AWGB Woodturning Forum
General Category => Gallery => Topic started by: Bryan Milham on July 02, 2018, 03:56:19 PM
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Have you ever seen something,time and time again and thought...
I'd love to have a go at turning one of those.
Well I've always looked up at the Pollarded trees in winter and wondered what it would be like to turn one of the Pollard ends where all the new branches sprout from.
I finally got my hands on one, from a friends firewood pile, it's London Plane and at times the ride was defiantly 6d - half a crown!
Here follows a photo story...
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Carefully I took the tools to it, to bring it into balance and find a shape I liked.
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I found the shape, now I had to hope it held together...
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Outside turned, time to hollow it...
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And off the lathe.
Some of the wall was a little thin but mostly it was about 6mm...
... but it held together.
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Hi I so much looking forward to seeing the finished article Regards John
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Where it moved, I never managed to go back and finish the rim as I'd wanted to, the best I could manage was hand sanding after a very careful cut to at least tidy up the inner rim.
It is now finished, oiled and waxed but a large crack has now travelled through the rim and it's definitely not sitting 'square' where all the movement has happened, it's 'resting', currently, I'll post the finished vessel later.
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You can no doubt guess my opinion LOL. Apart from a little bit of envy that you had it not me I love it. Be interesting to see what final shape it decides on.
Pete
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Can't wait to see the end article as the walk through certainly tweaked my interest
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Well this is it.
I think it was not helped by the heat, it might have dried a bit too fast, thin walls not withstanding.
Overall I like it and so does SWMBO. She's not normally appreciative of non-functional turnings, would rather I made her another flour scoop or some-such! ???
Anyway, enjoy or not, all comments and critiques are very welcome, and thanks for looking.
Side Views
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Top views
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The bottom, the base is the dark round area with a star in it, about 2cm across.
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Details (I forgot earlier)
I said it was London Plane, but you can just about make out some of the Lace patterning in some of these images, although not as pink as some I've seen.
170mm wide x 155mm high, hollowed to 6mm and thinner in places where it was moving with being turned.
Finish, 2 coats of danish oil and then a covering of a very soft furniture wax (Colron) allowed to dry and soak in overnight and buffed to a satin sheen.
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That certainly works for me. Lovely piece and well worth all the effort and heat to get it to this final stage. Hope that is all the cracking that will occur. I have an ornamental cherry root ball and if it turns out like this I will also be very happy
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Hi Bryan....you are clearly raising the barrier in the forum, at the moment and it's good to see so much of your work on here again. In the third picture of the top views, I see (from l to r) an angel, a man playing a double bass and a Dalek....how strange!
Les
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A lovely piece of work and good to be taken through the process of getting there. I like the way the shape has been derived after careful consideration of the inital "blank". Seeing through a piece adds extra dimension to a form. I do a lot of hand sanding after a green turned piece has dried, that way I feel I have better control of the outcome and it keeps the fingers intact ! Maybe your piece of plane was from a relatively young tree ? In the past I have turned such timber and the colour has been very light. I found it quite unstable and got lots of movement as it dried. I also acquired a piece from the heart of a 1.5M diameter bole and that was very dark and with plenty of lacewood figure on the quarter.
ATB John
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Thank you gents,
Pete, the number of Pollarded trees I see, these cannot be rare, I look forward to you getting your hands on one and showing what you can do, you are after-all the master of this type of turning.
Les,
It's nice to have a little time to spend playing, most of my work of late has been standard production work. Well, after breaking my thumb just before Christmas and not being able to hold a tool for a couple of months.
You had me there, I went back and looked, Dalek, I thought it was a mouse!
John,
The branch the knuckle came off was about 5" diameter, no idea about the tree, could have been very old but a younger branch. And not sure there would be much quarter wood in a knuckle to show the lace patterning anyway, but thank you, I'm glad you like the story and finished piece.
Maybe I'll visit my friend and see if hes not yet chopped all the tree up and see if there is something more I can steal beg or otherwise acquire!
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In the third picture of the top views, I see (from l to r) an angel, a man playing a double bass and a Dalek....how strange!
Les
More of Brian's reflections Les?
I love this sort of turning Dragonfly and this piece is no exception.
Its always interesting to see how timber moves and what variation to the final shape you end up with. It adds character and interest to the work; perfection is boring.
Tony
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I love this sort of turning Dragonfly and this piece is no exception.
Its always interesting to see how timber moves and what variation to the final shape you end up with. It adds character and interest to the work; perfection is boring.
Tony
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By its very being, woodturning imposes a circular geometry onto any thing we make. Mother Nature then says, "up yours", and takes it back for herself....and long may it continue !
ATB John