Sweet Gum Chalice

[Dennis Ford]

I will be doing a demo for the local Forestry Museum fund raiser next week and plan to turn something like this. This one will be for their auction. It is 5-1/2" diameter X 7" tall (the goblet section is about 1/16" thick and still translucent after drying). It has warped some as expected. Comments and critiques welcome.

[Tim Leiter]

Can you get the wood drier by some kind of method before you turn them? Maybe microwave? In my opinion it looks kind of funny leaning over like that, nice looking wood though. JMHO..........................Tim.

[Kathy Marshall]

Nice job Dennis! I like the bark edge and the leaning made me think of a flower following the sun.

[Dennis Ford]

Can you get the wood drier by some kind of method before you turn them? Maybe microwave? In my opinion it looks kind of funny leaning over like that, nice looking wood though. JMHO..........................Tim.

I don't believe it is possible to dry a whole section of sweet gum before turning without major cracks; probably could steam the stem and bend it so that the goblet was level but I like the organic character of the warped piece. This will never be a functional piece anyway.