First HF-Critiques Welcome

[Doug Collins]

Ok, so I finally got around to trying my hand at an HF. Thought I'd start with a vase out of some of the walnut I got from a friend last winter.

I know what you guys mean when you say LIGHT cuts on the final turning. I kept catching and tearing up what was going to be the top, so I just kept shortening it.

Here's what I ended up with. About 5" wide x 4" tall, walls about 3/16" thick, sanded to 600 grit and coated with 3 coats of wiping poly, then buffed with carnauba wax. Looks more like an inkwell than the vase I originally had in mind.

The pics aren't the greatest. Had some cracking across the bottom since I was a little close to the end of the blank when I started and the cracks opened up. Filled the cracks with some epoxy and decaf espresso since it's not good for anything else. I gave it to my sister for her birthday, she loved it.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Hey you did pretty good! I know what you mean about catches - sure been responsible for a lot of my design modifications! As far as shape - it does sort of look like an ink well but should work just great as a vase. I like the wood grain in the piece and also your finish. Looking forward to your next posting!

[Jamie Donaldson]

..shoulder shape to hollow with that squared top. A fair curve from rim opening to base is much easier to hollow because the walls are more accessible with the tools and calipers, so most of your difficulty was due to the difficult shape you created. Learning to thin the walls uniformly from top to base in steps is the most difficult part of the hollowing process, but it is required when using wood with any degree of moisture still in the wood, and dry wood is no pleasure either! Keep on- practice is the only way to learn!

[Nancy Laird]

Doug, that's a pretty little vase and yes, it does look like an old-fashioned inkwell. That adds to its charm, along with the graining in that wood. I like it!

Nancy

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

Doug, as Jamie said, you sure could have chosen an easier shape for your first HF. Now that you've conquered this, the next one will probably be a "piece of cake". Have Fun.

[Ken LaSota]

Doug I say great job. That shape had to be a pistol to hollow out. Still haven't made the plunge to get a hf tool, but its coming.
Ken