is how easily the dark rosewood bleeds into the open, light grain of the ash, seems to be a nightmare I'm unable to fix on this peice, Live & Learn!!
Thanks for looking

[David E Keller]

Roland... that's beautiful. I love the color combination, and the details are very nice. I prefer the taller of the two finials, and if I were to be critical, I would make the tip of the longer finial a bit more delicate.

That's a very nice collection of "firsts"!

[Brian Effinger]

Wow, Roland, that is fantastic. I too like the taller finial. Well done.

By the way Roland, did you ever live in Western NY?

Brian

[Roland Martin]

No Brian, lifelong Mainer. Thanks (God forbid anybody else looks like me!)

[Ken Glass]

Roland,
Excellent use of the woods in this Vase. I cannot seeing any bleeding of colors, but maybe up close there is some. I think that sometimes there is a problem with using Rosewood because it is such an oily wood. I find it does tend to bleed into other lighter colors, but I sometimes try using spirits on it during the sanding stage and then rehydrate it at finishing. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't. I really like the first Finial, since it serves as a handle for the lid also. I think you did a great job on it. Well Done!

[Dennis Ford]

Good looking vase! It turned out great even if not planned. If you can do this without a plan, just imagine what you can do with some planning. From the pictures, it looks like the bleeding that bothers you just accents the grain of the ash (I like it). I think either finial works with this vase but the short one seems to fit the shape better.
One suggestion for the next one; consider making the light colored portion of the base taller (up to the smallest diameter).

[Baxter Smith]

Very pretty! A lot of the segmented turnings look very complicated to do. This one looks a lot simpler (like I could do it) and the results are great! Hope you won't have a problem with the wood moving with the grain running in different directions. Again, very nice!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Roland - this is really nice! Great combination of woods and colors! Really like the shape of the vase - reminds me of the ancient Grecian urns! I like the shorter of the 2 finials just because it seems to fit in with the overall shape better than the taller/thin one.

Really nice work! Thanks for sharing!

Oh - almost forgot... You can go up to 800x600 pixels but keep the file size to 107 Kb or lower. Larger photos would allow everyone to enjoy your work even more!

[Bill Bolen]

Very elegant piece. Love everything about it...Bill...

[James Roberts]

Truly cool, Roland. Love the color combination and would like to know how you prepared the blank. Really, either finial works well with the form, one for show and one for utilitarian use. Please keep learning and sharing with us.

[Roland Martin]

I've got some pics of some of the prep work @ the shop. I'll try to put them up tomorrow. Thanks James.

[Roland Martin]

Thanks Steve for the photo advice and your kind words.

[patrick michael stein]

very nice piece love the finial the taller one would agree with a little thinnerat the top.





patrick

[Bernie Weishapl]

That is a beauty Roland. I like the taller finial.

[Doug W Swanson]

Roland,

It looks good and I really like the contrasting woods.

IMO, I'm going to go against the grain and say it looks best without a lid.

If I had to choose a lid and finial, I would say the shorter one but I like it better without a lid.

Nice job!
Doug

[John Keeton]

Roland, just an excellent piece! I like the combination of woods, and agree that the vase works well without the lid. However, the lid looks fine with it, and I would prefer the shorter of the finials.

Great glue lines - tight! Nice form, and the segmenting makes for a very interesting appearance.

Good job!!

[George Guadiane]

BRILLIANT overall concept, and nice implementation! I see a lot of promise for future variations...

BEAUTIFUL!

[Donny Lawson]

That is a beautiful vase.Those colors flow great together.
Donny

[Roland Martin]

James, or anyone else interested, here are some pics as I was going through the vortex.
Thanks John, I've been a cabinetmaker all my life & am quite anal about glue joints, for a lasting end result, it is key.
Steve, I played with the pixel size on these pics, thanks.
For some of you, you may think I made a mistake modifying the first shape I turned, but I thought it was too stought, and saw a better potential for form & detail. Right or wrong, I can't go back.
The lid may eventually not be used, seeing that my wife would like to make a dried flower arrangement for this & use it as a vase, what can I say, it's Valentine's Day!
Thank you all for your input, suggestions & kind words, all so very valuable to me.

[Curt Fuller]

Roland, that's a beautiful vase!

[Robert McGowen]

An interesting concept. It is cool being able to see the blank and then see how it turned. Thanks for the photos. It is easy to follow how the ash ended up on the outside of the vase like it did.

I would hazard a guess that with all of the large cross grain glue joints and the glued up solid bottom, that you might have problems with the joints separating over time. Hopefully, the weather in Maine will not be too hard on it!

[Scott Hackler]

Roland, that is an excellent piece. Personally, for me, the lids aren't needed. I think that it looks perfect by itself. With either lid it looks less a vase and more an ern. Great job. Do fill us in the details on how you did it.

[Rich Aldrich]

Roland,

Thanks for posting what you started with. I was going to ask.

It sure is a beautiful piece.

I am a hobby cabinet maker and just ordered a lathe last Friday, so this sparked my interest. I have a ways to go before I get to the point you are at.