"Simplicity" - BLM burl/Claro

[John Keeton]

Several days ago, I posted a mega finial I was commissioned to do (the client loved it!:)) The insets in that piece were cored from a Big Leaf Maple burl, leaving about 1/2 of the burl. I used the larger portion of the remainder for this form. The pedestal, lid and finial are Claro walnut.

On the previous mega finial, I oriented the burl so the eyes showed on the sides of the insets. On this form, the burl is oriented so the eyes show on the top of the form, and the rays come up the sides.

The form itself is 3 5/8" wide, and the overall height is 11". The form is hollowed to 1/8" walls, the lid is 1/16" thick, and the neck of the finial is .08".

The finish schedule on this one was - wet sand to 400 with BLO, shellac, a couple of coats of lacquer, and then three coats of WOP. Schlumpf has converted me!! I am giving up my lacquer for WOP! I have used it on flatwork - a lot (the purists hate it!) I like working with lacquer, but overall, the time involvement is so much less with the WOP.

I titled this one "Simplicity" as I normally like a lot of embellishments - beads, ogee curves, etc. On this piece, I tried to keep is simple - at least for me.

This burl has beautiful chatoyance, as does the Claro. On the last pic, I lengthened the shutter speed as I wanted to show the other side of this burl, and see if I could catch a little of the chatoyance. I realize the pic is overexposed - but, purposely.

Let me know what you think - I can take it!

[Aaron Wingert]

I like this one a lot John. As you may know I'm a sucker for anything that incorporates claro walnut, and you definitely did it justice. Great form. I do have to say that it looks like a water tower in the last pic without the finial on top! :D

[Doug W Swanson]

John,

This is another exceptional piece. I really like the seamless transition between the base and the form.

Excellent job once again!

[Roger Chandler]

Simple lines, and an elegant piece John.........most unusual pedestal as it flows into the body, and one would not know it was not part of it except it is of a contrasting wood.

Both the claro and the burl are beautiful pieces.........the finish is great, and I also am a fan of WOP, and find I can attain a smoother finish and thinner coats than with the lacquer.

Simple lines are a departure from your work as of late, but it works. Do you have a proportional percentage as to the height of the piece as it relates to the width? I was wondering whether there were any established criteria for those dimensions as they relate to one another :confused:

BTW, you are showing off again, and we appreciate it! ;) Keep 'em commin' cause they inspire the rest of us. :)

[Steve Schlumpf]

John - the piece is aptly named! I like how everything flows - uninterrupted from one end of the form to the other! Nice work on that!

Sure is some pretty wood and I find your slightly overexposed photo really showcases just how well the wood plays with the light! Great effect!

I can see this in a display case, sitting on a slowly revolving disk with a couple of small spot lights highlighting the chatoyance of the wood!

Very nice work! Hope to see this one showcased on your new website!

[Bernie Weishapl]

John that is one beautiful piece. Less is better IMHO. Really like how the line flows from the foot up thru the finial. That is a showcase piece for sure.

[Robert McGowen]

That is some awesome wood. As others have mentioned, I really like the transition from the base to the middle.

[Wayne Hendrix]

John,

This is another exceptional piece. I really like the seamless transition between the base and the form.

Excellent job once again!

I agree it looks really good and is a little different from the norm, would you mind sharing how you did it?

[Don Alexander]

you keep it up John and i might just end up liking finials :eek:

very nice piece and like Steve i really like the flow

[gary Zimmel]

Another fitting gallery piece John. Beautiful work...

[John Keeton]

Thanks, guys! This one was a bit different for me - and a nice diversion.
...would you mind sharing how you did it?Wayne, I glued a waste block on the burl and turned the HF.

I rough turned the pedestal, but first drilled a 1/2" hole in what would be the top, and created a little concavity to the end.

I couldn't get enough vacuum in my vacuum chuck because the form was so thin, so I flipped it in a donut chuck and turned the waste tenon down to a 1/2" diameter stub tenon. I didn't transition the form at the bottom at that point.

Then glued on the roughed pedestal - tenon to hole - with Titebond III using the tailstock for good alignment. The concavity of the end of the pedestal permitted a very tight joint, and got just a little squeeze out of the glue which is what I like. This pic was after turning the transition, but before finish turning the pedestal. As you can see, it was rough turned fairly close, but not near finished.
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Then finish turned the pedestal, and finished off the bottom. I didn't take a pic of the bottom, but it has some ogee detailing on the bottom - just to keep the piece from being too simple!;) You just have to look at the bottom to see it.:D

Hope all that made sense!?!?

[charlie knighton]

lift, plenty of lift

very nice, John, the contrast of the wood and the upper and lower finals

[Bill Bolen]

Beautiful piece John. I too am really drawn to the flow of the base into the body. Exceptional!...Bill...

[James Combs]

As usual, a very nice piece John. Love the BLM burl.

[Jon Prouty]

Hi John,

Great piece.... I always enjoy seeing what you will come up with next.

I appologize for two simplistic questions that follow:

1) What are you using for hollowing your forms? Is it a mini-monster articulated system or are you using hand held tools? I am wondering if the mini-monster works well for this size turning.

2) I am interested in your WOP finish process. Is this applied while on the lathe or off the lathe? This is more a general finishing question that I always wonder about....

Thanks!
Jon

[David DeCristoforo]

Well now... that ain't bad. Not bad at all. Sweet lines and beautiful wood. That's what it's all about. The only thing I don't care for is the finial tip. It just doesn't seem to relate to the rest of the form. Pretty small nit to pick I know. But the whole form brings my eye up to the tip. And I really like it without the lid/finial. The pedestal and body just flow together so nicely.

[Robert Culver]

John your work is amazing I really love it. it all seems to flow.do you teach classes ? If not you should consider it.:)

[Curt Fuller]

Very nice John, very nice! Someone good at the photoshop thing should try putting a pointed tip on that finial just to see if it would look better. I can't really tell for sure but a side by side comparison would be interesting. That's sure some nice wood and some nice curves.

[Baxter Smith]

A very interesting and well done piece John out of a beautiful piece of wood. Can't say I love it, yet I find it exceedingly interesting to look at and think about. The curves, the proportions of pedestal to finial, height to width etc. etc.

[John Keeton]

Thanks, again for all the kind comments!

Do you have a proportional percentage as to the height of the piece as it relates to the width? I was wondering whether there were any established criteria for those dimensions as they relate to one another :confused:Roger, I do sketch most of my turnings, and on this one, I really just did a very crude sketch to get the proportions by eye. I didn't use measurements or a formula.


The only thing I don't care for is the finial tip. It just doesn't seem to relate to the rest of the form. Pretty small nit to pick I know.


Someone good at the photoshop thing should try putting a pointed tip on that finial just to see if it would look better.This is interesting!! The very tip of the finial is a replication of the form, but no one noticed!!:p I nearly always do a slender pointed tip, but on this one, with the curves and form, I wanted to carry the theme - but, apparently not very well.:o

[David DeCristoforo]

"The very tip of the finial is a replication of the form, but no one noticed!!"

Maybe if you put another teeny weenie finial on top of the tip. But then you'd need another on top of that and pretty soon you would have a fractal and be going blind and mad. That would not be good. Maybe you better leave it alone.

"I nearly always do a slender pointed tip..."

I'm not advocating a pointed tip. I just think this one misses the bull's eye. But like I said, this is a small nit to pick and it's not like it ruins the piece or anything. Certainly not something to lose sleep over!

[David E Keller]

It's beautiful wood, and the finish is wonderful.

I've been studying this one on and off for a while trying to find something that I might do differently. My eye is drawn to the transition at the lid... It's seems to be a bit out of place with the gorgeous, smooth curve you achieved at the bottom. I wonder what the top would look like if you did one of those inset lids like the ones that Keith Burns does so well. That's really a tiny thing, and I'm just spewing what comes to mind.

All in all, it's another great looking form. What's this website that Steve's referring to?

[Curt Fuller]

The very tip of the finial is a replication of the form, but no one noticed!!:p I nearly always do a slender pointed tip, but on this one, with the curves and form, I wanted to carry the theme - but, apparently not very well.:o

Thanks for pointing that out John. My first inclination was that the tip looked broken. But now that you explained what you were doing I see it and it changes the whole perspective. Either way, that's just one heck of a pretty piece of work.

[Ron Bontz]

Impressive.

[John Keeton]

I appologize for two simplistic questions that follow:

1) What are you using for hollowing your forms? Is it a mini-monster articulated system or are you using hand held tools? I am wondering if the mini-monster works well for this size turning.

2) I am interested in your WOP finish process. Is this applied while on the lathe or off the lathe? This is more a general finishing question that I always wonder about....

Thanks!
JonJon, sorry I missed this in my previous replies. I use the standard Monster articulating system, and it worked fine for this one, although I do think the smaller bar on the mini-system would work better. On the finishing question, I do the wet sanding with BLO and application of the shellac on the lathe. I usually buff the first coat of shellac back with 0000 steel wool, and apply a second coat using a piece of paper shop towel that has some BLO on it for lubrication.


My eye is drawn to the transition at the lid... It's seems to be a bit out of place with the gorgeous, smooth curve you achieved at the bottom. I wonder what the top would look like if you did one of those inset lids like the ones that Keith Burns does so well. That's really a tiny thing, and I'm just spewing what comes to mind.

All in all, it's another great looking form. What's this website that Steve's referring to?David, this lid is 1/16" thick, sits in a recess flush with the top surface of the form and continues the slight convexity of the top surface. That may not show well in the pic. Keith does several different things - all very well, BTW! I am not sure to which technique you are referring.

On the website, I am no longer in the group with Keith, Mark, and the others. I am in the process of developing my own site. Steve has seen the home page mock up, so that is probably why he mentioned it. I hope to have it up within the next couple of weeks. It will be in my profile - eventually.;)

[Josh Bowman]

Curvaceous! Nice grain. Looks like another winner.

[Tim Rinehart]

John, super work on this departure from your norm. The flow and simplicity is very well executed.

Interesting that you have gone to WOP, its what I started with. I've been experimenting with alot of finishes, most recently Danish Oil and/or wipe on lacquer.

Great bit of info on your methods too! Thanks. I really need to make a donut chuck...so many times when it really takes care of issues that get done less than ideally.:rolleyes:

[steven carter]

John,

Someone must say this. I just hate this piece!




I hate that I can't hold it.
I hate that I can't see it in person.
I hate that it isn't sitting in my house!

Seriously, very beautiful piece. Like some others I noticed the tip of the finial, kind of reminds me of a Gemini space capsule which seems to go with a piece that is out of this world. Different from the norm, but I like it.

I am interested in the opening for the lid, would it be possible to get a closeup of it?

Steve

[Jeff Nicol]

John, With out the top on it looks like a weather balloon or a very close up of a stop action picture of the upwards drop of water after the first drop hit the water! I hope that makes sense, sounds like I am off my meds a little! That being said there is something about the height of the pedestal or something in its shape that is bugging me. It may be the base is a little small or something, but as always your presentation and finishing are spot on. I will have to get busy and finish the 100 or so that I have at the point that need finials and pedestals to see if I can get some rave reviews like you! I am feeling a little jealous or maybe envy is the word!

Great job,

Jeff

[Jim Burr]

That is one of the few occasions that I like a gloss finish on anything. I wish there were more superlatives to use, but it really is a speechless piece.

[Wayne Hendrix]

Hope all that made sense!?!?

Perfect thank you.

[John Keeton]

Josh, Tim, Jeff, Jim - thanks for taking the time to look and comment!!
I am interested in the opening for the lid, would it be possible to get a closeup of it?

SteveSteve, thanks, and here are a couple of pics I hope will suffice.

And, I failed to mention the finial tip is actually an inverted replication of the form. You can probably see it better in these pics.

[Scott Hackler]

John, I have been staring at this for a day or so and I just dont know what to think. On one hand the craftmanship and finish is exactly what we've come to expect, but there is just something about the shape that I just can't put my finger on. Maybe its the unusual shape or the seemless transition from the pedestal to the form or that maybe there seems to be a little counter productiveness in the curves of the pedestal and finial, fighting against the graceful curve of the form and the transition point of the pedestal. I dunno. I think I would have prefered a slightly tapered, plain pedestal and a short knob type toppper that flaired up to match the curves on the bottom of the form.

Again, this is a very nice turning, but at least from my view its not my favorite of your recent submissions.

[Sean Hughto]

It reminds me of blown glass. Exceptional work!

[John Keeton]

Scott, even though I have only been at this woodturning thing a short while, it didn't take me long to observe that the "appeal" of a piece is a pretty nebulous concept.

Most pieces I have done appeal to me (not suprisingly!!:)), but not all of them. I have stopped numbering my pieces, but I still keep count - 55 so far. Most of the first dozen don't do much for me now, and of the remainder, I would have to say I am happy with all but 2 or 3.

All of that to say, it is always interesting to see the diverse work done by the many fine turners on the creek, and how their individual tastes vary considerably. For the most part, that is reflected in the work they produce, and that is what makes this game so much fun!!:D

For me, this piece was all about lift and flow, so that is why the form is as it is. That doesn't mean it will be for everyone, but it was something I needed to do. I really appreciate your thoughtful post - you obviously gave it more than a passing glance - and that is special!

Sean, I agree on the blown glass - the form and vibrance of the wood! Thanks for the comments.

[Jack Mincey]

John as usual it is beautiful. You might have keep the finials less complex, but I would still say it was less than simple.
Jack