Just a little something on an extra day off

[Kathy Marshall]

Been planning all week to go ahead and go in to work today, but when I woke up this morning I just couldn't make myself do it :eek:. Didn't get much turning done this weekend (finally replaced the radiator in my truck and finished building a shade structure to store my wood), so I felt justified in taking the extra day off :D.
I turned a bowl out of mulberry a month or so ago and the other half of the log has been staring at me ever since. So today I cut the half log in half and turned this little HF.
It's about 7" x 4" and just a coat of BLO so far. I really like turning mulberry, turns nice and the color can really be nice.

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Thanks for looking!
As always comments and critiques are welcome.

[Marty Eargle]

Very nice HF! I like how the grain covers many different shades of the wood.

[Norm Zax]

Beautiful wood and elegant shape! I agree - Mulberry is a treat.

[Tim Thiebaut]

That is beautiful Kathy, that mulberry really has some character to it.

[Steve bellinger]

Kathy that's a real good looking piece. i have some mulberry out in the shop, that needs turning. So after looking at yours i think i'll have to go see if i can make something half as nice from it.

[John Hart]

Sooo...The radiator didn't fix itself and it waited for you. I seem to have that problem from time to time m'self!! :)

Beautiful HF Kathy. I like mulberry too, but never seem to get any. (even though it is the most common pile of logs at the side of the road around here) wierd.

[Donny Lawson]

Nice form on the HF. You did a great job on the Mulberry.

[Michelle Rich]

the shape you chose, shows off that wood. very appealing piece

[Doug W Swanson]

Very nice! I like how it's sort of plain on one side and pretty wild on the other. You can display the side you want depending on your mood!

[Cory Norgart]

Kathy, I really like the form which is a great combo with the outstanding grain.

[bob svoboda]

That's beautiful, Kathy. Love the form and it works so well with the wood.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Wow - very pretty! Great form - it really shows off the grain/color of the wood! Nice work!

[Jeff Fagen]

Mulberry is pretty stuff for a tree that grows like a weed.
Nice form.

[Dan Forman]

An elegant form and the wood has a lot of interest. Very nice. How do you keep the sap wood looking bright? When I try to do dark and light together when the wood is still green, the light seems to either take on coloring from the darker wood from sanding, or oils from my hand and looks dingy. Or does it just dry immediately there in AZ? :)

Dan

[charlie knighton]

nice form....

[Lee Chadwick]

Beautiful grain in that wood

[David DeCristoforo]

Very nice! Especially like the way the figure shows in the fourth pic. Sweet form.

[Roland Martin]

That little something is "Something"! Very nice form and the mulberry is really interesting in color and grain.

[jwjerry w kowalski]

Great looking wood and a great piece, I really like the satin finish, is has a calming effect just to looking at it. I think the proportions are really nice and I like the variations in the wood tones too.

[David E Keller]

Yep, that's beautiful. The curves seem so pure on this piece, and the coloring is fantastic. I think a form this sweet would look good no matter what you made it from. Great job!

[Michael James]

Another really nice piece there Kathy!
Question(s): are you turning these from green to final thickness and "finish" finishing these, and if yes, are they warping or cracking on you? I'd just as soon skip rough turn and wait if I can get away with it, but I don't want to experiment on the nice donated, imported stuff generous creekers have shared with me!
Thanks!
mj

[James Combs]

A very nice piece Kathy. I have some mulberry, not as variated as yours but I think I will make something out of it sooner now that I have seen yours.

[Curt Fuller]

Very nice classic form. It's one of those that makes you want to hold it in you hands. That sure is some pretty mulberry too.

[Baxter Smith]

Very nice shape, very pretty wood. Great looking hollowform!

[Roger Chandler]

Kathy,

that is top shelf for sure.......great form you made with this one, and who can not appreciate the beauty of that Mulberry? I have a piece of Mulberry, and I hope it is just a bit as beautifully grained as this piece is ............one can always hope.:)

[Kathy Marshall]

Thanks for the great comments everyone! Been practicing continuous curves and I think I've finally gotten to the point that I'm fairly consistent with them, now it might be time to start adding some more challenging shapes and embellishments.


Sooo...The radiator didn't fix itself and it waited for you. I seem to have that problem from time to time m'self!! :)

Beautiful HF Kathy. I like mulberry too, but never seem to get any. (even though it is the most common pile of logs at the side of the road around here) wierd.
Unfortunately, my truck isn't much for fixing itself, but luckily everything went well, didn't lose or break any parts and everything fit together like it should lol.


An elegant form and the wood has a lot of interest. Very nice. How do you keep the sap wood looking bright? When I try to do dark and light together when the wood is still green, the light seems to either take on coloring from the darker wood from sanding, or oils from my hand and looks dingy. Or does it just dry immediately there in AZ? :)

Dan

I think luck and wood type play a pretty big role lol. I've noticed certain woods are more prone to sap wood changes (mesquite comes to mind), but I've had pretty good luck with the mulberry and sissoo. I usually sand and apply oil to the outside before I even start hollowing the inside (yes, it does dry almost immediately in AZ lol)


Another really nice piece there Kathy!
Question(s): are you turning these from green to final thickness and "finish" finishing these, and if yes, are they warping or cracking on you? I'd just as soon skip rough turn and wait if I can get away with it, but I don't want to experiment on the nice donated, imported stuff generous creekers have shared with me!
Thanks!
mj
Yes, turning green to final thickness and applying oil, I usually wait a little bit before the final finish (DO, lacquer, shellac, etc). I do get some warping depending on the wood, but if I can get it finish turned without cracking then I don't usually have a problem with it. After finish turning and applying oil, I store the piece in a ziplock bag for a couple weeks or so. I open the bag every day or so to check the piece and let some of the moisture out, then when I don't feel much humidity in the bag I start leaving it cracked open a bit until I think the piece is dry enough to start adding final finish. It's not 100%, sometimes I take a piece out too early and end up with a little cracking.


A very nice piece Kathy. I have some mulberry, not as variated as yours but I think I will make something out of it sooner now that I have seen yours.

This log had some great color, the bowl I turned had very similar grain and color with lots of yellow. Some of the other logs I've turned from the same tree had much lighter color. The logs came from a tree that had been standing dead for about 3-4 years (some of the logs were hollow) don't know if that makes a difference or not.

[Cathy Schaewe]

That's a really pretty piece - and I love the form! Nice!