New stuff....

[Fred Perreault]

I have been able to find some time to turn since the late Fall craft shows. The weather here on the Cape has been well above normal temps, and limited precipitation. Hurricane Irene provided us with a lot of stock for turning, and the best stuff was from out back of the oldest existing house in town, a 1750's full Cape. A very large maple fell onto the back of the house and crushed 80% of the rear roof. As a result the 4th generation owners took down an elm planted in 1928, and an ash tree from the late 1800's. The fallen maple, elm and ash were getting processed when I was able to come by and get 2 trailer loads of logs and large crotches. The figure in the maple is spectacular, and the elm and ash are great, too. I made 2 elm bowls and a maple turning for the owners for Christmas, but I neglected to take pics.... ooops.

By the way, several weeks ago I had an Iturra carbide tipped blade snap on my Rikon band saw doing a rather benign task. It broke at the weld, and wrinkled up some. I sent it to Lou Iturra for repair expecting to pay my way, and he repaired it, ironed it out, and returned it at no charge. I was very happy.... for over a year.... with the blade, and I am equally pleased with the service. I will definitely go back to him.

....and we are a day closer to Spring planting :) :)

Fred

[Curt Fuller]

All beautiful pieces Fred. I love the subtle natural movement in the maple and cherry pieces.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Those are beauties Fred. I do like the cherry and cottonwood.

[David E Keller]

Nice work, Fred! Of the three, that maple piece really grabs my attention... I love the figure and that undulating rim.

[Dan Forman]

Very good. I especially like the maple and the cottonwood.

Dan

[charlie knighton]

all are very nice, but the cherry pieces are my favorites

[David Starks]

The uneven cottonwood has my vote but all are nice! Too bad for the trees, hopefully they planted new ones.

[Kathy Marshall]

Nice job Fred! I bet the home owners were pleased with the pieces you turned for them! These are all nice, but my pick would be the maple!

[John Keeton]

Count my vote for the maple - strikingly pretty wood! But, all are very nice, and glad you are getting in some turning.

I take it all of these were turned green to finish judging from the slight warping - what did you do to prevent cracking?

[Michelle Rich]

good 'uns, Fred. All have something super about them. Glad you got back to turning...

[Steve Schlumpf]

Beautiful work on everything Fred! I really like how everything warped just enough to add character! Thanks for sharing!

[Mike Cruz]

Yeah, the warping look is neat. Did the bottoms stay flat enough, or did you re-turn the bottoms?

[Baxter Smith]

Glad you have gotten some turning time in Fred! The cherry is nice but the maple is pretty striking!

[Fred Perreault]

John, I was pressing the envelope because when I sectioned the maple I could not believe the figure in the crotches (for around here, anyway...). Finding much more than soft maple on the Cape is difficult. So, I rough turned them and sealed them with clear shellac sealer and bagged them, Then I re-turned them after 6 weeks of drying or so. I have been fairly successful as to cracking, at least for an impatient person, with shellac sealer and a modest amount of bag drying. It seems that the wood movement is related to the figure as well as the moisture, and is more dramatic in the side view pics than in person. The past couple of days I have been in a contractor friends' wood pile, lopping off more hard maple crotches from his large logs. I think that I am going to rough them out soon as my luck with Anchor sealing and saving my blanks has led to a lot of mold/mildew problems. Of course, it is probably my method/procedure/environment.
Plus.... I'm impatient :) :)

As it turned out, I have sold more than 200 utility items each of the past 2 years at a few local shows, and out of the house, despite having a difficult year with elderly issues. My wife's mom went to Heaven the week of Thanksgiving, and it cast an awkward pall over the holidays. And her dad, who has dimentia will not leave his home nor accept outsider help, so it is for the children and families to provide care. It's just the cycle of life, and that's the way it is.



Count my vote for the maple - strikingly pretty wood! But, all are very nice, and glad you are getting in some turning.

I take it all of these were turned green to finish judging from the slight warping - what did you do to prevent cracking?

[Michael Menzli]

They all look great. May I suggest some better lighting as Im sure these pieces would really pop out.