yorrel burl vase-edit

[David E Keller]

I've been wanting to try one of these forms for a while... This is hollowed from the bottom which allowed me to leave the neck really long and skinny. Maybe Ellsworth can hollow one of these from the top, but I need a bigger hole than that. I'm thinking of turning a gaggle of weird little forms from different woods using this technique.

The wood is yorrel burl from Australia... It's dense, hard stuff, but I love the look of it. It's about 5" tall. No finish... Just sanded and buffed. I chose to plug the bottom with a piece of African blackwood though I think tradition with this form is to 'hide' the hole by using the same wood as is found in the main form. I know I hollowed it from the bottom, and I don't mind others knowing that too.:p

Comments, criticism, and suggestions appreciated as always.
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EDIT: I added a couple of pics of a bloodwood vase below.

[David DeCristoforo]

Now that I like! AFAIK, all of these long necked forms are hollowed from the bottom. I don't think even Ellsworth can to that through the neck!

[Stephen Walker]

Great vase, beautiful wood. Can't wait to see the rest of the gaggle.

[jwjerry w kowalski]

David, that's a beauty, I really like the natural edge top and the sleekness of the long neck, I think I would made the bottom inconspicuous though, I like this one so much I've got to try it on some cherry burl that was recently given to me by a friend.

[John Hart]

Oh I like this very much sir. You kinda beat me to the punch. I was intending to do one of these fairly soon. I also like the fact that you plugged it with different wood. When an attempt is made to hide it, everyone looks for the scene of the crime. You're saying, "there is no crime". Well done.

[cal thelen]

Thats beautiful! plus you taught me something again. never thought of hollowing from the bottom and plugging it like that. thanks

[Jim Adkins]

Oh, That is a nice one. And yeah, you did it just like Ellsworth wouda' done it, hollowed
it from the bottom, then plugged it!! Nice form & nice wood along with a nice turning job.

[Michael James]

Nice one there David! You keep showing up with the oddest wood - keep em coming!
mj

[Bernie Weishapl]

David that is a beauty. The wood is really nice as is the form.

[Steve Schlumpf]

David - that is sweet! Love the form, the elongated neck and the wood! Not 100% on the different wood for the plug - but hey! - You're the artist! Looking forward to seeing some more of these!

[John Keeton]

Great job, David, and I would have thought this piece to be much larger. Beautiful wood - though the last two pics are a little fuzzy. So, how did you grasp the piece to hollow from the bottom??

[David Reed]

I love it too and I'm NOT and artist. I have had a plan for months now which involves the "secret hollow" from the rear technique but...............
Love the long neck and your work really shows off this lovely material.

[David E Keller]

Thanks to everyone that has commented thus far.


Great job, David, and I would have thought this piece to be much larger. Beautiful wood - though the last two pics are a little fuzzy. So, how did you grasp the piece to hollow from the bottom??

Sorry about the pics... I must have been over or under caffeinated while shooting those.:o

I'm not sure how this is supposed to be done, but I'll tell you how I did it. I started with the blank between centers. After rounding, I put a tenon on what would eventually be the top. I put the piece in the chuck and create the bottom of the form. I then drilled a hole all the way through the blank and hollowed the bottom and the lower portion of the neck. I created the plug at this point and confirmed the fit.

Then I reversed the piece onto a different chuck using the small talon step jaws in expansion mode to grasp the opening I just hollowed through. I used the tailstock to support the neck while finishing the upper exterior portion. Finally, I backed off the tailstock and opened the drill hole a bit at the top to match the exterior curve.

For the plug, I've done it two different ways now... The method I used for this piece was to put a homemade wooden cone in the chuck as a drive center for the neck while holding the glued plug in place with the tailstock. Basically, it's a jam chuck set up.

The second way I've done the bottom... I used a larger piece of stock for the plug and turned a tenon on the end opposite the plug. I mounted the tenon in the chuck and used the live center in the tailstock to support the neck after gluing. I basically just parted off the finished form in the same way I would have if I had been using a glue block on any other form.

Here are a few shots of another piece I did today out of bloodwood. It's about the 5 inches tall also. No finish... Just buffed. I absolutely love bloodwood... It's hard to photograph, but that stuff just glows in the sunlight.
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[Kathy Marshall]

Very very cool pieces! I like them both, but I really like the bloodwood form!

[Scott Hackler]

Very nice Keller. I have been wanting to try one of these forms.

[Baxter Smith]

Nice job David. The natural edge top sets this one off! Very pretty wood with a great shape!

[Dan Forman]

I love both! Will have to try this.

Dan

[bob svoboda]

Really like both of those, David. Nicely done.

[Curt Fuller]

Nice job David. The natural edge top sets this one off! Very pretty wood with a great shape!
I agree with Baxter, I like the natural edge too. I also like the idea of making the bottom plug from something different and contrasting the rest of the wood. I've tried a bottom hollowing before and tried to match the wood. It ended up looking like I just screwed up and went through the bottom and was trying to hide it. Yours looks almost like a contrasting collar or something that was meant to be there. Another in a long run of nice work Keller.

[charlie knighton]

very nice....

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Wow!! How "purty".
faust

[Cathy Schaewe]

Cool. Really, really cool.