I haven't been posting as much lately, I'm still lurking around. I just didn't get to do much of any turning this past summer, so I had nothing to show off. I have been working on a dining room table which has taken up what little shop time I had.
But now it's cold, the grass doesn't need mowing, and I'm able to get back into my shop. I started with a walnut cake platter. I made a few last year, some of my first projects on the lathe, based off a Wood magazine article. I ended up giving those away as gifts, so I still needed to make one for the wife. I used the same basic idea, but came up with my own design for the base and spindle, although the spindle is pretty similar. I used walnut from the drops of the slabs used for the table, so it's the same tree as our table, something hopefully the kids will appreciate down the road.
Looking at it without the glass dome, I think the base feels a bit 'heavy' since the top isn't quite 3/4" thick (by the time I resawed a chunk of wood, planed, joined, and planed again the platter is ~5/8 thick) but with a glass dome it feels more balanced. Critiques appreciated on the overall shape/design. Finish: 2 coats natural danish oil. 4 coats shellac sealer. 5 coats of General WTF. Buffed with Behlen's buffer's polish. It's a bit harder sheen than I typically like, but the wife likes the high gloss look, and I figured poly would hold up better over time with food being eaten off of it. I did get a near-mirror like finish on top by sanding that section to 2000 grit before the final coat.
Thanks for looking.
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