Maple Walnut: Only Ambrosia - not the tasty stuff!

[Baxter Smith]

HF#2 from the ambrosia maple I cut last winter. Jamie Donaldson suggested walnut after I posted the last one so gave it a try. Thanks for the suggestion Jamie! The color is definitely a better fit than black.

I cut too shallow an angle in the top opening then got heavy handed and broke the sharp edge on the first one. Almost went back to the holly for the next attempt but decided I would give it one more shot.
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7”w x 10”h. Finished with AO and buffed.
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I flipped the background for the last couple of shots so the finial is a little more visible. The height is unchanged from what I drew but the middle got redesigned on the fly!:rolleyes: I would love to hear your thoughts on that one!
The lighter background is more stained and scratched…. but it goes with the smudges in the camera. ;):)
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Thoughts and suggestions are always welcome and appreciated!

[Tom Hardy]

Very nice. Nice HF I really like the finial, and that's great looking piece of ambrosia maple.

[mike ash]

That's very nice Baxter!!! Man I love that Ambrosia.

[Jamie Donaldson]

Did the Antique Oil darken the Ambrosia that much, because I'm more accustomed to seeing much whiter wood, depending on how fresh the Ambrosia was when turned. This illustrates another reason I use lacquer on most of my whitish woods, to keep them whiter.

[Eric Gourieux]

Great form, even on the fly. The finial is very nice, and I like the walnut with the Ambrosia.

[Steve Vaughan]

That's nice! I like it!

[Doug W Swanson]

That turned out nice!

[Jon McElwain]

Baxter,

I always get excited when I see a new post of yours. This once certainly did not disappoint! The ambrosia is excellent - not overstated, and it is well framed by the form. Looks like the pith would have run right below where the onion is. You left a lot of good sapwood around the ambrosia stains and that gives the piece a solid feel. A little birds eye to boot really sets it off! The finial is just right in regard to shape and wood choice. I really like the subtle color of the finial that allows the ambrosia to be the center of attention.

Okay, two MINOR critiques - both on the photos. Does your software allow you to realign the photo? The form looks like it is tipping a little. Also, you might have a smudge on your camera lens - I noticed it on some photos a week ago or so also. Like I said - minor stuff.

Excellent piece Baxter!

[Dan Forman]

Very nice, works well as a unit. Like the smile in photo #6.

Dan

[John Keeton]

Baxter, I typically use walnut with Ambrosia, so I like the combination! Great job on the finial, and a very interesting arrangement with the progressively larger elements leading up to the onion - it works!

As to the color of the form, unlike Jamie, I actually prefer Ambrosia with more color in the maple as I do not find the stark contrast with the Ambrosia staining as attractive as some do. In fact, when it starts turning grey/brown, that is when I really like it!

I tweaked the color on the pic a little - any chance this is closer to the background color?
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[Michelle Rich]

Hi Baxter. Walnut is a great choice with the ambrosia..I've used that combo a lot & folks like it. I've even used it in furniture. Always catches folks eyes. Super piece . The smudges on your camera are so artfully placed, I hardly noticed :-)
:-)

[Bill Hensley]

I like this form and finial very much except I have to agree with Jamie on the finish coloring. I think lacquer would have been preferable on the maple.

I was partial to image 6 and John tweaks were helpful. Did you set the white balance for these photos? If not, you might consider a redo to see the impact on the form coloring. Just saying:)

[Ted Evans]

IMV, great form, great wood, I love walnut and maple, and great work bringing it all together. Cannot tell you why but I really like the finial.

[Tim Rinehart]

I like how this came out, excellent choice of wood for finial...I just think walnut and maple ALWAYS look great together. The finial looks perfect for this piece, nice and light with beautiful flow off the vessel.

I too look forward to seeing your work...it's top shelf and you always provide enough info to make an interesting read.

[Alan Trout]

Baxter,

Your work has come so far in such a short time. This is really a beautiful piece of work. The form, finial, and combinations of woods work together perfectly.

Well Done.

Alan

[Bernie Weishapl]

That is a beauty Baxter. I really like the walnut finial.

[Doug Herzberg]

That's a beautiful piece of maple and I like it with the walnut. Not that I know that much about form, but I like it. It's a keeper.

[Baxter Smith]

Thanks for your gracious comments!
Did the Antique Oil darken the Ambrosia that much, because I'm more accustomed to seeing much whiter wood, depending on how fresh the Ambrosia was when turned. This illustrates another reason I use lacquer on most of my whitish woods, to keep them whiter.Jamie, I was surprised myself how much darker this piece of maple was than the first one when I got ready to finish it. It then occurred to me though that I used BLO to wet sand this one at the heavier grits so felt that played a major role. I kind of like the shade now, but am always torn on whether I want to darken the lighter colored woods with oil.
...Okay, two MINOR critiques - both on the photos. Does your software allow you to realign the photo? The form looks like it is tipping a little. Also, you might have a smudge on your camera lens - I noticed it on some photos a week ago or so also. Like I said - minor stuff.......Thanks Jon. I only use microsoft picture manager so I can realign things and often do. I guess these weren't far enough off for me to notice at the time. Those smudges are in the camera I believe since no matter how often and carefully I clean the lens, they are there.
.... and a very interesting arrangement with the progressively larger elements leading up to the onion - it works! ...I tweaked the color on the pic a little - any chance this is closer to the background color?225391Thanks for tweaking John, it is closer to real. I took the lighter background picture several hours later and the position of the sun had changed so threw on another layer of sheet to reduce glare a bit. Maybe someday I will devise a setup that is consistent!That "interesting arrangement" was something I thought about before hand but then never drew. Decided to try it mid-stream. Don't like it as well as a more tapered bottom to the onion, but will leave it as is.
Did you set the white balance for these photos? If not, you might consider a redo to see the impact on the form coloring. Just saying:)Thanks Bill. The white balance is set to clouds+3. I leave it there for almost all my pictures. I set my phototent up ion my workbench in front of the garage door windows that face south. With all the lights off, it works most of the time. When I have to add multiple layers of sheet to reduce glare from the afternoon sun things get out of whack. Computer photo editing/tuning is a skill I lack. Along with the desire to learn it though I know I should!

Just took this picture to compare the colors of the two I have done. Both were finished with AO but I think the darker is largely due to a lot of wet sanding with the liberal use of BLO.
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[Ken Glass]

Baxter,
I have to agree with Allan, even though he is more qualified to judge than me. This is an excellent piece and I think the form is wonderful as is the Walnut finial too. An overall superb piece. Well done.

[charlie knighton]

very nice Baxter, you are getting in the wow category, well done

[David DeCristoforo]

SWEEEEEET!!! Everything that has already been said and then some. Simply beautiful piece!

[Jamie Donaldson]

The stripe of white side grain shows the darkening effect of the BLO and AO that soaked into the surrounding end grain in varying degrees. Since finishes and dyes don't penetrate side grain as readily as end grain, this is a problem that is hard to cover up.

[Kathy Marshall]

Very nice Baxter! The shape looks great and I really like how the walnut looks with the maple. I'm with John, I like ambrosia maple when it's a little darker, so the effect of the BLO is right up my alley.

[Baxter Smith]

Thanks for the additional comments. Your support and advice is always appreciated!