HF design?

[Jack Mincey]

A friend gave me a small chunk of mesquite a few months back and I just got around to turning a small HF from it. Since it was much smaller than most of my bowls I decided to try and see if I could add some embellishments to the little form. I put a black wood collar on it and turned a finial out of something I will let you guess what it is. It will most likely be the last finial I turn from this material since it is very very very weak when turned small. My question is about to put a foot on this bowl or leave it off. The little foot was made from a small scrap of black wood, but I’m not sure if I like it or not. I feel it is too small for the form. I would have made it bigger if I had a larger piece of black wood, but you know how that goes.
Thanks
Jack
The pictures are poor, but I am stuck at school waiting to work a ball game without a good camera.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v727/flyrod444/DSC00169.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v727/flyrod444/DSC00170.jpg

[Scott Hackler]

Love the HF, am so-so on the foot (I like it with or without), not too crazy about the finial (I think its mainly the white color that is a problem for me, although a thinner finial is always my personal preference... thats just my taste).

Whats the dimension of this?

[Dennis Ford]

Nice hollow form. To me; with the foot it works, without the foot the finial is too much, making it look unstable.

[John Keeton]

I am with Dennis. If you decide to go without the foot, I believe the finial needs to come down in size quite a bit.

Nie form, though!

[Baxter Smith]

Are we supposed to guess outloud?:) I like it with the foot. I think it helps balance it in color with the collar as well as proportion with the taller finial.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Nice form on this one. I would lose the finial and leave the collar and foot. My personal opinion.

[charlie knighton]

nice piece, i like it without the foot or feet, the final is fine since it is so narrow compared to the width of the hf,

the wood of the final is what??? my guess is box elder but strickly a guess

so how tall is it????????

[Cathy Schaewe]

I was thinking it was box elder too.
IMO, the finial just doesn't go. I'd leave the foot on, though, because it's just different enough to be eye-catching.

[Nathan Hawkes]

Jack, I like the form quite a bit. The foot works for me, but the finial doesn't quite match the piece. If it were mine, I'd undercut the finial considerably to let it sit lower, and reduce the height by about a third. I also think the tip of the finial needs a more drastic taper, getting skinny quicker, in other words.

[Jim Burr]

I'm in the box elder camp. I like the foot, it adds a dimension. The finial....ehhh. Maybe a reversable lid, smooth on one side, smaller finial on the other!

[Bill Bolen]

Love the piece with the foot. I agree on trimming the finial down but that is just me.Looks very good....Bill...

[David E Keller]

I like the form, the collar, and (brace yourself Keeton)... the foot:D! I really like the foot!

I'm not crazy about the finial, but I think it's the color that bugs me. I agree with the others that it could be a bit smaller in scale, and I'd prefer to see it in the same dark color as the collar and foot.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Jack - nice work! I do like the organic form! The foot is kinda cool because it is different. Not very sure about the finial though as it seems to overpower the piece. Maybe if it were about 1/2 the present length and the same color as the foot - but that is just me. Is the finial turned out of deer antler? Has that look about it.

Looking forward to seeing what you end up doing!

[David Christopher]

I must be the oddball here......I like the finial and the foot

[James Combs]

The finial may be a tad tall but I think it works as long as the feet are on. Without the feet the finial gets taller by a bunch visually.

The finial maybe holly.

[John Keeton]

Looks like holly, but this statement makes me doubt it - "It will most likely be the last finial I turn from this material since it is very very very weak when turned small." I have found holly to be a great wood for finials - good tight grain, and turns like a dream. At least, that is my experience.

[Richard Madden]

Since your question is about the foot, that's all I'll comment on. Keep the foot.

[Jack Mincey]

Thanks for all the input. The great thing about this little form is that I might try everyone's suggestion before I'm finished with it. My wonderful wife likes it best without either the finial or the foot just the collar. The mesquite is about the best wood I've ever turned, I will have to get some more of it. Does it grow in the Huston area? If it does I will have my sister bring my a trunk load next time she comes in for a visit by car. Steve guessed right. The finial is turned from Deer Antler. The outer surface of the antler is very durable, but when tuned down into where the blood circulated in them they become almost like turning a hard dry sponge. Very weak, I had to stop and soak with thin CA a number of times to strengthen this one up. If I don't use the finial on the form I will use in on a Christmas ornament. I think that I will try a shorter finial turned from persimmon and dyed black to see if I like it better. I will post a picture of this experiment when complete.
Thanks,
Jack