Silky Oak ' The Maelstrom'

[neil mackay]

Havent posted any pieces for awhile. So here goes with a Silky Oak flat and hollow carved piece.

This one took me some time to work out how to do the blank justice and then how to layout the concept. It lay around on the shelf for over two years, I originally picked it up because of the figure and Silky Oak is also one of my favourites as it so is so easy to work. As for allergys to it etc It has no effect on me, although I do make any effort to keep the dust to a minimum when working Silky Oak.

Its 12"x 3" finished with DO, very dry it took many coats of DO before it stopped soaking. I think I was rubbing on the DO of over ten minutes before it showd any signs of slowing up. Stained the inside with a Mahogany finish to give contrast and to also underline concept of a maelstrom or powerful vortex in action here.

[Chris Studley]

Very cool. Great form. I love how the straightness of the grain contrasts with the curves of the carving. You really did the wood justice.

[Jon Prouty]

I love this... You make me want to try the carving aspect of this hobby now. Great job - did I mention I love it?

Jon

[Marty Eargle]

As far as I'm concerned, this is a near perfect carved turning. While certainly nice for oak, I don't think the wood does the piece justice. The form lends itself perfectly to the carving that is a nice mixture of simplicity and complexity. Not too busy and not too boring.

Very nice work, Neil. A piece really to be proud of.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Neil,
Your work is beautiful and the carving impeccable. I hear "Silky Oak" mentioned on a Raffan DVD. Is that wood native only to you folks "down under"? It doesn't look anything like any of our domestic oaks. It appears almost like mahogany rather than the ring porous nature of our oaks. By the way, in a way I agree with Marty about the particular piece of wood. I'm not crazy about the knot. I feel like this carving deserved an unblemished canvas but the design is so good, it almost makes you not notice the knot at all.
faust

[Harry Robinette]

Neil
Beautiful piece, but I'm with the others nice piece of wood but it doesn't do you carving justice.

[David DeCristoforo]

Great job on the carving. I agree that it deserves a better "canvas" I really don't mind the "plainness" of this wood... it keeps it from competing with the carving which is the real show. But the knot bothers me. Maybe you could photoshop that out...

[neil mackay]

The knot, I pondered about it but I wanted the max diameter. As to wood itself the figure is very fine but to it justice you really need a gloss finish and I havent decided if to give this one a gloss or not as yet.

Although its scarce as a timber, this does depend on the location. Where I get mine from theres is an abundance amd all of it is from road widening, dead falls, garden overhauls, storms etc.

This particular piece was an experiment and whilst it came out fine I am not a 100% happy with it, I will revisit this form again. The whole process was kicked off by looking at some of Doug Fishers work.

Silky Oak is a great carving wood soft with long straight grain and many of our wood are dark and wouldnt show the carving quite so well, so in some ways it was a bit of a trade off. As I have a whole lot of Silky Oak I will be doing a lot more and willpsot as I go along

But your comments are mush appreciated

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grevillea_robusta

http://www.mrpuzzle.com.au/webcontent94.htm

[Bernie Weishapl]

Beautiful piece. Love the carving.

[Billy Tallant]

That is an amazing piece. That carving really sets it off...

[Michelle Rich]

WONDERFUL: love the neck work..

[Steve Schlumpf]

Very nice work Neil! Really like the sharp edges to everything! Looking forward to seeing where this design takes you! Thanks for sharing!

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Neil,
Wow!! Silky oak is an evergreen. I never bothered to look it up. Thanks for the link. It must be a wonderful carving wood.
faust

[neil mackay]

It must be a wonderful carving wood.

Faust, yes its a great wood for carving and turning, razor sharp tools effortlessly slice through it.I love the figure it really pops with a good clear finish. For all that its not so popular with many due to the fear of an allergic reaction. Only in regions where it grows in abundance do the turners use it much, fortunately for me I have good friend from one of these areas who keeps me supplied.

Looking forward to seeing where this design takes you

Steve, me too, this one was kick off after a visit to Doug Fishers site.


Thanks for all the positive comments, this one was an experiment and I am not 100% happy with it, I will be re-visiting this idea again.

[Jon Nuckles]

Fantastic carving! I really like the way whorls go out toward the edge. Wonder how they would look if they got shallower and faded to nothing as they reached the outside edge?