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8 Attachment(s)
Punishment
As in "glutton for".
Finally finished up the pecan crotch cluster piece. I kept thinking I might get down to some wet wood, but it was pretty dry throughout and it was hard (I now understand the term pecancrete). I thought I would never get the hollowing done. All told, I think I have about 15 - 16 hours in this piece, changed the cutter on the hollower at least 10 times. I could only take the very lightest of cuts, with all of the cracks and voids even with the steady rest the vibration was bad.
But I overcame the challenge and managed to turn the piece without it blowing up :D. Now that I've got that out of my system, I'll be able to pass up the next chunk of wood that looks like that!
I shortened it up a fair amount (couldn't stand the thought of spending any more time hollowing it) and it ended up about 5 1/2" tall by 5". It's got a coat of danish oil so far and I'll follow that up with some WOP.
Here's a reminder of what I started out with.
Attachment 224396Attachment 224403
And here's the finished piece. Don't know if it was worth all the time spent on it, just glad it's finally done.
Attachment 224398Attachment 224399Attachment 224400
Attachment 224401Attachment 224402
This is a shot of the opening on top.
Attachment 224397
Thanks for looking!
Comments and critiques are welcome.
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Kathy, your perseverance really paid off. That is absolutely exquisite. I'm glad you made it through this piece safely. Looks like it could have been a dangerous endeavour. Congratulations on you awesome success.
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I've come across a few chunks of wood like you posted but never had the bravery or patience to try and turn them. You have inspired me to absolutely take a chance if I come across something gnarly in the future. You may have sacrificed a little safety, sweat, and certainly some nerves...but you have not only a fantastic looking piece out of some great wood...but something that is completely unique.
This is something that any wood turner would certainly have to tip their hat at you for!
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I applaud you, Kathy! As far as whether it was "worth the time" - only you can answer that. Unfortunately, folks that look at pieces like this have no idea the work involved. This one has a lot of character, and I bet the swirly grain is really neat up close.
Well done!
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amazing perseverence! the color variations are fantastic..very, very fascinating piece.
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great piece, not much on pecan, have same thoughts as you, well done
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I'm glad to see what came of that piece. First, I'm not all that crazy about spheres, though they have some attraction when in groups, colored, etc. However, I think this is a super piece that stands on its own (well, maybe rolls). All the voids and grain movements make this a piece that folks will want to pick up and view from several angles.
If I were to try this, I think I'd want to hollow it out in such a way as to hide the entry hole in the bottom of a deep void...which you very nearly did. Cool piece, and the right finish for it.
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Great job on that pecancrete, I have been working with some hickrete (dry hickory) and believe me I know what you mean about hard. It came from a large tree that fell down on my place. Told the wife I wasn't going to do any more of it. :D
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Way to stick with it. I think it turned out great!
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Nice work Kathy...........I don't know if it is worth getting beat up like you did, but you did a good job with a challenging piece of wood........the end result with all the cracks and voids would make me want to put it in the burn pile, but I am more drawn to wood that has few defects..........this one will probably be right up David Keller's alley!
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Now that had to have been a challenge but well worth the effort. That is a beauty Kathy.
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Kathy, you get an A for effort!
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Nice going dodging the danger! Love the grain!
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I like it too! I saw the original longer piece, and don't blame you for shortening it - expecially if it was beating you up on the hollowing! Is it just me, I can see a face in the third photo, complete with eye, nose and hairline; and the fifth pic is an elephants' ear...?
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Kathy,
Glad it stayed together and you stuck with it. I think it came out really well. Definetly an attention grabber.