Ash, sliced in an arc, with Wenge pewa. About 5-1/2″ diameter, 3-3/4″ tall. Walnut oil finish.
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Shake-y
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.
Sliced Elm Hollow Form
Cut a narrow slice through this Hollow Form of Elm and reassembled it with Maple pewa. About 7″ diameter and 4″ high.
Sliced Walnut Hollow Form
About 7″ diameter x 4.5″ high. Walnut, turned green, sliced, and re-assembled with maple pewa. Finish is walnut oil.
There are a few small walnut pewa stitching a crack on one side (not shown in the picture).
Sliced Maple Hollow Form
Maple Hollow Form, about 5″ diameter and 6″ tall. Sliced and re-assembled with walnut strips. Lacquer finish.
Sliced Walnut Hollow Form
Walnut Hollow Form, about 6.5″ tall, 5″ diameter. Sliced and re-assembled with maple pewa. Walnut oil finish.
Sliced Walnut Bowl
Walnut with Maple pewa over sawed gap. About 5″ diameter. Walnut oil finish.
Inspired by John Beaver’s work. This is an initial piece to explore some new (to me) ideas.
This piece was selected by the American Association of Woodturners Forum as Turning of the Week for April 11, 2022.
Another Wormy Ash Hollowform
Wormy Ash, 7.5″ diameter, 4.5″ tall.
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.
Walnut Hollow Form
This Hollow Form is Walnut, about 6-1/2″ around and 5″ tall.
Turned from a full log, so the pith (center of the log) runs thru the sides.
The stress around the pith usually leads to cracking. After it sat for a while and developed some cracks, I repaired them with Maple Pewa patches
There is a void in the side, where the tree grew around its own bark, likely due to some damage or a broken branch.
Walnut Hollow Form
This Hollow Form is Walnut, about 7″ around and 4″ tall.
It was turned from a full log, so the pith (center of the log) runs thru the sides of the form. There is a lot of stress around the pith, and it usually leads to cracking.
After it sat for a while, it did crack. I repaired those cracks with Pewa (butterfly) patches and Huini pegs, both made of Maple.
On one side of the form, there is a place where it appears a branch had broken off and the tree grew around it.
