This year's production

[Paul Williams]

I had some time to turn last month and haven't posted any work for awhile. So here is what I turned in January. The dark wood on the top of the hollow form and the lid with the antler is kolohala, or pheasant wood, that a friend of my cousin on Maui sent me. We will be going to Maui later this month so I have sent this photo and offered my cousin and her friend their choice of turnings.

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[James Tibbetts]

Very elegant! Every piece. Gonna be tough to pick from that grouping.

[Greg Parrish]

Beautiful. What is the glossy finish on these?

[William C Rogers]

Very nice work. I also was wondering about the finish. Very well done. No favorite, I like them all.

[Marty Schlosser]

Lovely turnings! I especially liked the imaginative handle top for the one on the far right.

[Paul Williams]

The gloss finish is a homemade version of WOP. 50-50 Minwax gloss poly and mineral spirits applied with a folded paper towel. The one on the end with the antler is a little darker. That is a light coat of Mahoney's utility finish applied with 400 grit sand paper. Then a little shellac applied with a rag while the oil is still wet and spun up at speed sort of like a French polish. When dry I apply a few coats of the 50% Minwax poly.

Marty, the "imaginative handle" is yet another idea stolen from someone's post on Sawmillcreek, a great place for inspiration and ideas. I think the idea for the vase with the square top came from the same place ;-)

[Adam Petersen]

Beautiful turnings! I really like the box with lid on the right. That is beautiful, and I for some reason am partial to those type of turnings right now. Very cool.

[Josh Bowman]

Paul, very nice, I really like the red one and the one to the far right.

[John Keeton]

Nice work and you are getting some very nice curly maple! And, I am partial to antler embellishments on turnings.;)

[Chance Raser]

All very beautiful. Details on the red one?

[Greg Parrish]

The gloss finish is a homemade version of WOP. 50-50 Minwax gloss poly and mineral spirits applied with a folded paper towel. The one on the end with the antler is a little darker. That is a light coat of Mahoney's utility finish applied with 400 grit sand paper. Then a little shellac applied with a rag while the oil is still wet and spun up at speed sort of like a French polish. When dry I apply a few coats of the 50% Minwax poly.

Marty, the "imaginative handle" is yet another idea stolen from someone's post on Sawmillcreek, a great place for inspiration and ideas. I think the idea for the vase with the square top came from the same place ;-)


Awesome. I'm going to try the minwax gloss poly with mineral spirits combo. I've been struggling to get a super gloss finish. I have sanded to a glass finish and have applied paste wax and buffed to a gloss finish but neither keep the gloss wet look for long. Thanks again.