Intro

[ChrisF]

Hi, thought this might the best place to introduce myself as a newbie....I'm pretty new to turning (about a month now) using a Clarke 37" lathe a friend had in the back of a barn, along with some Sorby tools and a variety of lumps of wood from various trees we've had trimmed or taken down over the last 6/7 years.  I've attached few pics of what I've done so far.  

Pleased to have found this forum, some really interesting and inspiring work here.

[ChrisF]

Another couple of pics....all comments / crits etc most appreciated....I've a very thick skin and am keen to learn :-)

[Les Symonds]

Hi Chris, and welcome...always good to see new names cropping up. You seem to have a distinctive personal style going on there, and of all the pieces, it's the very first that impresses me the most. It has a good, flowing curve. Perhaps the most impressive feature, especially for one so new to the art, is the finish that you are getting. Design/shape/form will all develop as time goes by, but it's rare to see such a good effort at getting the finish right from the start.

Given that you've made that comment about thick skin.....I have to say that I really don't go for the shape of the final piece - it's too fragmented for me.

Well done and thanks for sharing these with us.

Les

[bodrighywood]

I agree with Les about the last one. If that was all you had produced after only a month of turning (did I get that right) I'd be impressed however. As it is I am gobsmacked if you are producing pieces like the pots after only a month. Be interesting to see where you go after a year LOL.

Pete

[ChrisF]

Thanks guys, very generous!  The last piece is a wine bottle coaster which is something I've been wanting to make ever since I first thought about wood turning.  Appreciate the shape won't be to everyone's taste but it's only going on my table so it doesn't matter if no-one else likes it!  Except her of course, but she's too polite to say otherwise!

I come from a creative background and rub shoulders with artists and ceramicists daily.....I think most of the shapes are influenced mostly by ceramics more than by traditional bowl-turning.  I do like individuality though and enjoy a challenge.   

Pete, yes, almost exactly one month, although I've done quite a lot in that time.  Absolutely love picking up a manky looking piece of wood from the firewood pile and seeing what's inside, pretty magical and totally addictive!  I'm very lucky in that we have a mass of cut wood from our own garden.  Plenty to practice on.

Les, the first one's a piece of cherry.  It was a limb on a junction of about 4 branches.  Quite wet inside.....the outside cut nice and cleanly, the inside was a pig.

The finish is because I just love the feel of well finished wood.  I know a few excellent cabinet makers and wood carvers so my expectations for finish are high.

Look forward to sharing more.

Chris

[John D Smith]

 Hi Chris,
            Welcome to the forum what a great start nice pieces for a beginer.

                                                   Regards John

[edbanger]

Hi Chris

These look great and I agree with you on the last piece not to everybody's taste but if it's want you want then it's first class

Ed

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Chris welcome to the forum " Absolutely love picking up a manky looking piece of wood" I can see you are going to get along with Pete
Good finish on your pieces, well done.

[Bryan Milham]

Chris,

I don't know where you've been storing your wood, but could you look after some for me?

As a first post I'll say welcome to the forum, You've made a promising start.

I will say we try to be honest, and offer constructive criticism, on form, finish and where applied colour. So please don’t think we are sometimes rude, we are only trying to be helpful.

So, for someone who’s been turning for a month, these are good. There is still a way to go to learn to see the curve (understand the form’s shape) and longer to be able to turn it naturally, but you are where we all were once so there is nothing wrong with that. But if this is you at the start of your turning, I don’t think it will be too long. Having said that you are already seeing what you want from the timber, the last photo shows that, a most unusual shape but one that works to my eye.

Your wood supply has some wonderful natural colour and spalting to it, we are all jealous.

Looking forward to your next post.

[ChrisF]

Thanks all, appreciate the compliments and the welcome.

Dragonfly....I absolutely do encourage honest and straightforward feedback, it's be far the best way to learn.  I realise I am very lucky with the wood.  It's all from trees we've had trimmed or cut down and has just been sitting around in piles, mainly on a courtyard covered in gravel so open to the weather.  It was never stored with the intention of turning it, it was to be firewood......and then the turning bug bit 

[Bryan Milham]

and then the turning bug bit 

Ah yes, we've all been bitten by that one.