#30 Claro and Big Leaf Maple burl

[John Keeton]

After the last turning, I had some of the burl left, and I always have a little Claro walnut!;) During some particularly boring TV time, I was looking through Raffan's book. He has a pic of a large, heavy, wide rimmed bowl, with a very small actual bowl area. I thought an adaptation of that style may make a neat little lidded bowl.

This one is much smaller, and the bowl area is proportionately much larger. It is also lidded, of course.

Dimensions are 6.5" x 4.75". Finish at this point is BLO and shellac. Not sure what else will go on this one.

The bowl heavily undercuts the rim. The finial is Claro, as well, and I duplicated the shape of the form in the finial. I was able to get some good detail and undercuts on this one as I now have a nice lighted magnifier for my aging eyes!!:o

This turning was pretty simple and didn't take much time. And, as are some of the others, it is different - particularly the finial. But, let me know what you think.

[Mike McAfee]

"I don't turn" John Keeton Feb. 2009 :rolleyes:

WOW, WOW, WOW, I love this one John!

BEAUTIFUL!

MMc

[alex carey]

haha mike, I'm glad you dug up that quote. I've never seen anyone get sucked into the vortex so quickly.

I actually like the finial quite a bit, I do kinda wish I could see it imbedded in the lid more. not sure if it would look better or worse though.

Great piece though, the wood is great, the finish is great and I like the contrast a lot.

[Baxter Smith]

Nice turning John. Simple (for you) but attractive. I think the finial matches the lines of the bowl better than a fancy one would have. Understatedly elegant in form and color!:)

[Toney Robertson]

John,

The bowl and lid are wonderful but (you knew there was going to be a but) I am not enamored with the finial.

It just does not seem to add anything to such an eloquent piece. I believe that you don't want the finial to overpower the piece and I think of a finial as icing on the cake but this finial IMO does not hit my sweet tooth!! :D I am sure that there will be many that disagree with me!

Otherwise a beautiful piece.

Toney

[Ted Calver]

Nice one John. It's beautiful wood and you did it justice. The form is reminiscent of the water drop/ripple of one of your previous turnings. The contrasting lid and finial really work well...and you get bonus points for turning both an elegant and a functional piece.

[Brian Effinger]

I like everything about this beautiful piece. The domed lid has an architectural feel to it, although it also has that rippling water feel to it as well, which you have done (successfully) before.

Your photography is looking good too.

While I think everyone is impressed with how far you have been sucked into the turning vortex, I particularly have enjoyed seeing your ideas progress from one piece to the next, and your turning skills improving in such a short time span.

[Jim Slovik]

John,
Beatiful piece. The wood combination is outstanding. However, I have to agree with Toney about the finial. I think that if it came to a point without any further embellishment, it would have more appeal to me. That being said, the day I can turn something that is half as nice as that, I'll be very proud of myself indeed!!
Jim

[Mike McAfee]

Toney and Jim,

What would you do in place of the finial? I'm interested because I plan to do a piece or 2 in this style and would like to know what the acceptable alternatives might be!

Thanks,

MMc

[Jim Slovik]

Mike,
I would change the tip from a ball to pointed. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing.
Jim

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Wow that is beautiful John. Very nicely done! I like that the bottom of the finial kind of mimics the overall shape of the bottom of the work. Again just beautiful!

Joshua

[Steve Schlumpf]

John - beautiful wood combination! Love the rich natural colors!

Very nice form on this one! Kind of an interesting variation on the recessed top on the bowl portion! I tend to agree with Jim and Toney about the finial and my only suggestion as far as a design modification would be to use only 1/2 of the globe on top of the finial - so that it matches the domed lid. I believe it would help tie all the design aspects together.

Nice work on this John! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with next!

[Wally Dickerman]

John, you've done it again. A wonderful piece. I'll join some others in saying that the finial doesn't quit do it for me. The piece with the lid have simple but good lines. The finial could be more of a a Cindy D. type finial without detracting from the vessel at all.

As you're finding, finials can be quite touchy to get right. In my search for doing finials to match the piece, I tried doing several finials of different styles and trying them all so see what matched and was the most attractive. Often the left over finials end up on other pieces....Also, good practice in doing finials.

Wally

[Mark Hubl]

John,

Another nice piece. Love the wood combo on this one and the different shape. I am also liking the finial. I like the way you mimicked the form and I also like the simpler more organic nature. I think it works rather well on the piece.

By the way, have they put out an APB on you up where the world is flat?

[Bill Bolen]

Lovely piece John. That domed lid really makes the piece for me. Great warm colors with your wood choices...Bill..

[Phillip Key]

I like this one a lot.

I was trying to figure out why the shape felt so familiar to me and I think it's because that round-topped finial combined with the shape of the form makes it look like a very large spinning top. It's like a beautiful grown up version of a childhood toy.

Really pretty wood, too.

[Doug W Swanson]

Very nice, John.

I really like how you inset the lid into the top of the bowl.

You continue to impress me with your items. Each one is has a something a little different about it.

Doug

[Bernie Weishapl]

John that is beautiful and I love the wood combo. Really well done.

[Cathy Schaewe]

Absolutely gorgeous.

[David E Keller]

Nice work, John. I really like the simplicity of this piece. Your flare for detail shows up again here, but the details are softer and more subtle. The little concavity on the top surface of the main form is very nice. Great looking wood as usual.

[Donny Lawson]

Another nice one John.I wish I had half the tallent you have.So far all your pieces look great and seem to flow together just right.I really like how the lid sits down into this one.Great design.
Donny

[Curt Fuller]

John, another incredibly nice piece of work. I like it all, including the finial.

[Mike McAfee]

Mike,
I would change the tip from a ball to pointed. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing.
Jim

Ahhh gotcha! I misunderstood your orig. post and took it as "NO finial" not a different style!

Now that I understand where you're coming from I have a better understanding of Toney's "Icing on the cake" analogy!

Thanks guys,

MMc

[John Keeton]

Thanks, again, for taking the time to look and comment!

"I don't turn" John Keeton Feb. 2009 :rolleyes:

And this is why I could never run for public office - too many comments that have been made publicly that continue to haunt me!!:D

So far, there seems to be a fairly even divide on the finial. It will be interesting to see what others might add.
Mike,
I would change the tip from a ball to pointed. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing.
Jim
When I started the finial for this one, I was using a longer piece of Claro, and actually had the tip of a Drozda finial going, with a pointed tip. But, the more I looked at the form, with the soft lines, and rounded features, the sharp point just didn't fit - at least in my mind. I turned off the end, and turned what you see here.

...my only suggestion as far as a design modification would be to use only 1/2 of the globe on top of the finial - so that it matches the domed lid. I believe it would help tie all the design aspects together.
And, I actually thought about doing this, but couldn't come up with a good transition into a half dome. Steve, if you have the time, and see this post, shoot me an email with a little more detail on your thoughts - and, thanks.


The finial could be more of a a Cindy D. type finial without detracting from the vessel at all.

As you're finding, finials can be quite touchy to get right. In my search for doing finials to match the piece, I tried doing several finials of different styles and trying them all so see what matched and was the most attractive. Often the left over finials end up on other pieces....Also, good practice in doing finials.

WallyWally, I appreciate you comments, and I really, really like Cindy's work. She certainly is the guru on finials IMO. But, for me, on this piece, it just didn't do what I wanted it to do.

Posting pics of my turnings has given me such a much better idea of what people perceive and what "feels right" to others vs. what feels right to me. Were I to ever try to sell some turnings, the information gained through these threads is invaluable. The collective experience and artistry of many of you is far beyond what I can hope to achieve, and I very much appreciate you taking the time to share with me.

[brian watts]

WOW WOW.. is all i can say..when are you sending it to me..LOL

[Jarrett Sadowsky]

That is beautiful John.

I really like the burl and the form of the finial.

Jarrett

[Aaron Wingert]

John you know I'm a sucker for beautiful claro walnut! Man, that is my favorite piece of yours so far. I love the form and the lid.

[Bob Haverstock]

John - beautiful wood combination! Love the rich natural colors!

Very nice form on this one! Kind of an interesting variation on the recessed top on the bowl portion! I tend to agree with Jim and Toney about the finial and my only suggestion as far as a design modification would be to use only 1/2 of the globe on top of the finial - so that it matches the domed lid. I believe it would help tie all the design aspects together.

Nice work on this John! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with next!

Folks,
What I see in the finial is OSHA influence. The finial has a safety end. The day is coming when pointy things will not be displayed to the masses. Pointy things will be in the future will be very difficult to display and to insure unless they are in a OSHA approved enclosure. ( I've been watch way too many news programs)

Bob

[Tony De Masi]

Beautiful job once again John. I believe that any future turnings that have multiple woods will obviously have a " great combination of woods John" I've seen several folks fall hard into this vortex of turning but NONE whove had such an inherent and hidden talent. Maybe you should start some YouTube videos?

Tony

[neil mackay]

Hmm, well John, not sure what I can say. For a neophyte you're demonstrating an eye for shape and form and not to mention turning ability that is quite amazing.

Shape and form, blending of timber types plus a decorative final. All in all an excellent result.

[Matt Ranum]

Well done as usual John! In my personal untrained eye, I like the finial on this one. For me it seems to fit the piece.

[Paul Atkins]

Neat! Keep up the good work.

[steven carter]

Another beauty John. I like the combination of woods, and I also like the finial.

Steve

[Roland Martin]

John, again a fine piece, very well done. IMO, this finial fits this piece very well.
I've done quite a lot of work with claro over the years, and the piece you turned is a very good example of just how awesome claro color & figure can be. Mike did you good again!

[charlie knighton]

very nice, your choice on the finial, i am curious as to what tool you are using to undercut the rim, again very nice

[John Keeton]

I really do appreciate everyone's comments! You can't imagine the lift I get from your support - it keeps me striving harder each time.

Folks,
What I see in the finial is OSHA influence.
BobExactly, Bob!! I had a sharp ended one on the lathe when the inspector arrived - NO GO! He was ready to write me up when I agreed to change it!:D;)


Maybe you should start some YouTube videos?

TonyTony, I could easily do a "bloopers" video - or two, or three!:o


Mike did you good again!That he did, Roland. And, this is actually the least figured of the 6-7 pieces I still have. It is some beautiful stuff to play with, for sure!


...i am curious as to what tool you are using to undercut the rim...Charlie, I was able to get quite a ways into the undercut with the Thompson gouge, but the rest I cut with my hollowing tool from Jeff Nicol, and cleaned it up with a small round scraper. I undercut as far as the opening would allow, and still be able to scrape it as I wanted to get a nice clean surface. Could have gone more, but more of a sanding job!!

[Roland Martin]

If that's the least figured John, I really can't wait to see the others! I suppose it's time to give Mike a call, unless of course you grabbed all the good stuff:D

[Rob Cunningham]

Really nice John. Great combination of woods and beautiful form.