First Hollow Form

[Jake Helmboldt]

A couple months ago I asked for tips on turning hollow forms since I had to make a special piece (or chose to) for a school fundraiser auction, dedicated in memory of a teacher that died unexpectedly in November. I chose to ignore the sage advice here, as well as my own better judgment and proceeded with the project, despite it being my first completed hollow form (having done two partial ones for practice).

I turned it freehand with a couple homemade hollowing tools; an Oland-style straight tool and a swan neck. The interior had some minor ridges that I would have liked to eliminate but I wasn't going to risk fate too much, so I had to blend them by sanding.

The form was from a large root burl on a sweet gum stump at my daughter's school. I turned it rough but it warped so much that I wasn't able to re-turn it a whole lot (hence some of the ridges inside). This resulted in some interesting distortion to the surface. Wall thickness was pretty uniform at about 1/4" and diameter is about 10.5".

[Allan Ferguson]

That was a challenging first. Congratulations.

[Richard Jones]

Cool looking piece, reminds me of one of those puppets you paint on your hand, or maybe the entrance to Carlsbad Cavern.......:) Yes, tough for your first one, but looks very nice, and chip removal should have been easy!!!

R

[John Keeton]

Excellent work, Jake!! I really like the wood and the bark rimmed void is great.

[Jake Helmboldt]

Cool looking piece, reminds me of one of those puppets you paint on your hand, or maybe the entrance to Carlsbad Cavern.......:) Yes, tough for your first one, but looks very nice, and chip removal should have been easy!!!

R

Yeah, easy chip removal and also easier to sand inside!

[Dennis Ford]

You did a good job with it. That is a very small opening for a first HF. Sweet gum sure does move a lot, it turns nicely though.

[Doug Herzberg]

A lot better than my first, and more challenging. Love the form and the wood.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really nice HF. Love the bark inclusion.

[charlie knighton]

very nice, Jake, thanks for sharing

[Harvey Ghesser]

Looks great, Jake! Considering this was your first HF, I'd love to see #2 and #3!

[Ted Evans]

Very pretty wood Jake and I must say that you have much more courage in tackling such a piece than I would ever have, I like it.

[Jeff Nicol]

Jake, It looks like a big "OPEN" mouth that wants to be fed! I like the use of the void and a nice form besides. Hollow forms can come in so many little variations from one to the next, keep on hollowing.

Jeff

[Jake Helmboldt]

Thanks folks. I had fun with this, and a "divot" in the burl allowed that void to open up on its own. It actually made the turning easier too since I could see the tip of the tool inside the form while turning. I'm hoping it isn't beginner's luck on this first form. I have to say that due to the significance of the piece I had to really focus and I was inspired to make sure I didn't botch it. I'm hoping that it brings a nice price for the fundraiser.

I'm doing a nested pair of bowls for Phil's widow from the same big burl. Hopefully I won't blow those up either.

Oh, and Jeff Nicol's post just reminded me that I should give him a shout out on this. He made me a 6" tool rest and the curved shape makes a nice support for my left fist/wrist while hollowing with the freehand tools.

[Baxter Smith]

Looks great Jake! Exceptional work for a first!

[Michelle Rich]

very challenging first..

[Tim Rinehart]

That is a challenging piece for a first, but you did well. Look forward to seeing more of your HFs. Great start!