Wet madrone is Like a box of chocolates; You just never know what you'll get.

Friday I posted a note about some fresh, green madrone with a blueish tint here (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...0-Blue-Madrone) and recieved several messages wanting to see how it turned out. I began to make a 22-inch bowl but decided to make something smaller since it was so late in the day. I turned the urn you see here within an hour of when the tree was felled, and had to constantly wipe off my face shield because of the water spinoff. After turning it, I dried it in the microwave two minutes at a time, then applied some boiled linseed oil.

In less than ten hours it warped all to heck, which is what I expected (and wanted) it to do. I love the adventure of this! You just never know what to expect from turning such green wood, and I'm certain there will more distortion in the coming weeks. I also expect the reds to darken and a grain texture to appear.

You can see the blue/purpleish hue on almost every side, but that bright red streak is a curiosity.

I have so much of this that I plan to turn some really huge salad-type bowls, probably with extra tall bases so I can turn them flat after all the warping is complete. I'm also going to rough turn some blanks, seal them, and put them in the drying shed. Should be interesting. Will keep you posted.

Size is 10" wide and 11 inches tall.

Attachment 225441 Attachment 225442 Attachment 225443

Having seen this vessel in person (Russell brought it to my shop Sunday morning) I can confirm that the color is extremely interesting. I want to see what it looks like after several coats of wipe on poly and some polishing. Have your considered dying the beads (like you often do with your projects) to accentuate the warping? How much of it does that guy have? I only do segmented bowls, so wet material is out of the question, but my girls might want to try some since it's such a breeze to turn.

Jos has plenty left (see other thread) and the blue went the entire length of the first tree. The second tree, which came down later and I haven't bought any of it yet, looks like it will have some heavy figuring, if the bumpy trunk is any indication. For those guys in the Olympic Penninsula Woodturners group, I'll bring this bowl and a chunk of raw stuff to this week's meeting.

And yes, Dave, I saved a chunk for your Junior Woodchucks!

That is a beauty Russell. Really colorful wood.

The only way the rough turned one will survive is if you boil them like Dale Larson does. If they do survive the drying, they will warp too much to be able to twice turn them.

I had a 22 inch madrone bowl I turned Dec. 2010. It finished moving at 25 by 17 inches.

robo hippy

That's some interesting stuff. Almost looks like a square-turned bowl. Be sure to post some pics once the color and warping settles.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Reed Gray

The only way the rough turned one will survive is if you boil them like Dale Larson does. If they do survive the drying, they will warp too much to be able to twice turn them. --robo hippy

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Yep, gonna boil them. Or, perhaps, wax them to really slow things down.

wow, that really moves. I've never seen madrone, so this is fascinating

Impressive movement! Sure is some pretty wood and that red streak really stands out! Hope everything survives the extreme contortions while drying!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Steve Schlumpf

Impressive movement! Sure is some pretty wood and that red streak really stands out! Hope everything survives the extreme contortions while drying!

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If I turn it thin enough, it usually does. This one is fairly thick and it looks like it will do fine. I've turned it paper thin -- 3/16ths of an inch -- and had it bend 10-15 degrees with no splits. The thing that's unusual about this batch is that it has almost no red.

Michelle: I'd like to see some of your open form platters using this material, turned wet, and allowed to twist. Follow that link and get some from the guy who just harvested it. He doesn't want much for it.

Really nice work and outside the box!!----old forester

I look forward to seeing this tonight...

Of course I have to also setup the food and help get the TVs setup... I built boosters for them so we can start to figure out how tall they have to be to be seen in the back

After 7-10 days and several coats of lacquer, the blue tones have faded slightly, but it definately continues to have a blue cast, despite what the lighting in the photograph shows. As madrone tends to do, lots of wrinkly features and reds are beginning to appear, and I expect that to continue for months to come. Yes, I airbrushed an amber dye on the beads. The warping seems to have died down.

I have already turned second and third bowls from this batch, and will post photos of those when I get the chance to take photos.


Attachment 226575
A detail of the warping within 12 hours of turning, burnished, but not finished.


Attachment 226577
Same day, whole bowl

Attachment 226576
Finished bowl after one week, with lacquer and tinted bands.


Another angle, showing blue banding.
Attachment 226561

Russell, that madrone is great for cowboy hats. I have had good success drying thin turned items in plastic bags, turning the bag inside out every day or so.

If turned 1/4 inch thick, 90% of the drying and warping is done in 2 days. After 10 days, it is done other than seasonal movement. Turned 1/8 inch thick, done moving in 2 to 3 days. Always unpredictable.

robo hippy