Spalted White Oak HF

[Christopher K. Hartley]

9" X 3 3/4"; Sanded to 600 grit; one coat Deft Sanding Sealer and four coats of Deft Brush Lacquer then waxed. The detail on the lip indention and the edge were after thoughts. I'll be interested to hear your comments. Thanks for looking. :)

I can't believe people actually use this Oak for fire wood. :eek: ( I really can as it makes good heat):D

[Dennis Peacock]

Looks good to me Chris.!!!! Nice wood and form is good as well. Oak hugh? turned it and didn't fair well with it. Maybe I'll try it again sometime.
Excellent job buddy!!! :D

[Jeff Cybulski]

Chris - nice work. I just bought a old Sears lathe and Barracuda 2 chuck for $150. I haven't turned since high school but looking forward to learning again. I also think it might be something SWMBO would like and would get her to spend some time in the shop.

One question for anyone - what does HF stand for? I'm guessing hollow for the H but the F gets me?? - I'm sure it's not for Harbor Freight :)

Jeff

[Ron Journeau]

The HF is Hollow Form..we Creeker Turners like to talk in code..makes us think we're really good at what we do...until Travis posts another one of his creations..

[Bernie Weishapl]

Chris I don't know how you do it. I tried Oak and it ate my lunch. That is a beauty. Nice form and finish.

[Corey Hallagan]

That's why you are the king of oak Chris. Nice piece, keep'em coming.

corey

[Steve Schlumpf]

Beautiful job Chris! Nice form - great finish!

Haven't turned any oak yet - you sure make it look good!

[Rich Stewart]

Nice looking piece. I have always liked the look of oak and was pretty surprised when i first started turning that turners didn't seem to like it much. I'm glad you are showing what a beautiful wood oak really is.

Rich

[Bob Hallowell]

Very nice Chris. When I turned that large nut cracker the other day out of firewood sorry I mean oak I had a problem with tearout. How do you stop that?

Bob

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Morning Chris.

First, I know how hard it is to get a good finish, turning Oak. The detail looks nice, even if it was an afterthought.

Keep in mind that this is my personal opinion , for what it's worth. I know we all like to see shiny finishes, but I believe that a softer finish would have brought out the beauty of the wood even better.

Bruce

[John Hart]

Nicely done Chris!! I like the form a lot....and the wood ain't too shabby neither. ;) :)

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Very nice Chris. When I turned that large nut cracker the other day out of firewood sorry I mean oak I had a problem with tear-out. How do you stop that? BobBob on the Oak I find that very sharp tools help to minimize, to some degree, the tear-out. Then I use a sanding process, I start with a 60 grit. Now, I know some turners think this is heresy. They think that tools should do all the work. Well, when tools can, tools should. When they can't I change my approach to change my result. I happen to believe that the tear-out issue is not justification for not turning Oak. I also believe that if I keep working with what appears difficult I can get better at not only it, but other woods as well. Once the tear-out areas become smooth I sometimes have to hit the stubborn ones with the disk sander. For this I usually use 230/240 grit very lightly with the lathe stopped. Be careful here as it is easy to get flat spots that then have to be sanded out by going back to a lower grit number.

I am still working through the process of finishes. I do not have the advantage of years of experience at woodworking as many of the guys do, so for me it has been trial and error. I know I get some generous comments on finish but to date I am not totally happy with it. Darn that Travis, he raised the bar so high it seems almost impossible to reach.:p

I know I can be a bit opinionated and that some may have leaked out here but I hope this helps somewhat.:)

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Morning Chris.

First, I know how hard it is to get a good finish, turning Oak. The detail looks nice, even if it was an afterthought.

Keep in mind that this is my personal opinion , for what it's worth. I know we all like to see shiny finishes, but I believe that a softer finish would have brought out the beauty of the wood even better.Bruce
OK Bruce, now that you've opened this can of worms I'm going to look to you for help. First, let me say thank you, in a big way, for being honest. I know finishes can be subjective and are different for different woods as well as different effects, but quite honestly this is an area I am ignorant in. I have more White Oak, so I would like you to suggest some application that I could use on the next one. I have tried to glean information about this from some of the discussion groups on finishes but quite honestly it hasn't been a lot of help.

I really do like it when you guys are totally honest, it only helps me to get better. Oh well, that's another discussion for another day.:)

[John Hart]

A couple of days ago, I decided that I didn't like the high gloss finish on a walnut vase I posted...although I really like lacquer for a variety of reasons.:D (hic):o So I went to Walmart and picked up some different lacquer finishes. The one that I liked the best was Krylon's clear satin lacquer. It gives a very nice smooth finish, shows off the wood, and doesn't produce any glare. I really hate the push button they put on the can though....but the price was good ($2.50) I may switch to it for most of my larger pieces.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

A couple of days ago, I decided that I didn't like the high gloss finish on a walnut vase I posted...although I really like lacquer for a variety of reasons.:D (hic):o So I went to Walmart and picked up some different lacquer finishes. The one that I liked the best was Krylon's clear satin lacquer. It gives a very nice smooth finish, shows off the wood, and doesn't produce any glare. I really hate the push button they put on the can though....but the price was good ($2.50) I may switch to it for most of my larger pieces.Thanks John I'll give it a try.:) Let me ask you this as well, how much milage does a Beal buff give? I have not ventured into this area yet and wondered if it is really worth it.

[John Hart]

I don't have a beall system Chris. All I use is a buffing wheel attached to a 1/4HP motor that I got at a flea market. I mounted it to a bench using an old leather belt and a cradle I cut out of oak. You got any oak?:p

I have some white diamond compound that I got at HD along with the wheel. Total investment - less than $20. Haven't worn out the wheel yet.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

I don't have a beall system Chris. All I use is a buffing wheel attached to a 1/4HP motor that I got at a flea market. I mounted it to a bench using an old leather belt and a cradle I cut out of oak. You got any oak?:p

I have some white diamond compound that I got at HD along with the wheel. Total investment - less than $20. Haven't worn out the wheel yet.So what is the benefit of the buffing. Does it make that much of a difference?

[Bob Hallowell]

Thanks Chris for the info. Also I just got the beall for Christmas and yes the shine it puts on is amazing. But I don't know if it would be what you would want for a more satin finish. Look up some of Travis's post I know he did some satin peices lately.

Bob

[Paul Engle]

Chris , nice looking piece, I dont know what all the fuss about oak is:confused: :confused: , I just finished a small serving plate w/beaded rim ( left over flat work 13/16 " by 10" wide ) from red oak and did not have the tear out problem ( have had worse tear out on the router w/ new bit) and will post a pic when my daughters get finished with da camera ... again :eek: .

[Tom Sherman]

Another super peice from the MoO. Very nice Chris, I am partial to a more glossy finish myself, but do agree that sometimes a more matt finish is best, still working on when to apply what myself.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Since I opened my mouth, I guess that I'd better come up with an answer for you. This is what I had in mind. While glossy, it still makes you feel that there is no finish on it and you can still feel the grain structure.

53894

The finish is:

Sanded and buffed to 4000

Wiped with a light coat of Butcherblock Oil to bring out the grain while not coloring the wood.

Friction applied French Polish - 6 coats - Put enough pressure to heat up your application pad ( I use old cotton t-shirt cut into 6" squares and folded into a square.) *don't let your fingers get too hot!

I let it cure for a week , then use the beal system. Since it is light wood, I use the Tripoly, White Diamond, and the Carnuba wax. If the wood is dark, I do not use the White Diamond as it gets into the grain and looks bad.

This seems to be a natural looking finish that my customers like.

Bruce

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Bruce, thank you very much!!! Seems to me we should start a Wood Turners recipe book for finishes and other such stuff. Just an Idea!:D I will see about getting these items together and give it a shot. I can see where on the White Oak I might not get so much yellowing effect. That would be cool.:)