Ambrosia Maple Platter, Which Side Up?

[Baxter Smith]

A couple days ago I went back and cut the base of the ambrosia maple stump all the way to the ground. Due to the size of my saw and the size of the stump, I ended up having to cut it away in two sections. The outer one was big enough to core another 16 inch bowl but the inner slab ended up with the pith running through part of it at an angle. I had hoped to make a large platter but didn’t know if that would be possible.

This morning I cut away the pith on one side with the tip of my saw .
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On the other side, I cut up until I had 2.5 inches in thickness of solid wood.
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Made a cardboard template and trimmed with the chainsaw.
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I was able to save two decent sized blocks from the bottom.
Trimmed some more to get the sides roughly parallel, then flattened a spot for the faceplate with a plane.
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I have smoothed out both sides and can grip the blank from either side. I like the lighter/outside best. But given that, I am stuck on which side should be up. Should the preferred side be the bottom? I would then cut down towards it. Or should that be the top and cut some of it out? Here are some pictures to ponder!
21.25"
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or 20" this way.
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Some remnants of the pith here. About 1/2 inch in depth for the hole before it is solid wood. Could add CA but don't know if the cracks would still spread as it dries.
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The blank at present is 2.75" thick at the edge and about 3" at the center.
Its now in a garbage bag waiting for my mind to clear. Will be back on the lathe tomorrow, clear mind or not! Round over the edges and see what happens after it dries in a couple years? Rough it to shape but which way? All thoughts are welcome!

[Tim Thiebaut]

As you know I am very new to turning and have no experience with this at all yet, but just from a personal perspective I would like the lighter side as the upside/topside of the platter if it were mine, to me it would just give it a cleaner look and still have plenty of character.

[Ken Hill]

For me, the side that offered the most character/grain etc would work as the "up" side

[John Keeton]

Baxter, I am betting when you turn into the lighter side, you will get into more of the Ambrosia. If you make it the topside, I think it will end up nicer than what you see now. Doing it the other way, I think would end up turning away much of the color. Just my $.02 worth!

[Dennis Ford]

I vote for the pith toward the bottom on this one. I think you will be less likely to have trouble with that pith turned away.

[David E Keller]

I vote for the pith toward the bottom on this one. I think you will be less likely to have trouble with that pith turned away.

Yep, ditto

[Jake Helmboldt]

+1 on pith toward the bottom. I think the more uniform coloring with it oriented that way will look better when finished. But you that is just one man's opinion. Either way it will be one heck of a platter.

Plus, my experience with leaving ANY pith in has always led to major regrets.

[George Guadiane]

Baxter, I am betting when you turn into the lighter side, you will get into more of the Ambrosia. If you make it the topside, I think it will end up nicer than what you see now. Doing it the other way, I think would end up turning away much of the color. Just my $.02 worth!

I completely agree!

[Jim Burr]

If I gave you 2 cents worth, change would be in your future. Whatever you create will be spectacular!!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ditto what Dennis said.

[Baxter Smith]

As you know I am very new to turning and have no experience with this at all yet, but just from a personal perspective I would like the lighter side as the upside/topside of the platter if it were mine, to me it would just give it a cleaner look and still have plenty of character.
Thanks for your input Tim. Last year at this time, I was just as new. I made my first attempt at capturing "figure" in a bowl from an apple crotch. I placed the feathered side up because I wanted to see it. I then proceeded to turn down in to the bowl and lost most of the figure by the time I got to the bottom. Although this isn't a bowl, the center that stands slightly higher than the rim now on the lighter side, is going to be turned away. For finish turning there will be even more lost. Between the eyes, dark streaks, and curl, I think it is pretty neat. Keeping it on top means turning a lot of that away.
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For me, the side that offered the most character/grain etc would work as the "up" side
I agree Ken. And when in the final platter shape, which would that would be????:)

Baxter, I am betting when you turn into the lighter side, you will get into more of the Ambrosia. If you make it the topside, I think it will end up nicer than what you see now. Doing it the other way, I think would end up turning away much of the color. Just my $.02 worth!
Thanks John. I think the lighter side looks nice as is but having a light rim and darker center would probably look better than the other way around.

I vote for the pith toward the bottom on this one. I think you will be less likely to have trouble with that pith turned away.
Thanks Dennis. Putting the pith side down should remove some but not all of those cracks when I curve the edges up. I think I would have to wait until finish turning to lose all of them.


+1 on pith toward the bottom. I think the more uniform coloring with it oriented that way will look better when finished. But you that is just one man's opinion. Either way it will be one heck of a platter.

Plus, my experience with leaving ANY pith in has always led to major regrets.
Thanks Jake, getting rid of that little section of decay near the pith is probably a good idea. I don't think it will keep the even coloring though.


Thanks to all for the input. My original intent was to put the pith toward the bottom and turn into the dark but when I saw how pretty the lighter side was, I started to have my doubts about what would look best and which way to end up with that in the bottom.:)

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Wrong pictures Baxter, have to be able to see what the sides tell, the top and bottom will be gone as soon as you take a pass, you got to try to see what sits below it.
Since you cut the pith out that isn't influencing the outcome anymore, a wall in compression is stronger than in tension, you know which way the wood is going to bend when drying, I would take that in consideration more so than the what the grain might look like, anyway that's the way I look at it ;)

[Baxter Smith]

Wrong pictures Baxter, have to be able to see what the sides tell, the top and bottom will be gone as soon as you take a pass, you got to try to see what sits below it.
Since you cut the pith out that isn't influencing the outcome anymore, a wall in compression is stronger than in tension, you know which way the wood is going to bend when drying, I would take that in consideration more so than the what the grain might look like, anyway that's the way I look at it ;)
Thanks Leo! I can always count on you to see below the surface!;):) The way this one would dry and warp was something I had thought about. I looked at some of my once turned apple bowls but I wasn't sure which way would produce the most desirable warp for returning of a platter this size. Especially since my experience with returning one is zero! Took a couple of side pictures yesterday but ended up not posting those. Took some more this morning with a piece of apple on top oriented in the same position. Turned it last spring. Was going to make a little pedestal plate. I think it has warped about as much as it is going to. Since it has warped both ways, I am still not sure which orientation is preferrable when roughing a platter then having enough left to return:confused:. Hope you are still snowed in and haven't gone on a long vacation!;) Guess I can hold off on finishing this for a while. Whats a few days when it will take 2-3 years to dry!:(:)

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[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thanks Leo! I can always count on you to see below the surface!;):) The way this one would dry and warp was something I had thought about. I looked at some of my once turned apple bowls but I wasn't sure which way would produce the most desirable warp for returning of a platter this size. Especially since my experience with returning one is zero! Took a couple of side pictures yesterday but ended up not posting those. Took some more this morning with a piece of apple on top oriented in the same position. Turned it last spring. Was going to make a little pedestal plate. I think it has warped about as much as it is going to. Since it has warped both ways, I am still not sure which orientation is preferrable when roughing a platter then having enough left to return:confused:. Hope you are still snowed in and haven't gone on a long vacation!;) Guess I can hold off on finishing this for a while. Whats a few days when it will take 2-3 years to dry!:(:)

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Baxter lets look at the Apple piece first, so we know what happened, the wood didn't really warp much, what it did was the wood shrunk in the width and thickness, the length stayed the same basically but for the sides pulling on it a bit and that changes the curve a bit usually, look at this Walnut bowl, it shows the drying of the wood in the width quite well.

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If you think of the wood like there are layers of wood stacked on top of each other in half circles (just like the yearly rings are) the outside circle is the longest and will shrink more than the next one that is slightly shorter and so on, you can easily see what is going to happen with a piece of wood when it dries, (and the wood dries thinner on top of that as well, side-walls become thinner than the end-wall).

A smooth concave like shape would cut through all the Ambrosia stains and show them well I would expect, much better than with a straight wall and flat bottom IMO.

You certainly could give it that initial shape and then let it dry, (if concave it can give in to the drying forces a bit easier IMO) or as you say just put it away, (but with more chances it will split while drying I do think), nothing guarantied in this endeavor :eek: :D

[Baxter Smith]

Thanks for the explanation and picture Leo. I read and reread them several times shortly after you posted. Headed out to the shop and studied the piece again. In the end, trying to remove as many of those black cracks as possible from one side near the edge won out. (The memories of apple blanks from old trees with those types of cracks was just too strong!) I got most but not all with an even thickness of 2 1/8 all the way through. To have removed that much by leaving them on top would have reduced the diameter from 21 to about 16. Soaked it with CA and have put the first coat of Anchor Seal on the edge. Will add a second coat then bury it and under some weight for a few years! Thanks again. Your advice is always valued and remembered!:)
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[Leo Van Der Loo]

Looks like we will have to wait a while for the next step Baxter ;-))
Make sure you keep an eye on those splits the first couple of weeks, CA in some weak wood doesn't hold things together to well, just cross your fingers, it might well become one off your nicest turnings, or a nightmare :^).