AWGB Woodturning Forum
General Category => Gallery => Topic started by: fuzzyturns on January 12, 2018, 12:25:19 PM
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Over the years, I have made a few of these in various heights and dimensions. This platter is about 15" diameter and made from ash, with the stand made from a piece of holly sandwiched between wenge slices and the legs made from black walnut. The stand is about 8" tall.
Initially the idea was to turn the outside of the stand. This was annihilated by a small mistake during the glue-up stage, where one of the legs slipped ever so slightly, but enough to render turning impossible. I could have made another stand (but TBH, shaping the wenge to hold the recesses for the legs was a complete PITA), but in the end decided that it looked good as it was.
As usual, all C&C welcome.
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I really like it. The sharp angles on the legs contrast nicely with the gentle curves on the platter. Lovely choice of woods as well.
But....how on earth do you make the legs?
Duncan
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That is actually quite simple: The whole thing was designed on a piece of paper (1:1 scale, keeps it easy), then I used a piece of plywood to make a template for a leg. Found a nice piece of black walnut and marked out and then cut the legs on the bandsaw. I then used a sanding disc on my lathe and a tilting table (goes into the banjo) to sand the sides to fixed angle. There is only one angle in this sanding action, and the legs are wider at the top than the bottom, simply because the extend out further at the top. Then used a sleeveless sanding drum (Axminster) to sand the outside, the inside can be sanded with the disc, as it is convex.
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Thanks Fuzzy, I was thinking of all sorts of complicated jigs. Not that I'm planning to make some myself, but you never know when the idea might come in handy.
Duncan
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Looks very smart Fuzzy all works well together
All the best
Ed
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Very nice Fuzzy.
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First sight I thought it was a side table. Like the deceptive simplicity of the design.
Pete
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First sight I thought it was a side table....
...and it immediately reminded me of a dining table design that I'd seen.
This works really well Fuzzy and is a very practical piece to own. A few customers have pointed out to me that large platters are very attractive, but just take up too much room at the table, so when you're putting on a bit of a spread, with a table crammed full of goodies, being able to elevate a platter like this could be a good solution to the problem.
Les
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They are called tazzas and used to be for cakes etc at a table at tea time. Some are more shallow bowl shaped and are used for drinking but they are usually smaller. They sell quite well at shows around Christmas time.
Pete
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I also like it, well turned Fuzzy. Les
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Thanks to all for the comments.
I always thought a tazza was more of the type with a raised rim, to hold sweets and the like. Well, you learn every day. And yes, the idea really is to provide a platter for fruit or cheese or whatever, that is raised from the table and therefore provides more space on the table itself.
I usually tend to strive for simplicity of form. As many of you probably know, the simple forms are the most difficult, because they have to be perfect, and the balance is easily upset.
Pete, when you say these sell quite well, what kind of money are we talking about?
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Depends on the intricacy, wood, size etc but they usually sell for between £30 and £50. Tazzaa is a generic name for any raised olatter, bowl etc. The more traditional ones did have raised rims but bowl / platter on a stem can be called a tazza
Pete
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Oh my, I am in real trouble now. For this particular model, the material alone is worth around £30, never mind the work that went into it. What to do? Maybe I need to give it away, so at least one person can have a smile on their face.
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If I were to make something like this for sale in my own shop, I would probably pitch it at about £90 and I'd expect it to sell quite readily.
Les
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You obviously have better quality customers than us Les LOL. Seriously, selling it in a gallery or dedicated shop I agre ylu could get a lot more for it. Bottom line you need to quantify cost of material, time to make etc to appraise the value to you Fuzzy. I make these in about an hour but they have a single pillar and the wood is usually either free or cheap offcuts from a furniture factory.
Pete
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An hour. Wow.
The main dish is 15" diameter, and perfectly quartersawn out of a slice of an ash tree about 3ft diameter. I got the raw slabs, each between 2" to 6" thick, and dried it myself. I am not sure where you would get a piece of wood like that from, to be honest. The stand is made up of 6 pieces of wood, sawn, sanded, glued together, turned and sanded some more. I'd love to see you do all of this in an hour, clearly I am wasting a lot of time here somewhere.
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I didn't say I made one like yours in an hour. The ones I make are simpler with just a single stem a base and a platter or bowl top. Also I am making them for shows so make up a few at a time so do each section seperately and that makes it all a lot quicker. If I was able to make one the same as yours in an hour I would be saying wow as well.
Pete
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I thought I had commented on this before (well maybe on another forum) Love the design and thought that has gone into this. workmanship and finish as to be expected from you. Nice job
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I Think it lovely , different and imaginative
The stand is a work of art
This should sell for around £100 easy , Some people appreciate quality and are willing to pay for it ;)
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Saw this in the "flesh" at the West Midlands Club yesterday and it is beautifully made. The top is perfect quarter sawn with a slight ripple.
I wouldn't really class it as a tazza with the top being detachable and can imagine it more as a platter/serving plate on a separate stand as a centre piece at a meal where the platter can be passed round. Being more functional rather than decorative always makes it harder to price.
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Pete's comment about making a tazza in one hour got me going, to be honest. So here's my attempt at doing it. Three pieces of Catalpa, which in fact are all from the same piece (i.e. a bowl blank and two cutoffs from the corners), turned, sanded and glued. No finish, and the sanding probably needs some more work, too. Took me about 75 minutes, which does not include the time for the initial cutting of the blank. And I still have to finish the sanding and put some finish on (probably oil, so this will need 3 coats or more). I am not Les Thorne or Gary Rance, but I do think I am pretty fast, but clearly I still have a way to go.
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If you make each section to completion including polishing it can be done. Mind I must have made a couple of dozen of them over the years. I do make several at a time so that helps. All the plates, then the bases, all done held on recess then the spindles with tenons that fit the recess.
Pete
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If anything like me it is not the turning that takes the time but the changing from one piece to another and the finish Oh yes and the cups of tea in-between each piece I do love a cuppa.
But as Pete said when doing batches it can work out quicker.
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This works for me and I can see this would not be a five minute job.
Making the legs is a job on it own.
I have got to do a Demo for our club next Tuesday and I have been thinking what to do so i will make one of these and call it a cake stand.
It will not have fancy legs like this.
very well done.
Regards George
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A very fine looking piece Fuzzy, for me the stand makes this piece
regards
Andy
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It has great simplicity to look at it, which I am quite sure belies the amount of work taken to make it.
I see John (BHT) as already commented, but I think this could fulfil his need for a design for a Cake Stand.