Pretty stinky

[Mike Cruz]

Thread name refers to the wood... Very pretty, but smells bad! This is a piece from a maple I picked up at my nephew's friend's house. I asked you all about what kind of maple it is. Never really found out (couldn't get any info on the leaves). The only thing I can tell you about it, is that it is certainly hard maple, and will stink up your shop! Upon re-turning it, a little of the smell was there, but it didn't "linger" like it did when I roughed it.

Anyway, considering I'm not sure if I will turn any more of this wood, despite the cracks, I decided to finish it anyway. I filled the cracks with epoxy mixed with black dye. Only 3 or 4 coats of WTF. Buffed and Renwaxed. 11" x 3". I didn't want to put "Stinky Maple" on the bottom, so I just put the town it came from. ;)

C&C welcome.

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[Roger Chandler]

Looks as if that piece of the tree had some windshake issues.........of course it could be just grain running all directions, but I have had similar pieces with swirling grain that gave me fits and came off the tool in chunks rather than curlees...........nice bowl form Mike!

[Rick Markham]

I haven't had any "stinky" maple, I've had plenty of boxelder that smelled like a livestock feedlot, or a pig truck. Can't say I enjoyed it's aroma much. The end product always is worth it, sucks when your house smells like a dirty barn afterwards though.

That's a pretty bowl, and some equally pretty "stinky maple." Does Damascus smell like that? :eek:

[Mike Cruz]

Thanks, Roger. Funny that you said windshake... I don't think that is what it is, but I agree that the pattern of cracking kinda looks like that. This is the 3rd of 4 pieces that I've turned out of the tree (the 4th is roughed to 18", have to finish it sometime...). This is the only piece that got tiny cracks like this. But who knows...

Rick, my house always smells like a barn! :o My wife kinda like's that, though... And as for Damascus, it is actually a neat little town. Their football teams are incredible...so yeah, there are those (opponents) that might think they "stink"...:rolleyes:

[David DeCristoforo]

"I didn't want to put "Stinky Maple" on the bottom..."

Mike, right now I am biting my tongue so hard it's bleeding. And I'm trying not to laugh at the same time. I'm just gonna have to go with nice bowl...

[Mike Cruz]

Unclamp, my friend, unclamp. Feel free to give it to me. I can handle it. This bowl isn't perfect. I know it. "Nice bowl"s are great, but you don't get better by 'em. If the story is what's got you in stitches, please...explain. I may be thin skinned about some things, but I can laugh at myself and don't mind when people ride my wave. C'mon, share your thoughts...

[Peter Elliott]

Nice Mike, really like it... BTW - Happy Birthday (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?186256-Happy-Birthday-to-Mike-Cruz!-Old-wood-hoarder-of-the-north)!!! shouldn't you be eating cake, etc... having a $10 beer and chilling on the ranch?

[Jim Burr]

Happy Birthday stinky!!! Opps! How about a profile shot of the bowl? Finish and crack attention look great! Possible cool rim treatment?

[Mike Cruz]

IT IS NOT MY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Sorry, Peter was misinformed due to an error on my part. My birthday is 8/5/19XX not 5/8/19XX. Sorry, Peter...but I do appreciate the sentiment.

[Rich Aldrich]

I turned a piece of cherry once that was cut by my aunts horse pasture. I think the horses must have lifted their leg on the tree. It was terrible. When I finish turned it, the smell was gone. I did a DNA soak of the bowl. That might have taken care of the smell.

[Peter Elliott]

I think Mike is bluffing, it's ok to be old... Still a nice bowl..

[Rich Aldrich]

What do the xx's stand for.... I mean, what year?

[Mike Cruz]

68, Rich.

Rich, I've never seen a horse "lift its leg", but I wouldn't want to be standing behind a mare, if you catch my drift. The maple in question was a fairly large tree, so to smell that bad from urine, it would have had to have been the local latrine on Friday and Saturday nights for its whole life for a crowd! And the DNA bath didn't really cure it. As a matter of fact, the DNA reeked of it. And everything that came out of that DNA bath after I used it for the stinky maple smelled like it (until it evaporated...the DNA, not the wood).

I'll be HAPPY to send ANYONE a blank of the stinky maple if you are game...

[Jim Burr]

I'm in...I'll squirt some lemon juice on my Trend:D;) and I have a really small shop!

[Roger Chandler]

IT IS NOT MY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Sorry, Peter was misinformed due to an error on my part. My birthday is 8/5/19XX not 5/8/19XX. Sorry, Peter...but I do appreciate the sentiment.

Mike! Looks like they will sing happy b'day to both of us on the same day!!! :eek: I know I am older than you, but can you believe that!

[Mike Cruz]

I'll be thinking about you on the 5th, Roger! I would say "What are the odds?", but I think it is pretty clear that they are close to 1:365.25...;)

[Mike Cruz]

Jim, I think I have your address. Let me know what size... If you want a large flat rate box blank, I can do that. If you want any other particular size, I can likely do that, too. Just let me know...

[Hayes Rutherford]

Mike, I had some apple wood that actually smelled bad. The roots may have been in a drain field. I referred to it as crappy maple.

[Mike Cruz]

I think this house has public sewage, not a septic. But I could be wrong... Would explain a lot, though... But did you mean crappy apple?

[Richard Coers]

The smell most likely comes from a bacterial infection in the tree, and I would also suggest that the cracking is from a lightning strike. I've tried to use lightning stike maple, but will not use it for safety reasons. I've made some cuts on the bandsaw and have had pieces just fall off the block. No way will I stand beside that material spinning on a lathe. Too much like a bomb!

[Tony De Masi]

I've seen you do better work than this.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

I've seen you do better work than this.

Ouch!! And you two are friends. And Tony....on his birthday. Well, maybe.

[Mike Cruz]

I agree, Tony. I was shooting for something different for the rim. Better? Maybe not. Different... I'll try to get a profile pic later this evening...

And Faust, yeah, we're friends. That's why he's honest...

[Don Alexander]

i'm game :D

[Steve Schlumpf]

Real pretty wood! I have turned a few pieces of maple that stunk up the shop like I was standing in the middle of a silage pit! If it wasn't for all the beautiful curl - I would have tossed it! Once dry - the smell was minimal and I didn't mind finish turning it!

[Mike Cruz]

PM sent, Don.

[Mike Cruz]

Steve, I may have tossed this one, too. But the grain was just so nice...

[Hayes Rutherford]

I stand corrected.Guess i was doing two things at once. Drinking and typing.

[Mike Cruz]

Okay, not sure if you guys will end up even seeing this now that it took me about a week to take the stupid profile pic... In true Mike fashion, I waited til the last minute to take this pic. The recipient will get it tomorrow morning. :o

Sorry, I didn't have time to set up the photo tent. So, this was the best I could do...

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