Pear HF

[Eric Holmquist]

Neighbor took down an Ornamental Pear Tree that I thought was Bradford Pear. Turned an hollow form from it green to final thickness. Three weeks later, dry, sanded and finished. The freckles do not look like any Bradford Pear that I've ever seen. Any ideas what it really is? Around 9" (23cm) tall.

C&C Welcome

232781

[Roger Chandler]

Reminds me of Bradford pear, Eric...........I think grain can vary from tree to tree, so this "freckling" does not surprise me at all........of course, someone else on the forum might have run across this with another in the pear family, but it does look like some pear I have seen and I have turned a number of pieces of pear.

Nice form also!

[charlie knighton]

nice form, Eric, not much help on id, i have only turned bradford pear from one tree

[Tim Rinehart]

Can't help on ID...but that's a beautiful piece, with great form. Kinda reminds of how the back of my hands are starting to look from too much sun in years past!:p
Well done!

[Rick Markham]

Very nice piece! The pear looks nice too!

[Thomas Canfield]

I have seen some of the darker grain in Bradford Pear that had some dead or dying. The tree may have been on its last leg. I am watching a tree in neighborhood that is 90%dead or leafless and trying to catch neighbor to get wood when it comes down. I expect to find some discolored grain in a lot of it.

That said, the piece looks good and the extra color only adds to eye appeal over the sometimes plain grain BP. I may just have to go knock on neighbors door and hope to find similar wood.

[Baxter Smith]

Very nice form Eric!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Eric that is a nice piece and nice form.

[John Keeton]

Eric, very clean work on the vase form! No help on the wood, but it is kind of neat looking with the color contrast.

[Michelle Rich]

welldone!!!!

[Mike Peace]

I have turned a lot of Bradford Pear and have seen that type of coloration before. I don't usually see it in fresh green BP. Usually it occurs when some drying has taking place. Maybe mold.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Really nice work on the form! The discolorations in the wood give it some character! Cool looking vase!

[Eric Holmquist]

Thanks everyone

I like the freckles, I just had such limited experience with Bradford Pear that I had never seen the effect. This tree was damaged by the freak haloween snowstorm in CT last year and the property owner decided that it was not going to recover and had it taken down. It was extremely wet when I turned it, and was hard as concrete once it dried.

[Peter Blair]

Hi Eric. I too really like the form and freckles. Sorry I can't help with the identity either.

I do have one question, a little off topic. You say you turn to final thickness when wet and then sand at a later date.
Would you explain your process for me. Do you leave the bottom unfinished and thicker and return to the lathe, or sand by some other means?

[Eric Holmquist]

Hi Eric. I too really like the form and freckles. Sorry I can't help with the identity either.

I do have one question, a little off topic. You say you turn to final thickness when wet and then sand at a later date.
Would you explain your process for me. Do you leave the bottom unfinished and thicker and return to the lathe, or sand by some other means?

In this case, I completely turned the piece including the base to final thickness in an effort to avoid cracking. As it was 3/16" thick and an end grain piece, it dried very fast and did not crack. I then used what I think is called a reverse chuck (made it myself, never seen one for sale in any catalog). A workholding contraption that consists of a metal rod with a 1" sanding disk at the end as a drive center and a sliding wooden cone. I pinch the base of the piece between the live center and the rod and use the cone to center the neck. This allows me to sand / finish hollow forms on the lathe without marring the piece (I use a wooden cone screwed onto my Onway live center to avoid metal touching the outside of the piece).

[Prashun Patel]

Beautiful piece. I really like the form.

I've seen similar freckling on a piece of cherry I turned from a dying tree. I thought at the time it was the onset of spalting. Was the tree from whence this came similarly dying? Or was it thriving prior to being taken down?

[Peter Blair]

Thanks Eric, makes sense.

[Eric Holmquist]

Beautiful piece. I really like the form.

I've seen similar freckling on a piece of cherry I turned from a dying tree. I thought at the time it was the onset of spalting. Was the tree from whence this came similarly dying? Or was it thriving prior to being taken down?

Thanks, this tree had been damaged in the freak Haloween snowstorm last year, and the owner decided that it would never really recover as an ornamental tree. It was very wet when turned, I had sap dripping off the overhead light when it was over.