Locust Crotch, Photo trial

[Doug Herzberg]

This is my first attempt at anything other than a snapshot. The lighting is all natural with no attempt to filter or control it and you can see the multiple windows in the reflection. 1/40 at 3.5 on a tripod with a pocket camera. The backdrop is butcher paper draped over a cardboard box. Color balance was done with the Picassa "I'm feeling lucky" button.


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The piece is about 7-1/4 x 5 - 1/4, turned green start to finish. Not all that thin or even - I got scared when I saw the bark inclusion on both sides and basically stopped hollowing. Between 3/16" and 1/4" according to my finger calipers.

I set out to copy a footed bowl from a sketch in a Raffin book. Along the way, I turned off a lot of diameter trying to see how deep the bark inclusion went (deep) and truing up the form after launching it out of the chuck. I thought it might be interesting to save the sap wood on top, so this is what evolved. My curves were better before, but I can't prove it without a picture. Finish so far is two coats of Watco DO, but it looks pretty good wet, so I'm thinking about a gloss WOP. Not signed because it's still wet.

C&C appreciated.

[Allan Ferguson]

That is really pretty.

[Dennis Ford]

Very nice work. The gloss poly is a good idea. By making it gloss, you get a choice later; keep it glossy or cut it back to satin. I especially like the bead around the opening.

[Steve Vaughan]

Man, that's really nice all around! Love the grain and sapwood combo in the piece. Did you soak that bark inclusion in some CA? Really, really nice.

[Bill Hensley]

I love the wood, you did it justice! I really like that but I could do without the base.

Good job on the photos also.

[Kelvin Burton]

Doug,

I've just been offered some Locust, never turned it before, so I hope I can make something as pretty as this!

Kelvin

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Doug, Very nice work. I really like turning Locust. It's hard after it dries but the color and grain are spectacular. It sands to a glassy surface and takes finish well as shown in your hollow form. We all know the feeling of wishing we had gone thinner but you have a finished piece in hand rather than firewood in the trash. Well done!!
faust

[David E Keller]

Neat piece! The form is a bit angular at the junction of the bottom and middle thirds, but it wouldn't take much to smooth that section... It's close, but my eye hangs up at that point of the form. I love the bark inclusion and sapwood elements, and the bead around the opening is a nice touch. It sure is pretty wood! Thanks for sharing!

[Baxter Smith]

Good job on some pretty wood. Agree with David K on the lower/middle section. I find it much easier to see(that I didn't get:)) a smooth curve from top to bottom as soon as I start to take pictures.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really nice piece. Great finish on some purdy wood.

[Roger Chandler]

Looks like you have that 0698 crankin'..........nice one..........you will perfect your form as you turn more.........they get better as you get more under your belt, but I do like where you are going with this one, Doug.

[Jamie Donaldson]

You're living on the edge with all that hi-tech photo equipment Doug! The results are excellent, but are they repeatable "when the sun don't shine!" Allowing the camera auto functions to control every time will give inconsistant results from session to session, but the cost of digital film and processing is cheap enough to experiment. BTW, that's a nice piece of Honey Locust work. So Kelvin, if you're getting Honey Locust it will be more attractive than Black Locust, and not as hard, but Black Locust makes better fence posts and firewood.

[Harvey Ghesser]

Nice job with some nice wood, Doug. Gloss WOP is the ticket. I feel that it really brings out the grain. Not crazy about the foot, but there's no accounting for taste. Overall, a lovely hollow form.

[Dan Forman]

Doug - That's a nice piece! Honey locust is much more attractive than it's black cousin - I'm hoping to run into some soon, but there is way more black than honey around here. The curves will improve with time and experience, and as I recall you are pretty new to tuning, so I'd call this very much a success.

Dan

[John Keeton]

Doug, you lucked into some decent pics! And, other than your own critique on the curvature, this is an excellent piece. Since this one is rather "full bodied", the base seems to work OK and you did some nice work on the bottom, too.

[Michelle Rich]

yep, it took bravery with that inclusion...I think the photo looks good. the wood very pretty

[Mark Slutz]

Doug,
I really like it. Love the bark inclusion, sap wood and bead. You must have been sandbagging when you made the blind leading the blind comment when I was there or you have come a long way in 3 weeks. I will be over soon for my turning lesson to go with the wood you gave me.

[Doug Herzberg]

Thanks for all the comments. They are very helpful and encouraging.

Steve, all I had was some medium CA, but I did try to soak the bark inclusion with it.

I thought the shape was a little squat or "full bodied," as John says and I hoped the foot would give it some lift. I considered spending more time on the curve between the bottom and middle thirds and I think now I should have. I'll keep practicing.

Jamie, this is Colorado - we have 300 days of sunshine every year! I'll work on getting some reliable light, though. It seems to me I could have benefited from a reflector and/or some fill light, both for the shadows and the interior, which appears black in the photos. The colors were way off, but Picasa brought them pretty close - the heartwood is a little more red than pictured. I've reached the age where I can't focus on ground glass, so auto-focus in a blessing for me.

I didn't know if this was honey locust or black locust, and the tree trimmer didn't either. It was pretty easy to turn, but the sap kept gumming up on the bevel of my bowl gouge.

Michelle, if I was brave, I would have finished the interior. The hollowing cuts are pretty clean for a beginner, but I left some ribs because I was afraid to do to the last few scraper cuts. My perception was that the bark was starting to bulge and I thought it was going to fly off at any minute. Coming from you, though, it's quite a compliment. Thank you.

[Doug Herzberg]

Mark, you've seen my shelf of shame. Seven failures in a row, all in the quest for tool control. A fine, proud Ponderosa reduce to a pile of shavings. You have the other half of this locust log. I selfishly chose the crotch piece, thinking it would have the more interesting grain. I'm eager to see if I chose well, so get busy. And thanks for the compliment.