Stooopid!!!

[Bob Rotche]

This is a stunning piece of eucalyptus burl I got at our club wood auction last year (nothing on it yet). Started this hollow form and fitted a lid of nice curly maple. I was very pleased with myself having achieved a very nice fit with very little play. Came down the next day and lo and behold, the lid was stuck on like it was being held with a vice grips! (I thought the burl was dry, but I guess not...) Its a flush lid so nothing to grab on to. I drilled a hole though the top and put an allen wrench in to try to pull it out but no movement whatsoever. I put it in the freezer to see if it would shrink at all but not even a hint of movement! At this point, I see my options as cutting the lid up to remove in pieces while trying not to damage the form or putting it back on the lathe (still has the tenon) and turning the center out of the lid, maybe leaving a rim as an accent ring. Thoughts???

Next issue is what to do for a knob/finial. I carved a spiral knob out of a corner of the eucalyptus blank, more or less just to see if I could do it, but am not really happy with it on the piece. Could do a traditional Drozda style finial though am now thinking about a fairly simple upturned arch which might give it sort of an Asian feel. Now also wondering if the maple is a bad idea altogether. Might be too much contrast and perhaps should go with something darker. Comments, criticisms, and dope slaps welcome.

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[Pete Jordan]

Hey Bob,

Do you have a vacuum system?

[John M. Smith]

I kinda like the flame finial. The maple sets it off nicely too.

[Mike Willeson]

I also like the flame look. That is beautiful wood.

[Dale Miner]

Hi Bob,

That is a nice piece of burl. If you think the burl is thick enough, you could give a shot of air from a blow gun through the hole in the lid. The pressure might pop it off. Personally, unless the form was fairly thick, I would not chance it, and would rechuck and turn the lid off.

I like your carved finial, although it might be just a bit on the large side. Perhaps after sanding and finishing it would appear more in proportion.

I think a very dark colored wood for the lid would be a better compliment to the form. The contrast between the burl and the light colored wood takes the eye away from the form and from the character of the burl.

[Josh Bowman]

I like the finial and the rest of the form. Shame the top is stuck, if drying made the lid stick, wonder what would happen if you put it in the bathroom and ran a steamy shower? Just thinking.
You know, you could drill or turn the hole larger and live the lid as a collar.

[charlie knighton]

i have to agree, the third picture looks good

after you get the maple out, you may have to make a rim of dry wood say 3/8 or so wide, and if it gets a tight fit ok, then do the maple/with flame knob into the the new rim, you may have to make the hole bigger since you have the tendon still on

no good suggestion on how to get maple out, usually i only do top/finial thingy with mesquite ....i know i was not the first that that happened and i know you will not be the last

[Jim Burr]

Hmmm...size and form are fine, finish could use a bit of gloss, lid is nice, finial could be a bit thinner, Put that sucker in the oven at 100 and let it run. I think it's cool!

[Pat Barry]

Are you saying it is stuck just from shrinkage and no finish of any kind? If so, my thought would be to put the bowl on a hot plate / heating pad (not too hot) and pull the lid when it warms up. The expansion of the eucalyptus should loosen up the fit

[Curt Fuller]

I wouldn't say stupid, just had one sneak up on you. I've had that happen a time or two myself. In my experiences I've had to sacrifice the lid, let the HF dry a while, remount it to get the opening back to round, and make a new lid. For what it's worth, I like your Drozda idea but really like the idea of an Asian looking handle. I think I would go with a dark wood though. BTW that Eucalyptus is beautiful and so is the form you've turned from it.

[Roger Chandler]

Bob,

That is a great looking form.........I like the flame finial..........I think it compliments the shape of the form itself...........likely you might need to make the lid into a collar as you spoke of............very nice and that burl is special! Again, your skills are showing brightly!

[Baxter Smith]

Thanks for posting. Sorry but it made me chuckle! Sounds like something I might do.:)

[Bernie Weishapl]

Bob nice looking HF. Don't worry about the lid sticking like Curt I have had couple of lids stick. I just drilled a hole and cut the lid out. I returned it to the lathe after a month to true of the mouth and turned a new lid.

[Dennis Ford]

I like the flame finial and suggest that you finish it and attach it to the lid. The fact that the HF lid is stuck does not detract from it IMO.

[Bob Rotche]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I will start by trying to heat it up a bit and see if the eucalyptus expands, though I'm not sure if that will make the opening bigger or smaller... There is no finish on it yet, lid is stuck due to movement of the opening. If that doesn't work, I will try a blast of compressed air. If that doesn't work, back to the lathe and turn it away. Interesting the way you get a different perspective looking at a photo- I think it might do better with a darker lid and thinned out finial. Can always remove more wood, just can't add it back! Will repost progress pics as this progresses.

[John Keeton]

Bob, I would think heat would expand both woods, making the situation worse. Did you have any finish on the wood? I wonder if that is part of the problem?

I think the best plan is to turn away the lid, then let the burl sit for several days to stabilize prior to moving forward with another lid. I would be afraid to try many aggressive approaches. It would be a shame to destroy the burl, and turning the lid away should be an easy task.

As to color, I think the lighter lid works fine, and I like the finial, too. It could be a bit more delicate - not much, though!

[Steve Schlumpf]

I already suggested the compressed air routine - but after thinking about it, I would place it in the refrigerator or freezer for a while first and see if that wouldn't do the trick.

[Bob Rotche]

Already tried the freezer and it didn't do a thing. Probably best to just cut my losses and put it back on the lathe and turn away the lid. (I will try the compressed air first, Steve)

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

I like your finial. Does it suite you? It seems everyone wants to emulate the Drozda finial. She doesn't carve her finials. Merely the fact that you carved yours makes it different. Let's discuss the lid. Unless you fit your lid into a taper, you are chancing splitting off fibers around the mouth of the urn by forcing out the lit. The lid is a small piece of wood with relatively little work in it and it is the wrong size anyway. Be smart, sacrifice the lid and save the urn. Drill holes around the edge until you relieve the fit. Yank it out and chalk it up to experience.
faust

[Tim Rinehart]

Already tried the freezer and it didn't do a thing. Probably best to just cut my losses and put it back on the lathe and turn away the lid. (I will try the compressed air first, Steve)
Bob, one thought to consider, use a block of wood to gently tap around the periphery of the collar, to loosen any bind present before using the compressed air. Good luck, it's a great looking piece!

[ray hampton]

if you drill holes around the rim then you can use the top for another bowl

[Curt Fuller]

It's my experience that the hole in the hollowform hasn't just shrunk but it has also elongated with the wood grain. The more it shrinks the more it elongates and tightens the grip on the lid, especially if the lid is dry wood and not shrinking with it. So any heat is just going to dry the wood more and squeeze the lid tighter. It's just one of the difficulties that arise from working with wood that hasn't dried completely. But even with dry wood, face grain wood will move a little with changes in humidity. And then you also have two kinds of wood to add to the problem. When you glue a lid or ring into an opening like that, the glue will sometimes hold tight enough that both pieces will move together. But usually over time there will eventually be some separation or a crack. Burl wood usually doesn't move an awful lot so I would bet that given a few weeks to dry out now that it's hollowed, you'll be able to true up the opening and make a new lid that won't give you so much trouble. This made me check a few pieces that I have sitting around with similar flush fitting lids. In my forced air heated house with very low humidity, the lids that all had a nice fit when I made them are all kind of loose now. They'll probably tighten up again in the spring when I quit running the furnace.

[Bill Wyko]

You can use a piece of all thread and one of those spring loaded doohickies that are for putting in ceiling hooks. Put it through the hole and keep screwing it down til it touches the bottom. Then it'll force it to pop the lid off. I think you're on the right track though. Maybe dye the finial black.

[Bill Wyko]

How about gradual air pressure from an air chuch with a rubber tip?

[Deane Allinson]

Really nice piece, great form! I tend to be a less is more type. I would cut the lid away, it looks great without a lid. I would hate to see it crack under the pressure.
Deane

[Rob Price]

I'm just jumping on the thread so I can see how it turns out. Great looking piece!

[Ian Jeffcock]

Try microwaving it for a few. This has worked for me in the past.

[Pat Barry]

Try the heat before you destroy all your hard work. That piece looks great now and it would be a shame to ruin it. A little dry heat will work wonders IMO.