Hollowform w/spiral finial

[Richard Madden]

Some of you may remember the spiral finials I showed a while back. At that time I did not have any dried forms to use the finials on. Well, here is the first one and I would appreciate any comments and critique. This is Sweet Gum and the finial and collar are Ebony. Measures 7" x 7". Any and all comments are welcome, but I would especially like to hear what you think about the proportions of the finial on this form. Thanks for looking.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/RickM1_album/006-11.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/RickM1_album/007-9.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/RickM1_album/008-7.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/RickM1_album/009-8.jpg

[Bill Bolen]

Beautiful piece Richard. Love the form and color of the wood. Outstanding work on the finial. Must have taken A LOT of filing and sanding. The finial is just the right size. A bit larger and it would have been over the top on size. A bit smaller would have worked quite well too but this size is just about spot on...Bill..

[Tim Rinehart]

I like it Richard, looks like a nice balance. You do superb work with those spirals...I have to try sometime. Would love to hear you describe your steps to doing one sometime. Perhaps a little photo essay.

[John Keeton]

Richard, I am amazed and impressed with your detailing on this finial. I think it fits very well, and is proportionate to the form. I think William B. is right - smaller would have worked, too. Getting good cuts and detail on a smaller finial may have compromised the overall quality.

Great job!

[Roger Chandler]

It would be hard to improve on this finial. This is outstanding work, any way you look at it. The sweet gum hollow form is really nice as well.

That being said, the only improvement that might be possible for that finial is to elongate it, however, it might not be a very do-able thing because of the space needed inside the finial for tools to make the negative space. It might be possible but more time and labor intensive.

Again, just really nice work!

[Josh Bowman]

Looks great, spot on with shape. The grain is great. Like the finial.

[Scott Hackler]

Richard, this piece is really cool. I love the concept of the spiral finial. If the finial would have been solid than it would be too big, but with all the empty space I think it just right. My only critique would be from a personal taste, I would like to see the base of the finial thinned down and coved to highlight the awesome finial mounted on top.

Great job!

[bob svoboda]

Very nice form, Richard and that finial is a knock-out.

[Richard Madden]

I like it Richard, looks like a nice balance. You do superb work with those spirals...I have to try sometime. Would love to hear you describe your steps to doing one sometime. Perhaps a little photo essay.

Tim,
Maybe I'll try to do a photo essay someday, not sure I could do a good job. The May 2006 issue of Woodturning has an excellent article by Stuart Mortimer (the master at these) that shows the process in detail.
One thing I forgot to mention, the finial is threaded.
I appreciate all the comments and compliments.

[George Morris]

Richard well done! Great piece,Finial is terrific! How did you do that carved? Or a ornamental lathe?

[David DeCristoforo]

You "could have" made the finial smaller or longer or thinner or whatever. But that's all just a matter of personal taste. I think it's just right. It fits the form and is beautifully executed. As to the form itself, this is one of my favorite hollow form designs. The possible variations are endless but you really nailed this one.

[Rob Mathis]

I am blown away with your finial.

[Matt Ranum]

I am blown away with your finial.


+1 Not much else to say about, but its just beautiful!

[David E Keller]

Richard, it's a beautiful finial, and the HF is nice looking too. For my taste, it's a little bit heavy visually for the form it's on, but I may need to study it some more. I agree with the idea of elongating/stretching it, but I have no idea what that does to the complexity of the carving. I really, really like the look of these spiral finials, and each one that you've posted has become progressively more refined and detailed. I'm certainly looking forward to your next one!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Beautiful Richard. Really nice balance with the finial and the HF looks great.

[David Campbell]

The finial is not only beautiful, the piece overall is gorgeous.

[Paul Douglass]

WOW that is beautiful.

[Michael Short]

Richard that is a really stunning bowl. That finial is awesome.

[Cathy Schaewe]

I think it's PERFECT!

WOW!

[Michelle Rich]

Fantastic work on the finial. I have done a lot of spiral work, so I know this is a real challenge. Very well done.

[Mark Hubl]

Richard,

You are getting good at these finials. This one looks very good, the top detail is very nice. I like the "husky" shape, the proportions work well with the hollow form. My nit with it is the bottom. I think that is a little on the heavy side. I like the simplicity at the bottom, I think if you added detail elements you might get too much lift for this shape HF.

Love the threads, always a nice touch.

The HF is a beauty, the knot is great. It adds some swirl that compliments the finial. Good job.

[Baxter Smith]

Good looking finial. A little on the wide side for my tastes but I think it matches the form its on. Just curious. How much carving/sanding time is involved in creating something like this?

[Richard Madden]

Good looking finial. A little on the wide side for my tastes but I think it matches the form its on. Just curious. How much carving/sanding time is involved in creating something like this?
A bunch. I'll have to keep track of just how long it takes. Not knowing what I'm doing and not having the best tools for this doesn't help. At least that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.