More recent turnings (by Duncan)

[duncanh]

Crikey! I didn't realise it had been so long since I'd posted any work.

Here's something I made recently



Oak bowl, sisal rope with ebony ends.
Chestnut finishing oil, buffed
28cm diameter, 10cm deep

The reason I added the rope was to hide some cracks across the top surface of the piece. I didn't want them as a feature, filled with brass etc, so I tried filling them with glue and sawdust but they were still too distracting. Rather than turning the wood away I decided to hide them under rope.
I'm glad I did because I really like the effect. I'll definitely try it again.
You can't tell from the photo but the rope is slightly charred to get rid of most of the frayed fibres.

The only thing I'm unsure of is the size of the knot and the ebony ends.

More postings to follow in the next week (hopefully!)

 

[CHJ]

Interesting embellishment Duncan, just a personal preference but I think the knot size question mark is down to the diameter of the rope as a whole. I think a slightly smaller diameter cord would have been a little more balanced for the size of the bowl, but of course that would have been conditional on the restraints of the practicality of closer hole spacing.

 

[cornucopia]

I like it

I think the knot and ends are fine, but i wonder what other methods you could have used to finish the rope without a knot? I wonder if some sort of turned disc with with 2-4 holes in? so that the rope was threaded through- pulled tight- then maybe a tiny drop of ca to hold it there?

or maybe some sort of scouts woggle- a tapering tight fit to pinch the ropes in?

i like your elm box on the previous page aswell

 

[PowerTool]

Like it also - the rope idea works well

Andrew

 

[tekno.mage]

Your rope idea is very good - another way of finishing the rope off might be by using two pieces of rope and making "handles" on opposite sides of the bowl out of decorative knots, or from small loops made by wrapping the bare ends together with thinner cord (like joining rope).

tekno.mage

 

[Paul.J]

Very nice Duncan and another good idea using the rope round the top edge.
I think i would have used a more contrasting colour for the rope or even a coloured cord.
Also like the shape of the bowl,the rim and the grain of the wood.
How do you get such clean cut holes :?:

 

[duncanh]

Thanks for the comments.

My original plan had been to try a small wooden disc or perhaps leather rather than the knot, but when I took it home to my dad's without the ebony ends and used a temporary knot to hold then together the consensus was that it looked good as it was. I should probably have experimented further though.

For the holes - I originally turned the rim thicker than the final version, drilled the holes and then turned the rim to it's final thickness. I think this helped clean up the edges on them. When I was happy with the rim I turned out the centre of the bowl - leaving the centre in for drilling meant there was less chance of the rim moving, making it easier to re-turn the rim, and it also gave me more options if I decided that I didn't like the rim idea.

 

[duncanh]

Here's some more...


10cm square Ash
These started out as a single piece of wood. I thought the figuring would best be displayed on a shallow platter so I decided to rip the blank in half on the bandsaw and make a matching set.


10cm square Elm
The edges have been textured with a wire brush and burned


20cm high Elm
This was turned in 2 pieces and joined at the decoration lines.

More to follow...

 

[Anonymous]

Luv the dishes Duncan and colour... who said ash was bland :wink:

Grain on the vase... just right! (for me)

 

[TEP]

Seconded, I really like the shape of the dishes, and colour. Luverly vase as well, and a canny way of hollowing. I find it a lot easier than hollowing through the neck. 8)

 

[CHJ]

To me the simple little Ash squares epitomize the the wonders of nature captured in wood, no amount of design embellishment or training in art techniques or form can come anywhere near the perfection achieved by nature if you take the time to look/discover/appreciate and not least of all Enjoy.

 

[Paul.J]

Thanks for the explaination Duncan
Yet more Beautiful looking pieces Duncan.
All that's been said really,and i for one am just glad that you are sharing your work with us

 

[cornucopia]

To me the simple little Ash squares epitomize the the wonders of nature captured in wood, no amount of design embellishment or training in art techniques or form can come anywhere near the perfection achieved by nature if you take the time to look/discover/appreciate and not least of all Enjoy.

:sign3:
fantastic

 

[Paul.J]

Yes George i agree.It's what turning is all about for me
Just wish i could produce such fine pieces.

 

[Bodrighy]

As always I like all this but do have a soft spot for the square platters. I really like the simplicity.

Re the knot in the rope. Try whipping it with a small cord or alternatively if you turned a small ring and glued it in place to hold it tight against the bowl. As someone said, the size of thenot depends a lot on the size of the cordage but also on what the cordage is made of Sisal is rough and has a really open lay and will not pull as tight as manilla for example. I do fancy knotwork and rarely use sisal for this reason.

Pete

 

[Jenx]

Fantastic, as per usual, Duncan.
Again, the matching square fella's there do it for me 8) 8)
The two piece vase is a beauty too though ! :wink:
Chas got the sentiments 'spot-on' !

 

[duncanh]

Thanks for the all the positive comments.
Pete - where do you get your manilla rope from. (btw - if you like knots, have you seen this site for shoe laces )


Here are a couple more to show that ash isn't always bland...


Ash, 26cm diameter, chestnut finishing oil, buffed



Ash, 34cm diameter, chestnut finishing oil, buffed



Ash, 30cm diameter, chestnut finishing oil, buffed

I think that's it for ash at the moment

 

[Bodrighy]

Thanks for the all the positive comments.
Pete - where do you get your manilla rope from. (btw - if you like knots, have you seen this site for shoe laces )

No I haven't seen this site. I have often used them to make small monkey's fists for people though. Leather bootlaces are also usually cheaper than buying leather thongs from cradft supplies IME as well.

Try here. Alternatively if there is a ship chandler near you it might be worth looking there though in my experience it tends to be a bit more expensive.

It's expensive compared to sisal but it is much nicer to work with and looks really good. You can also colour it with vegetable dyes if needed. When I've done bell ropes I soak it in water based paint and leave to drip dry. Works fine.

Hope this helps

Pete

 

[duncanh]

Thanks Pete. I'd thought of future projects with different coloured rope so manilla could be just what I'm after.

 

[loz]

Pete,

Would you happen to know how to make Fenders for Narrow Boats ???

I've been looking for a tutorial !

Thanks

Loz