Short Eucalyptus Cup - C & C invited

[Brian Kent]

I am working on curves and proportions. John Keeton has been showing me some of Russ Fairfield's work and understanding. This is a piece of the eucalyptus log that was an absolute bear, until a crack formed that let me split it and then cut it up.

I roughed it out and then started working out the details.

My own critique:
I did pretty well at getting a consistent curve from the wide part of the cup to the foot. I made a smooth curve first, then cut the indents with a pointy scraper. The goal was to end up with an uninterrupted curve that includes the tips of the indents.

I did not get the stem as thin as I was aiming at. Even a few hours later the surface has dried and hardened, but while turning it felt wetter and more fibrous so I kept it thicker for strength (a recent cup from the same log snapped at the stem at the same point as I tried to reduce the diameter of the stem). As I look at it, I could have used the sturdier minimum point that it has now, but adjusted the curve so there was less material on the top of the foot.

The lower indent isn't quite as deep as the upper. That happened during sanding as I was working on the foot.

The finishing worked well - sanding to 600, then using white diamond and carnuba on cloth strips while the cup was on the lathe.

[Allan Ferguson]

I like the wood coloring and the shape.

[Roger Chandler]

A lot of positive can be said for this one Brian. It would benefit from a little narrower stem, which is elongated some and drop the curve down a bit where you have a base that is not so conical in shape. If you had a flatter base then a transition with a bulb and just a tad smaller diameter stem, you would have nailed the form.

It is obvious that your turning skills are growing.......form, and execution of the form, is always our challenge as a turner. Good work for sure on this!

[Brian Kent]

Thank you Allan and Roger.

[Paul Williams]

I like this one the best of those you have recently posted. I agree with Roger's comments, especially about flattening the base.

[John Keeton]

Brian, you are really showing great progress. The form of the cup is very good.

As has been indicated, the base would provide a more solid 'attachment' to the table surface if it somewhat interrupts the cove and has a little more substance to the edge - or, at least, appear to do so. By bringing the curve of the cove to the tip of the base, it appears sharper than it actually is. The entire base+cove appears too long, as well.

I have edited your pic to provide perhaps one option. In this pic, the vertical line is approx. at center, and I have made the cove+base approximately half the height of the cup, providing a 1/3 - 2/3 ratio at the top indent - indicated by the horizontal arrow. The top indent is lowered a bit to provide a little more fullness to the belly of the cup.

The actual base (under the cove) should not be flat - though my edit shows that due to my inability to shape that area with Photoshop. It could have a slight cove curvature to the edge to extend the upper cove, but on a lower level due to the indent, or one could do an undercut on the edge at an acute angle to provide lift. It appears you may have done that on the base as it is.

Editing like this with a clone tool using a mouse doesn't lend itself to smooth curves, so the cove and the curvature of the bottom of the cup suffer from my cryptic mouse work. Nonetheless, I hope it at least conveys my thoughts.

Certainly not the only way to do it, but just another idea for you.

[Peter Blair]

Brian I too am really enjoying watching you progress as designer and turner. Sir,you have come a very long way in a very short time!

Going a bit against the grain here, which I have been known to do in the past, and this is just my personal sense of the cup and should be taken as such.
IMHO the cup seems a little too long for the base I guess I'm more inclined to like the sort of typical 'wine glass' shape. I note that John actually shortened the base and his work is spectacular so I could be way off base.

[robert baccus]

Very nice--the shape, workmanship and finish and wood too.

[Chip Sutherland]

Like Blair, I have enjoyed seeing your progression in form design. There are lots of glass styles with specific purposes. This design reminds me of the Stella Artois Beer glass based on the size of the cup and the stoutness of the stem and base.

The wood is gorgeous. I love the ribbons of color.

[Brian Kent]

I tried the next turning to apply what I've learned - and then I remembered why I settled for a slightly thicker stem.

Exactly what happened last time I tried a thin stem from this log. Wet fibers couldn't hold the stress of the turning. I honestly don't know if the catch caused the collapse or the collapse cause the catch, but they teamed up and worked together. :rolleyes:

Here is a part of the log I cut away, but it gives an idea of the strange grain patterns and stresses. The cup I turned yesterday feels like marble. The stem here feels like soft fibers soaked in a puddle.

[charlie knighton]

Brian, ya got what's called a design opportunity now, how about a base from a contrasting wood

[Brian Kent]

Brian, ya got what's called a design opportunity now, how about a base from a contrasting wood

All right! I can make a new "Feature".

[charlie knighton]

Brain, when you got the catch, did you have the tailstock up and engaged, using a jam chuck???????????

[Brian Kent]

Brain, when you got the catch, did you have the tailstock up and engaged, using a jam chuck???????????

Yes. Why? Is that good or bad?

[charlie knighton]

well its good to use the jam chuck whenever you can, maybe when it get thin.....uh amen....suggest a 1" round nose scraper instead of gouge, Robo might agree, others most likely will not, need to have a small tool rest, like 3 or 4 inch to use at that point, hard to use that 12 inch toolrest in tight quarters......foot and bottom of cup sort of hard to get toolrest close

[Kathy Marshall]

That's a very nice cup Brian! Nice color in the wood.

[Chip Sutherland]

Looks to me like there was natural defect in the wood that probably contributed to the complete failure. Of course, the catch would be the initiating cause. I do like the tall cup...typical of champagne glasses in the second set of pictures.