Hollow form tops and finials

[Doghouse]

When turning hollow forms, I see a lot of people add an accent piece to the top.

What is the reason for this, and when do you apply it? If it is just for artistry, is it done before turning the piece, or after hollowing it?
Is it to reduce the size of the hole from the hollowing process?

As for finials I realize they are turned after the piece is finished, but how do you determine the height?

And lastly, A hollowform I just finished of eucalyptus burl looked great that night, but about a week later, it now has the outside texture of a raisin! What process do you use when turning hollowforms? Do you rough turn, rough hollow, then come back for final turning of both? Seems risky to me...

Thanks for the help and insight.

 

[john lucas]

The reason a lot of people put extra wood on the top of hollow forms is so they can hollow through a larger opening and then put the wooden rings on the top to reduce the opening to either change the shape or to make the hole small enough so you don't have to sand the inside.
Many types of green wood warp really bad. I've never turned euclalypas so I can't answer that question.

 

[Brodie Brickey]

Wood

Eucalyptus is as bad as many fruit woods. It loves to split, crack and warp.

When you finish a piece are you using an oil base, a poly, or something else?
What grit do you sand too?

If you are turning the wood green and applying the finish before the wood has stabalized, you may be getting a change in the finish a week later due to the wood drying out as the finish is curing.

 

[Ed_McDonnell]

Reasons I've added an accent piece at the top.

1) wanted to add a little something extra to glam up the piece.
2) needed to fix something that went wrong at some point (like internal diameter exceeding external diameter while hollowing a deep shoulder).
3) wanted to reduce the size of the hole used for hollowing.
4) Wanted a taller piece than I could get out of the turning blank (often add a matching foot in this case).

I always add the accent ring at the end. Be careful when adding an accent ring. If the woods have different stability traits and are at different levels of dryness you are asking for problems. The perfect seam you turn will not match a couple weeks out or you might get a crack in the accent ring or hollow form.

My non segmented hollow forms are all from green wood. I try to finish them in one session. The woods I favor are fairly stable (mahogany, norfolk island pine, royal poincianna, jacaranda) so I don't have a lot of warping problems. If I can fit them in my microwave I use it to speed drying otherwise I wait a couple days before applying a finish. I haven't turned eucalyptus so I don't know what may have happened in your case.

I don't have any solid guidelines I use for finials. I don't do a lot of them, but when I do, I try to make them as thin as possible. They generally end up a lot shorter than I originally envisioned.

Ed

 

[dkulze]

Hey dog,

Yup, using a rim to accent or fix minor problems is the standard. I use a dark wood when turning a vase from lighter wood as it just highlights it sooooo well and can really make the vase "pop" in appearance. Without it, the piece often feels slightly unfinished, as if the wood just ran out rather than ended with purpose. If you haven't tried it, take a vase you've made with no rim and turn a slim ring that fits on top out of a contrasting wood (can be color, texture, or pattern contrast). Sit it on top and see how it makes the vase look different. You might be surprised with the results.

I'm less concerned with making the entry hole smaller as that can be done without adding a top if I really want to, and I have no problem with large entry holes if that is what the piece calls for. Some of my vases are wide open, with only slight inward curvature before hollowing.

As for the raisin effect, that's typical for burled or figured wood that was turned even partially green. The grain shrinks more in diameter than length so it ends up giving a texture that matches the varied grain directions of the burl or figure. It's great if you want that appearance and texture, and can be a good feature for the piece. If you want it smooth, however, you're best turning it a bit larger than finished, letting it stabilize for a few months, then turning it smooth. It will hold well at that point.

Have fun,
Dietrich

 

[Doghouse]

thanks for the tips

The green burl problem is exactly what happened. Thanks for the tip. I am new at hollow forms and burls. I just picked up a oneway hollowing tool.