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Thread: #28 Mahogany Tiger

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    #28 Mahogany Tiger

    This seems to be the season for "alien turnings", what with Leo's recent UFO!! I did a previous clamshell turning where I turned two separate turnings, glued them together, and returned them - the "flying saucer" or Telstar turning. I really enjoyed the multiple turnings and the challenge of getting them all to come together correctly, so I thought I would do another one.

    When Ms. Keeton saw this one, she commented it reminded her of a tiger - thus the name!

    This turning is actually three separate turnings, plus the finial. There is the bottom mahogany "bowl", the top curly maple, and the inset mahogany plug in the center of the maple. If there is any interest, I did take some in progress pics on this one I could post.

    The mahogany I brought back from Jamaica in the mid-1980's, and it is the "good stuff."

    On the curly maple, I used black dye, and a mixture of deep red and some brown to try to bring the mahogany color into the maple. This dye job was a little more fun than the previous one.

    Finish at this point is BLO and shellac. It will get a couple of coats of gloss lacquer, but rubbed down a little.

    28-1.jpg28-2.jpg28-3.jpg28-4.jpg

    The rings in the top are black epoxy. The finial is African Blackwood, and it is just barely over 1/16" thick at the neck.

    7" wide, 4" tall to the tip of the finial. The form is 1.5" tall. It is very light, and the top is extremely thin - 1/8" or so.

    I hope the pics are an improvement over previous postings. With help from Joe Aliperti, and the tutorial by Bill Huber, along with some info from various SMC threads I constructed a photo tent. Still using a fairly cheap camera, but at least the background should be better.

    This is another one of those that will divide the masses! I suspect there will be many that don't like it at all, so feel free to express your thoughts - good or bad!!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
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    Enid, Oklahoma
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    I like this one, John. I think you accomplished your goal of bringing the mahogany color into the maple. The finial is perfect to my eye. I like the colors in this piece a lot. Great job.

    I'd love to see the how-to photos if you're interested in posting them.

  3. #3
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    Feb 2009
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    Chatsworth, GA
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    Nice design. Looks like a flying saucer.Let's see # 29.
    Donny

  4. #4
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    Feb 2007
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    Idaho Falls, Idaho
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    Man John,

    You are like the energizer bunny. You just keep going..... I really like this one.
    Brian

    Sawdust Formation Engineer
    in charge of Blade Dulling

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Yorktown, VA
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    2,751
    I like the concept. The shape reminds me of a stylized ripple from a drop of water like some of Martin Waugh's images. I only wish you had not glued the clam shell together, so you could lift the lid off and have a piece of useable art.

    http://www.liquidsculpture.com/fine_art/index.htm

  6. #6
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    Feb 2009
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    Raleigh,NC
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    Mr. Keeton. You have done it once again! Amazing. You know I really realy do enjoy seeing your newest pieces, but what I'd really like to see is the 1-2 that didn't make it. I only request this so that I can confirm, you are not a robot programed to make beautiful pieces of art!

  7. #7
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    sLower Delaware
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    Your imagination is equal to your turning ability! The dark striping of the maple really makes the piece for me. I would be interested in how you created the dark outer ring around the stripes. I find this one very attractive! After going back and looking and reading again I am assuming the black stripe is in the mahogany?
    Last edited by Baxter Smith; 03-30-2010 at 9:52 PM. Reason: another thought

  8. #8
    very nice, your color combinations work and the turning elements fit

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    Dansville, NY
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    210
    Looks like a keeper to me. Rerally nice John
    If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
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    Goodland, Kansas
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    Really a pretty piece. The woods work together really well. Finial looks great.
    Bernie

    Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.

    To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.



  11. #11
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    Mar 2007
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    Stony Plain, Alberta
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    You really have got the touch for this John.
    Great imagination and the talent.
    Well done, very well done.

    I for one would like to see some progress pics. Can't get enough of those.
    Do we get to see #29 on Saturday....

  12. #12
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    Feb 2008
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    torrance, Ca
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    Beautiful wood and great job as usual.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
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    Central Indiana
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    955
    Several interesting aspects on this piece.

    I like the epoxy ring. It is a nice accent.

    The sunken finial is different and I like it's effect.

    Being the purist that I am, I personally could have done without the dye job.

    Overall a very nice piece.

    Toney

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Woodlawn, Illinois
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    338
    Glad you decided to break out the "good stuff" for this project. I really like the color combinations and the way everything ties together. At first look I thought that the globe of the final was maybe a little thick but going back a second time it seems to fit the piece (I think this comes from the first photo angle).

    Not that I would ever be able to duplicate a piece of art like this, I too would enjoy the "in progress" photos. The engineer side of me wants to know how this thing built.

    Thanks for showing another "Keeton". I always look forward to your postings and occasionally check out your gallery to review your past work. Thanks.
    Who knew your could have so much fun with such a small chunk of wood

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Central KY
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    Thanks for all the compliments! You guys have been pretty tolerant of my "artistic diversions."

    Ted, thanks for the comments and the link. Because of the epoxy rings, I didn't consider a removable top. But, I suppose one could have that outside ring in either in the base or the top.

    Gary, I actually did have 2 that didn't make the "numbered series!" Early on I used a small block of cocobolo to turn a shallow little bowl, but that was before I had the donut chuck, and I discovered that I couldn't get the bottom finished appropriately. It never got finished and ended up in the kindling bucket. Then, I had a piece of sassafras I turned green, and got it very thin. When I sanded it, it got TOO thin, and cracked. I tossed it, as well. I have also chucked up a couple of pieces of wood that ended up being far to rotten to turn. So far, those have been the only discards, but I am sure there will be others!

    Toney, this piece didn't actually start out to be a dyed piece! As I was mixing the epoxy, my son and grandson arrived for a visit. As we were talking, I ended up neglecting to seal the epoxy areas with shellac before pouring the epoxy. As a result, some pigment bled into the maple. I couldn't turn it out, and it became apparent if the piece was going to be saved, it would need to be another experiment in dye application!

    Roger, thanks! On the finial, I discussed this with Steve Schlumpf while in progress, and indicated to him I thought the finial needed some mass low in the form in order to be balanced. Steve cautioned that it still needed to be delicate, and this was the result. I think it works, but not if it were any larger!

    For those that indicated they would like to see some progress pics, here they are.

    Using CA, I glued on a waste block to the mahogany and turned the bottom "bowl", finished on the inside with BLO and shellac. Note the flat "glue shelf" on the inside edge. This piece stayed in this chuck until the whole piece was completely turned except the bottom. I used a donut chuck for that.
    1.JPG
    In another chuck, I trued up the front of a waste block before using CA to glue on the curly maple. I did this in order to have as true of a spin as I could, and it kept me from wasting away a bunch of stock to get a clean spinning round.
    2.JPG
    Next, I glued on the maple round.
    3.JPG
    Then I removed the maple round from the chuck, marking the location of jaw #1 on the waste block so it would rechuck close to the same. However, since it had not yet been turned, it wasn't critical. Then, I turned a "plug" of mahogany to go in the middle. I could have used a third chuck here, and coincidentally, ToolNut has a special going on the G3!!!
    4.JPG
    Then I turned a recess for the mahogany in what will be the inside of the maple top, and glue in the mahogany with Titebond. Since the glueline would show, I wanted the filling properties of the Titebond vs. CA.
    5.JPG

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