Large Mesquite bowl and wineglass

[Kathy Marshall]

This is the largest bowl I've turned so far (or can do - 12" swing on lathe), it's just a hair under 12" x about 5 1/2" and finished in tung oil. I cut the blank round on the bandsaw then mounted between centers, then got out the chisel to shave a couple high spots so it would clear the bed (had just about enough room to slip a credit card under it :eek:). Turned green and finished (gotta love mesquite and it's stability!)
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The wineglass was a 1st for me, the stem is turned from african sumac and finished with spray on lacquer. This is going to be a christmas gift for my mom and I'm going to do 3 more for my sisters (they're all winos :eek:), any suggestions for wood for the other 3 stems? I want each of them to be different. I've got some mesquite so may use that for 1 of them.
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Thanks for looking!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Very nice work Kathy! Love the bowl! Nice classic form!

Cool idea for a wine glass! I have always like curly maple and have turned some that just takes your breathe away when it plays with light!

Have fun! Looking forward to seeing some more wine glassed real soon!

[Baxter Smith]

Very pretty bowl out of some pretty wood Kathy. The color in your wineglass stem made me wonder about my monitor. It looks pretty neat!

[John Keeton]

Kathy, those branch pith areas in the bowl really give it some character! Very nice form. Nice work on the wineglass, too. I agree with Steve on curly maple - beautiful wood, but personally, on glass items like this, I think dark woods seem to play with the light better. Perhaps walnut, cocobolo, blackwood, etc.

[Dennis Ford]

Both have good form and finish. The simple shapes are deceptively difficult to get right but you nailed it. I agree with Baxter about the wineglass stem, does that picture represent the actual color?

[Doug W Swanson]

I really like the grain pattern on the bowl. It has a lot going for it!

The wine glass is also neat. I may have to try one of those for my MIL....

[David Reed]

Kathy:
You have done an excellent job on this bowl. The shape appears perfect in it's simplicity and the double bulls-eye look adds a lot of interest. But I especially like the classic form of the glass. I have turned a couple using a stable piece of BLM burl and the effect was very nice.
Good work

[Curt Fuller]

The bowl is a beauty! Mesquite is alway pretty and the sapwood and knots make it even more so. I like the wine glass too, especially that you made the base wide enough for it to be stable and practical for use even after a couple glasses. Judging from the stark Arizona desert background in your pics you don't have the luxury of just going out and cutting a nice piece of wood for turning. But I think the goblets would be nice in some of the desert woods, desert ironwood, mesquite, locust, juniper, etc.

[charlie knighton]

very nice....

[David E Keller]

The bowl is a beauty... Lovely finish and form.

[Mark Hubl]

Those are winners. Must have been a little bit touch and go getting that bowl spinning. Looks like it cooperated pretty well.

[allen thunem]

hey kathy
did you send some of that mesquite up with my brother????

[Thomas Canfield]

Kathy,

Very nice looking bowl. It sounds like you used all the clearance on your lathe. I expect that the Mesquite challenged the power at times also. What finish did you use on the Mesquite? All the different features seem to come out well.

The wineglass also looks good. It is nice and simple but I would expect some little feature at bottom of stem at the base. The grain line in the base give the apperance of some type of feature.

[Kathy Marshall]

hey kathy
did you send some of that mesquite up with my brother????

Hi Allen
I honestly don't remember. I know I sent 2 pieces with him, 1 was a big sumac log and another smaller piece, but I don't remember if it was more sumac or mesquite. But it won't be long until you find out!

[Kathy Marshall]

Thanks Everyone!


Kathy, those branch pith areas in the bowl really give it some character! Very nice form. Nice work on the wineglass, too. I agree with Steve on curly maple - beautiful wood, but personally, on glass items like this, I think dark woods seem to play with the light better. Perhaps walnut, cocobolo, blackwood, etc.

I did another one today out of what I think might be australian bottle tree. I'll post another reply with a pic and details.



Very pretty bowl out of some pretty wood Kathy. The color in your wineglass stem made me wonder about my monitor. It looks pretty neat!

The color of the stem doesn't show true on my monitor, but everything else in the pic does. The color is actually kind of a rusty orange and tan, but I left it out in the sun today to brighten it up and will do that again next weekend. The sun will bring out alot more reds, just a shame that I leave for work in the dark and come home at dark lol, so it will have to wait for next weekend for another sunbath (can't leave it in a sunny window or the cat's will think it's something to bat about).


Both have good form and finish. The simple shapes are deceptively difficult to get right but you nailed it. I agree with Baxter about the wineglass stem, does that picture represent the actual color?

I keep thinking I'll do a bowl with some embelishments on the rim or somewhere, but everytime I get to the point of finishing the rim I go simple or at the most angle the rim to the inside a little. The simple stuff just seems to work for me and I agree on the difficulty, a simply form wont hide any boo-boos in a continuous curve or pleasing shape.


The bowl is a beauty! Mesquite is alway pretty and the sapwood and knots make it even more so. I like the wine glass too, especially that you made the base wide enough for it to be stable and practical for use even after a couple glasses. Judging from the stark Arizona desert background in your pics you don't have the luxury of just going out and cutting a nice piece of wood for turning. But I think the goblets would be nice in some of the desert woods, desert ironwood, mesquite, locust, juniper, etc.

Thanks! and thank goodness for tree trimmers! That is where I get most of my wood. I have a mesquite blank all ready to go for #3.


Those are winners. Must have been a little bit touch and go getting that bowl spinning. Looks like it cooperated pretty well.

It really helped to cut it round on the bandsaw 1st! I've done other "at capacity" blanks that weren't rounded first and you lose alot in the roughing round process. Having it round 1st I was also able to start turning at a higher speed (about 800rpm), and the lathe is pretty heavy at 600# so even with unbalanced pieces "walking" isn't a big problem.


Kathy,

Very nice looking bowl. It sounds like you used all the clearance on your lathe. I expect that the Mesquite challenged the power at times also. What finish did you use on the Mesquite? All the different features seem to come out well.

The wineglass also looks good. It is nice and simple but I would expect some little feature at bottom of stem at the base. The grain line in the base give the apperance of some type of feature.

Didn't have any problems with the power, not sure what the hp is but its a big heavy duty delta, just wish it had more swing! The finish is tung oil, lots of coats. I just add a light coat each day and some 0000 steel wool every 3rd or 4th day until I'm happy with it, I really think the oil finishes pop the grain and highlight the colors, even when I do a WOP finish I almost always start out with a coat or 2 of DO.
I kept the stem very simple since the grain has alot going on.

[Kathy Marshall]

Here's another one I did today. Not sure of the wood, I think it might be australian bottle tree based on how the bark looks (it's also a common tree around here). Whatever the wood is, I want LOTS more of it! This stuff cut like butter! I had streamers 2 feet long with my easy rougher and with the bowl gouge. You can't imagine how much fun that wood was to turn! http://www.woodturnersresource.com/yabb2files/Templates/Forum/woody/cheesy.gif I was getting a finish cut with every pass with any tool I was using, and wouldn't have needed to sand at all except for some little ridges from starting and stopping (it's time to file and wax my tool rest). The pith was punky so I just drilled it out and filled with epoxy and turquoise.
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