I was really happy with how this one turned out, so I thought I'd share...
When I started working on this, I actually thought the blank (which was given to me by a friend) might be Maple (it was covered in wax, so I was guessing). My first inkling that it was something else came while drilling out a small hole for my woodworm screw. The bit got partway in before the drill started really struggling -- I thought maybe I had hit a nail or a rock it was so sudden. I finally got the hole drilled and got the blank mounted on my lathe. A few minutes later, I knew this was going to be a workout -- well-dried, rock hard, hickory. I almost stopped there, but I decided to cut away a bit more. When I saw the grain pattern, I knew I couldn't just quit on this one.
Several hours (and many, many gouge re-sharpenings) later, I managed to create what you see below. I was ecstatic just how much of a polish the wood took on using just sandpaper and burnishing with shavings. The embellishment is epoxy mixed with gold Pearl Ex powdered pigment. It turned out a little more orange and less metallic than I had hoped, but I still like it. As glossy as the wood surface was with just bare wood, I was tempted to go without a finish, but I decided on a simple walnut oil finish. It brought out one more surprise -- some subtle curly figuring (which doesn't really show up well in the photos).
Two days later, I'm still sore from working on this one, but it was well worth it to me...
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Critique is welcome, but be kind.
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