Ash & Eucalyptus

[Kathy Marshall]

After turning mesquite root for the last week or so, I was ready to play with something that turned a little easier.
So Tuesday night I cut a few blanks from a green ash log from the wood pile and turned the red bowl. Ash may be a little bit plain, but boy is it fun to turn green! Cut like butter and shot mile long curlies everywhere!

Wednesday night I turned the blue bowl and the little plate. I'm wanting to turns some plates and platters, but the ones I've turned so far have left a little to be desired, so I thought I'd do a small one (since the blank was too shallow for a bowl) and play with shape and form, rather than wasting a big blank. You'd think a platter shape would be pretty simple.

The dyed bowls were both done with Rit dye. The red bowl had a coat of black dye first, sanded back, then red added, it also has BLO over the dye (got a little messy when I oiled the inside and no choice but to even out what had dripped over the rim), it also has a couple coats of spray lacquer so far.
The blue bowl just has a coat of blue, BLO on the inside only, and a coat of lacquer.
The plate is just BLO with a coat of lacquer so far.

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Then today I got a call from the tree trimmers. They had just trimmed a bunch of eucalyptus from a big commercial site. So I stopped by on the way home and picked up a few logs (I could have filled about 20 truckloads from what they had in the pile lol). There was a few different varieties so I picked an assortment and this is what I started with tonight (talk about turning like butter!).
The log was 12" x 6" and I got 4 blanks from it. I turned one of the deeper blanks and one of the shallower blank.

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After the outside was roughed, I did a quick touch up on my Thompson bowl gouge then made a final light pass, and if it wasn't for the bevel marks, I could easily have started sanding at 320 grit (the lighter band at the rim is waste so I didn't clean up that part).
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Here they are with a coat of BLO. They are now in a ziplock bag to dry slowly. I think I got off lightly with just a couple hairline, 1/4" long cracks in the bigger bowl. If you've ever turned euc, then you know it can start cracking as soon as the air touches it!
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Thanks for looking!
Comments and critiques are welcome.

[Paul Heely]

I've turned a little bit of ash and never been real happy with the plain looking finish of it. I like the coloring you did. It adds a nice look to the bowls. I've never turned eucalyptus, but it sure looks like it turns nice when green. Nice looking bowls and platter.

Paul

[John Keeton]

Kathy, I really like what you did with the ash - very nice! Most all your posts are in the wee hours of the morning. I realize there is a time zone difference, but that still puts you way later than most - you obviously turn day and night to get all of this done!!

[Michelle Rich]

I'm not much of a dye person, but they look nice..i totally adore the euc!! gorgeous simply turned bowls.

[Roger Chandler]

Good stuff Kathy..........those bowls are quite nice and I like the small platter..........that BLO really pops the grain! How long does it take for BLO to dry?

[Steve Schlumpf]

Nice work on everything! I really like the way you kept the dye on just the outside of the Ash bowls! The contrast works quite well!

[charlie knighton]

all are very nice, i like the eucalyptus the best, but the ash is pretty. great variety

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great looking peices Kathy. I like the dye and just on the outside. Well done.

[Norm Zax]

Lovely work with the Ash! The eucaplytus is darker than every I met. Congrats and happy (green) turning. [Euca splits like anything youve seen.]

[Bill Bolen]

Lovely pieces all. You are coming along real well with you dye jobs! I too really like the dye on the exterior and natural wood on the interior. They look really sharp.

[Thom Sturgill]

I like turning ash too, but don't care for the looks for most pieces. The dye helps! We have had a bit of Eucalytus at our club and everyone says it moves as quick as you can turn it, so good luck on that! It is pretty and the shop smells nice after cutting.

[Doug W Swanson]

Nice work on everything Kathy. The dye adds a nice touch to the bowls!

[Baxter Smith]

Very nice job on the Ash. The natural inside is a nice contrast to the outer surface. Or vice versa!

[Kathy Marshall]

Thanks everyone!


I've turned a little bit of ash and never been real happy with the plain looking finish of it. I like the coloring you did. It adds a nice look to the bowls. I've never turned eucalyptus, but it sure looks like it turns nice when green. Nice looking bowls and platter.

Paul
Thanks Paul! I've turned several varieties of eucs and they have all turned very nice when green, not so nice when dry.


Kathy, I really like what you did with the ash - very nice! Most all your posts are in the wee hours of the morning. I realize there is a time zone difference, but that still puts you way later than most - you obviously turn day and night to get all of this done!!
Thanks John! Oh my, would you look at the time! Gotta work all day, but I do manage to get in between 3-6 hours of turning each night. I kinda lose track of the time when I'm out in the shop lol.


Good stuff Kathy..........those bowls are quite nice and I like the small platter..........that BLO really pops the grain! How long does it take for BLO to dry?
Thanks Roger!
Drying time seems to vary with variety of wood and moisture content. When I can hold the piece in my hand and it doesn't bring oil to the surface, I consider it dry lol.


Lovely work with the Ash! The eucaplytus is darker than every I met. Congrats and happy (green) turning. [Euca splits like anything youve seen.]
Thanks Norm! This is the first euc I've turned with brown heartwood. All of the others I've turned have been from salmon to pink to orangy in color, some are alot more prone to cracking and warping than others. So far, this variety seems comparatively stable.


I like turning ash too, but don't care for the looks for most pieces. The dye helps! We have had a bit of Eucalytus at our club and everyone says it moves as quick as you can turn it, so good luck on that! It is pretty and the shop smells nice after cutting.
I've had some euc bowls that have gone oval before I could finish turning the inside, and I don't mean just a little out of round lol.
I've learned to turn it quick, turn it thin, sand and oil as you go to slow the drying while on the lathe, then store in a plastic bag for a few weeks. So far, that's worked pretty well for me.

[Steve Vaughan]

Very, very nice. I really like that contrast between the colors and natural inside! Nice work!