Mesquite Hollow Form with Maple pewa, about 7″ diameter and 5″ high.
This was a bit risky due to the ring shake in the tree. Ring Shake is a crack that forms along one of the growth rings. It is probably caused by something that affected the tree’s growth that year – bacteria, insects, drought, wind, etc. Wood with ring shake can be dangerous to turn. Since the shake goes all the way around the growth ring, large chunks can separate and come flying off the lathe.
I inspected this piece carefully and repeatedly as I turned it. I made a judgement call that there was enough solid wood to keep it together. I wore protective gear (face shield, safety glasses) and made sure to stay well out of the “line of fire” (the places where pieces are likely to fly off).
Once completed, it required numerous pewa to ensure that the cracks will stay put.
This piece has a nice bark inclusion running up the side. I might have left that alone, except that several other cracks developed during drying.
So I fixed those cracks with Wenge pewa (butterfly inserts) and also bridged the bark inclusion so it would look more complete.
The wood has lots of worm holes – these were quite a bit of trouble. The worms leave the holes filled with packed sawdust, which I like to clean out. That makes for a lot of detail work with dental tools and compressed air..
This piece was selected by the American Association of Woodturners Forum as Turning of the Week for Nov 29, 2021.
