Cork Oak HF

[cypher]

Here is one of my new pieces. This was my first "true" hollow form. It was fun to turn and harder then I expected. I had to turn the lathe off every few min to clear out the shavings. It is made from Cork Oak and is about 5" tall X 6" diameter. It is finished with 5 coats for poly. The tree came from one of my local city parks. It fell for reasons unknown and the city chopped it up. I contacted the city parks administration and they said if it is in a public park, the wood is public property and I was free to take it. So lucky me, it was free and it looks great!

Comment/Suggestions welcome!

 

[Rob Wallace]

Nicely done!

Cypher:

Very nicely-done piece!!! I would have narrowed the base a bit more to give it a bit of lift and provide for less "bottom bulk".

This wood is quite beautiful.... I did not know that Quercus suber could have such nice figure and contrast! Was the piece taken from near the bark, or are there natural voids in the heartwood?

I wrote an encyclopedia entry some years ago on "cork" and rarely is the wood mentioned as an economic product from this species. Seeing your work, I'll have to keep my eyes out for some of this wood in the future! It is not often available on the market, particularly since the trees are long-lived, and the repeatable harvest of the cork on 10 to 15 year intervals makes the living tree very valuable!

Thanks for sharing your work!

Rob

 

[Frank Kobilsek]

Eric
Excellent piece of wood. I really like the bead at the rim and the shape of the top. It would look lighter if you had made the base/foot smaller. Try that next time. A great effort for a first hollowform. What kind of hollow tolls did you use?
Frank

 

[cypher]

Rob Wallace - The piece was taken from near the bark.

Frank Kobilsek - I used the goose neck Sorby hollow master.

-------
The base i so wide because it was a last min idea change. I was going to make it into bowl but after i began to turn i saw the figure and did not want to waste it turing a bowl. I had already cut the base for an expansion chuck before I changed my mind. I agree it needs a smaller base.

 

[Peter Skellenger]

so this is a cork tree... as in ...............cork? The form is cool... nice work! I was in Fresno for a bicycle race last spring. First time in CA. I was struck by a cpl trees. Pollards for one. I have never heard of this until I was in CA. No offense to anyone but it seems stupid to me! Aren't they just regular trees that people keep pruning the tops off of to keep them... short I guess? Why not plant a dwarf tree and let it grow?! The other thing I noticed and I think I saw these from Fresno all the way to redlands, CA. These were trees that had smooth looking bark, kind of gray in color and HUGE, as in big around. I saw some that were planted in the grassy area dividing 2 roads in a park. These trees had very very large burls on them (most of the trees did). I am talking 40" diameter burls! The bark looked like Sycamore but not as layered as I think of Sycamore. Anyway- the Cork Oak HF looks awesome!

 

[Paul Engle]

Oh yea that's very nice, only thing is the bottom a little narrower and you got it. Neat looking wood also. wish my park had some cork oak. I try to keep the 1/3 rule in mind on mine ( bottom 1/3 the dia of the largest part) seems to work as a rule of thumb to begin with. Keep up the nice work , great stuff 😀

 

[GeorgeH]

Well, Cypher, looks like you were faced with a real dilemma on this one. Sacrifice shape for grain; sacrifice grain for shape. I believe you made the right decision. Your little signature statement, "The enemy for good is better! It's called the "last cut" for a reason!", fits beautifully into this scenario. If I'm ever fortunate enough to find a piece of this wood I won't worry about following the "rules" for bowl dimensions. I'm gonna want to save the grain patters for posterity. Nice job....