Quilted Birdseye Platter

[Steve Schlumpf]

At our last turner’s meeting I picked up a couple slabs of beautiful quilted birdseye maple to see what I could turn out of them. Our meetings are held at Bell Forest Products in Ishpeming, MI and I always rummage through the cutoffs for unique pieces to turn. They are a great source for wood, especially curly and birdseye. You can check them out: BellForestProducts.com

Quilted birdseye platter, 12 ¾” long x 8 ¼” wide x 1 ¾” high at the corners. Sanded to 320 grit and only one coat of Minwax Wipe-On Gloss Poly. I will apply several coats to build up the gloss but wanted to take some photos where you could see the wood without having to fight the glare.

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As always, your comments, critiques and opinions are welcome!

Thanks for looking!

[Steve Busey]

Wow, that's terrific! How did you mount that on the lathe??

[David Tiell]

Wow, that's terrific! How did you mount that on the lathe??
What he said!? And that is really sharp looking! Nice work!

[Jim Becker]

Steve, that is simply OUTSTANDING in every way. Really. Great material and wonderful execution.

[curtis rosche]

thats a horrible peice of art!:D if they have any more of those ugly scraps send them my way, i could use some fire wood:D:p:D:p

[curtis rosche]

i would say he mounted is with a glued on waste block or a vacuum chuck. and turned it the same way that you would turn a winged bowl, just with out the wings, the real work is making sure that it is perfectly centered

[curtis rosche]

just incase you didnt pick up on the sarcasm in the first comment, that is a great peice of work

[robert hainstock]

You gotta love the scrap bin. Very nice piece and very inovative. You just keep on keepin on. :D:D:D
Bob

[Tom Green]

Nice work Steve. Love the grain and shape of the platter.
Tom

[Steve Schlumpf]

Steve & Dave - this is how I attached the blank to the lathe.

Used my Oneway Talon chuck with the woodworm screw to initially hold the blank.
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Shaped the outside of the platter and formed the tenon.
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Reversed the blank and hollowed it out in steps so the wings would not flex quite as bad.
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Used the vacuum chuck to hold the platter and remove the tenon.
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Hope that helps answer some of your questions. If not, let me know!

[Ken Glass]

Steve,
Great work and wonderful looking wood and a fabulous shape. I have got to get, or make, a Vacuum Chuck sooooooon!!

[Jim Evans]

Steve,
That is outstanding work. I like the choice of wood - very nice.

[Hilel Salomon]

Steve,

Outstanding doesn't begin to cover it. Great Talent, Great Person!!!!!
Hilel.

[Toney Robertson]

Steve,

Beautiful piece.

I like the form. Very modern.

Toney

[Bernie Weishapl]

Steve that is one beautiful piece out of some beautiful wood. Really nice job.

[Matt Hutchinson]

Hey, great form! I love the look of it, and it turned out really nice! Great job! :D

Hutch

[Dennis Ford]

That is really gorgeous wood and perfect use of it. I usually prefer some sort of foot or base but that form looks just right.

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Wow Steve! That is fabulous work! Truly amazing!

Joshua

[Richard Madison]

Ditto what Becker said! And there is no blood on the corners.

[Mike A. Smith]

Very pretty Steve, another good one!

[Robert McGowen]

One word post: Cool!

[Bob Hallowell]

Steve that's another awesome peice good job!

Bob

[Brian Effinger]

Now that is really cool, Steve. And thanks for sharing your progress photos - they really help us understand the process.

[Benjamin Dahl]

Yeah Steve, that is great. I have ordered some wood from Bell for some flat work and am envious that they are local for you. Great piece.
Ben

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Very pretty piece of wood Steve, a conversation piece for sure, it will be amazing with some more coats of finish on there, truly exceptional.

[Ron Drew]

That is outstanding Steve. A beautiful piece of wood, and unique platter design.

[Steve Busey]

Oh yea, I keep forgetting about the vacuum chuck!

[Greg Just]

Beautiful! How do you manage to keep your lathe so clean? I don't see any saw dust on it. Nice job!

[Curt Fuller]

My first impression when I read the title to the post was 'round', of course. But this rectangle is even better. I think the wood is really pretty but the nice subtle curve of the platter is what really sets it off for me. It would make a great sushi plate, except I've never been able to make myself eat sushi.

[Duane Wilcox]

Really nice Steve, I like the rectangle shape.


Haven't had the chance to turn any maple before, looking forward to it maybe this week. I got some maple burls from a friend in Seney this week.

Camped in Michigamme this past week, wanted to get to Bell Forest Products and see what they had. Never made it. Hope to this fall when we get back up there.


Duane

[Steve Schlumpf]

Duane - Welcome to the Creek! Maple burl can be a lot of fun to turn and have some outstanding figure! Looking forward to seeing what you turn out of the burls!

[Duane Wilcox]

Thanks for the welcome. Hoping to get a rainy day so I can work in the shop for a day.

Duane

[Bill Wyko]

Great job Steve. How'd you like the disappearing corners? That invisible cut is quit hair raising isn't it?

[James G. Jones]

That's some really great work. I hope you don't mind, but I put a copy of that into my inspiration file. I figure about a decade or two and I'll be able to make a poor copy.

James