Cherry Brandy (AKA NE Bowl on a Stick) Thanx to John and Philip

[David DeCristoforo]

A while back I received this sweet little cherry burl from Philip Labre. It had grown on a branch about 3" in diameter. It's been sitting on my bench ever since and I have been trying to see something in it. Finally, I saw this. The only way I could imagine using it was to include the center of the branch in the lower part of the bowl which carries some risk of cracking. But I figured it was going to be so rustic anyway that a few more cracks would not be an issue. So far it has not cracked.


While I was turning the bowl, I was thinking about how to present it and decided on a pedestal. While I was thinking about what to make the pedestal out of, a small box arrived from John Keeton which contained, among other things, a nice 3" square billet of cherry. I immediately earmarked if for the pedestal.


The "bowl" is 6" in diameter, somewhat larger than the "typical" elevated form. Thus the "bulked up" pedestal. It stands 12" tall.

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[Alan Trout]

David,

I liked the bulked up pedestal. I think it is very proportional. excellent work.

Alan

[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

Wow. That is impressive.

[Roland Martin]

Very nice, David. When I grow up, I want to be able to turn sticks like you:)! The burl is undoubtedly sweet, but the pedestal is "perfect", if there is such a thing! Wait a minute, there has to be such a thing if we're all chasing after it:D. Thanks for sharing this gem with us David, very well done.

[John Keeton]

So very nice!!! Excellent combo, David, and not only is the pedestal perfectly done, but the form on the burl is just as nice! Glad I could contribute just a little to such a fine piece.

[Steve bellinger]

David i really like these type pieces, and as always your pieces are top shelf. Great job man.

[Ted Calver]

Beautiful! Even more with a scoop of vanilla bean :)

[Roger Chandler]

Yep..........the pedestal is the star of the show on this one. even though the burl is real nice as well...........you did a fine job with the features on the pedestal and that made the whole thing work well...........nice goin' DD!

[David E Keller]

Pretty cool! The burl looks great, and I really like the color you got with the cherry… How did you get that color?

[Doug W Swanson]

Nice combination, DD. I think the pedestal looks great with the form....

[David DeCristoforo]

"How did you get that color?"

The cherry is dyed with "Cordavan" leather dye which is a deep reddish brown. The top and bottom of the pedestal are overlaid with black which fades out about halfway up the "onion" and again at the little beady thing" near the top.

"...the form on the burl is...nice..."

The "form" is very close to the original shape of the burl. All I did was "refine" it a bit...

[Allan Ferguson]

Excellent as usual. Love the color of the pedestal.

[Baxter Smith]

Nice work on all but I really like the pedestal both in design and substance. Great fit!

[Kathy Marshall]

Very nice piece David! Great form on the bowl and a nice chunk of burl to boot. Thin and delicate or not, your pedestals are always right on, and this one is no exception.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great piece David. Pedestal really fits the burl.

[Nate Davey]

Another one out of the park, David. The pedestal is beautiful as is the bowl.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Beautiful work David! Very clean detail work on the pedestal! This piece is somewhat larger than I would normally expect from you but it works quite well! The overall effect - to me - is that of an open flower. Very nice!

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Nice flow & details on the pedestal. I'd like to see this one in person to check out the burl bowl. As I look at it for a few minutes I think maybe the bowl might be a little to big, then I think no it looks fine. I can't seem to decide on how I really feel about the bowl. Either way you've executed your turning skills very well on this one.

[David DeCristoforo]

Thanx for all the comments. Steve, in view of your latest postings, you have very little room to talk about something being "somewhat larger than I would normally expect from you". But you are correct, as is Joe, that the bowl is possibly "too big" for forms of this type which are usually much more delicate. But I wanted to use as much of the burl as possible and it was not really large enough to get two pieces out of. I seriously considered simply letting the bowl stand alone but that seemed too easy...

[philip labre]

Love it, David! Much nicer piece than anything I would have done with the wood. Reminds me of chalices from my Catholic upbringing. Let me know if you need something else, little nicer weather now so I don't mind firing up the saw. Lots of spalted or curly maple and butternut. More and larger cherry burl in the pile too.

[David DeCristoforo]

Thanx, Philip... for the burl and the offer. I really enjoyed this "little guy" sitting there while I pondered about what it would become...

[Bob Bergstrom]

Once I got past the wow factor, I was drawn to the subtle highlights in the pedestal. Beautiful lightening on the bulbs. Always enjoy selling your work.

[David DeCristoforo]

"Always enjoy selling your work."

Please feel free to sell my work anytime. Hopefully you will do a better job of it than I have...

[joel nucifore]

WOW love it, you have done it again and brought the bar up another notch. This piece is awsome....