Madrone Burl Hollowform

[Rick Markham]

This is Madrone turned very green, and very thin. The inside and outside were coated with shellac and allowed to dry. It was interesting watching it move, it pretty much started warping as soon as it was off the lathe.

It's about 7.5" tall and about 4.5" in diameter. Finish is WOP sanded back with 0000 steel wool. As always C&C is welcome and appreciated. I'm not totally sure how I feel about it, it is kind of neat. Thanks for looking :o

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/IMG_0239.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/IMG_0238.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/IMG_0237.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/IMG_0236.jpg

[Josh Bowman]

Rick, That's cool! I like it.

[thomas prusak]

Very cool Rick. Nice work.

[Dennis Ford]

Good work on the HF. I have never turned Madrone but recently purchased a burl blank, hope that mine ends up as nice as yours.

[Roger Chandler]

Nice Job Rick............seeing that medrone warp like it did reminds me never to build furniture out of that stuff! :eek::)

[John Keeton]

That stuff is wild!! Now, I understand why they boil Madrone burl sometimes before turning it. Nice work, Rick, and it does have a very organic look to it.

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Madrone is known for being a very unstable wood that moves alot as it dries. This is why Alain Mailland likes to use it to turn flowers.
I hope you antipicated it to move a lot when you choose to use it.

[David E Keller]

I love it! These wrinkly madrone pieces are fantastic, and I really like this one... This thing doesn't look like it should stand on it's own which I really like! There's a sense of tension when I look at that second photo. Care to share your source for that gorgeous wood?

[Curt Fuller]

I'm always amazed at how much madrone can move. That is a great turning. The thin flared opening was perfect for letting the madrone do it's thing. Did you happen to take any pics before it started moving?

[Wally Dickerman]

Ain't wet madrone fun? You never know what the finished piece is going to look like when it dries. I once turned a bowl that ended up looking like a hospital bed pan.;)

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Rick,
I think that is just great. Turning thin and watching the piece find it's own place is a lot of fun. I've never turned madrone but if I do, I hope the piece comes out as nice as this one.
faust

[Jim Burr]

Very cool Rick....it looks like it will fall over if you walk by it.

[Russell Neyman]

As someone who turns green madrone myself (you've posted on my project pages and I've enjoyed your comments) I'm surprised the compound angles didn't create a split. My technique is to turn it, then dry it in a microwave oven one minute at a time, allowing it to return to room temperature between every cycle. That way, I can observe the initial and most extreme warping and keep things in control. I always have some fast-setting glue nearby so I can quickly deal with the cracks as they come up. The other thing that happens is that the walls get thinner dramatically during the first few hours, and the heartwood shrinks up significantly more resulting in those neat indentions. Of course, all of this makes it impossible to create a lidded piece.

I'm sure you'll agree that, in it's green state, you have to turn it quickly. If you take a lunch break, you'll come back and find that it's out of whack. One thing I've learned to do to cope with the warp factor is to create an extra deep base lip so I can come back a few weeks later and re-flatten to bottom.

It's wonderful stuff, isn't it? Congrats on a wonder project.

[Harvey Ghesser]

Rick, it's a beast! I love it!

[David DeCristoforo]

My first thought when I saw these pics was "OK... that's it... no more booze!" But then I remembered... I don't drink!!! Then I thought, "I'm gonna need a new monitor." Then I realized... it's just too early in the morning. Then I put my glasses on and read the copy. Rats! I really wanted that new 24" HD display.

What I think is amazing is that you were able to get this thing so thin. From the amount of distortion you would think it was moving enough during the turning process to make hollowing it that thin impossible. This is a slam dunk for the "Beast" category in the Woodturner's America "Beauty and the Beast" contest. You simply must enter it!

[Reed Gray]

Actually, Madrone makes lovely furniture. For the big logging industry, it isn't practical as it takes way more time and effort. I found a guy locally who uses a solar kiln, and does an excellent job. It will get redder as it ages, just like cherry. You just never know what it will end up like. When you turn it down to less than 3/16 inch it is fairly safe. I have never bothered with forcing it to dry, just let it do it's thing at its own speed. I may have to search for some burl as I need to get more 'artistic'.

robo hippy

[charlie knighton]

very nice, Rick, not sure i could finish in the required time, i like to take breaks and lunch, thanks for sharing

[Jeff Nicol]

Rick, Just got online after our trip to Idaho, I thought my eyes were still road weary and had to blink a couple times to make sure I did not need to go see the opthimologist! I have seen lots of Madrone items turned, and not hardly a one has a perfectly smooth unrippled surface on them, but the "List" yours has is pretty cool! I also have never turned any, but just andother name on the list of woods to attempt. I really like the colors and the grain speaks for itself, great job!

Back home next Sunday, after we have spoiled our new grandson!

Jeff

[wes murphy]

i like it alot. nice job rick

[Pete Jordan]

Really Really Cool!

[Rick Markham]

It was great fun to turn, anyone who hasn't turned green madrone really needs too. I think Reed can attest to the fact that it turns like a dream. I pretty much turned it in nearly one sitting so it didn't have time to warp. I did take a couple of breaks and I put a trash bag over it while I did. When I say wet, it was literally dripping. I do have a photo taken a couple of minutes after removing it from the lathe. It was a very interesting experience letting it do it's own thing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/006-4.jpg

[John Keeton]

Rick, that looks like a completely different turning!! Amazing!

And, for everyone else, please take note of how neat and clean Rick's bench area is - no chips, sawdust, etc., and everything in its place.;) Such a shining example!:D:p:D Probably a staged photo op!!!:cool:

[Lionel Mercier]

Hello Rick,
dramatic constriction, looks like a Salvador Dali turning
Amazing piece !

[Russell Eaton]

Hey Rick, that before and after should be side by side. It is hard to believe that it is the same hollow form. I LOVE IT. I have never turned any so thanks for the heads up.

[Ed Morgano]

Rick,
Ditto what everyone else said. That is really amazing. If I ever get my hands on some I am going to try some flowers.

[Baxter Smith]

As much as I like the end result, I have to say I like the start even more! I agree on the turnability of the stuff. I have turned/cored one piece of madrone Reed sent me this past spring. I would have been perfectly happy to just watch the little wisps come off until there was nothing left to turn!:)

[Rick Markham]

Rick, that looks like a completely different turning!! Amazing!

And, for everyone else, please take note of how neat and clean Rick's bench area is - no chips, sawdust, etc., and everything in its place.;) Such a shining example!:D:p:D Probably a staged photo op!!!:cool:

Why Thank you John, I'm glad you noticed! ;) It takes a trained eye to recognize perfection in organization :D

What's important is what you can't see in the photo... (that just happened to be the only place to set the turning down for the photo)

My bench could/would never look anything like this...:eek::eek::eek:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Rick357/001-4.jpg

Yes, I know EXACTLY where everything is!!!!! I swear!!!! (It's all under there somewhere:D:p:D)

[Rick Markham]

Baxter, it's beautiful stuff, it's like ribbons of silk pouring off your tools. Super cool experience for sure. It was interesting just letting it do its thing, and move on it's own. It cuts so smoothly there was little trouble getting it thin. It's a different feeling trying to turn something to perfection, and then watch it become imperfect. (In spite of that being the whole point.) Literally the the rim began warping within a couple of minutes of it off the lathe.

[Steve Schlumpf]

That is really cool! From the front - looks like a great little vase! From the profile - you have to wonder what in the world happened! Great effect - really pretty wood! Thanks for sharing!

[Doug W Swanson]

That is really cool! From the front - looks like a great little vase! From the profile - you have to wonder what in the world happened! Great effect - really pretty wood! Thanks for sharing!

When I looked at this earlier today, I thought the exact same thing. It's really cool!

[John Keeton]

What's important is what you can't see in the photo... Just as I suspected!!!!:rolleyes: A photo op!!!!;) These "pseudo clean shop" types are all the same, I tell ya!:eek::D:D

[Johnny Taylor]

Cool! That is serious movement! It looked really sweet in the pic you posted of it before it moved.