Just for fun

[daryl moses]

Sometimes it's just "fun" turning something simple for a change.
A neighbor contacted me recently about a tree that had come down in her yard during a storm and wanted to know if I wanted it. Turns out it was a Box Elder and luckily it had some color to it.
I've roughed out several bowls and my Spring is full of log sections waiting to be cut into bowl blanks. Some of the smaller limbs were not large enough for bowls, vases, or hollow forms, so instead of burning them I figured I would have a little fun and make some bud vases out of them.
It was a lot of fun and great practice experimenting with different forms and shapes.
Here are a few...........
BTW, Box Elder STINKS!!!!!!

[David Delo]

nice job daryl. I like all of your little bud vases but the little pot-bellied one in the middle of the front row the best.

[John K Jordan]

Nice! Hey, I thought this was ALL for fun. :)

What size are the bud vases? Are they hollowed or drilled like what are sometimes called "weed pots"? (Once when I called them that someone got the wrong idea!)

I found a great use for those. I make them about 2" tall and let kindergartners rub on some wax and make little artificial flower arrangements and take them home for Mother's Day presents. I add a little card with the wood species and "handmade by Bobbie and Mr John. The moms LOVE them!

I think this batch is from almost 10 years ago. I like your shapes (and your photography) far better than mine!

370686

Hey, did you happen to dig up any of the root? Long time ago when visiting with turner Lisi Oland (from Denmark) she loaded up my vehicle with box elder root ball. That wood had the most amazing color I've ever seen in box elder - rich, saturated reds and lots of it. And the red stayed red longer than any other box elder I ever had - this piece from 2008 has faded some but it is still red (I do keep it out of the bright light):

370688

I've always wondered if that wood was just special or if the box elder roots were often like that. If the roots were pulled up out of the ground when the tree came down it might be worth trying to get a piece to see. (Root balls are often a mess - dirt and mud and sometimes rocks!)

JKJ

[Thomas Canfield]

Good looking pieces Daryl. Box Elder does STINK!!!!!!!!!! but produces some nice pieces. I bought a couple of pieces of Camphor 3x3 x 12" at SWAT and cut off a 3" long section and turned a small lidded box that greatly improved the smell in the shop after turning Box Elder. Now to turn a small box about once a month just to have the good odor.

[daryl moses]

nice job daryl. I like all of your little bud vases but the little pot-bellied one in the middle of the front row the best.
As always..............Thanks David!! Yes, the wife likes the little pot-bellied one the best as well.

[daryl moses]

Nice! Hey, I thought this was ALL for fun. :)

What size are the bud vases? Are they hollowed or drilled like what are sometimes called "weed pots"? (Once when I called them that someone got the wrong idea!)

I found a great use for those. I make them about 2" tall and let kindergartners rub on some wax and make little artificial flower arrangements and take them home for Mother's Day presents. I add a little card with the wood species and "handmade by Bobbie and Mr John. The moms LOVE them!

I think this batch is from almost 10 years ago. I like your shapes (and your photography) far better than mine!

370686

Hey, did you happen to dig up any of the root? Long time ago when visiting with turner Lisi Oland (from Denmark) she loaded up my vehicle with box elder root ball. That wood had the most amazing color I've ever seen in box elder - rich, saturated reds and lots of it. And the red stayed red longer than any other box elder I ever had - this piece from 2008 has faded some but it is still red (I do keep it out of the bright light):

370688

I've always wondered if that wood was just special or if the box elder roots were often like that. If the roots were pulled up out of the ground when the tree came down it might be worth trying to get a piece to see. (Root balls are often a mess - dirt and mud and sometimes rocks!)

JKJ
Thanks for commenting John. They are all around 5" tall except shortie. The wife calls them bud vases but they are in reality weed pots, [twig pots]. I cheated and drilled them out although I did hollow out the flare on top.
Regarding the shapes............I just mounted them between centers, rounded them off then cut a tennon before remounting them on my chuck. I had no thoughts on the shape, I just let the wood tell me what it wanted to be. They all started out pretty large but the color was near the pith so I had to waste away a lot of wood.
I'll give the photography props to my wife, she's the picture taker of the family.
This old tree fell down in two stages, it split at the crotch and only half broke off, then a couple of weeks later the other half broke off. The main trunk is still standing which is probably 2' in diameter at the base and probably 12' high. Unfortunately it looks to be hollow. I'm going back in a few days to finish cutting it down. Hopefully I can salvage some large bowl blanks from it.
This is the first Box Elder I have ever worked, most of it had very little to no color but had some very interesting grain patterns in it.
I like the shape of the twig pot in your last pic, I may have to borrow your design if you don't mind.

[daryl moses]

Good looking pieces Daryl. Box Elder does STINK!!!!!!!!!! but produces some nice pieces. I bought a couple of pieces of Camphor 3x3 x 12" at SWAT and cut off a 3" long section and turned a small lidded box that greatly improved the smell in the shop after turning Box Elder. Now to turn a small box about once a month just to have the good odor.
Thanks for commenting Thomas. I was very surprised at the smell!! I thought I was gutting a deer lol. Thankfully the smell fades as it dries.
Never turned any Camphor, sounds like a great way to deodorize the shop!!

[John K Jordan]

... I may have to borrow your design if you don't mind.

And I may have to borrow some of your designs. :)

[daryl moses]

I'll take that as a compliment!! Feel free.