My B&B entries.

[Bill Wyko]

As manyy of you know, there is a Beauty & the Beast contest out there in internet land. I cut it down to the wire but here are my 2 entries. The first being called the Queen. She is made of Stringy Eucalyptus burl, Tiger Eucalyptus, Gabon Ebony, Bubinga and inlace. She stands a lofty 19.25 inches tall with her spiral finial crown on. She is made from 346 individual segments including the lid. The 8 staves are actually framed in ebony as opposed to a segmented ring at the top and bottom of the staves. It only eliminates a 1/4 inch ebony line which would have joined the staves but I feel it made a huge difference in the look of the vessel. Staves can be quite challenging due to the compound miter cuts but in the end, very satisfying to get it figured out in the end.
When I measure the difference of the widest point to the narrowest point I het a ratio of 1.618. This is the fibonacci ratio or also known as the golede ratio. A formula to create curves most appealing to the human eye. I hope that it appeals to your eyes too, please enjoy my friends.
http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL2109/11908737/23884089/398363889.jpg
http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL2109/11908737/23884089/398360985.jpg
http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL2109/11908737/23884089/398360979.jpg
http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL2109/11908737/23884089/398363892.jpg
http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL2109/11908737/23884089/398363894.jpg
http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL2109/11908737/23884089/398363891.jpg

[Craig Matheny]

Those are amazing

[Jon Prouty]

Wow... I love these! Great job!JP

[charlie knighton]

very nice, Bill, i like the short one

[Paulo Marin]

Bill,
These fabulous pieces only prove that you are a phenomenal woodturner. Most people do not know how difficult it is to create symmetrical designs like these.
You certainly have a place in the professional arena, should you decide to pursue that direction.
Win or not, these pieces would look fabulous in the Marin Collection ;)

Congratulations on your fantastic work

Paulo:cool:Marin

[Bernie Weishapl]

Extremely nice Bill. Look like beauties to me.

[Kathy Marshall]

Very very nice Bill! Good luck in the contest!

[Jim Burr]

Glad I came in 35th out of 22! Those are nothing short of amazing!! No idea how much time or effort you put into those, but wow!!!! Done good bud!!

[Bill Wyko]

Thanks very much everyone. You are all too kind. As far as the time factor goes, I want to say about 6 weeks for both working 3 evenings a week and weekends.

[Richard Madden]

Beautiful work on both, Bill. Good to see that spiral finial on the finished piece. Gotta love those twisty things! Your second piece is a knockout! Good luck.

[Nate Davey]

Incredible, where's the beast Bill? Absolutely exsquisite.

[John Keeton]

Bill, your work is just absolutely unbelievable! You titled the "Queen" but not the smaller of the vessels. If I had to choose, it would be the smaller, but the work on both is fantastic. Perfect joinery, great selection of woods, and beautiful forms executed with precision.

[David E Keller]

Fantastic work, bud! You can forget about winning that chainsaw!

[Bill Wyko]

Thanks very muchJohn, and sorry about that. The smaller one is the King. Short, stubby and thin skinned (3/32" thick) I also want to thank you Richard and Paulo. Richard for the very detailed tutorial on spiral finials, couldn't have done it w/o you my friend. everyone here should at least try it. And Paulo for my amazing 15V bowl gouge which allowed me to turn to a borderline paper thin 3/32" on the kings burl. I've never been able to go this thin before. Simply put, that tool rocks.

[Doug W Swanson]

Excellent work! Even if you don't win, you have nothing to be ashamed about with those pieces. Nothing short of fabulous!

[Bill Wyko]

No matter what, This has just been fun. So many extraordinary creations in this contest.

[Baxter Smith]

One word sums it up Bill. Stunning!

[Michelle Rich]

good golly Bill. these are wonderful entries. love the finials and the segmenting work.

[Bill Wyko]

Thanks very much. I have to say though, not sure if I'll make the top 10. The other entries are absolutely stunning. I'm just happy to be a part of the contest.

[Donny Lawson]

Great looking work on them both. I'm glad that I'm not a judge in this contest. If so there would be alot of 1st place pieces.

[Bill Wyko]

I agree. Every entry is a winner in my book. The contest really brought out some techniques and styles we can all learn from for a long time to come. I have to wonder how many people tried something completely new to them for the contest. I know I did. The spiral finial was just so much fun to do. It really is more time consuming than difficult. When I was done, I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I have to say that the finial was probably one of my favorite turnings I've ever done. Now I want to apply the technique to so many other turnings. The wife is gonna miss me. I'll come inside in the morning for coffee though. LMAO.:D

[Bill Wyko]

Well, I came in a respectable 7th place. I consider that an honor, especially when you look at what I'm up against. What a great contest. I cna't wait for ther next contest. Now I have a whole bunch of new ideas.:D