Spalted Maple

[Raymond Overman]

I just finished turning this and put a coat of Danish oil on it and thought I'd share. I'll probably put a few more coats of oil on it and buff it next week. This is part of a series of pieces I'm making for a neighbor. She and her husband brought this back to SC from her home place in Ohio. I'll get about 9 pieces for her out of what she brought back before it's all over. This is number 4.

The piece measures 9 x 4. The outside is sanded to 400. The inside is sanded to 220 then a wire brush texture was applied. You probably can't see the texture in the picture. I've got to put together a photo booth.

[John Hart]

Great Shape Raymond! I really like the wood too. Why the textured surface on the inside?

[Raymond Overman]

The shape was inspired by some glasswork in the Murano collection that I viewed yesterday at the Mint Museum of Craft and Design in Charlotte. Beautiful stuff. They've also got an extensive collection of turned pieces. I saw a few of them also.

With the shape of the bowl and the grain patterns, I wanted just a little accent on the inside of the bowl since it will probably be seen as much or more than the outside if it's put on a low table. I also didn't want the bowl to be mistaken for functional since it's light and the walls are only about 3/16" thick. The textured inside dictates that nothing goes in here! :)

The lady will be giving the pieces to family if she can figure out which ones to part with. I want her to have enough interest in all of them to keep them here in town and bring me some more wood to make stuff for the rest of the family.

[John Hart]

About 30 years ago, I knew a woman who was very accomplished at pottery, and while everyone around her was trying to come up with the smoothest pieces possible, she always opted to texture hers...including on the inside of bowls and other various forms. She left everyone in the dust and became world class in no time. Your piece kinda reminded me of that. Very nice!

[Raymond Overman]

Well John, world class I'm not. I just hope to be a top seated amateur one day. Thank you for the compliments.

[Jack Wood]

NIce turning!:)

[Michael Stafford]

Raymond, that is quite a nice shape. Very well executed and displays the wood both on the inside and the outside. I like to see the beauty of the wood in both places. Great job! :)

[Ernie Nyvall]

Nice Raymond. I like the texturing and have been thinking of different ways myself.

I have a small sandblaster that I used 20 yrs ago to take off old paint from a house. It took the paint right off... and oops some of the wood. It did however leave an interesting texture in the old pine boards where it took out the soft wood and left the veins of the harder stuff sticking out. I replaced the boards of course cause the homeowner too happy, but I now think the texture would look good on a turning.

Again, very nice bowl.

Ernie

[Raymond Overman]

Ernie,

The technique I used was shown to us at a recent John Jordan demonstration. I used a 3" wire brush like you would use in a drill. On this piece I didn't go very deeply with it. I touched the ends of the wire to my grinding wheel to raise a burr on them before used it on the wood.

Thank you everyone for your interest and comments.