New Blue Moon

[David DeCristoforo]

This is from one of the pieces of maple burl David Reed left me with. Like the last sphere Dr. Keller posted, it's actually bit more "sphereish" as the form distorted very slightly after hollowing. Anyway, I have decided to call these "orbs" rather than spheres since it seems unlikely that any piece of wood will remain perfectly round even if it is perfectly round at the outset. 6.5" in diameter and hollowed to a 1/8" wall thickness.

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[John Pratt]

Very nice. At first glace it struck me as a comet or meteor racing through space.

[Roger Chandler]

I like the way the figure runs through the form............nice work, David!

[dan carter]

Very interesting indeed. Character of that wood certainly is an understatement. Spheres, orbs, or whatever you call it always are eye catchers. Nice job.

[John Keeton]

Nicely done!! I take it that you hollowed it, and then trued up the "orb" in the other axis??

[Allan Ferguson]

A whole lot rounder than any thing that I have attempted. Like it.

[Pete Jordan]

I really like this one!

[Scott Hackler]

Very nice piece. The coloring really adds visual interest to the round shape.

[Roland Martin]

Very nice "orb", David. The coloring & grain are really interesting.

[Alan Trout]

David,

That is a really cool piece. Love the color and well done.

Alan

[James Combs]

WOW, very nice, but I would think that it would be a hollowing nightmare.

[David DeCristoforo]

"I take it that you hollowed it, and then trued up the "orb" in the other axis??"
" I would think that it would be a hollowing nightmare"

I was already thanking the powers that be for the fact that this did not shatter. I turned and hollowed it mounted in a chuck. I left a 2" diameter tenon at the bottom and reduced that to 3/4" after the hollowing was done. I reversed it between a padded vacuum chuck body and the live center to turn away the last bit of tenon. I was holding my breath the whole time because I could not use much pressure without crushing the thing. Got lucky but I think if I had attempted to "true up" the outside profile, it would not have held up.

[Jamie Donaldson]

Yes you did "orb it" very nicely David, but I'm also fascinated by the coloring job. In what sequence did you apply the dyes?

[charlie knighton]

very nice, will it have a stand?

[David E Keller]

That's fantastic! The coloring and the figure in that piece look fantastic on the spherish form, and I love the fact that it sits just a tad off kilter. Wonderful work!

[Jim Burr]

A sphere has definition; x2+y2+z2=r2, guess this doesn't?

[David DeCristoforo]

"In what sequence did you apply the dyes?"

It was a very complicated dye process Jamie. First I applied blue dye. Then I sanded it back to let the wood show through...

"...guess this doesn't?"

Well... ummm... er... ah.... I guess not exactly...

[Bob Bergstrom]

That is quite a piece. The way the rays are highlighted is wonderful. The colors all accentuate the piece. Great job of executing a difficult form. I like it a lot.

[Dan Forman]

Very nice, makes me wonder what it looked like before the dye job.

Dan

[Scott Lux]

WOW! That's just... WOW.

"That's no moon. It's a space station."

[Kathy Marshall]

Very cool David! I love how the dye job turned out.

[Baxter Smith]

Great job on both the form and dye. My first thought was that it looked a lot like a fancy bowling ball!

[John Beaver]

Very Celestial... or Bowling Ball. It's actually really cool David.
Do you leave the bottom a little thicker so it sits up, or do you let it roll around and find it's own spot?

[David DeCristoforo]

Maybe I should call it a celestial bowling ball. Sure hope the pins aren't too heavy...

"...do you let it roll around and find it's own spot?"

It just sits there. I like it that it does not sit perfectly upright so the opening is a bit off center...

[Mark Hubl]

Orb, sphere or ball, it is pretty cool looking. Baxter beat me to the bowling ball comparison! The dye job looks very interesting on the piece. This type of piece is definitely a challenge, the more you seek symmetry the more the wood doesn't.

[Steve Busey]

Maybe I should call it a celestial bowling ball. I was trying to be polite and not say anything, but that was my first thought... :^}

[Bill Wyko]

Yet another extraordinary piece from you David. A real beauty. I envision it on a long finial stem.:D

[Rick Markham]

Cool Orb David! +1 on Dr. D's comment about color and how it plays well with the figure. I still haven't given the sphere a shot yet... I'm too skeered.