Madrone Burl Wood turning club challenge

[Powder Keg]

In the wood turning club I'm in, Someone usually brings in a junky piece of wood, to challenge  anyone else wants it to try and see what they can make out of it. Generally its a piece out of their firewood pile. This month I accepted the challenge. The wood is called Madrone. It had a largish crack right in the middle.

Madrone Burl Wood turning club challenge

I came up with a plan.

Madrone Burl Wood turning club challenge

I've been wanting to try a multi sided piece. This was my chance. In the planing stages of this piece I realized that with the 5 jaw Longworth chuck that I built, my options were slim.

Madrone Burl Wood turning club challenge

Five sided it would be\o/ Here I'm pushing it against the chuck and just using friction and a center to hold it in the lathe. You can see I found another inclusion in the wood.

Madrone Burl Wood turning club challenge

I forgot to take any in progress pictures. I kind of got distracted turning this bowl.

Madrone Burl Wood turning club challenge

A couple of whats left pictures:o)

Madrone Burl Wood turning club challenge

Just turn everything off that's not a bowl:o)

Madrone Burl Wood turning club challenge

I thought the crack would get smaller the farther in I went. I was wrong.

Madrone Burl Wood turning club challenge

Crack from the outside.

Madrone Burl Wood turning club challenge

Almost done.

Madrone Burl Wood turning club challenge

I'll rub some paste wax on it after the gold paint dries.

Madrone Burl Wood turning club challenge

This was a fun project and I learned a few things:o) Thanks for watching!

~Wes~

[dsquire]

Wes

Darn fine job their mate. The inclusion is now character. Unlike metal, no 2 pieces of wood are the same. You have to learn to work with what you have. Also a nice shot of your 5 jaw chuck in action. Thanks for sharing that Wes.

Cheers 

Don

[PTsideshow]

Great bowl, I hope to start getting back to turning as soon as my mothers health issues get resolved so she can move into the assisted living apt we got for her. 

[Pete.]

That's great - I'm always amazed by stuff that can be turned out from seemingly any old stump.

I'm wondering - how come the lighter square section which stands out so much in the original piece, is hardly apparent at all in the finished bowl? What causes that different colour in the wood anyway?

[Stilldrillin]

WOW!! That's beautiful Wes!     

Thanks for doing, and showing. 

David D

[Powder Keg]

Thanks for the compliments!

Pete,
The chunk of wood was harvested and cut into usable bits. Ive heard that this particular wood will splinter into tooth picks if not dried properly. To slow down the drying most of the end grain was sealed with wax. That is the discoloring that you see.

Drying wood is an art in itself. Buying wood to turn is expensive. I have several apricot and pear tree limbs that I have harvested and they are drying in the rafters of my shop. I sealed the ends with latex paint. They have been up there for several months now. The ends of the logs are crack free\o/

~Wes~

[Chuck in E. TN]

Wes,
You will enjoy the pear. I had a Bradford downed by snow a few years ago. I saved all limbs 1" or bigger in 6" lengths to make fly rod reel seats and file/tool handles from. Nice birdseye knots in it. I coated the cut ends with canning wax, and no splits or cracks, and the wax comes off easily.
Chuck
 

[Pete.]

Well I didn't know that - thanks for the explaination Wes. Learnt something new today.

I guess you're going to now tell me that I shouldn't have made a bonfire of that 12" cherry tree I cut down some years back....

[Fredbare]

Thanks for sharing Wes, great piece of work.

John

[micktoon]

 Looks very nice Wes , neat design and good turning    Did you fill the split ? ,  I cant see it on the finished photo looking more or less from above but it might be hidden from view ?.
  Top class job 
  Cheers Mick.

[doubleboost]

Very nice
It has a good shape to it
The wood nice to look at
John

[howsitwork?]

just found this tread- Madrone is the wood Johannes Mitchelson ( might be spelt wrongly) uses to turn his wooden hats. He turns it wet and sizes them to fit your head! Really impressive to watch as well.

Worth a look- http://www.woodhat.com/

[micktoon]

I have heard of him mentioned as 'the real' hat turner , who 'invented' it 

 Seeing this post just made me think Wes has not posted for a long time , I wonder if his Penny Farthing bike finished ?

  Cheers Mick.

[dsquire]

just found this tread- Madrone is the wood Johannes Mitchelson ( might be spelt wrongly) uses to turn his wooden hats. He turns it wet and sizes them to fit your head! Really impressive to watch as well.

Worth a look- http://www.woodhat.com/

I have just been on the above site and it is is well worth a visit. Johannes Michelsen’s (spelling copied from his site) hats sure seem to have made a name for him far and wide. A lot of good reading and information there. 

Powder Keg if your reading this you might want to check out this link above. 

Cheers   

Don

 

[howsitwork?]

Worth looking at Andrew Hall's site  (http://hallwoodhats.com/introduction/index.htm ) , who got the idea from Johannes and has developed his own style in the UK.

He's based around Durham.

He will be at Newark in March I think and is always at the Harrogate show.

Hope Wes is still turning it on..?