Ambrosia Maple bowl

[Mike Cruz]

Well, we (DAMP) showed you the recent Ambrosia Maple tree that we cut up. It was a beaut! Look at my avatar...yeeeeeaaaahhhh. Anyway, it was a tree on my neighbor's property. I begged him for the tree...promising him a turning from each of the four of us. Here is the bowl I turned for my neighbors.

Dimensions are 11.25" x 4.25" with pretty darn consistent 1/2" walls. Poly finish. I plan to buff the bowl at Tony's this weekend.

All comments are most certainly welcome...even if you hate it. ;)

[Ken Hill]

Looks pretty sweet Mike!

btw, one of you guys needs to swing in here and grab a few burls.....

[Rick Markham]

Awesome bowl Mike! I love the bead on your rim, super nice! That's some nice maple! Well done on the WOP too!

[Mike Campbell KS]

I'm trying as hard as I can, but I can see absolutely nothing to hate about this bowl. Beautiful shape, finish, and wood. Great job.

[Dan Forman]

I'm with Mark, no hate here. Like the rim, the wood is wild, and the finish is glossy enough to burn a hole in the camera if you arent' careful.

Dan

[Mike Cruz]

Well, I was really miffed that one of my dogs woke me up at 4:30 in the morning to get let out (I let her out about 11 pm or so...she shouldn't have had to go so soon...). But all these nice comments have made me quite a bit less cranky. :)

You know, I really ended up liking the shape on this one, too. Sorry I couldn't get a better profile shot of it. Don't have a photo tent set up yet...still using my Table Saw extension table.

And the beads of the rim were actually kinda fun to make. I don't have a beading too, so I was just winging it. :p

[Donny Lawson]

Looks awesome. I love to turn ambrosia maple because of the streaks. That one is loaded. Any pics of the bottom side??

[Michelle Rich]

wooooweeeee, now that's an eye-popper.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Wow... your neighbor is going to love it!! Very nice work!

[John Keeton]

Great bowl, Mike!! And, you are right - the wood is superb.

[Mike Cruz]

Donny, yes, I do have pics of the bottom. But when I signed it, I also put their names and their address (well the road anyway...so they will always remember where it came from, even when/if they move) on the bowl. It felt odd to display their info publicly. Sorry... I will say that the bottom has no foot. There is a concave anti-foot :) depression that is about 4" in diameter on the bottom.

[Mike Cruz]

Michelle, Steve, and John... yeah the wood is fantastic. I figure, until I really start honing my skills, picking really striking wood is my best friend. ;) :D

[Tony De Masi]

Not too bad.

[Roger Chandler]

Great form on this bowl, Mike.......super finish, and when you have that nice of a piece of wood to work with it really makes for an eye popper! I think Tony, Peter and Dan are gonna have to step up their game a little in order to compete! ;):D Now that ought to put the pressure on 'em for ya! ;)

[Tim Rinehart]

Dang...you DAMP'rs got some superb wood. That piece just rocks from all angles. The shot I like best is the one in lower left, it has the ambrosia forming a pattern that looks like a tree that opens up to it's canopy. Maybe I didn't get enough sleep too...but this is a beautiful piece.

[Peter Elliott]

not bad for a ski bum

[Bernie Weishapl]

Beautiful bowl, finish and form Mike. Really like the rim.

[Joe Bradshaw]

Mike, the only thing that I hate about that bowl is that I live to far from you. That is one awesome looking piece. The future owners will really love it.

[Mike Cruz]

I think Tony, Peter and Dan are gonna have to step up their game a little in order to compete! ;):D Now that ought to put the pressure on 'em for ya! ;)

Tony's already been busy. He was kind enough to to turn two things: a bowl (9" wide x 2 1/2" tall) 218509218510218511 ; and a platter (not sure of the dimensions) 218512 .

[Mike Cruz]

Not too bad.

Says the man whose wing I am under...:rolleyes:

[Bill Wyko]

Absolutely beautiful Mike. Well done my friend.

[Brian Effinger]

Beautiful wood, pleasing shape and wonderful rim. What's not to like? :) Sounds like you need to get some buffing wheels though. ;)

[Thomas Heck]

That is a beautiful bowl.

[David E Keller]

Pretty stuff, Mike! I'd probably knock back that shine just a hair, but it's a beautiful piece! Looking forward to seeing the other DAMP contributions to the neighbors!

[Mike Cruz]

David, I posted some pics of a bowl and a platter that Tony turned earlier in this thread....

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?179181-Ambrosia-Maple-bowl&p=1845355#post1845355

[Mike Cruz]

Thank you, everyone, for all your very kind comments. I really expected some critique. Not opposed to still getting some, but you have all made me feel quite proud of this one. I kinda knew that I liked it when I was done with it, but you never really know...

[Jim Burr]

Dude!! I'd give my left knee for a chunk of that! Don't take me up on that...it's fake! All those are great!! Not a big fan of the gloss, but then I like the Raiders!!

[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

OK Mike, just a wee criticism. Like the bowl shape and rim treatment, wood speaks for itself. However, like Jim & David mentioned, the shine, for this piece, is a bit too strong. I like the flat or satin look of Tony's bowl & platter. Other than that .... Great!

[Rich Aldrich]

Incredible looking wood. Nice bowl.

[Mike Cruz]

Jeff, I fully understand your view. Not sure that it needs it either. One of the things I had in mind when turning and finishing this bowl was that I wanted it to be different than the bowl that Tony already turned for my neighbors. I actually love the edge on his bowl. But did the beading to not make them look alike. I was going to go with a satin finish (for the last coat), but decided to keep it glossy, again, to be different. I certainly agree that it didn't need the shine. The wood speaks for itself. But I do appreciate your opinion, thanks.

Jim, too bad your left knee is fake, that is my bad one, too...I might have taken you up on it...;)

[Mike Cruz]

Oh, and the odd thing about Maple around here.... It seems they are all "ruined" by the Ambrosia Beetle! I don't think we've cut up a maple that hasn't been littered with these streaks... If you needed clear maple, you might be hard pressed to find it in the woods (the store would be another issue).

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Mike,
You're friend Tony is messing with you. "Not too bad". What he really means is "I can't wait to see that bowl in person because it is so striking". You just have to read between the lines. I can't wait to see the other three. That surely is a rare piece of wood and you did it justice. By the way, good photo showing up all that gloss without making a harsh reflection.
faust

[George Morris]

Well done beautiful wood!

[Baxter Smith]

Very striking wood and the inside curve looks great Mike! A profile shot would be nice too.

[Kathy Marshall]

Great looking bowl Mike and what a cool looking piece of wood!

[Mike Cruz]

For those that asked to see what else got turned for my neighbor, here are some pics of the pen that Dan turned today. Different lighting and focuses , etc... 219092219093219094219095219096