A bit of a tidy-up
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve had three postponements of tuition sessions, mainly down to the weather, so I’ve taken the opportunity to have a good clear out of my timber stock. I inevitably get loads of small and awkward shaped pieces that don’t suit my preference for making big, characterful bowls, so I’ve been working on a few ideas for “Woodturning” magazine, through which I can use up such timber .
First comes a piece of weathered oak with a few splits in it. After scorching and scouring, it’s had verdigris wax and copper gild cream applied to it.
Next comes a lovely little bit of characterful oak burr, small, but despite that it certainly packs the character in.
A little sycamore burr with a natural, bark edge, not much bigger than a grapefruit!
A little oak bowl with a few beads just below the rim and inside, a few cracks filled with copper and resin.
This is an unusual piece of timber, generally known as false acacia, in reality it is robinia, which most people know only as a garden shrub, but which can grow into a good sized tree.
An awkward little piece of walnut, cut close to the bark and comprising mainly sapwood but with a splash of wonderfully coloured heartwood.
A group of four little bowls each made with its own pedestal, just to lift each bowl and give an otherwise insignificant piece of timber, a bit more presence.
…and here they are individually…
A tiny piece of white ash with black accent lines, supported on a pedestal of ebonised ash with white accent lines.
Sycamore (with a dead knot) on a scorched oak pedestal.
Beech on a teak pedestal (teak reclaimed from door-frames).
A dry-vase, for dried or artificial flowers, made from brown oak with a bog-oak rolled rim.
Finally, my favourite piece…a dry vase made from laburnum with the most stunning grain.
