Maple & Ebony Urn

[Mark Hubl]

I want to try my hand at making some pet urns. This one is more of the hard maple I have. I used ebony for the collar and top. The ebony has hand chased threads. Although I like the shape of this one the bottom is a tad wide. Unfortunately the wood is checked pretty bad. Not something I would gift, so I left the bottom on the thick side. It still has a volume of 2.75 cups.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/5220446304_cd3ea31862_b.jpg

[John Keeton]

Mark, this is a very nice piece, and while the bottom may be a little wide, it still looks great! Beautiful combination with the ebony, and someday I am going to learn how to chase the threads on these things.

Nice work! And, great photos, as always!

[David Reed]

I like the form as it is, but then I am not a great fan of the very small bottoms which seem to be more popular. The top accents the piece perfectly as does the staining of the maple. Contact your local Veterinarians to make yourself available if that is your intent. Having a couple examples plus photos of others available would be a real asset for you, the Vets and their clients.
David

[Doug W Swanson]

Mark,

I think it looks great.

I'm not exactly sure who made the rules up about form shape and proportion but as long as it looks good, go with it.

You should be proud of this piece and don't be so hard on yourself!

JMO!

[Prashun Patel]

"I'm not exactly sure who made the rules up about form shape and proportion..."

I too am a believer that the artist and wood should let their own forms reveal themselves instead of striving for a standard.

However, I recently got a copy of "The Art of Turned Bowls" By Richard Raffin. It does a great job of illustrating proportions. The 'rules' do make sense, and he does a good job of helping you develop yr eye for proportion. I recommend it for the uninitiated like m'self.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really a nice looking piece. I don't see a thing wrong with it. When my wife's sister died we looked at Urn's for her. I noticed that the bottoms were bigger than most vases. The lady said it is for stability. She said the smaller bottoms can make them unstable. So most of the bottoms on theirs was 3" or a little larger. I have wanted to make some for some time but just never had any idea of dimensions until see those.

[Baxter Smith]

Pretty combination of woods and I like the shape.

[charlie knighton]

very nice....

[Mark Hubl]

Thanks all. Not being too hard on myself, just expressing what my eye sees post lathe. Sometimes, once vertical the line changes for me.

Prashun, Another text I would recommend is Mike Darlow's Woodturning Design. Mike spends a goodly amount of time talking about the Golden Mean, Fibonacci and other classic formulas that produce dimensions pleasing to the human eye. Good stuff.

Bernie you are spot on. We talked about the piece at our local meeting and it was brought up the ashes are heavier than you think and you do want some heft in the base to prevent the form from being tippy.

[Doug W Swanson]

"I'm not exactly sure who made the rules up about form shape and proportion..."

The 'rules' do make sense, and he does a good job of helping you develop yr eye for proportion.

I did look up some info on Raffan's book. There was actually some pages of the book posted on the web. While I can understand it to a point and not to use a old cliche here but IMO beauty is still in the eye of the beholder.

That said, there is also a lot of artwork that I just don't get. Some people really love the impressionistic art of Monet, Van Gogh, etc. Granted some of their stuff is nice but some of it is just way too out there for me...

[Cathy Schaewe]

Mark, I really, really like this piece. This is a perfect shape for an urn, IMO, and I really like the lid as well. Thanks for posting.

[David E Keller]

I like it as it is... The threading is a very nice touch.

As for the foot, I like the width, but I might think about slightly rounding the edges of the base to give it a little visual lift. I think it was Keith Burns that made the suggestion to me about a vase I had posted, and it does make a visual difference to my eye.

[Mark Hubl]

As for the foot, I like the width, but I might think about slightly rounding the edges of the base to give it a little visual lift. I think it was Keith Burns that made the suggestion to me about a vase I had posted, and it does make a visual difference to my eye.

Good point. Dick Sing made the same recommendation for the piece at our monthly meeting.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Very nice work! I agree with David's comment about rolling the edge of the foot in slightly. In the larger photo - almost looks like there is a slight flair to the foot and that would subtract from the basic curve.

I also like the knob/finial and threading it really elevates the piece!

Nice work! Thanks for sharing!

[Richard Madden]

Good job, Mark. I like the shape and the threaded lid is a nice touch. At 2.75 cups, your urn will hold the ashes of a 39 lb. animal. I think there is a growing market for pet urns. I've made a few and want to do more.