Bud Vase (conkerberry )

[Graham Sugar]

Hi all
Thought you may be interested in this small vase I turned last night
It is from one of our desert timbers (Conkerberry) 8" high x 2" wide at the shoulder I have a mix of sap wood bark and heartwood not to mention a couple of voids
The finish is sanded to 600, sealed with nitro celluose sealer and 3 coats of danish oil, burnished between coats with 000 steel wool
I will buff on the soft wheel in a couple of days
I sort of like the mix of polished and rustic
The piece of timber is the end of the branch the the vase was turned from, not sure what it will become
Look forward to your comments
Graham

[Allen Neighbors]

Conkerberry! Looks interesting... the log, I mean... I like the vase, too... the inclusions really set it off. Is it hollowed out, or bored straight in?
Just never heard of Conkerberry.

[Richard Madison]

Hey Graham,

That's very gnarly (a compliment). I like everything about it except the somewhat bulbous foot.

You have some great woods (timbers) there that we seldom see. Hope to see more of your work.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Very interesting vase Graham! I think you have a winner with the mix of finished wood and rough bark/inclusions! Love the contrast! Pretty wood - both in grain and color. Also really like the very tall/slim form to the vase but have to agree with Richard in that the foot seems out of proportion to the rest of the piece.

Nice work! Looking forward to seeing more of your turnings real soon!

[Jim Kountz]

Up until a little while back I had never heard of this wood. Very interesting grain that conkerberry!! Love the finish!!

[Jim Glock]

I've never heard of 'conkerberry'. The wood has a nice grain pattern....I like the 'rustic' look. Good job! jg

[David Christopher]

great looking vase, I like the wood and the shape. good job

[Graham Sugar]

Hey Graham,

That's very gnarly (a compliment). I like everything about it except the somewhat bulbous foot.

You have some great woods (timbers) there that we seldom see. Hope to see more of your work.

Thanks Richard
I thought long and hard about the foot and decided to go for the slightly oversize to alow the bark and void to carry on, as you can see there is a void right accross the foot it dose not look so big on the shelf
For those that are intrested the following is a bit about Conkerberry
Regards
Graham
Conkerberry
Carissa lanceolat
Conkerberry grows in small patches in the north west of Queensland, and in the Northern Territory where it is protected. Difficult to collect and handle, its use in wood turning is restricted because of holes up the central stems and the shortness of the workable straight lengths. The orange colour of Conkerberry heartwood is not typical of Australian timbers. It has an attractive creamy sapwood. Australian Aboriginals have used its small edible purple/blue berry for food and medicine.