Beech hollow form

[fuzzyturns]

A while ago I paid a visit to Steve Earis (s7venth devil on this forum), and we exchanged a few pieces of wood, among them some beech. I cut them into various blanks, and one of them turned into this hollow form. As you can see, there was quite a bit of cracking going on, and the top also shows some serious spalting. In fact, the wood was so soft that I had to saturate it with CA.
The vessel is about 4" diameter and 6" tall. with the opening at the top just over 1/2" in diameter (just big enough to get my hollowing tools in and out). I had to leave the walls quite thick, about 1/4", because I didn't trust the wood enough to hold up to more stress, so it is quite solid in the hand. Finished with sanding sealer and wax.

As usual, all C&C welcome.

[seventhdevil]

an excellent use of timber that would have just gone on the fire as i don't make those sort of things.

was that one of the bits we found in the logpile or inside the shop?

[fuzzyturns]

Log pile. I've got some more, all work in progress. Will post when they are finished.

[GBF]

Hi Fuzzy

I do not want to hurt your feelings but this really is an awful shape.
A good effort in hollowing but in my opinion the form is more important than how well it is hollowed or how small the hole is.
I suggest you get yourself Mark Sangers's book on Hollow forms.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Turning-Hollow-Forms-Mark-Sanger/dp/1861088930/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453972534&sr=8-1&keywords=Mark+sanger+hollow+forms

Regards George

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Hi Fuzzy

I do not want to hurt your feelings but this really is an awful shape.
A good effort in hollowing but in my opinion the form is more important than how well it is hollowed or how small the hole is.
I suggest you get yourself Mark Sangers's book on Hollow forms.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Turning-Hollow-Forms-Mark-Sanger/dp/1861088930/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453972534&sr=8-1&keywords=Mark+sanger+hollow+forms

Regards George

I agree with George, reading Mark's book will really help with the making of a hollow form,  it is a useful reference book to have around.

[seventhdevil]

Log pile. I've got some more, all work in progress. Will post when they are finished.

i've only just realised but that's one of my bits of sycamore you have turned there, not beech.

[edbanger]

I quite like different and after viewing this several times I have to say I like this.

I know it's not going to be to everybody's taste as it's not got the following curves but ...................

Ed

[fuzzyturns]

Thanks for the support, Ed. I have to admit that George's comment did sting a bit, but I didn't respond right away as I didn't want the emotions to dictate my response. So now I'd like to ask George what precisely he finds so terrible about this shape?

[Bryan Milham]

I'm guessing that this piece of timber came from the end cut of a piece of air-dried timber. It's the number of cracks showing in it is that look to be held together with CA that gives it away and even give it a character.

There is nothing wrong with the curves of the form, they flow without any 'wrong' angles, the finish is very good, even across the top where the spalting may have given a very torn finish even from a sharp tool.

I can see what George is saying, the form is not one he or Mark Sanger turn, but that does not make it wrong, just different. But you can often see similar forms ceramic pots, either closed or lidded.

[fuzzyturns]

Well, this sort of confirms my thinking here. I am not opposed to buying Mark's book and learning more about the technique of hollowing. However, even George himself acknowledged that there was probably very little wrong with the technique, it was more a question of shape. The very last thing I want to do is copy the shapes that Mark does so well. Firstly, my efforts would probably be just bad copies, and secondly (and more importantly to me), that would show no effort to find something different. I appreciate that not every attempt can be successful (and I have in fact thrown away quite a few pieces as "unsalvagable"), but I did quite like this one, and I have had feedback from elsewhere also telling me that this was liked by people. That's way George's comment did hurt me a bit. Good to see, though, that there are others here who follow my thinking. Thanks, guys!

[seventhdevil]

beauty is in the eye of the beholder, do whatever shape you like fuzzy, if you or a customer likes it then there is nothing wrong with it...



you are correct bryan, it came from the end of an air dried board and if you cast your mind back you saw some of the large 5" thick slabs it would have originally been cut from when you visited. most of those bits end up on the fire so it's good to know that some can be used.

[farmerphil]

Hi Fuzzy,

I too like this shape and I particularly like the way that the cracks have become a feature along with other features in the wood.

I have just been roughing up  a piece of timber with a view to hollowing it and were it not for your showing I would have thrown it on the firewood pile because of the cracks- now you have given me the idea to carry on and see what develops(with due caution).

Happy days, thanks

Phil

[Eric Harvey]

looks good to me,I like cracked up bits of wood people say you can`t turn into anything good,looks to me like George is just plugging his best buddies wares again haha,cheers,

Eric.

[GBF]

I am not plugging anybody's wares I am just trying to be helpful.
If some of you cannot see that it is a very bad form then maybe you should have gone to Specsavers.

Regards George