Spalted Holly and Ebony - again!

[John Keeton]

Somewhere I saw a piece similar to this, and it stuck in my mind. I have wanted to do it with some high contrast wood, so I decided on the spalted holly, and use up some more of the Gabon ebony - which I do not like! I still have enough for a few more embellishments, and it is too expensive to toss.

The rim of the bowl and the lid were marked with a faint skew cut and dyed black - carefully!! The finish is lacquer, double buffed.

This piece has a few new lessons - as do they all , I guess!:o At least for me at this point in my journey.

First, the holly was at 22% MC. I would NEVER consider flatwork with that high of a moisture content, and should have known better here. Despite my efforts to get this turned quickly and sealed, it warped. And, of course, the lid warped, too. I even reversed the grain on the lid to see if I could get it to warp the opposite so it would nest better - didn't work!

The second lesson involved the stem. I turned the bowl with a shallow recess in the base. The bottom of the recess followed the curvature on the bottom of the bowl. I then turned a small ebony plug that was glued in the base. The plug was dished to match the recess so I could turn the bottom of the bowl thin. I used the plug as a tenon to turn the inside of the bowl, flipped it, and turned the ebony plug for the top part of the stem. In hindsight, it is too difficult to get everything plum and true in doing that. I have had fairly good success with multiple part finials, but this stem would have been easier turned in two sections (base and stem) instead of three.

And, most importantly, it became evident that these horizontal pieces can play tricks with one's sense of scale and proportion.

This piece is just under 6" wide. I thought it would accomodate the finial and stem as shown, but IMO the finial is too heavy, and a little too long. Although it is thin at .08", it still has too much going on, I believe. Maybe if I had left out the section where the form was replicated?

But, here it is for what it is. Sorry for the wordiness, but I hope that some of you can learn from it as well! Perhaps you won't repeat my mistakes - although, my Dad always told me the education I got from the "school of hard knocks" would stay with me longer.:D:cool: As was always the case - Dad was right!:)

BTW - no pearls, no dye!!!:D Well, except for the black rims!

[Karl Card]

nice work John. I havent gotten to the point where I use dyes yet. Being new I still love the pure natural look of wood.

But the accents in black really make the wood stand out on your piece.
A finial does not have a chance against your tools, lol.

[bob svoboda]

Very nice John. I really like the finial.

[David DeCristoforo]

I would love to see a pic of this without the lid/finial. Just got a feeling...

[Wally Dickerman]

Well John, you've done it again. A beautiful piece. Very well done. You continue to amaze everyone here.

I'm going to agree with you in that this type of turning should be done only with dry wood. In fact, I sugest that it be twice turned to take care of possible warping. I also agree that the finial is a bit heavy. A suggestion...I feel that for good balance the finial and the pedestal should not be the same height. One or the other should be taller than the other. Another suggestion...When doing a piece of this type, I prefer to turn a 1/2 inch dia. tenon on the bowl that will fin into a recess in the pedestal. In fact I'm working on one right now. I'll post a pic in a few days.

That spalted holly is very attractive. I've never had any myself. In fact, I've had very little holly that was large enough for bowl turning. Hard to find and very nice to turn.

Wally

[Michael James]

That is incredibly beautiful! As is. You know many artists do theme series. Might I suggest making others with the same, or opposing or ?? materials with the suggestions you mention.
If I can ever get that much tool control, I will call my self a woodurner. I think Cindy D would even approve!
Michael in awe....................

[Roger Chandler]

Well Mr. K,

There you go again..... inspiring most everybody on this forum..... and they said "look what we did to poor Mr. Keeton." I still think it is the opposite.... look how he just keeps on inspiring us with these beautiful forms....;)

Seriously John, you do really nice work, and we certainly enjoy your postings, and look forward to what you come up with next!

Keep 'em coming .......

[Bill Wyko]

JEEZE John!!! You just keep knocking them out of the park and into the next county. Now I have to decide if this is my favorite or the previous one I had commented on. You sir have mad scientist skills. Way to go.

[David E Keller]

Nicely done, John. I like the black and white combo... It has a somewhat contemporary feel to me. The warping issues you describe are not evident to me in the photos. Like a lot of projects, you may find fault in places where others would never notice. The black band at the rim of the lid and vessel really ties everything together visually.

[Michelle Rich]

good golly..methinks you is too gosh darn particular..looks awesome to me, except I agree the height of pedestal & finial should be different..but photos are really terribly bad way to judge a turning...Proportions get screwy...etc... I think it's lovely and a gosh darn great turning. We are all going to have to up our game...

[Tony De Masi]

John, there isn't much left to say about your skill level, now is there? But what amazes me most about the work you do is your ability to see things that I personally just can't. I turn mostly utilitarian stuff and to me these types of turnings are simply amazing

Very well done. AGAIN.

Tony

[Ted Evans]

Absolutely beautiful piece John, as usual for you. I am a good one to say this but I will any way, I would like to see how a shorter version of the finial would look, then again, I may not like it as well. You are very blessed with the talents that you have.

[Sean Hughto]

Great skill and wonderful vision. Nice work.

[John Keeton]

Thanks all, for taking the time to look and for the kind comments. You al are consistently gracious in your critique of my pieces.

Wally, I very much appreciate your kind words, and for the helpful suggestions. To even have you comment on one of my turnings I consider a true honor. Thank you!

David and Michelle, the warpage seems to not be visible in the pics, but it is there nonetheless!:( For some reason, the lid will rest fairly well on the two high spots - rather balanced, I guess!:confused: From most angles, the piece looks OK.
Being new I still love the pure natural look of wood.Karl, even though I am new to turning, I have been woodworking for several decades. I still enjoy the natural look of wood, as well. But, some years ago when I was in to building longrifles, I used a chemical dye process on the curly maple. Since that time, I have always felt that the figured woods lent themselves to some enhancement at times. Woodturning provides that absolute best opportunity for that.

I would have to say that I am not much on dying non-figured wood.


I would love to see a pic of this without the lid/finial. Just got a feeling...David, I wish I had taken one, and I am too lazy to set up the photo tent to do one!:o Ms. Keeton does like it without the lid, FWIW!


Might I suggest making others with the same, or opposing or ?? materials with the suggestions you mention.Michael, I don't do well with multiples of anything - could be ADD?? But, you are right on the series idea - very popular in woodturning.


... I would like to see how a shorter version of the finial would look...Ted, thanks for the comments. Unfortunately, the finial would be very difficult to remove. I did contemplate doing another one, but honestly, after the warpage on the piece, I lost motivation to continue working with it.

[Curt Fuller]

It probably breaks your heart to put so much thought and effort into something this nice and then have something as simple as a little warping screw it up. But it's still awfully pretty. The only thing that doesn't look great to me is the lower third of the finial. It just has a little too much going on, too many ins and outs. But it's still a pretty nice finial. But overall the piece is very pretty and a nice job of enhancing the already beautiful wood with just a dab of dye.

[charlie knighton]

wowizer, i like your train of thought on this piece, you truely will continue to achieve

[Frank Van Atta]

Very striking piece and a nice combination of woods. Does the top/lid just sit there, or is there a recess to keep it centered?

[John Keeton]

It probably breaks your heart to put so much thought and effort into something this nice and then have something as simple as a little warping screw it up. But it's still awfully pretty. The only thing that doesn't look great to me is the lower third of the finial. It just has a little too much going on, too many ins and outs. But it's still a pretty nice finial. But overall the piece is very pretty and a nice job of enhancing the already beautiful wood with just a dab of dye.Curt, I am sure every turner has this happen at times. I just haven't been at it long enough to have the experiences. It was disheartening, but in hindsight, I should have known better using the wet wood. I appreciate your comments.

And, you see exactly what I see in the finial. The replication of the form seemed like a good idea, but it isn't right for this piece. Were that eliminated, the finial would feel more comfortable, and be about the right height.


Very striking piece and a nice combination of woods. Does the top/lid just sit there, or is there a recess to keep it centered?Thanks, Frank. There is a slight "shelf" on which the lid sits.

[Toney Robertson]

Nice piece John. The spalted holly and ebony provide a striking contrast.

I don't know if using dry wood would necessarily solve your warping problem. I have had MANY pieces of dry wood warp on my. The last square bowl that I posted warped. I even returned it to the lathe and flatten the bottom but it evidently still did not have all the stress removed and it warped again.

Obviously wet wood increases the warping hazard but dry wood is not a panacea as I am sure you are quite aware of.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Happy Fathers day John and all you Fathers out there. That piece is a beauty. I agree the the bottom of the finial is a little busy but otherwise I see a very nice piece.

[Harvey Ghesser]

John...that is an absolutely gorgeous finial!! Nicest one I've ever seen!

[Jim Kountz]

but I hope that some of you can learn from it as well! Perhaps you won't repeat my mistakes - although, my Dad always told me the education I got from the "school of hard knocks" would stay with me longer


Uh John, I would love to make a "mistake" like this. Amazing work!! You are too hard on yourself, that thing looks stunning to me!! Good to see you're still at it!!

[Baxter Smith]

Very eyecatching! Great idea and combination of colors. You also did a great job of self critiquing!:)

I will have to remember that the holly I am trying to spalt will still be pretty wet when I take it out of my tubs. (I would love to try one like this but had bettter be patient!)

[Roland Martin]

Very nice turning John. The spalted holly and ebony are a beautiful combination. Although I may agree that the finial is a bit busy, the fact is, you have an outstanding ability for turning the finest and most delicate finials that I've seen.

[William Hutchinson]

Very nice choice of materials for your form. Sort of a Weissflog/Drozda synthesis into your own vision and style. It won't be long before your work commands prices similar to those artist.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y66/wlhutch/weissflog.jpg http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y66/wlhutch/drozda.jpg

[John Keeton]

Thanks, guys, for all the follow up comments!!

Toney, you are right on wood in general - it will move. This wood was just simply too wet to try this type of turning. Wally was correct - I should have twice turned this one.

Bernie, hope you are still having a blast on your trip!

William, I am humbled by your comments and comparison.:o One could only hope to achieve that level of skill and artistry! I do love the burl piece you pictured by Cindy. I don't recall seeing that one. I think I have a burl that would work for a similar piece, and give me another chance to try some more dyes!!:D

[Steve Schlumpf]

John - just wanted to say Nice Work! Each piece is a lesson and it sounds like you learned a lot from this one! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with next!