Birds-eye Maple HF

[Michael E. Thompson]

Thanks to the replies I received from my request for help (see this thread http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?182290-WIP-Help) I have finally finished this piece. I took the advise of losing the steam all together and adding a collar (dyed cherry) and adding the finial. Spalted birds-eye maple HF & finial. I am not 100% pleased with the finial, but I'm not sure how tweak it to make improvements at this point, so this is where I ended up. Approx 7" diam x 7" tall x 1/8" thick. Finished with BLO, wet sanded with BLO then shellac. Rubbed out with steel-wool and several coats of WOP home brew. Finally three wheel buffed.

Please any C&C is appreciated.

Mike

[Bernie Weishapl]

That really turned out nice. The finial could be a little more delicate. I do like the collar of cherry.

[Baxter Smith]

Very nice wood, form and finish. Agree with Bernie on the more delicate finial but it is a very pretty piece as is!

[Kathy Marshall]

Very nice Michael! The form is great and I like the contrast of the collar and the finish looks great. I think the finial looks good, but it might be better just a tad thinner, but I'm certainly no expert on finial design.

[Jim Burr]

I'd like to see a better side shot Michael...finish and form looks sweet. Not a big finial guy, but a bit more on the trim side me please the eye a bit more.

[John Keeton]

Mike, the form has a nice roundness to it, and appears to represent good form - though a side shot would help assess that better. On collars, I prefer to set them into the form so they are flush with the form, or add some beaded embellishment so the raised surface appears to be for a purpose. Leaving it proud of the surface and flat can sometimes be a disruption in the flow of the piece. I agree on the finial needing to be a bit more delicate, and if it is thinned down it probably will be a bit tall. One of the most difficult tasks for me, and I think for most, is to create continuous upward flow from the form, through the collar, and up the finial. It isn't always required, depending on several factors, but the transition points should always be considered. In this case, those would be where the collar meets the form, and where the finial base meets the collar.

I think this one turned out to be an excellent piece. You made some good decisions, and did a really nice job on the finish.

[Michelle Rich]

I think you did well. The finial is ok..they all don't have to be matchstick thin. Put it on a shelf in your livingroom and look at it a lot with a critical eye. If it looks ok in a month, then leave it as it is. If not go turn another & try that one out, etc...it works for me

[Michael E. Thompson]

Thanks for all the kind words. I do have a profile picture, but didn't like the coloring so I decided to skip it. I will post it when I get home tonight.

I am going to redo the finial, thin it down a little and like John said try to raise it off the collar a bit. I am glad to hear my concerns are legit, this finial just isn't jumping out to me as it fits/works.

Thank for all the input.

Mike

[Michael E. Thompson]

Here is a better shot of the profile. Its not perfect, but its the best I have without setting up my tent again. Thanks again for all the feedback.

Mike