Burr Elm collaboration

[rick_dobney]

I worked on this large piece of burr elm with fellow members of Sheffield Woodturning Club, the end result was this bowl which is approximately 14" across. It was quite a challenge with the voids and bark inclusions, but with numerous coats of finishing oil and plenty of elbow grease the finish came up a treat. We've donated the piece for sale to the benefit of the club charity of the year....still for sale (this is not a sales pitch!!)
We're now working on a hollow form from the same piece of elm which is proving to be an even bigger challenge; hopefully I'll be able to share this with you in due course.

Best wishes for 2015
Rick

(BTW C & C welcome)

[Bryan Milham]

Rick,

firstly welcome to the forum, I (we) hope that this will be your first post of many.

From the words in your post this piece has already left your possession, and I can well understand why, it does loo amazing in both form and finish.

I'll ask, is there any other pictures, from the piece missing in the rim, it looks like you've seriously undercut the rim, which I would like a better view of.

Bryan

[woodndesign]

Welcome to the Forum, Rick, And wonderful first post. You've worked well together here on what is the most stunning of forms and finishes, it has set off one beautiful piece of Elm too.  Do like to see a nice piece of Elm.

Great credit to both of you. Well done on a first of many it's hoped, look forward to the hollow form should the Elm be as nice as here.

Cheers  David

[Graham]

Burr of almost any kind is beautiful wood and it is good to see it so well shown off. I second Bryans request for more pictures from different angles.

[TWiG]

It is hard NOT to make a great piece from burr elm ,it is a spectacular wood , and the finish appears very good in the photos , what did you finish it with ? .. however I do not personally like the design / form of the bowl , but good stuff and thanks for posting !!  How do several of you work on one bowl ?

[rick_dobney]

Thanks for the feedback all, I've been in the workshop and out last night so not had a chance to respond. I do still have the piece so will take some additional photos.

The finish is Liberon finishing oil, around 8 coats cut back between coats, finally buffed to bring up the gloss shine.

To respond to TWiG, by all means be constructive with your feedback, it's easy to make a hash of the best piece of wood be it Burr Elm or anything else...what don't you like? Also have a go at 'tag team turning', it's a great social and collaborative experience; we all worked on turning the piece over a couple of evenings, I then picked up the finishing stage.

Photos to follow...

Cheers
Rick

[georg]

  A lovely piece of elm..... that's full of rustic charm... with a nice finish.   
    Tag a bit like pass the parcel then.
         Kind Regards
      Tony di

[rick_dobney]

As promised...attached are a couple of photos showing the underside and profile of the piece, sorry they're just snaps taken in the workshop but they should answer the questions raised.

As before...constructive comments and critique welcome.

Cheers
Rick

[Graham]

By eck. It even looks good upside down. 

[TWiG]

Hi Rick , I hope you are not offended by my comments as they were not meant to be so ( if I want to offend anyone I will make it obvious !! lol )  Some times things put in to text can come across differently  as to what was meant by  it ,  apologies if this was so ( or am I mis understanding yours now ? )  What I meant by reference to " it is hard not to make a great piece from burr elm " is that it is such a fabulous wood, what ever some one makes from it  , it will look better than made from almost any other wood , that is why we all seek such lovely wood , and I like to complement the wood as well  as the craftsman , it is obvious from your pics that good tool control was used , and getting a fine finish ,as you have done was not easy with that missing piece on the rim so well done .  Personally ( and I might be the only one ! ) I do not like the down sloping outer rim of the bowl ...  was wondering if it was a collaboration how a decision was achieved on what to make  ?  Terry...

[Bryan Milham]

Rick,

Thanks for the posting the additional pics. That is a bigger bit of rim missing than was first apparent, bet that was fun to turn, and I was right, it is amazing.

Thanks again

[rick_dobney]

Thanks for the response and the compliments Terry (TWiG); I agree, text isn't necessarily the best means of getting ones views over, so easily misconstrued no matter how carefully we try to phrase things. Similarly photo’s don’t always do a piece justice, I believe (and I do acknowledge that beauty is in the eye of the beholder!) that the down turned rim actually works in this piece, it’s a pity you can’t see it in the flesh. As I’m sure you’ll appreciate, the flaws in the blank also dictated the end form to a certain degree so it was a case of making the most of the wood in hand.
 
You’re right though, burr elm is a real gem; this particular piece had sat in one of the collaborator’s dad’s garage for the last 15+ years. Due to the cracks and fissures in the block we had to chainsaw it into 3 pieces, all still very large. There’s another large piece sat in the wood pile in addition to the part turned hollow form we’re currently working on; hopefully the ‘tag team’ can do them justice. The team turning concept does provide some interesting opportunities for exchanging ideas on form and design and by all being present we can discuss and agree as we progress. I'm sure it won't suit everyone but when you have similar turning ‘tastes’ it can be quite fruitful, certainly enjoyable and enlightening.

All the best
Rick