One of My Latest HF's....Pierced Madrone...

[Wally Dickerman]

Now, on to the serious side. This piece is about 9 inches in dia. The walls in the upper portion are 1/16th in thick, as they must be for piercing. The rest are about 1/8 in., so it's very lightweight.

Madrone burl (stabilized) is just about my favorite wood to turn. Smoooooth

[Bill Bolen]

What a sweet piece Wally. I love that swirling comma mouth. Piercing sure looks to be first rate as are all your others. Guess you can tell I love your work!

[Kathy Marshall]

Beautiful piece Wally! I love the form, the wood is really nice and as always, I love your piercing. I really like how you used a larger opening and then carved it to accent the piercing, just shows that hollow forms don't always have to have tiny openings. I think I'll add that to my list of things to do.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Wally.....incredibly beautiful! As we have come to expect, I will add.....

[Jim Burr]

The ying/yang thing is cool and I like the size! How is it to finish?

[Brian Brown]

Beautiful piece Wally. *I especially like the visual balance between the positive and negative space in the pierced design.

[Dan Forman]

I'm not ordinarily a big fan of piercing, but this is very well and tastefully done. Very nice piece, and lovely wood too.

[John Keeton]

Wally, I really like the concept of this piece and while it isn't usually done, a top view would be a nice addition. The wood is beautiful!! I ended up with a couple of pieces of stabilized Madrone burl and I am still contemplating what to do with them. They have a very similar appearance in figure and color to what you have here.

Without doubt, Wally, you have one of the widest assortment of styles in your repertoire of anyone I have seen! I guess 70+ years at it will provide that breadth. I should have started earlier!!! Doubt I will make that mark!

[Richard Kennedy UK]

Lovely work The wood is wonderful and the piercing very smart!

[Toney Robertson]

Wonderful piece as I have come to expect from you and you always deliver.

Toney

[Tim Rinehart]

Wally, I really like this. It has an antique look that makes it quite warm. As my eye travels around the somewhat nautilus shape, I start by seeing the larger openings and then they go smaller, and I think I'd like to see the 'tail' of the shape get ever smaller on the piercings, proportional to the piercing band width. A top down view, as JK suggests, may make this easier to see if necessary or not.
Really well done piece that I'd be happy to have come up with!

[Thom Sturgill]

Very nice, as always Wally. I've only turned one piece of madrone burl. I had the blank in the shop for two years before I had turned it and was amazed at how much it moved.
I love the piercings, but the yin/yang opening reminds me of a piece of mine (punky spalted maple) that had a catch and tore part of the opening. I thought about doing something similar, but as a new-ish turner my skills were not up to it so it sat on a shelf for a year until I figured out how to finish it - it had torn the tenon off. I had to use a recess and it ended up with an opening about half the diameter of the piece. I'm sure this was NOT the reason for your design!!! I always enjoy looking at your work.

[Scott Hackler]

Nice piece Wally. I expecially like your pierced pieces that have multiple pierced patterns. I think that really adds visual interest. Following the taper around the top I think I would have liked to see the smallest "tail" of the piercing end with a pointed hole similar to the other side of the "ying". Again, thats very picky, but there seems to be a very slight (one hole) gap, that would have completed it better for me.

But that being said.... very nice and thanks for the reminder of the differering patterns, I am about to start a piercing piece and I may incorporate that technique.

[Bernie Weishapl]

That is a beauty Wally. Wood and finish has a warm rustic look to it.

[Roger Chandler]

Top shelf Wally! Great design on the pierced opening........that madrone is really nice!