Who needs a finial...

[Steve Vaughan]

...when a little flat top will work just fine?
So, as part of a series of turnings to raise my funds for an upcoming trip, I turned this little box/hollowform/whatever you'd call it. The body is wormy maple with a little bit of bark inclusion. I was experimenting with a piece of walnut and made the top you see here, thinking I'd go back later and turn something similar, but with a finial of some type. But, after finishing it up - the body and the little top - well, I sort of liked the way it turned out. Danish Oil and lacquer. The size is 3 3/4" in diameter and 4 3/4" tall.

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[Steve Schlumpf]

Steve - I think it looks pretty good but without a finial/knob of some sort - how do you remove the lid?

[Mark Levitski]

Finialitis is rampant! Drozda..........arghhhh! :D

[Roger Chandler]

Steve - I think it looks pretty good but without a finial/knob of some sort - how do you remove the lid?

Looks as if the lip of the lid has enough room to slide a fingernail under....:rolleyes:...or you could turn it upside down.......hope it is not used for M&M's........that could get messy! :eek:

Seriously, a really pretty form Steve.........SS does ask a good question however. Nice work on this!!!

[Steve Vaughan]

Steve, it's a really nice close fit, but just loose enough that you can easily take it off with a fingernail.

[Eric Holmquist]

I like it, novel lid design.

[Melissa Messick]

Very nice form and lid Steve and a Hey from Chesterfield also!!!!!

[Bernie Weishapl]

I like the form Steve and I do like your lid.

[David DeCristoforo]

I like this. Sometimes the simplest approach is the best. The domed lid finishes the container off nicely. I like how the hint of a cove elevates the lid. It might also be interesting to see one with the curve in the upper part of the form flowing continuously into the lid. The way you have it here really makes the lid a feature so it might be interesting to use a really spectacular bit of wood for the lid.

[Steve Vaughan]

Thanks for the comments everyone. Actually, rather than a finial, I was looking to go to a top, in walnut, with just a small knob of some type. I just played with this to create a quick lid and never got back to do what was in my brain originally. I'm sort of used to doing that...

DD, I'm sort of short on spectacular wood, but thoughts would be appreciated on this - what would have been your wood of choice? The walnut color was more simple and uniform so that the container could be the stand out. I'd wonder if a different wood with lots of character going on, or a lot of wild grain wouldn't have taken the focus off the container. I didn't have enough wood to create a matching grain lid, so that wasn't a possibility as I've done on some other vessels.

And a shout out back to Melissa!

[Baxter Smith]

Nice design on your lid Steve. I think the walnut is a good match to the bark inclusion and doesn't distract from the pretty grain.

[David DeCristoforo]

"...what would have been your wood of choice?"

Well let's have a bit of fun with it. If I were going to make this and I could choose the woods, I would get a really spectacular piece of spalted maple burl for the main form. Then I would make the lid out of ebony or blackwood and inlay a large "button" of either amboyna burl or pink ivory.

Seriously, I did not mean to criticize your wood choice. I really like it and I think the walnut works just fine with the maple burl. But I have a tendency to run things I like into the ground trying different variations.

[Steve Vaughan]

No problem DD, your info is exactly what I was looking for. I like what you mention here and that's info that goes into the back of the brain for future turnings. Those are some pretty neat ideas as to wood choices and design. And, just so ya know, I saw positive critique, not negativity.

[Wally Dickerman]

Another suggestion....A lid with made of the same wood as the bowl and with a contrasting and figured piece of wood inlaid in the lid. I've done some of those in the past and they went over very well. You could even add a small knob of the same wood as the bowl. The right color combination of woods can be very attractive. Lots of possabilities there.