From Branch to HF - Mesquite

[Kathy Marshall]

I was able to pick up a few mesquite branches yesterday. Not very big, they range from about 3" - 5" diameter. One of them was a triple crotch piece, so that's the one I decided to start with.
I trimmed the ends with my chain saw, pulled off most of the bark (mesquite bark can be very dusty), then mounted it between centers.
I used my Easy Rougher to take it down to a cylinder, can't imagine the beating I would have taken if I had to use my roughing gouge.

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Roughed out the basic shape and turned a tenon on the bottom.

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The outside is finished and sanded to 800 then wet sanded with BLO.
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Mounted it in my chuck, then using a 1" forstner bit, drilled out the center to final depth. Then started hollowing. Had to use my small Sorby hollowing tool which doesn't work very well and chatters like crazy with the small diameter shaft size. The 1" hole was too small to use my Sorby Hollowmaster and the neck of the piece is a little too long to use my Easy Hollower easily (had to remove some waste from the shoulder and center section 1st). But finally got it hollowed.
Took it out of the chuck then exchanged the 35mm spigot jaws for the pin jaws. Mounted the HF on the pin jaws in expansion mode and brought the tailstock up to center it and support it, then turned off the tenon leaving a tiny nub which I removed with a chisel after taking it off the chuck.

Finished turning and sanding and now just needs several coats of WOP.
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I forgot to take measurements before I closed up the shop for the night, but approximates are: 3" at the widest, about 7" in height, base is about 1" and opening is just over 1".
Overall I'm pretty happy with it, but I think it would have looked better with a narrower neck (don't have the tools to hollow thru less than a 1" opening) and I think the very bottom portion could be improved, and it looks like the center section could have been reduced just a tad, may just be the pic but it looks just a bit bulky to me.

C&C's welcome.

Thanks for looking!

[John Keeton]

Kathy, you picked a nice piece of branch - the sapwood really adds a lot to this piece. Your pics are deceptive on the size - without reading the dimensions, I would have guessed this vase to be much larger. Nice work!

[Harvey M. Taylor]

Yep, that is mesquite alright. Like the form. Just getting into hollowing, myself. Thanks for the tutorial, Max.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Kathy - that is a pretty nice vase! Always tricky getting the form just right when looking at piece while still on the lathe. I'm not 100% sure about the small ogee curve from the foot to the body of the form - but overall, I do like your vase!

[Michelle Rich]

Thanks for the "story" about how you did this. Very interesting. Just to have a contrary view, I love the neck. It will be hard to find a middle/top shape that will work well with the base, long shape...Very cool wood. Sometimes as I turn I take the piece off and place on my headstock. I look at it right side up then sideways then upside down. Helps me a great deal to get my shapes.
Thanks for posting.

[Baxter Smith]

Thanks for posting the process pictures. I always enjoy seeing what the piece started from and how it came to be. Verry pretty piece of wood and I like the way the sapwood interplays with the heartwood. Can't say I am crazy about the lower curve back out to the foot. I find myself wanting to do that when I am at the lathe. Maybe its something soothing about changing that flowing curve while turning, it but I am never really happy with it once I take it off the lathe and turn it upright. Thanks for all the pictures and story!

[charlie knighton]

very nice, mesquite is great wood, nice to be able to turn a branch

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really nice piece Kathy. I do like the contrasting color of the mesquite. I probably wouldn't have made a ogee shape at the bottom but is still a very nice vase.

[Greg Ketell]

Thank you Kathy for sharing your process. I've yet to do a vase so this will be a tremendous help.

I really love the wood! You did a great job of showing it off!

[Harry Robinette]

Kathy
Look up "drill bit hollowing" you can make this with a piece of 1/2" rod from Lowes a drill a drill bit a hacksaw and your grinder.It's really not hard and it works rather well.
Oh ya you'll need some medium super glue. total cost about $20.00 for 2 of them (the rod from lowes only comes in 36" pieces)I made one using a 1/4" drill bit and 1/2"
rod work pretty good,Oh you'll need to turn a handle.I think I could go about 7 or 8 inches before chatter started with the 1/2" rod.Hope this helps.
Harry

[Kathy Marshall]

Kathy, you picked a nice piece of branch - the sapwood really adds a lot to this piece. Your pics are deceptive on the size - without reading the dimensions, I would have guessed this vase to be much larger. Nice work!
Thanks John! I really like leaving some sapwood for contrast on mesquite! Once again, I was in the shop tonight and forgot to take measurements, if anything I might have overestimated the height, but I think I'm pretty close on the other sizes.


Yep, that is mesquite alright. Like the form. Just getting into hollowing, myself. Thanks for the tutorial, Max.
Thanks Max and you're welcome! I love mesquite and luckily it's pretty plentiful around here!


Kathy - that is a pretty nice vase! Always tricky getting the form just right when looking at piece while still on the lathe. I'm not 100% sure about the small ogee curve from the foot to the body of the form - but overall, I do like your vase!
Thanks Steve! I couldn't agree more, but once it's turned off it can't be added back lol. I probably should have left the base alone as it shows in the pic with the outside finished but before I put it in the chuck, but it just seemed to straight to me, and once it was hollowed, there wasn't much room to make the base shorter (and my luck I would have made it too short and ended up with a funny shaped pipe).


Thanks for the "story" about how you did this. Very interesting. Just to have a contrary view, I love the neck. It will be hard to find a middle/top shape that will work well with the base, long shape...Very cool wood. Sometimes as I turn I take the piece off and place on my headstock. I look at it right side up then sideways then upside down. Helps me a great deal to get my shapes.
Thanks for posting.
Thanks Michelle and you're welcome! I like the neck, but I think I would like it more if I could have made in narrower, might have balanced the piece a little better. On the bright side, I learn something new with each new piece I turn!


Thanks for posting the process pictures. I always enjoy seeing what the piece started from and how it came to be. Verry pretty piece of wood and I like the way the sapwood interplays with the heartwood. Can't say I am crazy about the lower curve back out to the foot. I find myself wanting to do that when I am at the lathe. Maybe its something soothing about changing that flowing curve while turning, it but I am never really happy with it once I take it off the lathe and turn it upright. Thanks for all the pictures and story!
Thanks Baxter and you're welcome! Got me one of them new fangled smart phones and it sure makes it easy and convenient to take quick pics in the shop! I think there's pretty much a concensus on the base.


very nice, mesquite is great wood, nice to be able to turn a branch
Thanks Charlie! Gotta love mesquite!


Really nice piece Kathy. I do like the contrasting color of the mesquite. I probably wouldn't have made a ogee shape at the bottom but is still a very nice vase.
Thanks Bernie! I think we all pretty much agree that the foot isn't the best fit, but live and learn, or turn and learn lol.


Thank you Kathy for sharing your process. I've yet to do a vase so this will be a tremendous help.

I really love the wood! You did a great job of showing it off!
Thanks Greg! Be prepared, hollow forms are addicting lol.


Kathy
Look up "drill bit hollowing" you can make this with a piece of 1/2" rod from Lowes a drill a drill bit a hacksaw and your grinder.It's really not hard and it works rather well.
Oh ya you'll need some medium super glue. total cost about $20.00 for 2 of them (the rod from lowes only comes in 36" pieces)I made one using a 1/4" drill bit and 1/2"
rod work pretty good,Oh you'll need to turn a handle.I think I could go about 7 or 8 inches before chatter started with the 1/2" rod.Hope this helps.
Harry
Thanks Harry! I'll be doing a search as soon as I'm done here!

[robert baccus]

I like it especially in mes. sometimes a different form, even out of balance is very refreshing---true art. life in a groove gets old.------old forester