New vase, submitted for your consideration :-)

[Mark Hepburn]

Made this vase for my dearly beloved recently and thought I'd post for some opinions. The wood is a piece that I've had for a while and is supposed to be hickory. I don't know.

I wanted to make a simple, rustic piece that had a nice flow to it and would hold a few flowers for her desk. She likes it a lot, but I'd like to hear some turners' thoughts about improvements in form, etc.

The dark spot in the center of the vase was soft and punky so I cleaned it out and filled with epoxy. The cracks at the base and rim are part of the rustic appeal so I didn't fill or do anything with them other than finish. It's finished with Enviro-Tex inside, and a few coats of spray poly on the outside.

Thanks for your input.

Mark

 

[Scott Brandstetter]

Mark, very nice piece. From reading your post I'm not sure any of our opinions matter since "your better half" loves it. Isn't that a great feeling. I'm too new to give any advice but would like to ask a question. I don't know how tall the piece is but wondered if you used any type of steady rest when you worked on the inside of the vase. I haven't done a lot of this type but the one time I did, I had so much chatter and movement, I really couldn't complete the inside. Still trying to decide on whether to buy a steady rest or build another home made version (first one did not work so well)

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Mark Hepburn]

Mark, very nice piece. From reading your post I'm not sure any of our opinions matter since "your better half" loves it. Isn't that a great feeling. I'm too new to give any advice but would like to ask a question. I don't know how tall the piece is but wondered if you used any type of steady rest when you worked on the inside of the vase. I haven't done a lot of this type but the one time I did, I had so much chatter and movement, I really couldn't complete the inside. Still trying to decide on whether to buy a steady rest or build another home made version (first one did not work so well)

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for your kind words Scott. She loves it which is great but you know oh it is. You wanna do better and better.

The vase is 14" tall. I did it "backwards" by drilling out the interior first with a forstner bit on an extension. Then I drilled a smaller diameter to final length. After turning the inside a good bit I did the outside. I used a jam chuck I made from a blank to do the outside. Mounted to tailstock. Also. I had glued the blank to a waste block and faceplate mounted it.

Parted it off after finishing.

 

[Bill Boehme]

.... wondered if you used any type of steady rest when you worked on the inside of the vase. I haven't done a lot of this type but the one time I did, I had so much chatter and movement, I really couldn't complete the inside...

For something the size of Mark,s turning, a steady rest isn't needed -- it is tall, but small diameter. My perspective is that a steady rest is mainly to support long heavy cantilevered loads. A captive boring bar is a good idea on deep hollow forms -- no sense in abusing your shoulder and elbow. If the diameter is also large then a steady rest also begins to make sense.

I would guess that the problem that you are having with chatter is related to technique -- either in tool control or in the way that you are removing wood. There is a Lyle Jamieson video that covers his if you haven't seen it before.

... I did it "backwards" by drilling out the interior first ..... After turning the inside a good bit I did the outside....

Maybe that's TMI. You from Grand Isle?

 

[odie]

Hi Mark......

Simple elegance.....this is a great example of it!

My first thought was Rude Osolnik influence. Google him.....

Your curvature from rim to base is darn near perfect. If you look closely, there is a break in the overall curve just below the dark spot. This is being nit-picky, but there is a very subtle difference in the curve, at that point. The break in the curve could have been more prominent, so that it looks more purposeful, or one continuous sweep.....either would have worked better. Still, like I said, it's darn near perfect, and very few people will recognize any inconsistency......but, it will be noticeable at a subconscious level.

I believe most of the "herd turners", these days, are likely to use a CA glue as a filler. I used it for a time, but returned to my roots and use epoxy for this purpose. The only advantage to CA is the time element, and the disadvantages are inconsistent results with various wood species, grain patterns, decay and cracks. CA does, at times, discolor the wood and penetrates, while I've yet to experience this with epoxy. You do need to allow for epoxy to set up. Even the so-called 5-minute epoxy isn't good for turning until it has overnight hardening. Epoxy cuts cleanly with sharp tools, and sands well......I guess you've discovered that! Epoxy and patience is the key to results with repairs like you have here......

If you hadn't mentioned any cracks, I wouldn't have known they are there. I see nothing that detracts there......

I would grade it an A- .......

ooc

PS: Since you are asking for critiques, I am giving them. This is something I would not do, unless specifically asked for. Hopefully, my opinion might benefit you and others.......but, after contemplating your turnings some.......I can see that I am also benefiting from that contemplation.......

 

[Mark Hepburn]

For something the size of Mark,s turning, a steady rest isn't needed -- it is tall, but small diameter. My perspective is that a steady rest is mainly to support long heavy cantilevered loads. A captive boring bar is a good idea on deep hollow forms -- no sense in abusing your shoulder and elbow. If the diameter is also large then a steady rest also begins to make sense.

I would guess that the problem that you are having with chatter is related to technique -- either in tool control or in the way that you are removing wood. There is a Lyle Jamieson video that covers his if you haven't seen it before.



Maybe that's TMI. You from Grand Isle?

I'd tell you but that would be TMI.

Houma is about 70 miles northwest Grand Isle. But we are also only about 35 miles from the Gulf. You may recall a few years back Gustav made landfall here. I remember because Jim Cantore showed up and so we all evacuated.

 

[Mark Hepburn]

Hi Mark......

Simple elegance.....this is a great example of it!

My first thought was Rude Osolnik influence. Google him.....

Your curvature from rim to base is darn near perfect. If you look closely, there is a break in the overall curve just below the dark spot. This is being nit-picky, but there is a very subtle difference in the curve, at that point. The break in the curve could have been more prominent, so that it looks more purposeful, or one continuous sweep.....either would have worked better. Still, like I said, it's darn near perfect, and very few people will recognize any inconsistency......but, it will be noticeable at a subconscious level.

I believe most of the "herd turners", these days, are likely to use a CA glue as a filler. I used it for a time, but returned to my roots and use epoxy for this purpose. The only advantage to CA is the time element, and the disadvantages are inconsistent results with various wood species, grain patterns, decay and cracks. CA does, at times, discolor the wood and penetrates, while I've yet to experience this with epoxy. You do need to allow for epoxy to set up. Even the so-called 5-minute epoxy isn't good for turning until it has overnight hardening. Epoxy cuts cleanly with sharp tools, and sands well......I guess you've discovered that! Epoxy and patience is the key to results with repairs like you have here......

If you hadn't mentioned any cracks, I wouldn't have known they are there. I see nothing that detracts there......

I would grade it an A- .......

ooc

PS: Since you are asking for critiques, I am giving them. This is something I would not do, unless specifically asked for. Hopefully, my opinion might benefit you and others.......but, after contemplating your turnings some.......I can see that I am also benefiting from that contemplation.......

Odie, keep those critiques coming, please! I see the break in the curve now. Picking nits or not, I appreciate it because that's helping me to see beyond the process to take in the whole - a more holistic approach if you will.

Rude Osolnik is an interesting turner. Just googled him and going to probably mimic some of his stuff. I like the slender grace of his forms, but even his chunky hollow vessels have a grace to them.

I'm with you on the epoxy. I haven't used the CA so don't have any opinion one way or the other, but I've used epoxy for decades and it just seemed to make sense for stuff like this. I don't find that it is as brittle as some have suggested. And as you say, even the 5 minute stuff needs to really cure. For this vase, I filled the void in 4 stages (using the 5 minute stuff). Waited about an hour between fillings and then waited a couple of days before I did the final turning and sanding. Yep, epoxy and patience. Well 1 out of 2 ain't bad!

I'm glad that you're getting benefit from this too. I'm at the stage where I'm the one on the receiving end about 99% of the time. One of these days though I'll be able to give back to the community here. Hopefully!

Thanks again,

Mark

 

[Grant Wilkinson]

Odie really covered it, Mark. That is a sweet piece. It's no wonder that it was so well received.

 

[Mark Hepburn]

Odie really covered it, Mark. That is a sweet piece. It's no wonder that it was so well received.

Thanks Grant. I really appreciate that.