Got gall?

[David DeCristoforo]

The house we just moved into has several smallish scrubby looking oak trees growing in the front yard. We were standing right under one of them, talking to the property owner when something fell out of one of them and landed right by my foot. I looked up and saw a dozen or so of these oak galls. Some of them looked pretty round. Right away I started hearing Euell Gibbons (Remember Euell Gibbons?… "Djew ever eat a paan tree? Parts of them are edible!") saying "Djew ever turn a oak gall?" So now, if Euell or anyone else ever asks me that question, I can say "Yup! By golly, back in '11 I done turned one…"

What was it like to turn? Well, having never turned a stale marshmallow I can only guess that that is what it would be like… All I can say is it's a good thing I had that Randy Privett laser guided, captured hollowing rig! This thing took some serious muscle! Fortunately, all of the former residents had vacated the premises, leaving only a few tiny holes in the shell. So there was little danger of being stung by wasps which was a good thing because there was enough to worry about just dealing with the sheer mass of this thing!

The gall is around 2.5 inches in "diameter" and, with the rosewood stem, stands eleven inches tall.

185706

[bob svoboda]

That took a lot of gall, David. Very elegant looking piece-your stem looks unbelievably thin and the form is great. Nicely done! BTW, I do remember Euell-IIRC he passed at a fairly young age-maybe eating paan trees didn't agree with him.:D

[Steve Vaughan]

That is really neat! Very thin but not too thin, great form!

[Mike Cruz]

Very neat. I like it. Did you take a pic of the gall before you turned it? Not sure I've ever seen one before.

[Roger Chandler]

It is amazing what some people turn! Nice work David! Most unusual!

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

David,
I'm convinced you could scrape waste off the sidewalk and turn it into art.
faust

[Bernie Weishapl]

Cool looking piece David.

[John McCaskill]

Very nice, David

[Mark Hubl]

Nice form David. Your pedestal work is very good, as per usual. Well, you learn something new everyday. Now I know what oak galls are. Can't beat google.

[Michael Mills]

Cool! But now I have a hankering for something and I can't remember what.
Forgot the brand but that post kinda reminds me of wild hickory nuts.

[John Keeton]

David, this piece has a very nice aesthetic appeal to it! The spindle is typical "Double D" and beautifully done, and the spherical quality of the gall really looks nice perched atop of the delicate stem. Very well done!!

BTW, just because something is brown, and drops by your foot, is not a CLEAR indication you should attempt to turn it!!!!

[Darren Jamieson]

BTW, just because something is brown, and drops by your foot, is not a CLEAR indication you should attempt to turn it!!!![/QUOTE]
I second that,
Very nice looking peice. Far too delicate for what I could do but maybe someday.

[Jim Burr]

Galll-leeee!! did anyone use that one yet? Ha!! Nice work DD...about as thin and tall as you could get without being Tom Brady's girlfriend:eek:;)! And yes...Ewell Gibbons was a regular figure on our TV...when we finally had color:p;):rolleyes:!

[David E Keller]

Pretty cool! I'm not sure I can tell much about the gall, but the star of the show is the stem anyway. I feel that we should organize a Creeker drive to send DD all of the brown lumpy things we find in our yards.:cool::D

[Curt Fuller]

Looks like wild hickory nuts to me!

Actually, that's really good looking.

[Russell Eaton]

Wow what a stem! That is very nice... thanks for sharing.

[Marc Himes]

Well done, especially the stem. What did that darn Gall thing look like before you turned it?

Marc Himes

[David DeCristoforo]

"...just because something is brown, and drops by your foot, is not a CLEAR indication you should attempt to turn it..."

Doh! ...good point!

"...we should organize a Creeker drive to send DD all of the brown lumpy things we find..."

Well... OK but you better not have any dogs or horses!

"What did that darn Gall thing look like before you turned it?"

It looked exactly like it looks in the pic. I didn't touch the outside... just hollowed it out. "Form and finish" by God

[Ron Stadler]

Wow, you really got that stem thin, very beautiful and unusual piece.

[Jon Nuckles]

That is great. I would not have known what it was, much less thought to turn it.

[Don Alexander]

don't stand still near David's house or you might get turned and stuck on a stick errrr pedestal :D:D

very creative DD well done

you said no dogs or horses but i didn't see any mention of COWS :eek::D

[Michelle Rich]

And the award for interesting text & unusual raw material for a turning, goes to David D. ......

[Steve Schlumpf]

Very impressive work David - especially on the pedestal! Really like the reverse design - it really adds lift! Guess I am the only one so far - but to me this has a real Art-Deco flavor! Really like the delicate look!

Looking forward to seeing what you turn next!

[David DeCristoforo]

"...interesting text & unusual raw material for a turning..."

Just don't be sending me any cow pies or road apples! I have my limits ya know...

"...to me this has a real Art-Deco flavor..."

Actually, this "reverse pedestal" design is inspired by an Art Nouveau vase. I have always loved the sensual, flowing curves and soft, muted colors of Art Nouveau pieces. And what is Art Deco, really, but Art Nouveau with straight lines instead of curves? The proportions are very similar.

This is reminding me of a recent thread in which someone asked "Where do you get your ideas?" It would seem that, for better or for worse, sometimes they just fall out of the sky and land at your feet (or bonk you on the head!)

[Cathy Schaewe]

That stem is amazing! Very creative.
Sometimes I find bear p00 in the driveway.
Want me to send you some?:eek::D

[Brian Effinger]

You've got a lot of gall posting that in these here parts, Double D! :p :D
Seriously though, that is one long, slender, sexy pedestal. I'd have broken that about a dozen times before just giving up. Very cool. And I have to ask - what is an oak gall? Is it just a lump on a branch?


David, this piece has a very nice aesthetic appeal to it! The spindle is typical "Double D" and beautifully done, and the spherical quality of the gall really looks nice perched atop of the delicate stem. Very well done!!

BTW, just because something is brown, and drops by your foot, is not a CLEAR indication you should attempt to turn it!!!!


Pretty cool! I'm not sure I can tell much about the gall, but the star of the show is the stem anyway. I feel that we should organize a Creeker drive to send DD all of the brown lumpy things we find in our yards.:cool::D


That stem is amazing! Very creative.
Sometimes I find bear p00 in the driveway.
Want me to send you some?:eek::D
You are all way too funny. :D That's why I love the creek.

[David DeCristoforo]

"...what is an oak gall?"

http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef408.asp

[Baxter Smith]

Neat pedestal and hollowing job. I will have to remember that just about anything can be hollowed. Well done!

[David DeCristoforo]

"...I will have to remember that just about anything can be hollowed..."

Like maybe my head?