No. 26 - Spalted Maple HF w/BlkWalnut - "Critique Requested"

[James Combs]

Submitted for your review, a highly spalted maple hollow form with a finial of a different sort.

This started out to be a SW shape but somehow I ended up back in Arabia again. This one might be entitled "Aladdin's Mother's Lamp".

It was almost too punky to turn. After rough turning to within about 1/8" of finish I had to "hose" it down with CA. In total I probably use close to 2oz of thin CA. The vapors ran me out of the shop the first application.

The LOML chose the finial from a half dozen I was considering.

This finial has a first for me, something I learned how to do at last Thursday night's club meeting. The finial has a nice snap-in-place sound when it is install in the vessel. The tenon has a ridge in the middle of it and the sides of the vessel mouth opening slant away from center toward the inside of the vessel. You can pick the vessel up by the finial and it won't come loose but it is very easy to turn in the vessel mouth.

Photos were taken yesterday while it was still in the chuck. Turned the bottom today and put on the finish and photographed it reversed on the lathe. Sorry I didn't get a photo of it with the finial off.

Stats:
Material = Spalted Maple with Black Walnut Finial
Diameter = 8.75"
Height = 4.75" - 8.5" with the finial
Finish = Lots of CA to stabilize the punky wood then, so far, 4 coats of WOP sanded with 1200g between coats.
Wall Thickness = 3/16" to 5/16"

Edit: BTW I used a Mini Monster setup on my Jet 1642 as the hollowing rig. Originally purchased for my Griz Midi but works well on the Jet.

[Roger Chandler]

Most unusual form, JD. You have a very good turning and some highly spalted wood figure on this one. I think you really did a good job on the turning, and the finial would take a little getting used to for me, even though it is clearly a really well turned form.

I like the fact that you did not do a carbon copy of most of what we see here and on other forums. Individuality is a good thing, and you have done a unique and well executed form here.

[Bernie Weishapl]

James that is a beauty. I like the form on the HF but the finial doesn't do it for me. I think it would be a great piece without it. Thats just me though.

[Dan Forman]

Really like the form and the wood is spectacular. The finial is well executed, but rather different to what we are used to seeing. That said, I think that it works well with the shape of the form, and maybe we just need to get used to it. :)

[Steve Vaughan]

I like what you've done with this, great design and the colors and grain goes well together.

[Don Alexander]

very cool piece and i even mostly like the finial although i'm wondering if it wouldn't be better without the little piece on the top of the finial
maybe make the finial look more like a lamp top than it does now

either way i really like the unique form and that spalted maple is definitely worth the copious amounts of CA it takes

nicely done

[David Hullum]

I like it. It looks very middle eastern. Very cool and beautiful wood.

[Michael James]

James that looks very well done, and finish is building up nicely. That maple is spalted off the hook - super nice. I think if you used some walnut at the base it would have a more "complete' look to me. It might even augment or mirror the finial. Thanks for posting.
mj

[John Keeton]

JD, glad you picked up some ideas at the club meeting - Rex would be pleased!! I like the form, and with the CA efforts, the finish looks great. The finial is very heavy for my tastes. It might work on a walnut box, but the contrast here emphasizes the size of the finial. However, I think Michael may be on to something. Were one to turn a base for the form to sit in/on, I think it would enhance the look and tie everything together. Not talking about a pedestal here, as that would magnify the situation - just more of a fairly heavy base that would pick up on some of the elements of the finial.

Well done, though! And, definitely outside the box!

[Michelle Rich]

"save the shape" of your lid lifter/finial for something down the road. It will go on something someday that will knock folks socks off. It is definately different & rather cool. As you said, the bowl part isn't what we normally see either. Maybe enough folks will like it & repeat it & call it JC shape!

[Tim Rinehart]

James, my thoughts are that when a piece of wood, like this spalted maple, are so beautiful, you don't want to do anything that distracts from it. That's not to say I haven't done exactly what you've done here, making a finial that draws the eye to it, rather than the form below...I just kinda realized after putting it all together that one part of the complete form was the "star" and that nothing should take the eye from it. I think some suggestions to go without the finial are just that...however, I also think you could make a finial that doesn't try to steal the attention so much. Give it a try, and like Michelle and others have said in other postings, put this finial somewhere to refer to later, perhaps to embellish an otherwise plain piece of wood below it!
Nice shapes, great attention to detail overall.

[Alan Trout]

James,

The form is very good. The final is not good for this project. If it were me I would still use a finial for the form but I wold maintain the the arc started in the transition to the lid into a much more slender delicate finial. I would do the finial to match the color of the spalting lines in the wood such as blackwood. I think that you will have a form and finial that works much better together. Remember the "Golden Mean" when you figure the height of the final.

Good Luck

Alan

[bob svoboda]

James. Not my favorite form, but, as some others have implied, maybe I get into a rut regarding what I 'expect' to see. That being said, the craftsmanship is first rate and that is one spectacular piece of wood. Thanks for sharing.

[David E Keller]

That's gorgeous wood, JD, and it's worth every bit of the $9 of CA that you used to make it turnable. I like the main body of the form, but the finial seems a bit heavy. One place where I struggle sometimes with lidded pieces is in making the upward curve at the opening of the form... If the lip at the opening has a pronounced upward curve, then the base of the lid will tend to be bulky. If you flatten out the lip curve, it allows you to create a more delicate finial and still keep the line of the curve flowing across the junction. The finish and detailing is fantastic, but I think the finial is a bit heavy for my tastes.

[Baxter Smith]

A very pretty piece of wood and a nice shape on the maple. Maple is one wood I have a lot of, so have tossed some very attractive but soft pieces. Hated to use that much CA. Your end result looks great though.