Carved top Red oak form

[Jeff Nicol]

Good evening wood spinners! I had a whole day in the shop today and all I did was turn. I progressed on a bunch of ornaments and cut up some blocks into turning blanks while trying to find the floor in the shop!

I finished this Red Oak crotchwood piece that has a little bit of everything from spalting to knots and worm trails. I took this chunk out of the fire wood pile last Wednesday and cut it into a blank planning on turning it that afternoon. But Richard Golde had planned on dropping in for a Q&A session and some insights on finial turning. We gabbed away the afternoon and I had to start it on Thursday. I turned it to completion and filled it with floor dry until yesterday when I started the carving on the top, it was at about 14% moisture so it will dry a bit more but it should stay pretty much where it is at now. Just some danish oil on it for now and might buff it out some later. It is 6.5" wide and 4.375" tall with a 2.24" opening. My wife likes it so it may not get to the gallery, thanks for looking.

Jeff

[Ken Hill]

The carving really makes the whole thing pop!

[Baxter Smith]

That is a really nice piece Jeff. I can see why your wife would want to keep it. So much character and your carving sets it all off!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really nice piece Jeff and the carving really does it. No wonder your wife wanted it.

[Marc Himes]

Very nice. I like the carving. What kind of carving tool did you use?

Marc Himes

[David E Keller]

Very cool... I'm gonna have to try the floor dry/kitty litter trick.

The carving is great, and that wood has got a lot showing for it.

[Ted Calver]

I like the wood, the form and the carving....very nice. I think buffing will really finish it off well. Tell us about the floor dry trick. Do you only put it on the inside of the bowl?

[Steve Schlumpf]

Jeff - glad to see you managed to get in some shop time! This piece is great! Beautiful wood - wonderful form and I really like the carving! Seriously nice work! Thanks for sharing!

[Leo Van Der Loo]

That is a very nice piece Jeff, the carving does give it something special, .......I wonder how Fuming with Ammonia would give this an appealing antique look, oh just thinking out loud Jeff it does look just fine as is :)

[Richard Madden]

Neat looking piece there. It's got so much going on and going for it. The grain, worm holes, the form, and I love the patina. And then, threre's the carving. Very:cool:

[Jeff Fagen]

Sure does hold ones attention!Did you use an indexing feature on the lathe to guide the carving?

[Curt Fuller]

Jeff, that's really a terrific piece. I love the carving and combined with the gnarly wood it gives it a great rugged look.

[Michael James]

That's quite a piece there! That wood is too gnarly to burn.....good save!:cool: The carving also adds something to that already ancient look. You should find more time for turning -I promise I wont bug you for tools for, um a long while.... ok, a while.
mj

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Ahhh, Oak. Wonderful job Jeff, It really does have a bit of everything going on. Beautiful piece.:)

[John Keeton]

Jeff, this is the perfect treatment for a chunk of wood like that!! I love this piece - so very rustic and earthy looking. Great work!

[Steve Vaughan]

That's a beautiful piece, and I love the carving! The carving really adds a lot to it. And the color of the wood is beautiful as well. I love how an old gnarly piece of oak looks.

[gary Zimmel]

I can see why your wife won't let this one go to the gallery Jeff.
Beautiful piece.

[Dennis Ford]

That was a beautiful form before the carving and now it is even better!

[Doug W Swanson]

Jeff,

That is a very well done piece. It would look great with the decor in my house....

Maybe one of these days we can set up a meeting so you can teach me how to do something of this caliber!:D

[Jeff Nicol]

Good morning all, I had been eying the piece up in the wood pile and moving it around and out of the way so my wife would not put in in the stove when she is up at night and checks on the wood to make sure my shop is warm when I get up in the morning. She is somewhat of a fire lover as she likes to be as warm as she can be, so I don't complain! But any way when I cut it into the blank it had so much going for it that a rustic form was warranted.

Marc, I use a lot of different tools in my carving and have been carving for about 40 years but I used a palm sized 3/8" gouge to do the carving, pictures below.

Dave, Here is a picture of another Red Oak piece that I have in the floor dry/kitty litter moisture evacuation process. Most times I will seal the end grain with anchor seal and/or the stretch wrap to stop that from loosing moisture to fast. This is how I do it most of the time, I turn the piece down to finished thickness or maybe a little thicker if I plan on returning it. I think that the mass of the clay in the form helps to keep it rounder, and it does not suck the moisture out fast but equally on the entire inside surface. I have not tried putting a piece completely covered yet but it is on the list of things to do. I weigh the piece before I fill it and write the weight on it and then check it in a few days to see how much is lost, and as I progress I will check it with a moisture meter, make sure you allow the piece to stabilize back for maybe 30 min. before you check the inside as that will be the wettest right after you remove the litter. So far so good and no smelly highly volital DNA sitting around and the cost is about 1/10 or less. And not as unpredictable as boiling and no fire!

Leo, I have a couple of White Oak pieces that I plan on fuming, this one was so dark to begin with I figured it could speak for its self.

Jeff, Like I said above I have been carving longer than I have been woodturning so I did this all free hand with no layout, practice makes good sense, and I love to carve!

MJ, You never have to worry about bugging me, it is my lifes purpose to help those who seek it from me, and making a buck here and there does not hurt either!

Doug, Anytime you want to try and get together let me know. I am always ready to share what I have learned and to learn new things from others also.

Steve, Bernie and all the rest of wonderful patrons of SMC, it has been a pleasure to share comments, laughs, and the great cameraderie of this great place!

Thanks and have a great day,

Jeff

[Jim Burr]

That looks like some great old rustic pottery. Very well done Jeff!!

[bob svoboda]

Very nice Jeff. Reminds me of a John Jordan piece.

[Sean Hughto]

Great form. Love the carving too.

[charlie knighton]

very nice....

[Mark Hubl]

Sweet piece Jeff. Really like the form and your carving.

[steven carter]

Jeff,

Really nice HF, this one rally has a lot going on in it. Must have been a bear to get throught that oak with a palm carving tool. I used to carve some but since the turning thing not so much, just a few walking sticks. I'm going to have to combine the two one of these days.

Steve

[Mike Svoma]

Nice piece, Jeff. Remember....what momma wants, momma gets.