"Fractured Earth" - Mesquite

[Allen stagg]

Here are some photos of a Mesquite hollow vessel that I just finished today. Fun project. Finished with Minwax Natural Oil Finish. This project measures 12" tall and 11" at widest point. I think the shape came out quite well and although, not as thin as I usually have, I stopped at 1/2" thickness to insure the integrity of the project as it is not a lot of wood holding this thing together in places and going thinner, could have caused this project to blow up, so quite happy with the 1/2" thickness.
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[Bernie Weishapl]

Really a nice looking HF. Duct tape or a couple of layers of saran wrap work well for getting these thinner. Nicely done and I do like the form.

[David E Keller]

Nice job, Allen. I really like the form, and the wall thickness is OK with me on a piece this size. The wood is beautiful, and you've done a good job of showing that beauty.

[Curt Fuller]

Oh man, that is pretty!

[Allen stagg]

Really a nice looking HF. Duct tape or a couple of layers of saran wrap work well for getting these thinner. Nicely done and I do like the form.

Thanks, I agree and did use tape, but as you can see from the second and last photo, the large vacant spaces go almost to the top opening and stops about half an inch away from the top opening. I was afraid that if I went thinner, I would lose to much integrity in those areas more than further down. The tape worked well while turning. I used X-Treme Tape Wrap to help hold it together and then used the painters tape over the X-Treme Tape. This stuff works great and is very strong.
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[Gregory Cowart]

I read where a guy name of slipknot on another forum, that I visit, turned a vessel just like this one. I have been waiting for the completed turning and it is great!! I have a hollowing system on order and I am going to give hollowing a try. I hope I can be as successful as you. Good job.

[Allen stagg]

I read where a guy name of slipknot on another forum, that I visit, turned a vessel just like this one. I have been waiting for the completed turning and it is great!! I have a hollowing system on order and I am going to give hollowing a try. I hope I can be as successful as you. Good job.

haha, you got me. I just really started lurking at this forum not long ago. I am an avid member of 2coolfishing.com Woodworking section. It is posted there also as the finished product. I'm definately not leaving that site, but started looking around here also just a bit to see some others work. Some really nice stuff here regularly as well as the other place with a large crowd here with a wide variety of work.

[Brian McInturff]

Yeah Baby!! I love HF's with large voids. Great looking piece, great form, Nice finish. Those are so fun to turn. You should've done that one free hand lol!! The saran wrap Bernie mentioned gives me an idea. I've got a roll of shrinkwrap at work that I won't use so I should check and see about bringing it home for items like these. You guys down in Texas have got it nice with the abundance of Mesquite. The only local thing around here like Mesquite is Mesquit ----O.

Again, Great job!

[gary Zimmel]

Wow, you've got to love a piece with more air than wood... Real nice work Allen.

[Michael James]

Awesome piece of mesquite, turned and finished well. I like it.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Great job on the form! Beautiful wood (especially the voids) and I love all that rich color! Very nice work!

[Harry Robinette]

Allen
Fabulous just Fabulous That is IMHO one of the nicest pieces I've seen in a long time.the form,the wood the overall look all comes together beautifully.This had to be one of those heart attack pieces to do with all the voids,very nice work.
Harry

[Dan Forman]

Yikes, that's amazing!

Dan

[John Keeton]

Allen, thanks for sharing it with us, and we don't mind if you want to call SMC home! This is a beautiful piece - lots of character and color.

[Fred Belknap]

I like it. Nice form and finish.

[Michelle Rich]

I'd have turned it a foot thick & used body armor! pretty vessel

[Allen stagg]

Thanks all for all of the kind words. Believe me, I am not disapointed of the 1/2" thickness. I stopped on purpose at 1/2" due to the small area left going to 1/2" thickness. It was wrapped secure and had no fear of coming apart while turning but didn't want it to come apart even after turning and the thickness actually shows more depth of the bark and rough shape of the voids. I am quite proud of the vessel and thanks to everyone for their kind words. I absolutely love Mesquite myself. We don't have any around this part of Texas, but many people from this part of Texas hunt in areas that have this wood and at times are willing to bring some back for me. It is such a beautiful wood and the area that has this stuff, feel this wood to be a trash tree. It may be, but is gold to us turners.

I did learn a lesson. While roughing, I was wearing a pair of sandles and a chunk of bark flew off and hit my foot. It was a large piece from the large crack space and it really hurt when it hit. haha, I went and put on my steel toe shoes from work until I finished the roughing. No more sandles for me.....lol.

[Richard Madden]

Excellent job, Allen. The form is perfect, and I'm glad you stopped at 1/2"! Really, really nice.

[Ron Stadler]

Awesome piece Allen, and I have to agree that I would'nt have gone any further in reducing the wall thickness on this one, and for the the size of this piece I think 1/2" is just fine and gives those voids depth and character, Great piece.

[Dirk Lewis]

That looks great Allen, thanks for posting that up!

[Jim Burr]

Great piece Allen!!! Thank you for not ruining a great work by trying for thin. That will surely generate a gasp of "Wow"!!! by anyone who see's it

[Baxter Smith]

Great shape and color! The missing parts make it a real standout! Thanks for posting!