burl Cup

[Kenneth Hertzog]

I'm finally crossing over from small items to bigger items
size of item is 5 inch tall and about 3 inch Dia.
stem size is large cause of the hole thru the middle
ran a piece of yarn thru it
figured if i went any smaller on the stem it would be two pieces :rolleyes:
what does anyone think?
Ken

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[Cindy Navarro]

I think that the goblet is very nice looking, but that the stem is too large proportionally to the cup.

[dan petroski]

find a vine and thread it through the hole and tie a bow in it to take the focus away from the large stem that you had to use. nice burl

[Robert McGowen]

This is one of the reasons that I like to do segmented work. I like to tell the wood what to do, not the other way around!

The stem is a little out of proportion, but I realize that you already know that. Beautiful burl though.

[David E Keller]

It's pretty burl... There are a couple of things you could try if faced with a similar situation in the future. You could fill the void with epoxy and contrasting material. You could also choose another possible contrasting wood for the stem portion and use the burl for the cup and base. There's nothing wrong with what you made, but those are a couple of ideas that might allow you to alter the stem in the future if you'd like.

[Kenneth Hertzog]

You are all correct on the size of the stem
needs to be smaller by a large amount
not only does the hole pass thru the center but also
wraps on around like a spiral
figured I'd quit there and set it on the shelf
as a reminder what not to do.
As for filling with epoxy, I think it would be very hard to
get it clean enough for anything to stick to the wood.
thanks for the comments
that was a small chunk from a very large burl from
a old oak tree. Probably the worst wood to practice on.
Ken

[scott schmidt grasshopper]

if you had wanted to. might have filled it with dark sawdust or coffee grounds and CA'ed it that will stick to most anything, I do that with bug holes in myrtlewood or walnut .

[Kenneth Hertzog]

Scott
you are correct with bug holes
this hole is 1/2 inch Dia. and about 3 inches long or longer
filling is one thing counting on the filling to hold two parts together
is quite another. Lets face it I was scared to do any more without
flying projectiles off the lathe.
Ken

[James Combs]

I agree with the others that the stem is too large but I understand why you could not go smaller. The comment about the vine and ribbon is a good idea. It would definitely deaccent the pedestal. All in all though it is beautiful wood and will make a great visual.

BTW when I first saw it I thought maybe it was a wedding gift, i.e. "tied the knot":D. Might be an idea to try for someone if the capture rings a body was working on broke off or failed to present just right.;)

[Russ Denz]

Perception is everything. As an example, if you show someone a 400# wild boar and call it a "pig", the majority will automatically think it's one huge pig; as a boar, however, it appears quite normal.

My first glance at your goblet conjured up images of a group of midieval knights seated around a massive oak table in some castle, "grogging" it up after a battle...and the goblet fit in perfectly. Perhaps calling it a mideival grog goblet or something similar will cause a different reaction - just a thought.

Given this context, I think it is a work of art - sans the yarn - and masterfully done using a difficult timber - good job!!

Russ

[Prashun Patel]

I think this is just an issue of marketing.

Rename it 'burl chalice' and it's perfect.

Personally, I cherish the times I have to work the design around the wood, instead of the wood around the design. I like the decision you made.

[Baxter Smith]

Great looking cup! Reminds me of something you would see from times of old when "men were men" or something like that.:) You could slam it down on the table and say "fill er up again".