Stuck on a form

[Mark Hubl]

Seems that I got stuck on a form shape. Ever happen to you all? These are some "vases" I guess. Each is a little different. The Hard Maple piece is the first piece I have turned from a really green piece of wood. It is made from a limb crotch and has three pithes. How it didn't come apart I don't know. Dumb luck. The butternut piece is the largest at roughly 7 1/2" tall x 3 1/4" wide. It is really light, nice thin walls. I like the red oak piece. I was inspired by themes used in southwestern pottery. I used "kiva" steps. I like doing these vases, not very useful though.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4606799077_145bf81be5_o.jpg

[Richard Madison]

Very nice work Mark. That shape and size should sell well.

[Mike Minto]

you could be 'stuck' on worse :rolleyes:; you're very good at making these vases, and they really look great.

[John Keeton]

Beautiful work, Mark! I really like the Butternut - both because I like Butternut, and I like the long sweep on the cut wrapping down around the bottom. Seems to add to the form - at least for me.

Neat feature on the bottom, too!;) I like the last one, and these are nice, as well. Kind of miss the dramatic light effect, though!:D

By the way, what software do you use to do your photo composite?

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really nice pieces Mark. Love the Butternut.

[alex carey]

totally love the bottom, very cool, your pictures show these off beautifully also.

[David E Keller]

I like the form. Nothing wrong with a little repetition. I like all three, but the oak gets my vote.

[Frank Van Atta]

Great forms - I like them all.

[Cathy Schaewe]

Those are really pretty. Now I have to learn something else - how to cut into the edges. Wow, I like that effect!

[charlie knighton]

very nice....

[Steve Schlumpf]

Mark - nice variations on a theme! I like them all but the Red Oak vase really jumps out at me because of the unique carving.

Pretty cool stuff! Thanks for sharing!

[Bill Wyko]

I think they are wonderful. The stepping and the rolled look are a nice touch.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Mark, Those look great. Could you describe the basic technique for doing the "steps" and "wrapped effect" on those? Very cool idea!

[Mark Hubl]

Thanks to all for looking and commenting.

To carve the forms I use hand chisels, a power carver, rifler files, Dremel and sandpaper. Basically I layout some lines and then cut in. For cutting the tops I used a Dremel with small saw blade. Then I will carve in to remove some wood and give the piece a rough shape. I refine the shape with files and then the sanding begins, use a Dremel and small sanding drum to rough sand and remove material quickly. Once I get a shape I like then hand sand to clean it up and get it smooth. When turning the piece I leave it a little thicker knowing I will be removing outside material.




By the way, what software do you use to do your photo composite?

John, I use MS PowerPoint to create a slide. I just add a background, import my pics and size them as needed. I then "Save" the slide as a JPEG file. It of course looses some resolution, but works well enough for the net. If you don't have PowerPoint you could use Open Office. It is a free downloadable productivity suite. It has a presentation tool much like PowerPoint, called Impress. I think it would work as well. I have it on my wifes laptop, but I have not used it yet.

[John Keeton]

Thanks for the info on the software! I have Powerpoint, so I will need to try that. And, thanks for answering Alan's question, too - good info.

[Curt Fuller]

Mark, you've posted some incredible work in the last couple days. I love the shapes, the carving, burning and texturing. Thanks for posting.