Aspen burl HF

[David E Keller]

I just received an order from Cory Norgart, and this piece of aspen burl was definitely going to be the first thing I turned from the box. You see, I've got this thing for aspen burl ever since I turned my first pen from it. I love the way it looks, I love the way it turns, and I love the way it smells. Thanks, Cory!

The piece is about 6 inches in diameter and 4 or 5 inches tall. Just finished with BLO at this point.
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[Steve Schlumpf]

Well - that sure works for me! Great form and I really like the contrast between light and dark areas! The large void really makes this piece special! Very nice work David!

[Bob Bergstrom]

No matter what kind of wood it is, it is beautiful. Great job in bringing out the hidden features of this species of wood. Most of us only see Aspen that is bland and colorless that BORG sells. Thanks for sharing.

[John Hart]

Very striking piece! I see why you like the wood....sheesh...57 flavors. Kinda cool how it has the wide growth rings interlaced with the swirls of the burl. The form is fondleable. Nice job.

[Jim Burr]

WOW!!! I do not envy your sanding with this, but holy rusted metal Batman!!! Almost some tar like material?? Great void and shape, grain is over the top and well displayed...a little stealth opening I see?? Well done Doc...you need to work more so the rest of us have a chance!!:cool:

[John Keeton]

Neat piece, David! That last pic is my favorite with the "eyes" of burl showing through the bark. Lots of character with this one.

[Ron Stadler]

Another beautiful piece Dave, lots of character, I'll have to agree with ya the Aspen burl sure looks nice.

[David DeCristoforo]

When I looked at this my eye went to the first and last pics and I thought "What? Just one little void?" Then I noticed the two middle pics and I thought "Now that's more like it..." Part of it doesn't even look like wood. More like resin. This must have been a blast to turn. I do have a question though... Do you take anything to calm your nerves before you attack these things?

[charlie knighton]

very nice, great form and great wood, nothing like what i expected form aspen, thanks for sharing

[Michael James]

+1 WOW... that is the coolest hollow form I've ever seen! Congrats on dragging that to the finish line and thanks for posting.
mj

[Curt Fuller]

I've seen some pretty nice looking aspen turnings but this one has to be the most spectacular. Absolutely beautiful!

About the smell of aspen, I'm wondering if this wood was green. It looks like it came from a pretty gnarly old dead tree. When I used to do a lot of hunting, I think one of my favorite things was smelling the dead aspen leaves rotting on the ground. The wood seems to have that same smell to me.

[David E Keller]

Thanks folks... I really like this one mainly because I love aspen burl. Several of you commented on the tar colored area... I found that interesting too. The top of this form is mostly bark, and that stuff was part of a large bark inclusion. It was weird looking stuff... Looked like the underside of a mushroom cap in that it was soft and kind of squishy. I soaked that area with thin CA. There was a small crack in the mushroom stuff, so I rubbed a little blackwood powder in that with the thin CA. It does look a lot like resin.


... I do have a question though... Do you take anything to calm your nerves before you attack these things?

My wife took both of our kids to the zoo in Tulsa today... That's all it takes to calm my nerves.:D

[Michael Dromey]

Very nice piece. Great job.

[Kathy Marshall]

Stunning piece! I can see why you love aspen burl, it's gorgeous wood!

[Michelle Rich]

quite stunning..neat shape and of course the wood color variations keep the eyes entertained.

[Cory Norgart]

Great job Keller, it is always a pleasure veiwing your work, I cant wait to see what you come up with next:)

[jwjerry w kowalski]

What a nice piece, the natural forms of the hf's are my favorite pieces, of course it always helps when a piece is done so artfully and technically sound.

[Baxter Smith]

Love all the colors in this one David! The form and voids are nice, but the color variations make this one a standout for me.