Box Elder/Walnut HF on Pedestal

[Roger Chandler]

This is a little project I have not finished yet. I still have some sanding, and finishing to complete, and might do another finial as well..........haven't decided yet.

The pedestal is about 4" tall, and the entire form stands just over 13 inches high, and it is 7-1/2 inches wide. I made the pedestal a little thick on purpose because the size of the form would make a thinner one cause the whole thing to look top heavy and tippy.

This is box elder with some pretty figure, walnut ring, pedestal and finial. I am not sold yet on the finial, but at least it has descending features in size as you go up to the top.

Again..........not totally finished, but your comments are welcome!

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The last picture shows a slightly different configuration on the finial above the onion, and the detail on the top of the pedestal a little better.

[Wally Dickerman]

Very nice Roger...A suggestion on the finial. A "rule" that I think works is that that no two dimesions should be the same. You have 4 in a row that appear to be the same width, or nearly so. If the cove were deeper and the bead a little wider it would be a more pleasing profile IMO.

Box elder burl is one of my favorites but we don't have any in Arizona.

[Jim Burr]

Great wood combination of woods Roger!! The collar is really focal point for me..works and looks very nice!
Just thought of something...if you flipped that form...pointy end down...that would look kinda cool too!

[Jon McElwain]

+1 on what Jim said - I like the fit of that collar a lot. The box elder is real nice...

[David E Keller]

Pretty cool, Roger. The pedestal is a bit thick for my taste, but it appears to transition from the form nicely in the photos. I would consider mimicing that smooth transition at the base of the finial as well. The form and lid look quite nice as you've done them. I can really see the progress in your style over the last two or three pieces that you've posted. I'm looking forward to seeing this one finished.

[Tony De Masi]

Roger, overall I really like this piece. But, and it's a small one, I can't get past how there is a stop and start feature on the pedestal. IMO, if the pedestal just flowed into the botom of the HF it would give it more grace. This from someone who doesn't do pedestal's or finials so take it for what it's worth.

[Roger Chandler]

I can't get past how there is a stop and start feature on the pedestal. IMO, if the pedestal just flowed into the botom of the HF it would give it more grace. This from someone who doesn't do pedestal's or finials so take it for what it's worth.

Tony,

I was just trying to add visual interest to a plain feature........I think it works okay, but others probably won't like it...........

[Baxter Smith]

Nice color combo on the wood Roger. One thought on the finial and pedestal is that they appear to be about the same length. With the shape of your hollowform, that puts the widest part of your overall piece midway between top and bottom. JMO but I might prefer the widest part at 2/3 of the total height. Just a thought. I am liking each one of your pieces more and more!

[Dennis Ford]

Nice piece, it has a clean simple form up to the bottom of finial. With this form, the finial height looks good to me but this one does not seem to go with the shape. I would leave the pedestal and form as is and possibly try a slimmer and more simple finial.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Roger I like the wood combo and the form looks great. I would like to see the pedestal and finial thinner. The finial slightly shorter but that is just me.

[John Keeton]

Roger, I see real progress being made here! Great wood combo, great design concept, and a beautiful piece of wood. Things I might do differently - thinner pedestal, thinner transition area at the top of the pedestal and flowing into the form a little better. On the form itself, it appears to be tucked under a bit on the bottom. With the collar and lid rising up (looks good) the underside of the form may look a little less "crushed" if it had a little more roundness to it. That may also help the transition point with the pedestal.

On the finial, a wider base (just a little less than the top of the pedestal usually works) would give you the ability to have that deeper cove that Wally is talking about, and let you sweep up to a bead that could be a little wider, but no taller. The finial could stand to be a little shorter.

All in all, I think you are making great headway on this! I am betting the next one is even better.

[Roger Chandler]

Roger, I see real progress being made here! Great wood combo, great design concept, and a beautiful piece of wood. Things I might do differently - thinner pedestal, thinner transition area at the top of the pedestal and flowing into the form a little better. On the form itself, it appears to be tucked under a bit on the bottom. With the collar and lid rising up (looks good) the underside of the form may look a little less "crushed" if it had a little more roundness to it. That may also help the transition point with the pedestal.

On the finial, a wider base (just a little less than the top of the pedestal usually works) would give you the ability to have that deeper cove that Wally is talking about, and let you sweep up to a bead that could be a little wider, but no taller. The finial could stand to be a little shorter.

All in all, I think you are making great headway on this! I am betting the next one is even better.


John,

Thanks! .......on the form, I was trying to maximize that piece of wood to get out of it all I could, and once that was done, the body was already at a point where I could not go back and make it smaller to get more of a bottom curve...........I guess this planning thing only goes so far with me, as I let the blank dictate the curve..........when I went to take the tenon [shallow tenon] off, I had nothing to work with, especially after hollowing.

When I thought about the pedestal, I put different lengths underneath it, and went with this size because the first one I did looked too skinny, and made the whole form look top heavy and tippy. This one is 1/2 inch at the narrowest point. I guess 3/8" might have made more people think it was better, but looks proportional in person.

You will get a kick out of this...........when my wife came in from work, and saw this sitting on the woodstove, the first thing she said was "Jetsen's house!" I said what? She said it reminded her of the cartoon "The Jetsens" and the house they lived in! :eek::D:D

[Darren Jamieson]

Very nice peice Roger, the finish looks nice, the form in my opinion sooks even better. The only thing that I would do, just for kicks is a second lid shaped just like the first, only replace the finial with an oval knob. I don't no if it would look better but it is what I see right away. The finial is nice but sometimes it can be wrong for a certain form IMO. All in all two thumbs up!!!

[Roger Chandler]

The only thing that I would do, just for kicks is a second lid shaped just like the first, only replace the finial with an oval knob.

Darren............that is an idea, but I think a knob on this would just make the form itself look like a big knob! :eek::confused:;):D

[Roger Chandler]

Roger I like the wood combo and the form looks great. I would like to see the pedestal and finial thinner. The finial slightly shorter but that is just me.

Thanks Bernie..........I think I have learned some from the critiques here on this thread........most likely in the future, if I am doing a form with a pedestal, I will have more curve at the bottom, even if I have to have a smaller form. I also think the way I started the finial can be better with perhaps a larger cove and a little more accentuation on the replication of the form in the finial detail.

Thinner pedestals and finials seem to be what most turners consider to be the best.........kind of like most bowls also.............sometimes I think a little heft is called for, and the thickness has to fit the piece.

Thanks for your input Bernie.........I appreciate you taking the time to look and comment.

[Roger Chandler]

"The finial is nice but sometimes it can be wrong for a certain form IMO. All in all two thumbs up!!! "

With my getting the next view of the Drozda DVD's from the SMC mobil library, I might just learn something that will help with these types of forms in the future........we can always hope! :rolleyes::D