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View Full Version : Wormy Ash Plate from Dale Nish



Pat Scott
05-22-2015, 11:41 AM
At last years Utah Symposium they were selling some of Dale Nish's roughed out blanks from his personal collection. I bought several pieces and had forgot all about this one until a few weeks before this years symposium. I had to dig out all of the bug holes as they were jam packed with sawdust, but I could only work on it for an hour or so each day because my hand got tired from gripping my probe tool. It took weeks to dig all the holes out, and I was thinking I wouldn't get done in time. I got them all, but now there was only a week left before the symposium and I still had to put a finish on it. I put 4 coats of Danish Oil on it allowing 2 days dry time between coats and called it good enough.

I put this in the Instant Gallery as my tribute to Dale. The plate is pretty much just as Dale had roughed it - the design and shape are his. The only turning that I did was to true it up a bit and remove some tool marks. I took very little wood off, and even at that I still uncovered more bug holes! To me this piece is about Dale, not about my woodturning. As soon as I put the first coat of oil on it, I had one of those duh moments when I thought I should have bleached it like Dale had done to some of his wormy pieces.

Many people have met Dale, but I'm one of a handful of people that was honored to have cake and ice cream at his house for his 80th birthday. I was taking a class at Craft Supplies a couple years ago when he invited the whole class to his house that night. What an honor. He gave everyone a signed copy of his Beneath the Bark book in addition to a personal tour of his turning collection. So I thank you Dale for the honor and the memories.

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Randy Red Bemont
05-22-2015, 12:18 PM
That is the coolest plate. Love it.

Red

daryl moses
05-22-2015, 12:48 PM
Wow, that thing is "wormy" for sure!! But I love it!!!!

Doug Herzberg
05-22-2015, 8:40 PM
Hey Pat, it looks great and what a nice tribute. Thanks for sharing the story and the finished piece. Is this the result of the Emerald Ash Borer, or something else?

Pat Scott
05-23-2015, 11:32 AM
Is this the result of the Emerald Ash Borer, or something else?

Good question Doug, and that would be my guess too. I suspect that Dale had this in his collection for years. He didn't write the date or species on it, so all we can do is speculate. I don't know what other bugs like to eat Ash? I had a log that I got from a neighbor years ago and let it sit too long before processing it. There were bug holes all over it by then, and I kicked myself for not getting to it sooner. I cut most of it up for firewood, not thinking that I could have made something out of it like this. I suspect there will be other opportunities like this in the years ahead as the borer spreads.

G. Brad Schmidt
05-23-2015, 3:00 PM
That's a great tribute plate indeed Pat.

I've admired other wormy projects, but your plate's wormy-ness is top shelf. Those grubs had quite the banquet!

Well done. http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Happy/happy-016.gif